From our District Councillor
IF I may start on a light note, ECDC has won eight "Loo of the Year"
awards, six in Ely, one in Littleport, and one in Wicken Fen. Visitors to
Ely's Tourist Board at Oliver Cromwell's house comment very favourably
ion the area's toilets. The cleaning and maintenance staff should be
congratulated on the continuing high standards they are achieving.
East Cambs planners have now passed the revised landscaping scheme for the new
E.D.F. energy power-line which is to run from Burwell to Horningsea. The line
will run parallel to the existing line, and is needed to meet the increased
demand for electricity in the Cambridge area.
Did you know that East Cambs now has 38 plastic bottle recycling banks installed throughout the district? We are currently collecting 1.3 tonnes per week. To try and give an indication of the volume of plastic bottles we are diverting from landfill over a year, this would equate to 73,000 sacks of rubbish or 156 full refuse trucks.
Since my election in May 2004 I have been involved in a number of issues locally. Namely housing, travellers, refuse disposal, traffic, planning, recycling, leisure facilities and benefits.
As a District Councillor, there will be many important issues to address in 2005. Principally insuring East Cambs Office accommodation meets the needs of the years ahead.
Also planning for the population growth in East Cambs and how Ely in particular can adapt to cope with it. There will be increased pressure on Ely's parking facilities and this must be addressed.
The office for national statistics has confirmed that our district is the fastest growing area in England. From June 2002 to June 2003 they have estimated that our resident population has grown from 74,400 to almost 78,000, a staggering 4.8% increase.
Tourism is also an important growth area. The region now attracts two and three-quarter million tourists per year, with a value of 95 million pounds and supports two and a half thousand jobs.
Also, we must increase all forms of recycling in order to meet government land fill targets - more on this issue during 2005.