The purpose: to find, select, digitise, publish, and publicise the important, interesting, and useful publications, documents, and articles related to previous local plans and local transport plans. The post-holder could also publicise the existence of the collection (And the Cambridge Library – which was once a city council responsibility), and also encourage donations to theContinue reading “Cambridge City Council should fund a part time post at the Cambridgeshire Collection for the duration of the emerging local plan”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Cllr Lewis Herbert steps down as Leader of Cambridge City Council after seven years
John Elworthy of the Cambs Times broke the story here. (Although he has not named the four candidates who will contest the vacant leadership post). Above – Cllr Lewis Herbert (Labour – Coleridge) with the only candidate to contest one of the Coleridge seats on a public platform at the Cambridge City Council Elections –Continue reading “Cllr Lewis Herbert steps down as Leader of Cambridge City Council after seven years”
“So, where on this map will our rowing lake, concert hall, and light rail stops go? And how will you stop the lights going out?”
Councillors must insist that the various projects and programmes that will decide the future of our city & county all work together. Because at the moment there is room for improvement. Water and electricity remain major constraints on developments. I bought a map of Cambridge & District recently. Disappointingly I could not find any bookshopsContinue reading ““So, where on this map will our rowing lake, concert hall, and light rail stops go? And how will you stop the lights going out?””
Cambridge town, what is our collective offer to Cambridge & Anglia Ruskin students who want to get involved in civic action?
This follows the sad news that the Cambridge Hub’s Social Innovation Programme will not be happening this term. If Cambridge town civic institutions can come up with a co-ordinated offer, the impact that our students could have on the future of our city could be significant – but we have to remove the unnecessary barriersContinue reading “Cambridge town, what is our collective offer to Cambridge & Anglia Ruskin students who want to get involved in civic action?”
“Allow people to be proud of their place”
How might some of the concepts being promoted by the New Local think tank work for a high growth area like Greater Cambridge? You can read Stephanie Riches thought-provoking blogpost here. This is part of the series on Community Power by the New Local think tank. I spent the last couple of years of myContinue reading ““Allow people to be proud of their place””
The unspoken barriers politicians must address when talking about empowering communities
The biggest one is time. Time to spend learning, reading, analysing, and debating the issues on their doorstep. But that’s not the only barrier. Cambridge Labour councillors met up with Steve Reed MP, the Shadow Local Government Secretary / Shadow of Michael Gove’s new empire in Brighton (where I lived for three years around theContinue reading “The unspoken barriers politicians must address when talking about empowering communities”
Lessons from Cambourne published in 2007 to apply to new developments in Greater Cambridge
I was invited to comment on Northstowe’s thought-provoking and detailed town strategy by Cllr Sarah Cheung Johnson (Liberal Democrats – Longstanton, Oakington & Northstowe) on a recent thread on recent large housing developments in and around our city. The headline relates to the 2007 document Lessons from Cambourne written by Stephen Platt. This week’s CambridgeContinue reading “Lessons from Cambourne published in 2007 to apply to new developments in Greater Cambridge”
Asking lots (of us) to give a little as we build back better
…rather than asking a few (of us) to give up a lot – something that former Mayor of Cambridge Paul Saunders talked to me about many moons ago (pre-EURef) when it felt like no one was taking much interest in local democracy, let alone politics generally. Both the EU Referendum (along with the Brexit fallout)Continue reading “Asking lots (of us) to give a little as we build back better”
Despondency over the future of Greater Cambridge – and the missed opportunities
Made all the more difficult to deal with because no one individual is to blame for where we are vs where we could be: There have been multiple shortcomings by many people and institutions – not just Central Government either. I want to start with one of the most controversial people in post-war Cambridge: MrContinue reading “Despondency over the future of Greater Cambridge – and the missed opportunities”
Does anyone have a positive vision for the future of local government?
The under-funded sector awaits what the new Secretary of State Gove has to say in terms of policy, but the rebranding of the department into something with far too many syllables doesn’t bode well Now The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Which is a rubbish acronym. Let’s face it, they all were. DepartmentsContinue reading “Does anyone have a positive vision for the future of local government?”
The Cambridge Town Owl 