SCDC
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the second tier of local government (first tier being parish council), providing services to a mainly rural population.
The district comprises 105 parishes with a population of over 139,000 in a rural setting of about 350 square miles of lush green countryside. The district does not have any towns.
South Cambridgeshire has consistently ranked within the top 10 places to live in the country, as it is a prosperous area with very high levels of economic activity, and apparently low levels of unemployment.
South Cambridgeshire has the lowest crime rate in Cambridgeshire, and is a healthy area that has a high life expectancy compared to the rest of the country. The prosperity of the area has resulted in a high cost of living, where house prices are high and increasing, and the average wage earner unable to buy to own their own home.
The 105 parishes and settlements in South Cambridgeshire are combined to make 90 parish councils, 10 parish meetings and 1 community council, as well as 34 district electoral wards, of which Caldecote Ward is one. Caldecote Ward comprises Caldecote, Childerley, Kingston and Toft parishes.
South Cambridgeshire Council Services
The Council provides the following services to residents of the district:
- Business rates collection
- Conservation services for buildings and the countryside
- Council tax collection
- Environmental Health
- Housing benefits
- Housing services
- Licensing
- Local planning and building control
- Support to sports, arts and community development
- Refuse collection and recycling
Political Structure – Councillors
The council operates under a Leader and Cabinet system, run by the political group that has the majority councillors. This is currently the Conservative Group.
There are 57 members or councillors representing the 105 parishes. The current composition of the council is as follows:
- Conservatives 33
- Liberal Democrat 14
- Independent 9
- Labour 1
The Chairman of the Council is Councillor Dr David Bard and Councillor Ray Manning is the Leader of the Council.
Portfolios and Committees
The Cabinet is made up of the eight (8) councillors from the ruling party, who are responsible for the Portfolios namely:
- Corporate and Customers Services
- Environmental Services
- Finance and Staffing
- Housing
- Leader
- Northstowe
- Planning and Economic Development
- Planning Policy and Localism
Meetings of the cabinet are generally open to the public, including meetings of individual portfolio holders, although there may be items on the agenda from which the press and public will be excluded for reasons of confidentiality.
There are also statutory committees as follows:
- Civic Affairs
- Corporate Governance
- Employment
- Licensing
- Planning
- Partnerships Review
- Scrutiny and Overview
Seats on most of the Council’s committees are allocated to the political groups on a politically proportionate basis.
Management Structure
The actual work of the council is carried out by the officers who are employed by the council. The overall administrative responsibility lies with the Chief Executive, Mrs Jean Hunter.
The Executive Director, Corporate Services and Chief Finance Officer is Mr Alex Colyer.
Each Service area is managed by a Director who report to the Chief Executive.
You can get more details about the workings of the district council on the council website.
You can also read about my roles and participation in the workings of the council on MyRoles page.
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