In his keynote speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference, Party Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined his goals for the Government and the country over the coming years. He reiterated his commitment to liberal values on the environment and human rights and his determination to ensure a fair chance for every child, saying "every child can do good things, great things, if only we give them the opportunities they deserve."
Liberal Democrat Fire Authority members have launched a petition against cuts in front-line fire emergency services. The petition is in response to plans by fire chiefs in Cambridgeshire for £6 million of cuts to the fire service budget of the Conservative-controlled authority.
The petition can be signed on-line or can be printed off in order to collect further signatures and will be presented to the Fire Authority at its meeting in October.
Opposition Leader on Cambridgeshire Fire Authority, Councillor Nigel Bell said:
"I urge people in the county to sign this petition to oppose the plans for cuts in front-line services.
"There are serious concerns about the £4 million of cuts already imposed but the extra £2 million of cuts, which will see the closure of up to 4 fire stations and the removal of fire appliances, is unacceptable because of the risk to lives through increased response times.
"We believe that cuts to front-line services are dangerous and unnecessary. Instead we should be raising Council Tax in line with current inflation and be pressing for a fairer grant settlement achieved for rural fire services. We also believe that by closer working with neighbouring Fire Services we can save money through economies of scale, for example in our management costs."
Cambridgeshire County Council may soon find itself forced to make cuts in this year's budget to find the extra money needed to fund the schools that have become academies.
The government has realised that it is wildly over budget for its academy programme and is now consulting about how to plug the gap.
Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have sought and received an assurance from Cambridgeshire PCT that the local NHS will stick to the 18 week target for operations and treatment in the county.
Shadow Cabinet member for health, Cllr Geoff Heathcock, asked for an assurance from Cambridgeshire PCT after it emerged that some PCTs were ignoring the 18 week target in order to make savings.
Cllr Geoff Heathcock added:
"It's a relief to know that patients will not be kept waiting longer. To wait at all when you are in pain can be very distressing."
The County Council's decision last February to cut 100% of its bus subsidies has been challenged with an application for Judicial Review, on grounds of flawed consultation and equalities obligations. In response, the council has announced that it will review its budget decision. Susan brought a motion to last week's County Council meeting proposing that this review encompass all subsidy withdrawals including those already implemented on April 17th, and the council administration now confirms that this will happen. Hopefully the new 'review' will mean that those residents who are less mobile and lack independent transport will be meaningfully consulted. The consultation will run from September to November.
COMMUNITY TRANSPORT LINKS TO RAIL STATIONS
If you would like to explore opportunities for lifts to Foxton, Shepreth or Meldreth rail stations with help from community transport providers, please come along to any of the following informal coffee mornings, with Royston and District Community Transport and Jose, Surinder and Susan. If you can't make it but would like to know more, please contact any of us.
August 19, 10-12, Elin Way Sheltered Housing Community Room, Meldreth
September 29, 10-12, All Saints Community Hall, Melbourn.
STATION ROAD FOXTON DRAINS
County Highways have promised to jet the drains in Station Road, Foxton, very soon, and will be putting traffic cones out to keep the road clear for the day.
Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats are concerned by news that a key Older People's Mental Health ward at Fulbourn Hospital has been temporarily closed.
David Clark House, a ward that provides care for people with acute mental health problems, is being temporarily shut for refurbishment. Liberal Democrats are concerned whether James ward at Addenbrooke's hospital will be able to cope with demand in its absence, given the increasing number of people being admitted with acute problems.
They are also seeking assurance as to the future of David Clark House in the context of the wider review of countywide mental health services currently being conducted by the Mental Health Trust and PCT.
County Councillor Geoffrey Heathcock, opposition Spokesman for Health, said: "There have to be questions about whether the 22 beds at James Ward on the Addenbrooke's site will be able to cope with demand, given the sheer size of the catchment area it now serves."
Councillor Heathcock added: "I am also seeking assurances that this temporary closure is not a first step on the road to a permanent closure, as has sometimes happened in the past - with the mental health ward in Hinchingbrooke, for example."
Many of the fire engines that put out the serious fires in Cottenham and Madingley Hall this weekend look set to be axed - according to worried Lib Dem Councillors.
According to Fire Chiefs, up to 10 engines could be scrapped including fire engines from Burwell, Ely, Soham and Swaffham Bulbeck. Without these vehicles, the Lib Dems fear that two serious fires at the same time could stretch Cambridgeshire's Fire Service beyond breaking point.
