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Welcome to the February 2025 edition of Cambridgeshire Matters.

Latest news from across Cambridgeshire

County agrees its business plan and budget with highways, social care and new schools prioritised

On Tuesday 11 February, a meeting of Cambridgeshire County Council's Full Council agreed a legal budget for 2025/26. Members prioritised investment in highways maintenance as well as children who become looked after and building new schools.

The council has prioritised several key areas, based on feedback through its Quality of Life survey, and are aligned to its vision to make Cambridgeshire greener, fairer and more caring - including investment of more than £56m in highways maintenance, sustaining critical adults and children's social care, and continuing to support vulnerable communities.

The county council had to close a gap of £35.1m - with 73% of the council's net spend now being funded from Council Tax. It was agreed to increase Council Tax by 4.99% (2% of which is for Adult Social Services) - raising £20m of local income to help maintain and protect critical services for the most vulnerable communities.

The business plan and budget is available to view on our website and you can watch back a recording of the committee on our YouTube channel.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Earlier this month Cambridgeshire County Council, along with the district and city councils, received a formal Ministerial invitation to submit proposals for the reorganisation of Local Government across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The Government intends that these proposals bring together the current two-tier system of local government into a single, unitary tier of councils for the area. This would mean that the current county and district councils would cease and be replaced by new councils in due course. These changes may also apply to the existing Peterborough unitary authority.

Our website outlines the timeline provided by the Government, and the formal letter of invitation from the Minister for Local Government and Devolution. We are working closely with the other councils and will be seeking to undertake wider engagement about these proposed changes during the coming months.

These reforms do not have any impact upon the forthcoming County Council Elections, which will go ahead on Thursday 1 May 2025.

Resources for May 2025 local elections

In preparation for the upcoming May 2025 local elections, the Electoral Commission have produced a range of free digital and printable resources designed for local communities and councils to display on their own channels.

The deadline for registering to vote for the May local elections is Friday 11 April. You can register to vote on the GOV.UK website or through your district or city council.

Voters in England now need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in all elections. Information on voter ID, including accepted forms of photo ID, is available on the Electoral Commission website. The deadline to apply for free voter ID for the local elections is Wednesday 23 April.

New team launched to help frequent A&E users

County council shortlisted for four national awards

Cambridgeshire Highways

Closing soon: Ely to Witchford active travel consultation

The public consultation on a proposed new active travel crossing on the A10 bypass to the southwest of Ely will close on Wednesday 5 March.

The proposals include two bridge options and one signal crossing option. As an active travel route, the new crossing would be designed for walking, cycling and travelling by wheelchair or mobility aids.

To find out more and complete the consultation survey, please visit our website.

Climate and Nature

Cambridgeshire energy partnership celebrated at awards

The Cambridgeshire Energy Retrofit Partnership (CERP) was celebrated as a finalist at the APSE Energy Awards 2025 under the 'Working in Collaboration' category, recognising the partnership's long-standing success and the difference it has made to residents and the environment.

The partnership has also been shortlisted for two additional awards for its success in promoting environmental best practice and quality retrofit programmes - in the 'Green Public Service' category at the Public Sector Transformation Awards, and the 'Best Local Authority-Led Retrofit Programme' category at the Retrofit Academy Awards. The winners will be announced at ceremonies taking place in March 2025.

Also known as Action on Energy Cambridgeshire, CERP is a partnership between Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Action on Energy provide communities with advice on how to maximise the energy efficiency of their homes, save money on energy bills, and cut carbon emissions.

Making energy efficient changes to a home can be a significant investment, however Action on Energy have a wide range of funding options available. You can also access guidance and support on making your home more energy efficient on our website and download our energy efficiency booklet.

Cambridgeshire Libraries

Opportunity to gain Carbon Literacy Accreditation

The East Cambridgeshire Climate and Nature Group, led by Cambridgeshire Libraries, are offering a free, in-person opportunity to receive Carbon Literacy Accreditation.

Aimed at local organisations and community groups, the session is certified by the Carbon Literacy Project and will enable you to create a personal action plan tailored to your local area. The session will take place in Ely Library on Friday 21 March from 9am until 5pm.

For more information and to enrol, please email hannah.smith@groundwork.org.uk.

Temporary closure of Cambourne Library

Cambourne Library will be closed for refurbishment from Monday 24 March for approximately three months. As part of the works, the library will expand by around a third to make way for a range of new and modern facilities - including the creation of an exciting children's space, dedicated study areas, and extended library open hours facilitated by open access technology.

During the temporary closure, extended opening hours will be in place at Comberton and Papworth Libraries. Additionally, the mobile library service will visit The Hub in Cambourne (CB23 6GW) on 26 April, 24 May and 28 June from 10am until 4pm, bringing a selection of books and library resources directly to the community. An opportunity to see the exciting plans for Cambourne Library will be available at an event on Wednesday 5 March from 2pm until 3.30pm.

For more information on temporary library closures, please visit the Cambridgeshire Libraries website.

Communities Service

Two exciting projects funded by the Cambridgeshire Priorities Capital Fund recently held their opening events.

On Thursday 30 January, Orchard Park Community Primary School opened 'The Core' community room, which will be a vibrant hub for accessible public services, including healthcare initiatives, educational programmes, and community resources. Students were also invited to create designs for a commemorative plaque to be displayed in the room, and the winning designer had the special honour of cutting the ribbon.

On Thursday 6 February, Olive AP Academy - Nene Valley opened its new gym, which will provide a comprehensive range of high-quality gym equipment for students and Wisbech residents.

Cambridgeshire Skills

The Cambridgeshire Skills 'Cost of living cafe' is a free online course designed to help you manage the rise in the cost of living and the impact this may be having on your day-to-day life.

The course helps learners to become more confident in dealing with their finances, and covers areas such as managing a budget, creating savings plans, and reducing energy costs. You will also learn techniques to budget effectively and save money, as well as developing online skills (such as using price comparison websites) and numeracy skills.

The course can be started at any time, and upon completion learners will earn a Cambridgeshire Skills digital badge, endorsed by City & Guilds.

Further news from across Cambridgeshire

Actively travel with Street Tag

Street Tag is a free smart phone app that turns your community into a virtual playground. Collect virtual tags by walking, running, or wheeling around your neighbourhood, and compete against other teams to climb up the leaderboard and win prizes.

It's a fun and interactive way to boost physical activity and active travel whilst exploring your local community, parks and greenspaces.

Join the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough leaderboard to compete against others across the county between Monday 6 March and Tuesday 6 May. This event is funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

For enquiries about Cambridgeshire Matters, please contact internal.comms@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

This email was sent to tracey.coulson@cityofelycouncil.org.uk using Microsoft Dynamics on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.

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