From our Local County Councillor
During the last month all six parishes within my present County Division had
their annual Parish Meetings. In each case I summarised what had happened over
the previous twelve months and looked forward to the next year. Unfortunately,
apart from parish councillors fewer than one percent of the 8400 electors
bothered to attend. So what follows is an adapted version of what I said.
The first topic of interest to most people is tax and spending. The County Council agreed a budget of £466 million in February, half going to the countyÕs schools and a quarter to Social Services. The rest covers a wide range of services such as libraries, roads and transport, trading standards, environmental and waste disposal - all increasing because of population growth.
The resulting Council Tax increase over 2003/4 was 6.9 % (equivalent to just over a pound a week for a Band D payer). Apart from Council Tax, Government grant and business rates cover the rest of the County Council's needs. The CountyÕs share of Council Tax is three quarters of your total bill; the remainder is shared by District, Police, Fire & Rescue, and parish councils.
All of the above was set out in the explanatory leaflet that accompanied the tax demand. The County administration's Leader was hoping for 6 % this year but had to agree 6.9 %. The hope for next year is that it will be significantly lower but nobody wants to hazard a guess further than that.
Because of the rapid growth of population in Cambridgeshire, not only do we have to respond to the demand for new schools, roads, day care and so on, but supervise where the main areas of new housing should go. Hence Cambourne and, in the near future, Northstow (between Oakington and Longstanton) should go a long way to meet the great pressure for more affordable homes. On a smaller scale there is significant building in Ely, Littleport, Burwell and even Swaffham Bulbeck to supplement the main areas of growth.
In spite of shortages of money Education within the County continued to produce excellent results at all levels. Bottisham Village College had another good year, and with your help has bid for specialist status in humanities. If successful a government grant will come to help pay for the resulting enhanced status.
Although Bottisham Community Library was one of ten closed throughout the County to help fund the rest, the community responded by creating an equally good voluntary replacement. I am assured by county officers that Bothisham is at the top of the league for the service it offers.
The main change in Social Services is the hiving off of the old people's sector to join with the Primary Care Trusts to form a combined (cheaper and more efficient?!) response to the ever-growing needs of older people who now live to a much greater age than only a few decades ago.