Our report is below. You can also download it in PDF format to read offline.
Joint District Councillors’ Report for September 2021
District councillors’ monthly report for the communities of Histon & Impington, Orchard Park and King’s Meadow.
Your Councillors are always ready to help. If you have any questions about these – or indeed any other – matters, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Steve Hunt: 01223 455180 Cllr.HuntS@scambs.gov.uk
Martin Cahn: 07826 748407 Cllr.Cahn@scambs.gov.uk
Pippa Heylings: 07837 228416 Cllr.Heylings@scambs.gov.uk
You can also follow us on our webpage & blog at http://hiopcouncillors.org, on Twitter @pippa4hiop @stevehunt4hiop, and on Facebook @pippaheylings4hiop
COVID Recovery
1. Universal Credit: available support
The Government’s decision to remove the temporary £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit payments has the potential to adversely affect a lot of people. The uplift was introduced in response to the pandemic and it ended on 6 October, when Universal Credit payments returned to their pre-pandemic levels. With that in mind, we thought it would be useful to set out the support that is available from SCDC to residents who may be facing financial hardship.
Residents finding it difficult to transition back to previous Universal Credit payment levels should contact SCDC as soon as possible to discuss the support that may be available. There are a range of options for those struggling financially, including:
- Discretionary Housing Payments which provide financial support towards housing costs. Apply at https://www.scambs.gov.uk/benefits/apply-for-discretionary-housing-payments-dhps/
- The Council Tax Hardship Fund, which aims to provide support to those who are struggling financially because of the pandemic. Apply at https://www.scambs.gov.uk/benefits/hardship-fund-covid-19/
- Support and advice from our Welfare and Money Maximisation Officer, Lucy Tompkins, who can be contacted via lucy.tompkins@scambs.gov.uk
- Signposting to external support and advice agencies
- Along with Cambridgeshire County Council and partners, SCDC can also still offer a one-off small payment to help with immediate food of fuel needs. Anyone needing that one-off help should email our communities team on duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk
Email the Benefits team on benefits@scambs.gov.uk if you have specific questions or call 03450 450 061. Residents on Universal Credit can also seek financial advice and support via Citizens Advice. This should be accessed via a referral from their work coach at DWP Cambridge.
2. Mobile / Community Warden Schemes
Older and more vulnerable people may be finding that community-based support is getting harder to find as more people return to work. They could receive support for a small fee via our Mobile or Community Warden schemes. The scheme for Histon & Impington is operated by Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and is an invaluable asset for supporting older people to live independently at home, tackling isolation and loneliness and providing practical support. Information about the schemes can be found at https://www.scambs.gov.uk/community-development/mobile-warden-scheme/
Email Lesley McFarlane on lesley.mcfarlane@scambs.gov.uk if you have questions.
3. Business Support
Businesses have faced unprecedented challenges over the last 18 months and uncertain times still lie ahead. The Business Support Team is here to help you access the services you need to help your business grow.
South Cambs business support team is holding a free to attend drop-in session at the Marketing Suite, Cambourne Business Park from 12pm to 2pm on 20th October to meet us and find out who we are, what we do and how we can help you.
Sign up to register, or email to arrange an appointment if you have a specific issue you want to talk about. Registration links are in the October edition of South Cambs Business Support Newsletter which is packed full of interesting and useful information and can be read here: https://sh1.sendinblue.com/v2rjsn9rpt7e.html?t=1633694529
Environmental Health
1. Air Quality Monitoring
South Cambridgeshire District Council has acquired three Zephyr air quality monitors for short term air quality studies to run alongside the long-term monitoring network. These instruments are compact and relatively lightweight air pollution monitors that measure pollutants in real-time, including the main pollutants nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10 & PM2.5). They are usually powered by a solar panel in a fixed location, but can also be used as mobile monitors, and are installed at each location for around six months. We are looking for future locations to monitor using these instruments, so if you have any suggestions please email air.quality@scambs.gov.uk or if you prefer get in touch with one of you councillors and we will put them forward for consideration. For more information about air quality including air quality in our district please visit https://www.scambs.gov.uk/environmental-health/pollution/air-pollution/air-quality-introduction/
2. Fly Infestation
We are aware that many people are experiencing a sudden increase in the number of flies coming into their homes. Evidently this is a geographically widespread problem. The SCDC Environmental Health team have told us that, based on other reports from residents of several villages, they believe that the problem originates from ENVAR, a waste composting site located near Somersham.
ENVAR are permitted for waste operations so our authority will be unable to investigate this as a statutory nuisance. Instead, please contact the Environment Agency on their incident hotline 0800 807060.
3. Recycling
The Waste team will be running a social media campaign to remind people to remove food residue from material that goes into the blue bins. Commonly found on bottles, jars, food tubs and trays, this contaminates and decreases the value of the recyclable materials. Please give these items a thorough rinse.
If in doubt about what to put in which bin, and other recycling channels, please check online at https://www.scambs.gov.uk/recycling-and-bins/what-goes-in-which-bin/ because the the rules vary from place to place and information printed on packaging may not be correct here.
