County Council news - August 2012


Free cycle stands for the local community

A community cycle parking scheme has been launched in Cambridgeshire to encourage organisations to apply for free cycle parking. Community groups, voluntary sector organisations, charities, surgeries and places of worship can all apply for up to two new cycle parking stands.

Each stand holds two bikes neatly and securely. The recipient is responsible for installing them on their own premises in a location agreed with the scheme organiser. The community cycle parking scheme is being led by Cambridgeshire County Council, and is being run by a social enterprise called ParkThatBike.

Local County Councillor John Reynold, said: "This project shows our ongoing commitment to providing high quality cycling facilities. Offering safe and secure cycle parking reduces the risk of bike theft, and offers a convenient way to travel with a free place to park."

Peter Andrews, from ParkThatBike, said: "This is a simple, cost-effective initiative to combat cycle theft and to make cycling easier and more convenient. We're particularly keen to see applications from not-for-profit organisations and good causes who would otherwise struggle to afford the cost of providing cycle parking."

To apply for a pair of cycle stands visit www.parkthatbike.info and download an application form, or phone 01594 564 344. Only a limited number of stands are available - so it's first come, first served!

A secure new home for Cambridgeshire's archaeological treasures

Archaeological finds in Cambridgeshire will be better preserved and more accessible thanks to an innovative County Council project. Cambridgeshire County Council's Historic Environment Team have converted part of the County Council's former Cold War bunker on the Shire Hall site in Cambridge to store metalwork, fragile and regularly used archaeological finds and archives.

Archaeological finds and archives are the permanent record of the many excavations that have taken place across the county. These are kept in store for museum displays, to help researchers understand the past, and to show to local residents. Other rooms in the bunker are being used to store archive and local studies materials, legal and registration records.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "I am excited to see the bunker being used for the storage of archaeological finds as well as other archive materials. It is a great place to store and display some of our archives and to also provide information on the history of the bunker itself."

Looking for some free career advice?

It's not just books that you'll find in your local library. Cambridgeshire County Council's Adult Careers Service provides regular free career advice to adults who are looking for work, thinking about changing their career or looking for training and learning opportunities – appointments are available locally in Cambridge, Ely and Huntingdon.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said "Adult Careers Advisors are on hand to provide practical help on writing a CV, completing job applications, preparing for job interviews and job hunting. These sessions are free and we encourage anyone who needs help or support to book an appointment."

To book a careers appointment call the National Careers Service regional booking line Tel: 0845 603 1059. For more information contact Louise Bachelor, 01480 373776 or Liz McKim, 01480 373775.

You choose how to spend County Council budget

Residents are being put in the budget setting driving seat by Cambridgeshire County Council.

'You Choose'  is a county-wide survey, launched today, September 5, that will ask residents to put themselves in the seat of councillors in making decisions where to invest and save money.

Cambridgeshire County Council has to make £37 million in savings next year against a backdrop of having saved £40 million last year and a further £42 million this current financial year.

These savings have to be made while supporting and investing in services such as adult social care, protecting children, boosting the economy and looking after roads and transport.

The website www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/budgetconsultation and face to face surveys will allow residents to show the County Council what decisions they would make regarding Council Tax levels and individual service levels and budgets. It has been designed to be easy to use so that people can see what effects their decisions have.

People will also be able to leave their own ideas and at special roadshows talk to councillors and officers about the budget and the priorities they want the Council to concentrate on.

People will also be able have their say by logging onto the special user friendly survey in libraries too. The survey is also being carried out with face to face with some residents.

If people are unable to complete the web survey, comments about the Council 's priorities or ideas for delivering services better or more efficiently can be sent to Budget Consultation, RES1201 Shire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge CB3 0AP.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said:  "Councils across the land have some hard decisions to make and we want Cambridgeshire residents to have a big say in ours.

The County Council services are very wide-ranging and touch everyone's lives. From looking after young people and adults during vulnerable periods in their lives to maintaining the County 's roads and recycling rubbish.

The County Council has worked hard to be efficient and we saved £40 million last year while still investing in things residents and businesses say matter like superfast broadband, a new station for Cambridge and improving education and skills in Fenland.

"But Cambridgeshire is not immune from national budget problems or increasing demands for services. The County Council must find around £37 million in savings in the next financial year.