Councillor Nigel Bell, the Lib Dem leader on the Fire Authority, said:
"These two serious incidents on Saturday highlight the importance of protecting frontline services in the county. Under the cuts being proposed to fire engines, stations and crews, many of the appliances that attended would be cut. Saturday's incidents showed how stretched emergency services can be when incidents coincide. I believe the proposed cuts would cost lives in Cambridgeshire."
Councillor Geoff Heathcock - a longstanding Lib Dem member of the Fire Authority said:
"What happened on Saturday afternoon within an hour shows absolutely how thin resources are spread around the city and we should be looking at enhancing resources not cutting the turntable ladder and the second pump at night."
Councillor Sue Gymer from Cottenham said:
"The fire at the Co-op needed those fire engines. If there are fewer engines around when there's next a serious fire in the village, we should be very worried."
Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative-run County Council for financial mismanagement of its care budget for adults, now forecast to be at least £11 million adrift.
Cambridgeshire's troubled Adult Care department faces end-of-year deficits of £9.1M in its Older People budget and £2M in Learning Disabilities. The figures for Mental Health are not available.
Councillors from across the political divide have joined the call for the County's education chief to resign as the county's school places crisis continues.
Last Friday, Conservative councillor Clayton Hudson called on Cllr David Harty to "fall on your sword" after the County Council repeatedly botched plans for more primary school places for Cambourne children.
Cllr Fiona Whelan, who represents Hardwick, agrees:
"Cllr Harty has taken no notice of the parents or the parish councils of Hardwick and Cambourne. The department he is in charge of is failing our children badly.
"No-one except the Cllr Harty seems to think it's a good idea for Cambourne children to be sent by bus every day to Hardwick when there are suitable sites for classrooms in Cambourne itself."
Cllr Whelan has campaigned for the County Council to build a secondary school in Cambourne ever since she was elected in 2008, because of the pressure the number of Cambourne children has placed on Comberton Village College.
While pleased that one is now being proposed for 2013, she is stunned that it will be too small.
"With 6 forms of entry to the Primary Schools, it doesn't take a mathematical genius to work out that a secondary school with 5 forms of entry will be too small.
"Yet again Cllr Harty is failing to provide adequate places for the county's children."
This is not the first time that beleaguered Cllr Harty has failed to act during the school places crisis.
Two years ago, the County Council took more than a year to respond to official figures showing that Cambridge would be short of primary school places from autumn 2011. As a result, mobile classrooms had to be put up because the County Council's unnecessary delay meant that it was too late to build proper classrooms in time.
Cllr Kevin Wilkins, who represents West Chesterton, which includes Milton Road Primary School, said:
"Cllr Harty has 'Previous'.
"His failure in Cambourne and Hardwick looks no different to his awful failure in Cambridge. It was obvious two years ago that Cllr Harty was not up to the job, but to make the same mistake twice is inexcusable."
Cambridgeshire Lib Dems have criticised a glaring oversight in the Conservative administration's plans for the county's libraries, which means the Libraries Review has to be completely rebooted.
The Conservatives initially planned to make savings of up to £1M by converting the libraries to "Trust status". This would have made the libraries eligible for dramatically reduced business rates to central government and was the core of the council's plan to make savings.
However, forthcoming changes to taxation, which would see local government keeping the majority of business rates, mean that the Trust idea simply would not work any more. Savings made by converting to Trust status would result in the council's income from business rates being reduced by the same amount - a zero sum game, with no savings possible.
The Liberal Democrats are concerned that the same savings will now have to be made in other ways, despite the idea on which the libraries budget was based being dead in the water. They are worried that this will put further libraries and jobs at risk.
Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet Member for Libraries, Sarah Whitebread said:
"It is alarming that the Conservatives did not put two and two together on this sooner. The big worry now is that the Conservatives will insist on making the savings they planned for when they passed their unrealistic budget in February.
"Today I call upon Council Leader Nick Clarke to take personal charge of the situation and prevent the disaster we can see is coming by working with the dedicated hard-working staff that form the core of the library service and make sure the people of Cambridgeshire aren't short-changed."
County Councillor Kevin Wilkins, whose local library is threatened, said:
"The value local libraries like Milton Road bring to our communities is far, far greater than the small sums it costs to run them. Closing libraries cannot be the answer to the county's self-inflicted financial crisis."
