Category Archives: Uncategorized

You can read the extended piece here, and it answers some of the issues raised by councillors and residents alike. And for those of you who want to get stuck into the issues, get involved with the Cambs Unitaries Campaign. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s invitation letter is here – the one referred to in the aboveContinue reading “Ministers publish update on unitary council proposals”

I rocked up to the afternoon session of a pair of workshops at the recently-opened Cherry Hinton Hub in South-East Cambridge. While I was the youngest person participating (the morning workshop had a more diverse group age-wise), the united call for the University of Cambridge to bring back a civic lifelong learning function was somethingContinue reading “Cherry Hinton residents demand better from Cambridge University”

And not just because I want to apply for one to try out civics pop-up stalls Basically the city council’s small grant scheme excludes individuals and unless you are a fully-functioning, established constituted organisation with a history of successful delivery, the barriers to applying for anything are prohibitive. “What are micro-grants?” “A ‘micro-grant’ means aContinue reading “Cambridge, can we run some community micro-grants schemes?”

Will it be a ground-breaking splendidly beautiful visionary design, or will it be carbuncle-tastic and enrage His Majesty? Also, the Combined Authority publish videos of some of its events at the big UKREIIF property industry jamboree in Leeds. TL/DR? – See the consultation event on Wed 04 June 2025 in North Cambridge, and see theContinue reading “Crown Estate invites you to see North Cambridge business park masterplan”

Cambridge Labour select their former mayoral candidate Cllr Anna Smith (Lab – Coleridge) as Cambridge City Council’s representative on the Combined Authority Board You can see the meeting papers for: …which are on Wed 04 June 2025. (Get your public questions in for the latter by the end of the week!) “Who will be theContinue reading “First meeting papers for the Combined Authority with Mayor Paul Bristow”

The former Assistant Chief Executive of Cambridge City Council, Andrew Limb, authored a recent study for Cambridge Ahead having spent several decades both in the civil service (where he was burdened with me in my 20s in the bank of desks opposite – poor fellow) and in local government following the 2010 General Election TL/DR?Continue reading “On Cambridge’s inequalities vs innovation”

In an utterly predictable yet highly-depressing move, the owner who has (for what ever reason) let a gem of a civic building in Cambridge become derelict and run down, is appealing to ministers to get Cambridge City Council’s planning refusal overturned. TL/DR: How can you contest the appeal? Go to the planning portal here, clickContinue reading “Developer appeals to ministers to try and get Art Deco cinema demolished”

Anna Minton’s piece on gentrification is a warning for central government and the affluent business sectors when it comes to building new towns and expanding existing ones I’m not going to let the haunting question ‘What’s a youth club?’ by one of a trio of children put to me at a recent primary school summerContinue reading ““Children are the canary in the coalmine for what is happening to our cities””

How will Cambridge’s sci-tech community and affluent business interests respond to this very visible sign of discontent outside The Guildhall? Image – from the Trials of Democracy project in Cambridge The saying goes that businesses need economic stability and predictability if they are to invest in a manner that results in jobs and growth –Continue reading “Divisions in unequal and divided Cambridge take a new, menacing turn”

The deputy civic mayor for the previous municipal year was elevated to the mayoralty earlier today. She follows in the footsteps of previous Romsey Labour councillors Bill Briggs and Labour MP Barry Gardiner – whose daughter Cllr Beth Gardiner-Smith (also of Romsey) seconded her nomination You can listen to the new Mayor of Cambridge’s speechContinue reading “New Mayor of Cambridge Dinah Pounds’ music and arts vision for our city”