“You Choose is an easy to use survey which will put residents right at the heart of making those decisions and we can use this to help shape our budget and priorities for the future."

The consultation is due to finish on October 17.

MBT plant helps save £3 million on landfill costs

The Mechanical Biological Treatment plant in Waterbeach has helped to save  £3 million on landfilling costs by reducing the waste going to landfill since it first opened.

The MBT plant is a key part of Cambridgeshire County Council's PFI contract with AmeyCespa to help manage the waste produced in the county. The facility is required to process around 200,000 tonnes of waste per year and so far a quarter of a million tonnes of Cambridgeshire's rubbish entered through the reception hall.

The plant's purpose is to minimise the amount of waste sent to landfill and ease our impact on the environment. The technology used separates recyclable materials from black bag waste, to help recover some of the metals and plastics residents did not separate at home for recycling.

As the non-recyclable waste travels through the composting hall for the next seven weeks it is reduced by up to 50 per cent thanks to degradation and moisture loss.

The major advantage of the MBT composting hall is its ability to reduce the biodegradability of black bag rubbish, without producing methane in the landfill, a greenhouse gas over twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said:  "It is incredible how much waste is being produced in the county and I'm glad to be able to accept the excellent service provided by AmeyCespa in tackling this.

“In partnership we take advantage of cutting edge technology to minimise the amount of waste we send to landfill. This benefits the environment in the long run, but immediately it helps us cut the amount of taxpayers'money we need to spend on the disposal of our waste.

"I would like to highlight that the MBT is not a replacement for recycling and we will achieve the best outcomes only by making good use of recycling services provided, at doorstep and in the local recycling centres."

Sarah Clover, Account Director at AmeyCespa, said: "We have worked closely in partnership with the County Council to provide a facility which can extract as much valuable material as possible from Cambridgeshire's waste and minimise the amount sent to landfill.

“We are delighted that the plant has achieved its full acceptance certificate and look forward to continuing to work with the County Council to increase recycling rates and provide sustainable ways of dealing with the county's waste."

15,000 register in just 14 weeks for Connecting Cambridgeshire

Join the fifteen thousand people who have already registered for our major campaign to bring superfast broadband to Cambridgeshire. The speed at which the Connecting Cambridgeshire campaign has reached the milestone total shows how strongly householders and business people feel about getting better broadband.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "This is a fantastic response to our campaign to get Cambridgeshire connected and clearly shows there is huge demand for better broadband, which is vital for our businesses and communities to thrive”.

“We need many more people to register their support for the campaign if they are to secure vital investment from broadband suppliers to bring superfast broadband to the Cambridgeshire. The more people that register the fact they want superfast broadband the more chance of it being delivered, so I would urge everyone to 'click' for Cambridgeshire and help us to make it happen."

The detailed lists of proposals are available from  j.e.reynolds@ntlworld.com
Visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Payback time helps Cambridgeshire communities

Teams of offenders are helping to improve the Cambridgeshire environment and making the streets cleaner and safer in communities across the county.

Thanks to a partnership between the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust and the County Council Highways Maintenance Teams, offenders who have been sentenced to community punishments by the courts have been out and about carrying out a variety of tasks.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "The work of the Community Payback teams has been really welcomed by the communities where work has been carried out and we have received significant amounts of very positive feedback from all quarters regarding the good work they have been doing."

The teams of offenders, supervised by experienced Probation Service staff, carry out a variety of routine maintenance tasks which complement the work of the County Council's highway maintenance teams and help the council to make best use of its limited financial resources.

"The partnership with the Highways Department is a win win. Offenders make a visible reparation to communities as directed by the Courts but also learn important social and practical skills as well as deriving the satisfaction of seeing a job well done."

Story time at Sawston

Under fives will soon be able to take part in the popular Cambridgeshire Libraries Storytime sessions in Sawston. The free sessions will kick off this month with a special Storytime in Sawston Library on Wednesday 12th September, from 10-10.30am.

Future sessions will take place on the second Wednesday of every month
during term time, between 10-10.30am. Dates for this term are:

     10 October
     14 November
     12 December

Local County Councillor John Reynolds said "Our Storytime sessions are very popular at other Cambridgeshire Libraries, they're organised by valuable volunteers with support from our staff. We encourage local parents and carers to come along - there's no need to book, and you can also find out more about the Bookstart Bear Club and Bookstart gifts."

