At the end of every month, I prepare a monthly newsletter that I present to Parish Councillors in Caldecote Ward at their meetings, some monthly some bi-montly. The latest monthly is for the July meetings and outline news and events that happened in June.
Covid19 Update
government have announced easing of the lockdown rules. However, please note that Covid19 is still very much with us and has not gone away.
We all still need to follow the COVID-19 guidance of washing our hands often, social distancing,working from home wherever possible. Check the FAQ webpages for what you can and can’t do after 4th July.
You need to make a cuppa to help you go through it. If you have to go out and cannot socially distance please wear a facemask. I make a point of wearing face masks now whenever I go out. If you or anyone in your household is showing symptoms, please self-isolate and request a coronavirus testing kit. If you do test positive, then it is imperative you use the Track and Trace service to help stop the infection spreading.
The South Cambs Coronavirus page is kept updated.
The District Council launched a Hot food scheme having obtained some grant funding from Countryside Properties who will be building out Bourn Airfield. The food is cooked by C3 church and served from two distribution centres weekly. Up to 140 people in need are being supported this way.
Thank you to all the volunteers who continue to be available to their communities during this phase of lockdown. The council is trying to find a way to capture all the good practice that was developed during the height of the pandemic so please feel free to share with us your support scheme (email duty.communities@scambs.gov.uk).
National Covid Testing Site in Cambridge
There is a drive-through coronavirus testing facility opened at the Milton Park & Ride off the A10. You can book an appointment on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/ask-for-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/ or by calling 119.
Support for Local Businesses
Please check out the most recent South Cambs Business newsletter for the latest on help available for small businesses
The Council has set up a Business Support team to assist businesses operating in the district. This is non-statutory function but we recognise that the districts’ economy is heavily reliant on the army of small businesses that we have.
Thanks to all the essential businesses such as local food/retail shops that stayed open to serve residents throughout the lockdown. Special thanks to the owners of the shops in Bourn and Caldecote.
Please continue to shop local as non-essential retailers start to open up. It keeps the money flowing within our district and help the economy out of the lockdown blues
Zero Carbon Grant
The council has opened up Phase 2 of the Zero Carbon Communities grant scheme. This phase will focus on projects to do with cycling, community buildings and tree planting/nature-based solutions.
Grants are available from £1,000 to £15,000, and the scheme is opened from 1st July to 30th September 2020. For more information and to apply online go to http://www.scambs.gov.uk/zerocarbongrant
Planning
Extended Construction Working Hours
The Government issued a Written Ministerial Statement HCWS234 instructing Local Planning Authorities to facilitate extended working hours for construction sites from now till April 2021.
Legislation is now being laid to enable developers to vary the hours of working – they can vary the times of day (from 6am to 9pm) and the days of the week (Mondays to Saturdays) up to April, and the council must reply within 14 days of receiving the request or it will be deemed to be approved.
There is also a right of appeal directly to the Secretary of State if the Council refuses the request and the developer considers it unreasonable.
Greater Cambridge Local Plan Update
Preliminary results from the Issues and Options consultation in Jan 2020 shows that over 300,000 people saw a social media post, the specially commissioned videos gained over 396,000 views across social media platforms (Youtube, Facebook, Instagram), over 32,000 unique page views of the consultation website and over 6,000 people reached through the pop-up roadshow events. 300 attended the Big Debate at the Corn Exchange. About 7,000 individual comments were sent in that are still being processed.
These are just some of the items covered in the newsletter – read it in full here. And feel free to share.
Thank you