County Council Report
Fire and Rescue matters dominated my last month’s activity.
Since I was first elected to the old Public Protection Committee back in 1985, I have taken a great interest in the whole service, as well as the two fire stations of Burwell and Swaffham Bulbeck within my Division.
Over the years I have helped to fend off possible dosure(s) that might have arisen in connection with a proposed move of Cambridge Fire Station to the city outskirts. Fortunately, the more recent possibility of strikes by the Fire Brigade Union did not seem to affect us locally as our two stations are manned by Retained part-timers, who have their own union which was not in dispute with the employers.
Then again there were domestic structural problems at both stations and the status of Burwell Fire Station after the closure of the factory on which the station stands. It now appears that Burwell’s future is reasonably secure in the medium term after the negotiation of a suitable lease. I called in the other day after a report of a leaking roof and found that remedial action was already in hand.
On the broader front, at the recent full Council the Lib Dem Group put up a proposal calling on the Cabinet to install sprinklers in all newly built schools including Cambourne and the fire damaged rebuild of Mayfield School. We also wanted the Cabinet to review fire risk in existing schools, installing sprinklers where particular fire risk exists.
The Conservative administration were not prepared to accept this proposal on cost grounds. Instead they carried an amendment calling on the Cabinet to consider installation of sprinklers in new and rebuilt schools against a background of cost benefit, consequential cost, technology and Fire Service advice. They did accept the request to look at fire risk but LEA schools only. Also a further call should be made to lobby the Government to fund sprinklers in future and include sprinklers in the design criteria for the future. I hope this last request does not fall on deaf ears, although I fear it may, However, we do succeed in obtaining Government funding sometimes. We have just been told that 1 ¼ million households, mainly in deprived areas will be offered free smoke alarms and fire safety advice. The whole package of £25 million will be put up to finance these moves. Some extra resources should come to Cambridgeshire. Although I’m afraid we are unlikely to qualify as a “deprived area” round here (!), in fact Cambs. Fire & Rescue Service already carries out home fire safety checks, FREE. Requests to Huntingdon HQ (phone 01480 444558) or via me for anyone in need of such advice.
Recently I had a complaint from Lode about thorns left on the cyclepath between Lode and Bottisham. I walked, looking carefully the length of that path and found four small thorny twigs and four wild rose cuttings. The former would cause puncture but not the latter, I suspect.
The problem is that the hedges are owned by landowners or farmers and they are supposed to clear up after seasonal trimming. It is not a cost the County should bear; nevertheless if the paths are littered with cuttings, get in touch with the Rural Group at Shire Hall or me and we’ll insist that the farmer or contractor makes another clearance sweep.
We need to catch them just after cutting, not weeks later. The above remarks also apply to any cycle paths elsewhere, e.g. Bottisham to Swaffham Bulbeck, between the Swaffhams and the road into Burwell or Reach.