Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Open it in a web page.

Welcome to the January 2025 edition of Cambridgeshire Matters. 

Latest news from across Cambridgeshire

Investing in the county's highways, adult social care and building new schools prioritised in Cambridgeshire County Council's Business Plan and Budget proposals

The demand for services, increasing complexity of need, inflation and market failures mean the county council is responding to a £35.1m gap for 2025/26, members were told at Cambridgeshire County Council's Strategy, Resources and Performance committee on Tuesday (28 January).

Despite these challenges, the council's proposed plans for the coming year include an investment in highways maintenance, adult social care and building new schools, alongside continuing its journey to achieve net zero targets and responding to climate change. 

Proposals discussed included an increase of council tax by 4.99%, the maximum permitted by Government before a public referendum is needed. A total 2% of this increase is dedicated to adult social care services across the county. This increase, if approved, would generate around £20million in additional funding.

At the meeting on Tuesday, the majority of members at the Strategy, Resources and Performance committee made its final recommendation to Full Council, which will agree the budget on Tuesday 11 February.

The Business Plan and Budget proposals are available to view on our website. The meeting is available to watch on our YouTube channel.

Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Cambridgeshire Highways

Shining a light on lower energy consumption and reduced maintenance costs

From December 2024, our street lighting contractor Balfour Beatty has started work on our countywide street light replacement programme. Over two years, we will be replacing over 47,000 existing streetlights with new LED (light emitting diode) streetlights.

We expect that this will save more than 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the streetlights and cut energy consumption by more than half. The new lights will also reduce maintenance costs and light pollution.

If you have a standard, Cambridgeshire County Council streetlight near you, the light will be replaced within the next two years. In small towns and villages, our contractor is intending to carry out replacements in clusters to minimise any disruption.

The Balfour Beatty website has full details on when the streetlights in your area will be changed, alongside helpful FAQs. You can also visit our dedicated page for more information.

Ely to Witchford active travel crossing consultation

A public consultation has opened on a proposed new active travel crossing on the A10 bypass to the southwest of Ely, where it connects with the A142 Witchford Road. The consultation will run from 22 January to 5 March 2025.

The proposals include two bridge options and one signal crossing options. 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 ask questions, residents are being invited to attend two drop-in events in Witchford and Ely or two online webinars. Throughout the consultation, residents can also visit an unstaffed exhibition at Ely Library (during library opening hours) to find out more about the proposals.

Full information on the consultation can be found on our website, including links to the survey, event details, and how to register for a webinar.

Festival of Stories

This year Talking Together in Cambridgeshire will host its fourth Festival of Stories from Wednesday 19 February until Wednesday 26 February. The theme for this year is the value of everyday tales.

The festival aims to shine a light on how stories can be used in fun and interactive ways to boost young children's communication, language, and literacy skills. Families of children from birth to five years old are welcome to join the festival.

Information on events taking place during the festival can be found here. Visit the Festival of Stories website to download a variety of resources, including activity packs, booklists and rhymes.

Keep up to date with news on the festival by following the Talking to Together in Cambridgeshire Facebook page.

Cambridgeshire Libraries

The Library Presents reveals its most adventurous line-up so far

This spring, libraries across the county will once again host an exciting programme of live performance and workshops running from March to June 2025. With 49 events taking place across 25 venues, The Library Presents offers something for everyone, from music and puppetry, to dance, theatre, poetry and storytelling.

Tickets are now on sale and are available to book online via the Library.Live website or in person at participating libraries.

Explore Cambridgeshire's Local Studies collection

Cambridgeshire County Council's Local Studies is home to major collections of material from across the county, including books and periodicals, photographs, printed maps and plans.

Access to all of the collections is free, including our three largest collections - The Cambridgeshire Collection at Cambridge Central Library, The Huntingdonshire Collection at Huntingdon Library, and the Fenland Collection at Wisbech Library.

If you're looking to explore your family history, you can access the Find My Past and Ancestry websites for free at a Cambridgeshire library.

Take part in events and activities at Cambridgeshire Libraries

Are you looking to take part in something new this year? From craft groups to code clubs and local history talks, there is something for everyone at Cambridgeshire Libraries.

Joining library events is a great way to find inspiration and meet others, and there are a wide range to choose from - including Read a Little Aloud, Knit and Natter, Engage, and the Good Mood Cafe.

Search for events on the Cambridgeshire Online Directory or browse the 'What's On' guide on the Library.Live website.

Care Together

Care Together are pleased to reveal the outcome of the bids received under the Care Together seed funding programme.

Seed funding is intended to give community groups, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners and community interest companies, the opportunity to support the physical and mental health of older adults and their carers. All projects are co-designed with members of the community that they seek to service.

For more information on Care Together, visit the Cambridgeshire County Council website or contact the team at care.together@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Communities Service

January's update from the Communities Service features three positive stories - highlighting how the team are working to support grassroot community organisations to thrive, and provide valuable support and advice to communities across Cambridgeshire:

• Read about the Cambridgeshire Priorities Capital Fund reaching the halfway milestone, and some of the fantastic community projects the fund has been able to support.
• Download the new Remembrance Toolkit, which has been designed to support the organisation of Remembrance events.
• Learn about a new initiative for community organisations, helping them to deliver vital services for those they support.

If you are aware of a community organisation that would benefit from a conversation with the Communities Service, please contact communities@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Cambridgeshire Skills

Leading the way in learner engagement

Throughout January, Cambridgeshire Skills have been hosting a series of learner forums, designed to place learners as the heart of course planning and delivery.

The forums aimed to gather meaningful feedback on course content, learning resources, and delivery methods, helping to shape future offerings to better meet the needs of our communities.

By engaging directly with learners, feedback will help to inform continuous improvement across our courses and services, including new course offerings tailored to learner needs, resources to improve the learning experience, and proved progression support and information, advice and guidance services. 

Grafham Water Centre

Grafham Water Centre have published their course list for 2025. Ranging from sailing and paddle sports, to windsurfing and climbing - there's a range of activities to try this year, individually or as a family.

The centre's multi-activity Discovery Clubs will also be returning during half term holidays for young people aged eight to 16. Visit the Grafham Water Centre website for the full details and booking information.

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

This email was sent to clerkbrampton.pc@gmail.com using Microsoft Dynamics on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.

New Shire Hall, Alconbury, PE28 4YE

https://public-gbr.mkt.dynamics.com/api/v2.0/orgs/6a4d3abe-5645-4264-a39d-88f8d2e54cb8/consent/preferences?contextId=02a5656c-d3df-ef11-8ee9-6045bdc1abe4