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Practical Places to Live Verses Conservation
An application to put a front dormer window in the roof of 7 Pretoria Road, and build a rear roof extension, was considered at Cambridge City Council’s North Area Committee on the 27th of August 2009. The house is in the recently introduced “De Freville Avenue” conservation area. Other houses on the street light their […]
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Open Forum and Police Items at West Central Area Committee Dominated by Traffic and Cycling Matters
Cycle Theft Remains at High Levels in Cambridge City Centre. During the open forum and policing agenda item at Cambridge City Council’s West/Central Area Committee on the 20th of August 2009 much of the discussion focused on traffic and cycling in the city centre. At the last meeting councillors had prioritised gaining the ability to […]
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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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Councillors Approve Parker’s Piece Ice-Rink for 2009
In 2008 the ice rink and stalls were very close to the paths bringing those trying to pass through into conflict with shoppers. (Photo – CycleStreets [license] During Cambridge City Council’s planning committee on the 19th of August 2009 councillors approved plans for an ice-rink, market, and fair-ground ride to be placed on Parker’s Piece […]
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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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Looking At Some of The Detail in Cambridge City Council’s Accounts
Geoff Jones and I Visited Cambridge City Council’s Finance Offices to Look Through the Council’s Accounts. For twenty working days a year the Audit Commission Act 1998 allows people to go into local councils and inspect their accounts, including all documents such as invoices and contracts from which those accounts derive. Cambridge City Council’s open […]
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Asking the Police to Record The Costs of Crime
I am concerned Cambridgeshire Police are not recording the costs of criminal damage like this. During Sgt. Wragg’s update on North Area policing at Cambridge City Council’s North Area Committee on the 2nd of July 2009 he said he had received no suggestions on ways to improve the police’s regular reports. When he invited me […]
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Cambridge City Council Adopts New Protocol for Making Decisions on Tree Works
People find it easier to deface notices of tree works and put their own notices on trees than to object formally to the city council’s proposals. Cambridge City Council’s new policy for consulting on tree works was taken to the Council’s Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on the 29th of June 2009. I had commented […]
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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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Cambridge City Council Reshuffle
I observed Cambridge City Council’s Civic Affairs committee on Monday the 11th of May 2009 which discussed councillors’ roles for the upcoming year. The formal discussion at a public meeting occurred following a Liberal Democrat group meeting on the Saturday two days earlier, the real decisions had been made there. The headline changes are: Cllr […]