CONTENTS: Local election results, Busway Fines, Busway Safety and Anti Social Behaviour, Improvements to raised tables, Report a Fault Now!, Waterbeach busway and Orchard Park to Cambridge North bus stop, 8A bus, Darwin Green Secondary School, Tree planting, St Albans Road Recreation Ground, Kings Meadow and Clarion

Election Results

County Council Elections Cambridgeshire May 2025  – Registered Voters: 8512  Vacancies: 1  Turnout: 39.43%  Ballot Papers Issued: 3356  Votes Cast: 3528  Rejected Votes: 8

Party	Candidate	Votes/ Share	Result
Liberal Democrats	Ros Hathorn	1593 votes / 45.15%	ELECTED
The Green Party	Kathryn Fisher	1091 votes / 30.92%
Reform UK	Sonia Woodward	353 votes / 10.01%
Conservative	Karen Neal	290 votes / 8.22%
Labour	Will Mason	201 votes / 5.70%

County wide results 61 Seats –  May 2025

31 Liberal Democrat, 2 Independent, 3 The Green Party, 5 Labour, 10 Reform, 10 Conservative

Liberal Democrats take control of the council.

This represents a significant change in voting patterns since May 2021 when the council’s make up was: 28 Conservative, 20 Liberal Democrat, 9 Labour, 4 Independent

Election Results across Cambridgeshire change between 2021 to 2025

I am thrilled that the residents of Histon, Impington, Orchard Park and Kings Meadow have put their faith in me for a second term as County Councillor.  Winning an election is exciting but you are immediately confronted with the real and tangible responsibility of the role.  I have already started work on some of the issues that came up during the election campaign.  I am also hoping to interrogate the role as if it were brand new and challenge myself to operate in new more effective ways.

Mayoral election Results

Candidate	Cambridge City	East Cambs	Fenland	Hunting-don	Peter-borough City	South Cambs	Total area
Paul Bristow (Conservative)	5,042	5,733	8,302	13,797	15,769	11,600	60,243 elected
Ryan Coogan (Reform UK)	3,122	5,924	9,246	13,376	9,221	8,758	49,647
Lorna Dupre (Liberal Democrat)	6,340	7,473	2,050	9,024	2,907	13,817	41,611
Bob Ensch (Green Party)	5,332	1,528	1,063	3,206	2,649	4,477	18,255
Anna Smith (Labour)	13,382	2,863	2,176	6,694	7,629	9,927	42,671

Total votes cast: 213,770  Turnout: 38.24%   Rejected votes: 1,343

Busway Fines

Fines of £6m have been awarded against the County council for historic safety failures.   This is a really significant fine which will impact on delivery of council services. The County Council’s approach to safety improved significantly in the last 4 years but there are more improvements in the offing. 

Busway safety and anti social behaviour 

I have been promised community meetings in both Histon & Impington and Orchard Park to discuss current issues and how the county council seek to address their relationship with the busway, communities and safety.

Improvements to Raised Tables Histon & Impington

Raised tables on Station Road by Vision Park and Cambridge Road by The Coppice have been given significant remedial attention and have been improved.  I was promised a similar treatment for the junction of Impington Lane and New Road so will follow up in regards to that.

Report, Report, Report a Fault

Pressures on local government finances are not going away.   Increased national commitments on defence mean that local government is unlikely to see any more money.  At the moment there is a significant sum of money in the Highways Maintenance budget.  I am reporting like mad and intend to provide numbers of highways faults I have reported in my next report.  Please a) take this opportunity to report faults now so that we can maximise the amount of work delivered in our area whilst there is money in the budget, this will not always be the case and b) contact me directly if reports are not being followed up.  I do not get separate information about reports made in my division.  The system is due to improve and give councillors more data but in the short term we just need to focus on people power via the current reporting system and putting pressure on the county council to fix the issues we have here.

Waterbeach busway new Orchard Park to Cambridge North Connection agreed

I am very pleased to announce that a new bus stop has been added to the Waterbeach busway project which was supported by the County Council.  As I have done for every busway decision which has come to the county council I spoke in support of this project.  Due to the interventions I initiated and my campaigning with the GCP, Combined Authority and MP a new bus stop has been added.  This will function as an interchange, a single point where all buses on the existing St Ives busway and Waterbeach busways will stop and where changes can be made, such an interchange was not in the original plans.  This will also, for the first time, provide a direct service to Cambridge North Rail Station for Orchard Park residents.

8A bus Orchard Park

Notice has been given that this will reduce to an hourly service in September 2025. I am due to meet with Stagecoach to discuss this and other bus issues.

Darwin Green Secondary school

There are delays to the start date for the new Darwin Green Secondary school.   Unpicking what is going on is proving difficult.  There is an online petition which I will be circulating to parents in Orchard Park to try to unpick what is going on.

Tree planting

A sweltering Saturday in April was spent with community councillors in Orchard Park planting trees and subsequently a new earth bank was created which will be planted with wild flowers.  We used nature to shape how we want people to move around the community after I received reports that the area was being used by cars.  The trees should provide very useful shade in the long term and a haven for nature.  

I also attended the brilliantly organised HI Trees tree maintenance session.  This is such a well organised series of events nurturing such a large numbers of saplings into health trees for Histon and Impington.

The Meadows development

I have been working with residents and the city council to shape the new recreation ground development.   Anti social behaviour has long been an issue but it is getting worse.  The police, County council communities team, South Cambs District Council and the City Council are aware and work is being done in this area.  Hopefully we can tackle the issues.

Kings Meadow Clarion

I have requested a meeting with the MP and Clarion the social housing association in Kings Meadow to address some long standing and growing issues.  Drugs and maintenance failures are currently on the list but I will contact residents to identify if there are other issues.

INFORMATION

Report a Highways fault If you see a problem; blocked gully/ drain, pot hole or other Highways issue please report it using the tool below.

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/roads-and-pathways/roadworks-and-faults

Adult care assessment Call centre: 0345 045 5202  8am – 6pm Mon to Fri,  9am – 1pm Sat

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/adults/organising-care-and-support/care-needs-assessment

Do get in touch with me directly if you have any problems, questions or concerns.

I’ve got a problem who do I contact? Organisational structure in Cambridgeshire is complicated, just ask the question.  Email me, a District Councillor or the Parish Clerk we’ll all point you to the right person (or try to).

Government Structure in Cambridgeshire  detailing responsibilities

County Council; education, transport, highways, heritage, social care, libraries, trading standards, ­waste management.

District Council; council tax payments, household bin collections, housing and housing benefits, council leisure facilities, environmental health, residential planning, local emergency, community policing contact point.

Parish/ Community Council; looking after community buildings, open spaces, allotments, play areas, bus shelters, community projects.

Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) ‘The local delivery body for a City Deal with central Government worth up to £500 million over 15 years to deliver infrastructure (decarbonising transport), 44,000 new jobs, 33,500 new homes and 420 additional apprenticeships.’ Partnership between Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, University of Cambridge

The Combined Authority, Cambridge and Peterborough, our elected Mayor (CPCA)  A board consisting of representatives from the District, City and County Councils and Peterborough Unitary Authority, headed by the Mayor. 

Responsible for – Business support, skills, housing, transport strategy-liaising with Department of Transport, environment, international, digital connectivity, resilience, research and strategy and new homes.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Cambridge and Peterborough To support and challenge the Chief Constable to provide effective and efficient policing services for the area. 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority the governing body responsible for the fire and rescue service, made up of County Councillors and Peterborough City Councillors.