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Secrecy and Confusion as Cllr Cantrill Takes Responsibility for Midsummer Common and Jesus Green Tree Planting
Cambridge City Council has felled many trees from Midsummer Common; significant funds have been allocated for replacements. During the “open forum” of the 24th of June 2010 West Central Area committee where members of the public are able to question councillors I asked: Is there a date yet for the proposed meeting to discuss new […]
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Cllr Cantrill Asked for Update on Strawberry and Raspberry Fairs
A rather empty Midsummer Common – Calm before the storm? At Cambridge City Council’s annual meeting on the 27th of May 2010 Cllr Sarah Brown put the following oral question to the Executive Councillor for Arts and Recreation Cllr Cantrill: Could the Executive Councillor provide the council with an update on the event that may […]
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Challenges Filming and Reporting on Cambridge City Council Despite New Law
Since the 6th of August 2014 a right to film, photograph or make an audio recording of proceedings at a local government meeting in the UK has been established in law. In November 2014 Cambridge City Councillors unanimously agreed to update their constitution in light of the new law. Cambridgeshire County Council’s stance on filming […]
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Police and Crime Commissioner Bright on Spying on Student Unions
At the session of the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday the 26th of November 2013 Cambridge MP Julian Huppert asked Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright about the police spying on students unions. This follows a Guardian article: Police tried to spy on Cambridge students, secret footage shows based on footage taken by […]
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Snowy Farr Statue Unveiled
On the 7th of August 2012 I watched the unveiling of a statue of charity fundraiser Snowy Farr outside the Guildhall in Cambridge. It has been reported the statue cost £50,000. In my view spending this sum of public money to commemorate a fund-raiser doesn’t make sense, it amounts to somewhere around half of what […]
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36 Barton Road Cambridge
Rejected Proposal For New House at 36 Barton Rd On Thursday the 21st of June 2012 I attended Cambridge’s West/Central area committee, where the first item on the agenda was deciding on a planning application to build a substantial new detached house at 36 Barton Road, on the corner by Barton Close, with access to […]
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Policing West-Central Cambridge April 2012
Poorly located 20 mph signs on entering Maid’s Causeway. On Thursday the 26th of April 2012 I observed Cambridge City Council’s West/Central area committee hold the police to account on their recent performance and set the new policing priorities for the area. One of the key items under discussion was the operation of the 20 […]
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Cambridge City Council Seek To Control Use of Footage of Councillors
Liberal Democrat run Cambridge City Council is very keen on tightly controlling the image of its councillors. Earlier I received the following email: Dear Mr Taylor I see that you have posted footage on You Tube from the last council meeting of Cllr Owers, which you have set to music. Our protocol explicitly asks those […]
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Labour Plans to Push House Sharers Out of Cambridge
Spot the shared houses. Many streets in North Cambridge contain lots of shared houses which are indistinguishable from their neighbours. As has been reported in the Cambridge News Labour Councillors Marchant-Daisley and Todd-Jones are putting forward a motion to Cambridge City Council’s full council on Thursday the 19th of April 2012 calling for a cap […]
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Friends of Midsummer Common 2012 AGM
Given its heavy use by cyclists and pedestrians this path across the common is a little narrow. On March the 14th 2012 I attended the Friends of Midsummer Common’s Annual General Meeting. I am not a member of the group, but the meeting was open to the public. It was advertised in the Cambridge News […]