Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board published a report called The Economic Power of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The report calls an overhauled, simplified governance structure The top-three recommendations are: Fast-track East West Rail approvals, with an accelerated examination timetable, adequate resourcing of the Planning Inspectorate and phased delivery starting this parliament. Create a single Oxford–Cambridge GrowthContinue reading “It’s like the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster read my blog!”

A superb piece by the founder of the Ninety-Three Percent Club who has put into a single blogpost what I spent over 15 years failing to do in hundreds of my own Image: The Tackling Loneliness Hub The title Life on a piece of paper comes from something I wrote during my final year ofContinue reading “Sophie Pender’s riposte to Life on a Piece of Paper”

EF applies for Change of Use for historic house that previously it used for corporate language courses. In the meantime, will there be a new proposal for the Romsey Labour Club? “The applicant added that it would “help meet the growing demand for resident facilities” for the school’s growing student numbers. It would also provideContinue reading “Romsey House opposite Romsey Labour Club to become student accommodation”

The Local Government Information Unit published a report on the future of local government in England – looking into the longer term over the next quarter of a century. See: The LGIU Report Looking to 2050 here The LGIU Report 2025 State of Local Government Finance in England Ministers cannot have a meaningful conversation aboutContinue reading “The governance of England in 2050”

In a nutshell there isn’t enough of it, and there are some easy wins that Cambridge City Council and the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service are missing out on. At the foot of the poster I state who I am (“With local historian Antony Carpen”) because I don’t want anyone to get the impression I’mContinue reading “Offline publicity for Future of Cambridge proposals”

Live to work, or work to live? Continuing on the theme of Loneliness in 2026 In my further reading on Loneliness in Society and the multiple articles now coming out regularly on our individual struggles to find community and belonging (I found another one in The Guardian here for 2025, along with Malala’s take forContinue reading “When your day job becomes your identity – Loneliness in society”

A short post on a recently-formed support group in Cambridge that meets at The Alex Pub on Gwydir Street The FB Group is here Eventbrite listings are here The group was formed by Angela Brown who you can contact via the above-two links. The significant underfunding of neurodiverse health services – in particular ADHD inContinue reading “Cambridge ADHD Group”

The proposals were rejected in 2013 by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council in the creation of what became the current local plan of 2018 – but with Peter Freeman’s Cambridge Growth Company instructed to grow Cambridge beyond what the emerging local plan accounts for, will we need to revisit this? See theContinue reading “Revisiting the abandoned Cambridge Sporting Village 2013”

This was in 1994 and were the feelings of former Perse School headmaster Martin Stephen in an interview with the Cambridge Evening News shortly before his departure for Manchester. “I think there is more loneliness in Cambridge than any other city I have ever known” Martin Stephens in the Cambridge Evening News 21 July 1994,Continue reading “Former headteacher described Cambridge as having ‘more loneliness than any city he had ever known’”

In June 2021 the House of Commons Library published this briefing on loneliness in society. Nearly five years later how far have we come? Image – Tackling loneliness hub which is being funded by the Government (which includes this blogpost by the Minister) I’m writing this in the context of my own experiences past andContinue reading “Loneliness in society 2026”