Cambridge City Councillors meet on Wed 15 July 2026 to approve a monster set of documents going out to public consultation on the future of the city You can: Additionally, this is an early notice for anyone interested in organising meetings or workshops – theme specific (eg transport) or area-specific (eg a village or aContinue reading “***Massive*** document drop by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service on future of city”
Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl
Together Culture – co-operation in a University City
The Together Culture collective have a new project coming up. They are asking you to imagine what you’d build ‘if you had a million pounds to invest in community-owned infrastructure here.’ More details are at https://www.togetherculture.com/events “Given Cambridge’s housing and land prices, that might get you a small lock-up and a micro-forecourt if you’re lucky”Continue reading “Together Culture – co-operation in a University City”
Reconnecting Cambridge by rail with east coast seaside resorts like Great Yarmouth
Can someone make a high profile case for re-connecting a fast-growing Cambridge to the seaside by train like in the olden days? Image – The draft East of England Plan of March 2010 which you can read here. I wrote about it back in 2022 in a blogpost saying that not everything needed to beContinue reading “Reconnecting Cambridge by rail with east coast seaside resorts like Great Yarmouth”
The powerful case for lifelong learning by the Committee for Adult Education 1919
Titled ‘Industrial and social conditions in relation to adult education’, the document was published in 1919 as a one of a series of interim reports, and yet it resonates far more than any corporate report of recent times. This is what it said about local government in paragraph 18 of the report “The general environmentContinue reading “The powerful case for lifelong learning by the Committee for Adult Education 1919”
The lack of adult education and lifelong learning centres was called out 102 years ago
What the report in 1924 on The Guildhouse Co-operative Centre for Adult Education can teach today’s politicians and policy-makers Image: The Centenary Commission on Adult Education Report 2019 (Which needs looking at again as it was drowned out by the Brexit noise in the general election). You can browse through the guide that arrived thisContinue reading “The lack of adult education and lifelong learning centres was called out 102 years ago”
Why did The Treasury not cover Land Value Capture in its Green Book Review?
And why do big infrastructure projects in the UK cost so much more than most of the rest of the world? Image: Land Value Capture in the USA – read how they do it You can read the Government’s One Year Review of the Green Book here “What is the Green Book?” “The Green BookContinue reading “Why did The Treasury not cover Land Value Capture in its Green Book Review?”
Will Treasury let Andy Burnham overhaul local government finance? From his speech at the People’s History Museum
If you’ve not been to the People’s History Museum, have a look here. The ‘PM-in-waiting’ as the media are setting him up as, gave his first policy speech post-by-election at the Museum You can watch the speech in full via the AP here – do have a listen What Mr Burnham is up against isContinue reading “Will Treasury let Andy Burnham overhaul local government finance? From his speech at the People’s History Museum”
How can the CPCA Mayor raise the profile of the Mayoralty with an unfamiliar public in an era of low trust in Politics?
For those of you that have forgotten, the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Paul Bristow included getting a light rail for Cambridge built, and ‘making the Mayoralty matter’ in his manifesto You can browse through his manifesto here. Image: Political Education for Adults (1983) by the old Advisory Council for Adult andContinue reading “How can the CPCA Mayor raise the profile of the Mayoralty with an unfamiliar public in an era of low trust in Politics?”
Cambridgeshire MPs debate Forest City proposed for West Suffolk
Ministers have responded to MPs who have raised the Forest City Concept with them. The Combined Authority Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow was also asked about it at his public questions event at Cambridge Guildhall on 25 June 2026 (see my previous blogpost) and he was dismissive of both the concept and ofContinue reading “Cambridgeshire MPs debate Forest City proposed for West Suffolk”
CPCA Mayor faces questions at Cambridge Guildhall – and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Chris Mann
Two sets of question-and-answer sessions for CPCA Mayor Paul Bristow in the continuing heatwave You can listen to Chris Mann’s cross-examination of the CPCA Mayor on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire here. (Available till end of July 2026) I’ve not yet listened to the above, but one thing journalists are able to do that most councillors don’tContinue reading “CPCA Mayor faces questions at Cambridge Guildhall – and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s Chris Mann”
