Welcome to our December report. Read it here or download the PDF.
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, where this report and previous ones can be read or downloaded in PDF form. Keep in touch with us on Twitter
@pippa4hiop @stevehunt4hiop, and on Facebook @pippaheylings4hiop
Covid situation
The situation has become much worse over the winter break with soaring levels of the new Omicron variant. The message to everyone is to keep socially distanced and work from home if possible, avoiding unnecessary meetings indoors and with large numbers of people. Boosters and first vaccinations are still available.
Covid Grants
The district council has £1,428,000 to distribute as part of the OHLGS (Omicron Hospitality & Leisure Grant Scheme) and a further £354 600 in new ARG (Additional Restrictions Grant) money. These 2 new grants of were announced by the Chancellor just before the Christmas break. The district council aims to go live last week in January, with an application closing date by Feb 28th at the latest. It is intended to make all payments by the end of March. Look out for publicity on these grant schemes.
Other business activities
Employment & Skills: The Business team will be working on creating an SCDC-specific operational plan based on the Nov 2021 version of the CPCA Employment and Skill Strategy (Quarter 1). This will propose developing a formal engagement programme with local schools and employers (Quarter 2).
Health & Well-being: Links are currently being developed with regional colleagues on business, work and health initiatives with the aim of promoting the benefits of health and well-being initiatives in the workforce and in turn to produce positive health outcomes and minimise the economic impact on the workforce through sickness/inactivity etc.
Business Webinars/Workshops: The business unit is aiming for a minimum of 8 business workshops/webinars/in-person events this calendar year. Mental Health for small businesses is the first virtual event in 2022 set for 20th January.
Future Parks Accelerator
This National Trust-led project completes its work in march this year. The project has mapped parks and access land in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and has also carried out a natural Capital Mapping project. A series of three workshops will be held to present the Natural Capital project, the first being held on 20th January. The project is being continued by setting an Active Parks unit in the County Council to which the local authorities are contributing. Martin Cahn has been the District’s nominated member for this project and hopes it will generate more active support for such activity in the district council – this is an area where the district is notable for withdrawing from direct involvement in the past.
Green Bins
There is an ongoing problem with staff shortages due to Covid and a general shortage of labour. Green bin collections were halted in mid-December but are restarting this week.
Community action
The District Council has received £50,000 from the County Council for post-Covid community recovery. The means of distributing this are currently being considered by Cabinet.
Cultural Strategy
Your councillors have noted a lack of direct District Council involvement in cultural activity which dates back across many years of retrenchments. This void has also been noted by several councillors in other areas on a cross-party basis, but action has been inhibited over the last couple of years by the overall concern about Covid. However a working group is now being set up to look at how this issue might be tackled and their first meeting will be held on 20th January. Martin Cahn would be delighted to hear comments on this topic from the parish councillors and the local community since he will be involved in the working group. Martin is also interested to hear from local residents who are interested in developing cultural activity through European links (e.g. twinning).
Meetings in December 2021
| 7th Dec | Civic Affairs Committee | Martin |
| 8th Dec | Planning Committee | Pippa, Martin |
| 16th Dec | Scrutiny and Overview Committee | Steve, Martin |
Meetings in January 2022
| 12 Jan | Climate Change and Environment Committee | Pippa, Martin |
| 18 Jan | Scrutiny and Overview Committee | Steve, Martin |
| 19 Jan | Planning Committee | Pippa, Martin |
| 20 Jan | Future Parks Accelerator – Natural Capital Workshop | Pippa, Martin |
| 20 Jan | Cultural Working Group | Martin |
| 28 Jan | Special Planning Committee | Pippa. Martin |
hiopcouncillors 