High praise for Cambridgeshire's fostering service

Cambridgeshire's fostering service provides a good service to looked after children and foster carers, according to Government inspectors. OfSTED - the Office for Standards in Education - said the service was effective in ensuring that the right type of fostering placement was found as quickly as possible for children in need of foster care.

Inspectors highlighted placement stability as a significant contributor to these good outcomes. Rates of disruption are low, and have continued to fall since the last inspection, they added.

The report included a range of positive comments from looked after children, with one describing his foster carer as 'the best carer in the world'. It also found that looked after children are 'treated like one of the family' and that they 'feel safe and are safe'.

Leadership and management were also praised for demonstrating a clear vision and ambition for children and young people who are fostered. "They listen to children and young people and consult regularly with them," said inspectors.

The service received further praise for the very high quality support and supervision it offers to foster carers, adding that Cambridgeshire's carers were 'unequivocal' about the support they receive.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "We are delighted to receive a good report from OfSTED.

“The positive outcome of this inspection reflects the commitment of our staff and our dedicated team of foster carers who all work extremely hard to make such a positive impact to the lives of Cambridgeshire's looked after children and young people.”


Twitter information service for road users

Social media is helping to keep Cambridgeshire on the move thanks to a service offered by the County Council's Traffic Management Team.

The team use Twitter to regularly issue updates on any problems on the roads which could delay motorists, commercial traffic, public transport services or even cyclists - and in just over a year more than 1,000 'tweets' have been sent to followers of the service.

Many of the followers 're-tweet' the information, meaning thousands of people are kept updated on accidents, signal failures, unexpected or emergency roadworks and sporting events - or any other incidents which could cause a delay to their journey.

The local Cambridgeshire media - particularly the radio stations - are also followers of the service and regularly use the information it provides as part of their traffic and travel updates for the public in the county and those visiting from other areas.

Local County Councillor John Reynolds, said: "The County Council does everything it can to try to keep people informed of any problems on the roads. By using social media such as Twitter we are able to ensure that the information reaches as many people as possible, as quickly as possible and as often as possible.

"Since it launched a little over a year ago, the service has provided more than 1,000 separate pieces of information and it is proving very popular with the travelling public and the local media - the growth of new technology such as smart phones, tablet computers and the rapid spread of wi-fi means that people now expect to be kept updated, even when they are on the move!"

Twitter users can sign up for the information by following  @Cambs_Traffic

Self-help guide proves popular with Cambridgeshire residents

A website offering help and advice to people with a range of day-to-day needs is already proving very popular with people in Cambridgeshire - just a few months after its launch in the county.

AskSARA is an award-winning online advice site developed by the Disabled Living Foundation. A localised version for people living in Cambridgeshire has been available since February, 2012.

Over 250 people a month have been using the site to find equipment to make life easier and to help them stay independent in their own homes in Cambridgeshire.

The self-help guide identifies equipment that may help people in their day-to-day lives. It takes users through a series of guided questions leading to general advice and recommendations of equipment and where the equipment is available locally.

Since the launch of the Cambridgeshire version in February, nearly 1,700 visits have been made to the AskSARA site and in the first six months 1,100 reports were produced for people looking for advice, making the Cambridgeshire version of the site one of the most popular in the country.

  • Cambridgeshire has the second highest number of visitor to a localised version of the website.
  • Cambridge City has the fourth highest number of visitors to an AskSARA site nationally.
  • Compared with other local authority sites Cambridgeshire's version has the most information about advice and equipment available to help people's daily living.
  • Based on the number of visits in the first six months it is estimated that there will be around 2,000 visits annually to AskSARA from people in Cambridgeshire – double the average seen by most local authorities.


Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Councillor Martin Curtis, said: "AskSARA is very user friendly and widely accessible regardless of people's age or ability. Information is provided in jargon free, plain English that can be easily understood without the need for professional supervision.

"The Disabled Living Foundation, who host the AskSARA website, promoted Cambridgeshire as their flagship site for offering a local solution to people's needs for equipment.

