Bassingbourn Parish Council Nov 2022 District and County Councillor Report
Recent unusual rainfall and flooding
The October 20 rain saw household flooding concerns in various parts of the village, in common with neighbouring villages. This seems to have been extraordinary event and has created new concerns, as well as exacerbating old ones.
It would be helpful to know where these incidents took place, if people would like to get in touch on a confidential basis, so that we can make the County flood risk team aware. You can report directly here:
https://www.gov.uk/report-flood-cause
Thank you for the reports sent to me. I have requested a visit from the drainage team, both to tend to highways drains in the High St and South End which were probably not cleaned on the last visit due to parked cars, with a request for advance notice so that traffic can be kept clear on the day; and also, to visit a cluster of properties on the outskirts of the village where property flooding is clearly a regular threat.
Buses
The new 26 is running between Royston, Melbourn, and Cambridge every two hours, having replaced the hourly 915. This is subsidized by the Mayoral Combined Authority until end of March only. The 17 too is running on subsidy, the overall pot of which is now subject to a much greater draw.
The Cam Vale Bus User Group met in October to hear from users of the 17 and 915, and it is clear that the two together form an important link service.
Three Cam Vale Bus User Group meetings, all to gauge what people want to see with future bus services as set out in Making Connections consultation, will be held in December.
Dec 6, 10AM Bassingbourn Old School
Dec 9, 12PM Meldreth Elin Way Sheltered Housing Room
Dec 9, 2PM Melbourn Hub
Police in the community
I’ve invited the Police to attend an in-person public information evenings this autumn – also for public questions: Bassingbourn Old School Community Centre, 7 December 7:30PM.
Are there issues that the Parish Council would like covered?
Cambridgeshire ACRE’s Bassingbourn housing needs survey
Results are expected sometime in December and will be shared with the parish council and district councillor.
Ivy Farm Bridge consultation response
I have sent my response to Herts CC, incorporating comments received from the community, and expect to meet Herts CC officers next month to hear the results.
Electric Vehicle Charge Point Grant
The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Point Grant is available to fund installation of Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCPs) for use by the public, and related works, in the car parks of community buildings and village halls within South Cambridgeshire. The deadline for 2022/2023 applications is 31 March 2023
Cultivate Cambs
More funding is being made available for voluntary and community organisations in Cambridgeshire to support residents. Find out how you can apply here: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/news/more-funding-for-voluntary-and-community-organisations-in-cambridgeshire
Cost of Living Support – South Cambs District Council
- Discretionary Housing Payments This is a fund that South Cambridgeshire District Council has which supports residents on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit with housing costs. The Council can award this to residents whose housing costs are not fully met by benefits, or where household costs are high, and they are in exceptional hardship. The Council is planning to add an extra £100,000 to this fund to use it to support more people. Residents can read the full eligibility criteria and find out how to apply at scambs.gov.uk/dhp or email benefits@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000 if they have questions.
- Discretionary Council Tax Discounts This is a fund that South Cambridgeshire District Council operates in order to support people who are not eligible for the Local Council Tax Support scheme but are in extreme hardship. If you qualify, the Council may be able to offer you a discount to help make your Council Tax instalments more affordable. Currently, the main qualifying criteria are that residents are in financial hardship; they have tried to improve the situation before applying and have no assets or savings. Residents can read the full eligibility criteria and find out how to apply at scambs.gov.uk/reductions-discounts or email revenues@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000 if they have a question.
- Charitable giving South Cambridgeshire District Council is proposing to establish a grant fund which will be used to provide lower cost options for cooking and staying warm, such as slow cookers and electric blankets to those in need. Residents and businesses who are financially able will be welcome to contribute towards this charitable fund if they choose. The Council will allocate £15,000 to the fund to get it up and running. Criteria will be created to ensure the most vulnerable families and those just about managing can access support. In the coming weeks, residents will be able to visit scambs.gov.uk/cost-of-living-support to find out more and to donate, if they are able.
- Community Chest South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Community Chest fund provides grants to voluntary and community sector groups, charities and public sector bodies wishing to further improve quality of life locally. Recently, the criteria were amended to allow bids that include contributions for any project that has a positive impact for communities related to the cost of living crisis. Parish and town councils can also now bid for Community Chest grants linked to this cause. Visit scambs.gov.uk/communitychest for more details, or email Community.Chest@scambs.gov.uk
E-Scooters – not legal other than VOI scooter trial in Cambridge
E-scooters are not legal to use outside of private property, in spite of the fact that they are available to purchase from commercial retailers. The only local exception is the ‘VOI’ brand scooters in Cambridge. Nevertheless, there is increasing use of e-scooters on local roads, and much concern about safety.
South Cambs trials plant-powered bin lorries
In our latest step towards decarbonisation, South Cambs has conducted a trial with eight bin lorries using biofuels, cutting their net carbon emissions by 90%. During the past two months, Greater Cambridge Shared Waste, a partnership between South Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City Councils, ran the eight vehicles on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) instead of diesel.
The Councils are transitioning their fleet of around 50 bin lorries to electric and alternative fuel vehicles to reduce net carbon emissions. Currently, a significant proportion of the waste service’s, and therefore the councils’, carbon emissions originate from diesel bin lorries. Two fully electric bin lorries are already being used in the city of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire and a solar farm is planned at the service depot to be able to charge more of them in future.
Once a sustainable fuel source is secured, the Councils could purchase further vehicles which could be powered by HVO. This would be an interim solution ahead of more electric or hydrogen trucks joining the fleet as and when they become available from manufacturers, and in-line with the depot charging facilities becoming operational.
Inflation and County Council business planning
Inflation is very much on our minds at home of course, but also at Cambridgeshire County Council. For the current financial year the total service budgets are £456 million (net) for revenue and £164 million in the capital fund (with a total programme of over £1 billion). In setting budget in February, we did provide for significant budget growth which allowed for inflation costs of £9.991 million, demand growth £9.615 million, Pressures (e.g. increased non-inflation costs or reduced income) £16.236 million and investments of £7.253 million. All this was funded by this year’s council tax increase, savings, and Government funding.
In June, the Council allocated additional resources to meet expected inflationary pressures in the current year. These are mainly due to energy prices and to some of the Council’s large contracts which are linked to national inflation figures. The Council also created a reserve to meet unexpected inflationary pressures. Apart from pay inflation, the Council therefore expects to be able to meet the costs of inflation in its revenue budgets this financial year.
Even so, the Council is currently forecasting a small (£2.368 million or 0.5 per cent) overspend for 2022/23, mainly due to the effects of the expected level of public sector pay inflation for this year, which exceeds the estimates used in budgeting.
But what of next year and beyond?
Inflation remains a significant concern in looking ahead to setting the Council’s medium-term financial plan for the next five years. When the Council set its Medium Term Financial Plan in February 2022 it did include a the budget gap. Budget planning is still ongoing, but the budget gap for the coming year 2023/24 is now looking considerably higher than £17.396 million – currently projected at £29 million. This will again need to be filled by council tax, savings, and any Government funding awarded between now and February 2023.
Changes in energy prices affect the Council beyond costs such as simply heating buildings or running street lights. The Council is engaged in a number of energy projects, including retrofitting its own buildings with clean energy, building solar farms, installing solar panels on park and ride sites, and the flagship community heating project at Swaffham Prior. The business cases for all these projects change very significantly as a result of changing expectations for the costs of the oil and gas they are replacing. So this places very considerable pressure on the council.