Category Archives: Uncategorized

Back in November 2025 I asked “Ministers could save time and money by legalising and regulating e-scooters. So why won’t they?” Now the BBC has published an in-depth report on the Government’s e-scooters policies Image: Economic impact of light rail (2004) summarised here “But six years since the trials started around England, there’s still no conclusion…SoContinue reading “BBC News asks ‘Why the UK is dithering over what to do about e-scooters’ – plus more on light rail”

The Cambridge Independent featured a petition about how Cambridge is changing. This post looks at the content of the responses in the context of the Minister for Housing and Planning’s statement to Parliament about ‘exemplary engagement structures’ that the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation will have to establish. “‘I feel a growing sense of sadness watchingContinue reading “Comments on the ‘Cambridge is being changed’ petition of summer 2026”

When a book from the olden days produced for children asks some very awkward questions of adults – and the ministers responsible for education in recent decades. The publication is called ‘Local Studies for Schools’ and is an exercise book aimed at late primary / early secondary school children going by the content of theContinue reading “How well do you know your district/town/city?”

The House of Lords gave its approval on 22nd July 2026, while the House of Commons gave its approval a couple of weeks earlier Image – detail of the Order creating the development corporation. Read the full Order here. You can read the transcripts of the debates: House of Commons debate – the Minister’s caseContinue reading “Parliament approves creation of The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation”

The development is for 240 co-living residential units as part of the major property developments in North West Cambridge. Could these developments help reduce the frequency of family homes being converted into awkwardly-converted Houses of Multiple Occupation that they were never designed for? …Having lived in such a property in my university days in BrightonContinue reading “New co-living development in NW Cambridge, in response to HMOs pressures”

That’s not to say Cambridge isn’t getting any money, but policy-wise what little is recycled back through Whitehall’s algorithms is (understandably) being spent on ‘cold spots’ across the county. Image – Sutton College – Cambridgeshire doesn’t even have an adult education service logo! (It has two words in a font, the words indicating a muchContinue reading “London Borough of Sutton to get splendid new lifelong learning centre – why can’t Cambridge have one too?”

So, who owns what then? You can see the map at https://cambridgehmos.netlify.app/, and the original petition here – with the image screengrabbed for this post. The linked petition on Cambridge City Council’s website was debated on 16 July 2026 – see item 6 of the meeting papers here. Above – a screengrab of the mapContinue reading “Campaigners publish map of Houses of Multiple Occupation in Cambridge”

The third in a series of blogposts looking at individual papers that form part of this summer’s consultation on the future of the city and district You can find the Jobs Topic Paper in the Committee Documents Pack, in Appendix J – Jobs Above – only 26 pages in the Jobs Topic Paper The issuesContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 3) Jobs Topic Paper and lack of adult skills content”

The second in a series of blogposts looking at individual papers that form part of this summer’s consultation on the future of the city and district See Wellbeing and Social Inclusion here Above – Infrastructure 2D-style from the Infrastructure Topic Paper – just 29 pages this time! This paper covers: The following proposed policies areasContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 2) Infrastructure Topic Paper”

The first of a series of blogposts looking at individual papers that form part of this summer’s consultation on the future of the city and district I wrote about it in this earlier blogpost Note you can: If health and other things allow, I’ll also try to make some short video clips for each oneContinue reading “Draft Gtr Cambridge Local Plan: 1) Wellbeing and Social Inclusion Topic Paper”