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Liberal Democrats to Privatise Cambridge Council House Maintenance
At a meeting of Cambridge City Council on the 21st of October 2010 the Liberal Democrat ruling group’s plan to privatise council house maintenance was debated. I filmed the debate and have made it available on YouTube as well as embedded within this article; the debate is presented as a “Playlist” with one video per […]
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Uncertainty Over City Council Funding
On the 24th of September 2010 I observed, and filmed, a meeting of the Cambridge City Council Executive. Key Points Some councillors are very uncomfortable with having their meetings filmed. There is massive uncertainty about how much money the City Council will have in the future. Cambridge City Council wants to raise a hyperlocal tax […]
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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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Councillors Assign High Priority to Spending £2.5K on Burnside Toad Crossings
Burnside, Cambridge. Councillors at Cambridge City Council’s East Area Committee on the 19th of August 2010 told officers to go ahead with, and give a high priority to, installing two thousand five hundred pounds worth of toad crossings at Burnside. These crossings are to take the form of dropped curbs. Councillors appeared to make the […]
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Cambridge Lib Dems Undecided on Building New Council Houses
Cambridge’s Locally Based Housing Offices Are to be Cut by the Lib Dems At Cambridge City Council’s annual meeting on the 27th of May 2010 Lewis Herbert the leader of the Labour opposition group on Cambridge City Council put the following oral question to the Executive Councillor for Housing Cllr Smart: What recommendations will she […]
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Questions to the Cambridge City Council Executive – May 2010
At full meetings of Cambridge City Council there is a section where councillors are able to ask oral questions of the Executive councillors. Questions are submitted in advance and are randomly ordered by officers prior to the meeting. As many questions as it is possible to get through in the half hour allocated are taken. […]
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Regulation of Cambridge University College Accommodation
Murray Edwards College Cambridge – Undergraduate Licence Agreement. The thirty-six colleges of Cambridge University have all, en-masse, decided to withdraw from the Universities UK (UUK) accommodation code of practice. By walking away from this code they have forfeited their exemption from having their accommodation licensed and regulated by Cambridge City Council. According to the UUK’s […]
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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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A Democratic Decision to Fell Trees on Midsummer Common
I attended Cambridge City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday the 1st of April 2009 where councillors considered the proposed felling of trees on Midsummer Common. The decision to fell was originally taken by officers, however following an objection I made, it was referred to Executive Councillor Julie Smith who in turn decided to seek the […]
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Questions to the Cambridge City Council Executive – February 2009
At full Cambridge City Council meetings councillors are able to ask questions to executive councillors; these have to be submitted in writing the day before the meeting. A ballot is held to determine the order of questions and as many as can be dealt with in thirty minutes are answered. Any questions remaining beyond that […]