September 2017

Buckden Roundabout

September 2017

FROM YOUR COUNTY COUNCILLOR

The two most controversial issues arising in the

County Council

in recent weeks have been:

The proposals to reduce the number of Children’s Centres

and re-provide the services in fewer ‘Family Zones’. I outlined

the key issues in the August Roundabout and you will still have time to respond to the consultation until September 22

. You

can find it on

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/childrenscentreconsultation

and if you have any specific questions about how this

change might affect you or your family, you can go to

ask.childrenscentres.gov.uk@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

b) There has been a strong public reaction to the news that

councillor allowances will be increased substantially

in this time

of public service austerity. An Independent Remuneration Panel was appointed to make a recommendation and did so, pro-

posing a scheme that would have cost £751,550, slightly less than the current figure (as the new Council has fewer members

than the last one). The ruling group decided to reject that and vote through their own scheme costing £936,000.

As well as a basic allowance, councillors with extra responsibilities get a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA). This is where

the most astonishing increases have taken place: Council Leader (Conservative) from £21,636 to £31,745; Deputy Leader

(Conservative) from £14,682 to £20,627; Service Committee chairs (all Conservatives) from £12,363 to £18,372; Service Com-

mittee Vice-chairs (all Conservatives) from £6,182 to £7,927. In total, 23 of the 36 Conservative councillors have Special Re-

sponsibility Allowances amounting to £280,000, (90.7% of the total allocated to SRAs).

You will be aware that a

Combined Authority Mayor

was elected in May and he is now getting down to work. At the first

meeting his personal salary was increased from £60,000 to £75,000 and he has gone on to set up an administrative structure

costing £1.8 million. This is such a high proportion of his annual £20 million budget that the Scrutiny Panel has ‘called in’ the

proposal. Fortunately your District Councillor, Terry Hayward, sits as an Independent on the Scrutiny Panel so I know we can

rely on him to probe on ‘value for money’. The Mayor has put forward an ambitious programme to build thousands of houses,

improve the road system all over Cambridgeshire (no mention of the A1 so far) , build a light railway round the area, an under-

ground network for Cambridge and set up a new university in Peterborough. Another of his ideas (and one on which I agree

with him) is that we should eliminate one of the tiers of local government because he believes that we do not need parish

councils, district councils, a county council and a Combined Authority. Strangely enough, when I proposed exactly that in

March, he voted against the idea, describing it ‘as the sort of thing that makes me bloody angry’.

If you wish to raise any matters with me personally, I always come to the Village Hall at 7 p.m. on the evening of the Parish

Council meeting, the 2

Tuesday in the month. At other times, please ring me on 07765 833 486

or write to me at

peter.downes@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Peter Downes, County Councillor for the Brampton and Buckden division

FROM YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILLOR

PROPOSED LUCKS LANE DEVELOPMENT

You will read comments elsewhere about the successful appeal by Gladmans to overturn the decision by HDC not to allow this

development. Unfortunately in spite of a staunch defence by HDC, the Parish Council and Protect Buckden’s Future the Inspec-

tor favoured Gladmans’ arguments and we lost. I firmly believe that this development will be to the detriment of the village and

create substantial road safety issues. The next step will be for developers to submit detailed plans to the HDC. Residents can

rest assured that the HDC, Parish Council and I will do our utmost to ensure that any proposal has the least effect on the rest of

the village and that we obtain maximum benefit under planning regulations for the rest of the village. I have read elsewhere

and had my ‘ear bent’ that this was somehow HDC’s fault. I firmly believe that this is very unfair; no matter how good a five year

plan appears to be the Council can have only limited influence over the speed with which developers actually build. I was more

disappointed by the total lack of support from both the County Council and Highways England. Their inability to recognise the

very real road safety issues within the village, on the A1, at the roundabout and at the level crossing undoubtedly influenced

the Inspector. How the Inspector could suggest that because the roundabout and the level crossing were already overburdened

with traffic the extra traffic from the proposed development would have little effect beggars belief!

LITTER PICKING

My congratulations and thanks to the Buckden Community Litter Pickers for their valiant efforts to help keep our lovely village

as we would like to see it. We can all help and reduce their and the handyman’s task by taking home all of our litter.

DOG POO

Please, Please, Please; my annual plea to all dog walkers- please collect your dog’s poo and either take it home or use a suitable

container. There are no thoughtless dogs - only thoughtless owners.

Please do not hesitate to contact me about these issues or any others that you would like to discuss. I am available on 01480

810974 and terry.hayward@huntingdonshire.gov.uk

With best wishes

Terry Hayward, District Councillor for Buckden, Stirtloe, Diddington, Southoe and Midloe

From Your Councillors