Bad news for bus users

There’s bad news for bus users in Cottenham and Rampton, Histon and Impington. Residents of Oakington are thankfully spared. And those who live in Orchard Park get a strange temporary arrangement whilst we all wait for the guided bus.

It’s been a double whammy. First off the Tory run County Council has announced that it is cutting all bus subsidies. That’s right: all subsidies. This means that over the next year or so all subsidised routes will be withdrawn unless the operator opts to continue running them on a 100% commercial basis. This means that Histon will lose its Thursday service, the 110, to Ely; and Rampton will lose its three times daily service, the 106, to Ely. And of course people who live on the routes in Cottenham and beyond will lose their service as well. It’s an especially cruel blow for Rampton because the 106 provides a connection to the Stagecoach service which runs into Cambridge. (more…)

Library service review

Details have been announced of Cambridgeshire County Council’s library service review consultation timetable. There will be a series of public meetings including two at the Over conference and community centre on 12 Aug 10 and 14 Sep 10 between 1830 and 2030.

Click here for information about the Over conference and community centre.

Click here to access the on-line questionnaire.

Cambridge transport debated at Westminster Hall

Cambridge City MP spoke at the recent adjournment debate. He began:

‘I am delighted to have secured this crucial debate, especially as it is the last Westminster Hall debate before the long recess. I apologise, Mr Sheridan, for detaining you and the Minister from the break. Transport affects all my constituents daily, in one way or another, and it is a major concern that is raised constantly by residents and employers. Having spent almost my whole life in Cambridge, and having chaired the Cambridge traffic management committee for many years, I know the problems all too well. However, I am enthusiastic about the opportunities to make transport in Cambridge better for all-for businesses using important freight routes, for commuters who make the daily journey to work, and for tourists who come to enjoy the region’s historical and cultural attractions.’

Click hereto read Julian’s speech in full and the subsequent response from the (Lib Dem) minister.

Not exactly a holiday camp: the Oakington detention centre.

The Immigration Reception Centre, at Oakington gets a pretty poor press. There was the critical 2008 inspection report from Anne Owers (click here for a link) and the recent tragic death of Eliud Nyenze. So when Cambridge MP Julian Huppert, Oakington parish council chair David Reeves and County Councillor David Jenkins visited it was with some concern. Read the rest of this entry.

Oakington primary school: small but quite perfect

The smallest primary school in the division is the Oakington CofE School. It has a PAN (a Published Admission Number) of just 17 and just over 100 children on its roll today. It’s went up a little this year because it’s took on 21 new pupils and somewhat fewer are left to go to secondary school. Read the rest of this entry.

Questions in parliament: Oakington Detention Centre

It’s good to see an interest being shown in parliament in the detention centre at Oakington even if it is from the MP for a nighbouring constituency. Read the rest of this entry.

Tree planting day in Oakington

It was tree planting day at Oakington today when volunteers were invited to support the planting of a new wood on Cambridgeshire ‘county farm’ land to celebrate 100 years of Cambridgtshire’s county farms. The plot at Oakington will eventually be home to over 8000 trees and shrubs. Read the rest of this entry.

CGB lights up the sky

Despite the fact that the Guided Bus will not open for business until some time in 2010 no-one’s bothered to switch off the lights! The ones at Oakington and elsewhere now burn throughout the night 7 days a week. Read the rest of this entry.

Guided Bus fares fiasco

The news this last week that users of the guided bus will not be able to use their tickets for both operators beggars belief. The details are on the County Council’s web-site (click here). Since Whippet is offering significantly lower fares but will be running fewer buses there may be queues of passengers standing at the stops watching empty Stagecoach buses go by whilst they wait for on from Whippet. Read the rest of this entry.

Let’s keep our footpaths clear

Some of our footpaths are narrow enough at the best of time but at this time of year with vegetation growing vigorously we seem to lose what we’ve got. Water Lane in Oakington is typical. The footpath on the north of the road is the only footpath for people from Saxon Way etc to walk into the village and it’s badly overgrown. Read the rest of this entry.