“The number of hits in the first six months since the site's launch show they have succeeded which is a reflection of the hard work put in by social care staff in Cambridgeshire to ensure the information people get is useful and reflects what is actually available locally."

The AskSARA service builds on the help, advice and support which is provided by social care and health services in Cambridgeshire. To visit the site, go to: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asksara.

Cambridge Science Park revving up for motorcycle event

Commuters are invited to a free event run by the Travel Plan Plus (TP+) project to try out and find out more about travelling to work by motorcycle or scooter. There will be plenty of vroom to see what models are on offer as well as training, safety tips and help for beginners with trial rides for complete novices.

The event, being held on Wednesday 12 September between 11.00 am to 2.00 pm at Napp, 196 Cambridge Science Park, is for anyone interested in riding a motorcycle or scooter. It follows last year's highly successful event when almost 100 people came to check out how they could use motorbikes and scooters to get to work.

 "A motorcycle or scooter is a really efficient and effective way of improving your commute and reducing your fuel costs, "said Tony Clayton, Travel Plan Plus Coordinator and organiser of the event.

"Our 2011 event showed that commuters are interested in riding to work. This year's event promises to be even bigger with more models on display, more dealers and more opportunities to try out a commute-friendly machine in a safe environment, "Tony continued.

Matt Staton, Road Safety Officer, added, "This event is aimed at encouraging people to think about the way they commute.

Riding a scooter or motorcycle is a great way to commute, the benefits being reduced congestion, shorter journey times, and less pollution; many smaller machines achieve around 100 miles per gallon! Gone about in the right way, motorcycling has many benefits."

Cambridgeshire Police will also be promoting the national Bikesafe scheme aimed at riders with a full bike licence.

"Bikesafe is a national initiative that promotes motorcycle safety with dedicated classroom workshop followed by an observed ride with an advanced police motorcyclist on a variety of roads," said PC Simon Burgin from the Cambridgeshire Police Bikesafe Team.

"Why not have your riding ability refreshed and assessed, book a course at www.bikesafe.co.uk (Cambridgeshire), "he continued.

This event is open to all commuters working in the Travel Plan Plus area; Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge Business Park, St John's Innovation Park, Cambridge Regional College and Taylor Vinters Solicitors.

TP+ is a Travel for Work Partnership project on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council. It is helping businesses in the Science Park area with their travel issues.

Come, learn and roam about an Iceni Stonea Camp

Archaeologists and a story teller will be welcoming people to Stonea Camp hill fort, near Wimblington to help bring the story of past to life. The site, which is scheduled as being of national importance, was the scene of much activity in the Iron Age and Roman periods.

The fort formed part of the frontier of the Iceni tribe of Norfolk, who twice rose in revolt against the Roman invaders, the second time under the leadership of their queen, Boudicca. The grisly legacy of these revolts has been excavated at the camp.

The Romans chose the camp to site their 'town' that controlled the ownership of the Fenlands area, building a large stone building that would have been seen for miles around. The site was later abandoned and is now part of the county council's farms estate.

Cambridgeshire County council archaeologist Quinton Carroll, said: "Stonea Camp witnessed some of the earliest struggles in the name of national identity that we know about, and its story is one of the most important, and tragic, in Cambridgeshire. This year we are delighted to have a professional story teller, Paul Jackson to help bring this tale to life."

This event is supporting by the BBC's The Great British Story: A People's History is a major BBC Learning tour which includes showcase events in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland celebrating local history and helping people find out more about their own personal history as well as that of their local area.

The BBC Learning events will be supporting a new series, The Great British Story: A People's History on BBC Two from May 2012 and presented by Michael Wood.

The walk will start at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 12 September from the site entrance past Stitches Farm, signposted from the B1093 to Manea.

"Cambridgeshire Archaeology" is the umbrella name for public archaeology in Cambridgeshire. It brings together public, private and voluntary sector organisations to promote the county's rich heritage.

For more details about the Festival of Archaeology visit http://festival.britarch.ac.uk and for Open Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk/opencambridge.

Contact John Reynolds

County Councillor John Reynolds
4 Holly Trees
Bar Hill
Cambridge
CB23 8SF

T 01954 200 571
F 01954 200 571
M 07720 379699
E john.reynolds@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

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