Category Archives: Uncategorized

If you need a refresher on what the Imagine2027 series was about, see here. It was organised by the Cambridge Commons, part of the Equality Trust, with the events hosted by Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, & sponsored by Sookio, who in those days were a small social media and marketing startup, but have beenContinue reading “Five years on from Imagine2027 in Cambridge 2017/18”

Pictured above – ‘Hideous Cambridge’ – what happens when a community (or a city) is not in control of what gets built there. So what are communities in control? This post has a look – from a policy paper a year after I graduated, to a Government White Paper I briefly worked on in myContinue reading “Communities in Control – what a different 18 years makes”

It is happening across multiple policy areas in the face of urgent and growing problems that ministers have been repeatedly warned about over an extended period of time Starting with dentistry. …because the BBC News at Ten lead with it this evening. “Nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting newContinue reading “Paralysis at the heart of central government blocking urgent action”

Above – from Cambridge Ahead’s report on how Cambridge’s housing crisis affects young adults. It’s worth reading – see here. A higher national minimum wage and/or Universal Basic Income might go some way to alleviating the costs of living and enabling more people to participate in civic society. Just two of the reasons why thisContinue reading “Ireland’s president’s passionate defence of the Minimum Wage – and Universal Basic Income as well”

Above – you can view past and current copies of CamCycle’s magazine here. Getting a sense of how the organisation (of which I am a member of) is run – and what other local campaigning groups can learn CamCycle – the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, has become one of the most influential organisations on active travelContinue reading “CamCycle’s first in-person meeting in nearly three years”

…given some of the problems that arose at the 2022 festival as highlighted by regular festival-goer Chris Rand You can read Chris Rand’s review of the Cambridge Folk Festival 2022 here. I didn’t go this year for multiple reasons, including health, and not seeing anyone on the line up that made me want to raceContinue reading “What makes for a better Cambridge Folk Festival?”

A nice way to end what has otherwise been an extraordinarily difficult month for many of us – not least with the heatwave. Above – England’s Captain Leah Williamson being interviewed by BBC Sport. If you missed any of it, see the BBC’s coverage and clips here. England’s women went one better than the menContinue reading ““The legacy of this tournament is the change in society” – England’s Captain Leah Williamson after winning WEuro2022 at Wembley”

Interim chief executive Gordon Mitchell seems to have won over the leaders and senior councillors of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough’s local councils, but he has his work cut out improving the Combined Authority. “From the brief discussions I’ve had with [The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – i.e. Central Government] , they’re content thatContinue reading “Combined Authority Board highlights over-complicated county structures of public services”

It’s a cross-party initiative on Cambridge City Council in response to the Climate Emergency and the Heatwave 2022 – but before these start, the councillors need to run workshops explaining how our city functions. And they need to involve everyone – not just those with the right to vote Seven years ago, I made thisContinue reading “Why Cambridge’s climate resilience forums need democracy-in-action resources to go with them”

Above – this speech wasn’t meant to be like the Redcliffe Maud report on local government in England commissioned by Harold Wilson’s Government. Starmer’s speech hinted that Green Growth will be an electoral front line between the ‘reds’ and the ‘greens’ in the next general election. You can read the transcript of Sir Keir Starmer’sContinue reading “Can Sir Keir Starmer deliver economic growth alongside ‘net zero carbon’?”