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Speaking About My Filming Ban at the Cambridge City Council Civic Affairs Committee
On the 15th of November 2010 I attended Cambridge City Council’s Civic Affairs Committee. I used the public speaking slot to let councillors know about my experiences recording council meetings and to ask questions about the fact I have now been banned from filming council meetings. A member of the public, Andrew Bower, recorded the […]
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Transparency Changes Outcome of Police Priority Vote
Coleridge Road, Cambridge. A fantastic example of why transparency is good for democratic decision making occurred at the Cambridge City Council’s East Area Committee on the 19th of August 2010. Green Party Councillor Margaret Wright had proposed a motion removing an existing police priority aimed at reducing speeding on a range of target roads across […]
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Trying to Improve The Cambridge City Council Licensing Policy Consultation
Photo of room prior to Cambridge City Council Licensing Committee meeting. Photography and audio recording is banned during meetings. Cambridge City Council is about to launch a consultation on its licensing policy. The police, licensees, premises supervisors, the Campaign for Real Ale, the general public and others will be asked for their views. This morning […]
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No Immediate Enforcement Action to be Taken Against Mill Road Tesco
On the 20th of August 2009 I attended a special Cambridge City Council East Area committee meeting which had been called to decide the council’s response to statements by Tesco indicating their intent to ignore planning conditions relating to their Mill Road store. The conditions state that deliveries of goods have to be made from […]
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Mill Road Tesco – Application for Alcohol Licence Refused
Cambridge City Councillors rejected Tesco’s application to sell alcohol in their new Mill Road store. City Council rules forbid photography at meetings without permission so this photograph was not taken during the meeting. On the the 17th of August 2009 I observed a Cambridge City Council licensing committee comprising Cllr Benstead, Cllr McGovern and Cllr […]
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Members’ Inquiry into Folk Festival Approved
Cambridge City Council lost almost £650,000 of public money after the company it appointed to run the online ticket sales for the 2008 Folk Festival failed to hand over any money. I have written a number of articles following the council’s attempts to understand what went wrong so that similar disasters can be avoided in […]
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Following up the Folk Festival Losses – An Update
Cambridge City Council lost £644,951 of public money when the company it contracted to sell folk festival tickets online in 2008 didn’t pass the money it took on to the council. On the 30th of March 2009 the council’s civic affairs committee received the report of an internal review into the loss and asked questions […]
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Looking into the Folk Festival Mistakes
On the evening of Monday the 30th of March 2009 Cambridge City Council’s Civic Affairs Committee considered a report into how the council came to lose £644,951 which was not paid to the council by the company it appointed to sell Folk Festival tickets online in 2008. I have written a previous article on the […]
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Proposed Job Cuts at the Cambridge University Press
The Cambridge University Press (CUP) are planning to cut 160 jobs in the city, probably as the first stage of plans to close the printing business of the CUP within three years. There was discussion of CUP’s plans at Cambridge City Council’s Full Council meeting on February 26th 2009, a full record of what was […]
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Chisholm Trail and New Bridge Forum – July 2017
Using the opportunity for the public to ask questions at the Chisholm Trail and New Bridge Greater Cambridge Partnership Forum 12 July 2017 I: Got a commitment from the Greater Cambridge Partnership to consider formally permitting cycling on the new “Chisholm Trail” paths across Coldhams Common and Ditton Meadows. (Currently the plans are for the […]