October 2020

5 Buckden Roundabout October 2020 County Councillors From your County Councillor The County Council staff have been making valiant efforts to keep up services to the public in very difficult times. Priority has been given to social services to the most vulnerable and the re - opening of schools is also a real challenge in the time of a national pandemic. The pressure on council services has in- creased e.g. more children are having to be taken into care, and fostering is even more difficult than it usually is. Thanks to the development of Zoom, all the routine business meetings have been continuing as employees and councillors do their best to ‘ keep the show on the road ’. The financial implications for the County Council are not yet fully known but clearly a lot extra has been spent on meeting local needs and within the next few weeks we should know what grants will be made from central government. I fear we must brace ourselves for tax rises at national and local levels but, hopefully, these will be phased over years rather than loaded on us all immediately. Other big issues for local government are also coming forward: • There are draft proposals to ’ simplify ’ the way housing development plans are scrutinised and commented on. In summary, it looks to me as though the scope for local objections will be reduced and the dice will be loaded in favour of the developers, but we shall see. • There are proposals emerging to streamline local gov- ernment by reducing the number of tiers of governance. At the moment round here, we have the parish council, district council, county council and the Mayor. Parish councils will obviously have to remain as they are the people closest to the action and they may find their powers extended. It seems unlikely that the post of Mayor will be abolished as it has only just been created though it has to be said that some people doubt the usefulness of the role. So the most likely change will be the merger of the district and county councils into what is a called a ‘ unitary council ’ which would cover a larger area than Huntingdonshire but a smaller area than Cam- bridgeshire. This probably makes sense if it cuts down on bureaucracy and does not reduce the services to the public. In relation to Buckden specifically, the recent rainstorms re- minded us again of the inadequate drainage systems in Manor Gardens and on parts of the High Street. The County Council has abandoned the routine clearance of gullies as a cost - saving measure but it may well be that the problems in parts of Buck- den are more fundamental and this will be investigated. We are also continuing our effort to get a better cycle path from Buckden to Huntingdon via Brampton and working with the A14 engineers to join up the new cycle paths they have built so that cyclists have a better chance of making safe and pleasurable outings. We will look back on 2020 as probably one of the most difficult periods in our life - times. It has brought out the best in many people in terms of community awareness and self - help but it has also exposed the gaps in our provision for the most needy. The gulf between the ‘ haves and the have - nots ’, the inequali- ties in society, the fragility of employment have all been high- lighted. In the meantime, we must all obey the guidelines of hand - washing and social distancing, to protect ourselves and everybody else. Best wishes to all and please contact me if there are any spe- cific issues I can help with. Peter Downes; 01480 509471 or 07765 833 486 peterdownes42@aol.co.uj Buckden Neighbourhood Watch INCREASE IN DOG THEFTS In Cambridgeshire there has been increase in reports of dog thefts and attempted dog thefts and we encourage you to be vigilant and cautious of suspicious people or markings seen around addresses. Please report such activity, with descrip- tions of the individuals and their vehicles using 101, online via www.contactcambspolice.uk/Report or via Crimestoppers Ensure your dog is microchipped and registered with up to date information and has a collar and dog tag (use your sur- name rather than the dog ’ s name and your telephone con- tact). Take plenty of clear photographs of your dog and espe- cially of any distinctive markings. When out, always know where your dog is. Be mindful of any- one who may be trying to distract your attention from your dog or attract your dog ’ s attention away from you. Ensure all gates are locked at top and bottom with a shoot bolt and padlock and consider fitting a bell or gate alarm as well. Make sure your garden boundaries (fence, hedge etc ) are secure so no one can gain entry or pull your dog out and to ensure your dog cannot escape through any gaps. Avoid leaving dogs in outside kennels if at all possible. If not possible then make sure the kennels are alarmed or locked along with gates leading to the property. Don ’ t buy dogs from social media sites or any person where appropriate documentation (ownership, health check , pedi- gree papers etc) cannot be provided and always view puppies with the mother in their home environment. RICHARD WEST Village Coordinator 01480 811467 working with CLIVE WILLIAMS 01480 811828 To contact the police: 999 in an emergency; 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers; 0300 123 2040 Action Fraud. EMAIL burglarycrackdown@cambs.pnn.police.uk or visit www.crimestoppers.uk.org or you can telephone 101