4. Additional green bin permit renewals
From Friday 1 October, residents will once again be able to subscribe to SCDC’s permit scheme for additional green bins. Residents can pay invoices, request additional green bin(s) or pay for just the permit (if they already have the bin, but not previously subscribed to the scheme) from 1 October via our website. You can also email our waste team if you have questions about permits for additional green bins.
Planning
1. Local Plan Consultation
Councillors at Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils completed their formal scrutiny of the draft “First Proposals” for the new joint Local Plan, which will now move ahead to the public consultation stage. Please do submit your views – we want to hear from all parts of the community. The public consultation, which will start on 1 November and run until 13 December, will help to shape the final plan – which will eventually set out how Greater Cambridge will develop over the next twenty years. The proposals at this stage include 19 new sites for homes and business space, with the majority of extra development proposed for North East Cambridge and the Cambridge Airport site.
Visit www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/localplan for more details. An hour-long webinar that gives further details about the First Proposals, and the thinking behind them, is available via the Councils’ YouTube channels.
https://www.scambs.gov.uk/local-plan-consultation-to-start-in-november/
2. 5G Mast rejected
The resubmitted proposal for a 5G monopole mast on New Rd has been rejected by planning officers, and the very large number of objections no doubt played a role in securing that decision. There will now be a 6-month period in which the applicant can appeal this decision.
Residents Surveys
Surveys are being conducted to collect feedback on how well various functions of the District Council are working. Residents and businesses are encouraged to fill them in to help shape the evolution of service provision:
- Benefits – https://forms.scambs.gov.uk/BENEFITSSURVEY/launch
- Council Tax – https://forms.scambs.gov.uk/SURVEYCOUNCILTAX/launch
- Business Rates – https://forms.scambs.gov.uk/BUSINESSRATESSURVEY/launch
More surveys will be introduced to seek feedback in other services in the coming months.
Black History Month
There will be events throughout October to honour Black History Month. Please check South Cambs social media feeds and the SCDC website for details.
At the time of writing this report, the following forthcoming events are scheduled:
Life in the UK: our stories unfold with the Cambridge African Network
Thursday 14 October 2021 | 6pm
A panel comprised of Cambridgeshire’s African community members will discuss their personal and family stories of life and coming to/living in Cambridgeshire and the UK.
The Cambridge African Network is a charity promoting social inclusion and the integration of the African community in the multicultural society of Cambridgeshire.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83818395746?pwd=YzZBVUF4VDJpMEY2TGdrQjRLNHFJZz09
‘Dream of a King’ – a recorded play and Q&A by Chris Tajah
Available on Saturday 16 and Saturday 23 October 2021
A play set on 4 April 1968 in a Tennessee motel room, four years after Dr Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of The Civil Rights Movement, on the day he was assassinated. This new solo play explores the extraordinary man behind the legend.
Link coming soon – check website
Mbeu Yosintha (Seeds of Change)
Sunday 24 October 2021 | 4pm
We will be joined on Zoom by some of the young people in Malawi who worked on, and acted in, the film Mbeu Yosintha (Seeds of Change), to talk about life in Malawi and what the film means to them. Mbeu Yosintha was made to help farmers and rural communities cope with the effects of climate change and, in particular, the ever changing rain patterns in South East Africa. The film has already been seen in Malawi by over 10,000 people in rural areas using a pedal-power cinema kit. The film will be live streamed and followed by a Q&A.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84805398755?pwd=TDlmTm5EcGlrQnZNZDYwQUF3WDlYUT09
The Moors in Europe and Great Britain with Dr. Carol Brown-Leonardi
Friday 29 October 2021 | 12 noon
Taking us back to the Early Modern period, Dr Carol Brown-Leonardi, Associate Lecturer in Social Science at the Open University, will consider the reign of Europeans of North African descent (between the year 711 and 1492 AD).
https://scambs-gov-uk.zoom.us/j/85958150184
Meetings in September
| 7th | Licensing Committee | Steve |
| 8th | Planning Committee | Martin (online) |
| 9th | Civic Affairs Committee | Martin (online) |
| 13th | Climate Change and Envt Committee | Pippa, Martin |
| 17th | Joint Development Control Committee | Steve |
| 21st | Scrutiny and Overview Committee (Local Plan) | Martin, Steve |
| 21st | Climate Change and Environment Committee (Local Plan) | Pippa, Martin |
| 23rd | Council | Pippa |
| 27th | Cambridge North briefing | Pippa, Martin, Steve |
| 29th | Local Govt Finance Training | Pippa, Steve |
Meetings in October
| 13th | Planning Committee | Pippa, Martin |
| 14th | Scrutiny | Martin, Steve |
| 18th | Street trading workshop | Steve |
| 18th | Full Council (extraordinary) | Steve, Pippa, Martin |
| 27th | JDCC (re-scheduled) | Steve (TBC) |
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