MANIFESTO FOR CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL 2010
Working for a Better Cambridge, April 2010
Promoted and printed by Chris Howell on behalf of Cambridge City Council Conservative Group, all of 86 Argyle Street, Cambridge, CB1 3LS
Manifesto 2010
CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL CONSERVATIVE MANIFESTO 2010 1.
INTRODUCTION
2.
A BETTER CAMBRIDGE – OUR LOCAL PRIORITIES
3.
WORK TOGETHER
4.
CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE
5.
A PART OF THE COMMUNITY
6.
TACKLE CRIME
7.
EMPLOYMENT
8.
ENVIRONMENT
9.
PLANNING
10.
FINANCE AND LOCAL TAXATION
11.
CITY HOUSING
12.
TRANSPORT
13.
CYCLING
14.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Page 2 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
1. INTRODUCTION With the election of a Conservative back onto the City Council in 2008 Cambridge residents have had a strong voice, proven to be on the right side of the major debates about our city’s future. The Conservatives:
Are leading the debate on planning issues, demanding a better planning system to serve the city;
Campaigned to increase recycling rates through the introduction of the Blue Recycling bins, over which the Lib Dem City Council dithered before eventually introducing;
Are campaigning for greater public access to information about the City Council and how taxpayers’ money is spent, notably in calling for the publication of Councillors’ allowances and interests, Freedom of Information requests, and details of all spending and procurements;
Led the campaign for swift election counts, with a Conservative motion in the City Council chamber succeeding for the first time in at least a decade;
Led the campaign for value-for-money from local council services and lower Council tax, holding the Lib Dems to account for their mismanagement of the council finances;
Led the opposition to the Labour government’s compulsory congestion charge;
Led the opposition to the plan to force Marshalls out of the city to meet Labour’s housing targets;
Led the campaign to persuade the City Council to reverse its plans to charge its tenants with disabled adaptations up to £300 a year for servicing costs;
Led the campaign for safe cycling down Mill Road, with proper lights fitted to bicycles;
Led the call for the A14 to be upgraded, after being postponed for years by the Labour government and opposed by the Liberal Democrats;
Led the call for our troops to be honoured in our city with a parade for the Royal Anglians.
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 3 of 20
Manifesto 2010
The 2010 election is an opportunity to increase our numbers and influence on the way our city is run. We aim to make Cambridge a city that benefits those who live in it; and also those who come to work, to shop, or who visit to enjoy for a little while the atmosphere that residents can have every day. The special nature of Cambridge is due to:
Uniquely built environment;
High environmental standards;
Dynamic knowledge based industries, providing buoyant employment prospects;
Green and pleasant open spaces; and
The diverse and tolerant people who live in the City.
This manifesto describes the principles by which we, the Cambridge City Council Conservative Group, will work to.
2. A BETTER CAMBRIDGE – OUR LOCAL PRIORITIES A Fairer deal for Cambridge: Cambridge has had a poor deal in recent years, as the Lib Dems have found it hard to champion our local needs at Westminster. While nationally voting Lib Dem this time could keep Gordon Brown in Number 10, we also need Conservatives on the city council to put the case for Cambridge. The Conservative Approach Conservatives share the ambitions and aspirations of Cambridge people. We want a City where services – health, social services and education – are run in the interests of local people. We want a City where people are safe on the streets and well housed. We want to conserve the environment, providing a place where families and individuals feel secure and proud of their City. Furthermore:-
Page 4 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
We want better planning to be at the heart of our vision for the City. The characteristics that make Cambridge an economic, academic and cultural success must be promoted. We want better transport of all types to enable the City local economy to prosper – not pretending we can solve all transport problems just by being anti-car. This means working with the County Council for improvements. We want to improve housing in the City, but not in ways that are divisive or unsustainable in the long-term. We support more housing – but only with the full informed consent of Cambridge residents. We expect our City to be clean. Regular collection of rubbish and the regular cleaning of streets will be the hallmarks of a Conservative Council. We recognise the pressure on services – such as housing – caused by immigration from other parts of the country and abroad. We will campaign for fairer funding formulas from central government. We will work for efficient services that meet the needs of local people, and we will disregard the “tick-in-the-box” culture that Labour has introduced; and which flourishes under the City Council Lib Dem group.
3. WORKING TOGETHER Conservatives will support the professionals in our public services. We trust them to make more decisions locally, for the benefit of local people. Too much time is spent by local civil servants chasing arbitrary national targets set by out-of-touch ministers. Conservatives believe in deregulation: where unnecessary and burdensome rules are axed; where those rules which remain are enforced; and where the safety nets for society are simplified and strengthened for the greater security for those in need. We will certainly oppose programmes that would prop up the discredited plans for national ID cards. Conservatives will co-operate with the County Council, reversing the Lib Dems attitude of confrontation and ending their “isolationist City”
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 5 of 20
Manifesto 2010
approach to serious questions such as the upgrading of the A14. Together with the County Council and local MPs, we will continue to press the Government for money to provide adequate infrastructure before new developments take place. Conservatives will work with others in the county to develop proper environmental and transport policies for the City and the surrounding villages. We are on the side of those who ask, not unreasonably, for a transport network that can get them to work on time every day and is reliable, clean and cost effective.
4. CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE Conservatives believe in making the City Council accessible, efficient and accountable. Conservatives will provide sufficient resources for the planning department. City planning decisions are at the heart of the council’s longterm impact on our lives. Conservatives will review the expensive area committee system; the number of members of the public present does not justify the expense of the number of council and police officers present. We will look at how residents’ participation can be made more effective and move planning decisions from area committees to timely meetings of a full planning committee. With pressure on wages in the public sector, Councillors should be setting a lead. Conservatives will reduce City Councillors’ basic and special responsibility allowances by 10%, using the £25k savings to reduce Council tax. Conservative Councillors will be accessible to their local residents. Scrutiny Panels that review council policies should be independent of the controlling group. It is a scandal that a “crony scrutiny” system operates on the City Council whereby members of the Liberal Democrat controlling group chair the panels. Conservatives will end the “crony-scrutiny” system and allow members of the opposition to chair the scrutiny panel. Page 6 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
Conservatives will not support steps towards a national ID card scheme and will take all legal action to ensure that the Labour scheme is scrapped. The City Council agreed to our Freedom of Information agenda. In July it agreed to:
Aspire to make information available online by default.
Publish all Freedom of Information requests and responses online (unless there is reason not to like a request being libellous etc) (similar to www.whatdotheyknow.com)
Publish details of all Councillor's allowances, expenses, benefits in kind etc
Conservatives are calling for full implementation of the resolution, in letter and spirit. We oppose the centralisation of services where they do not benefit the end user – the public. The City Council must keep a presence outside the centre of Cambridge – we support the city’s area offices, City Homes South and City Homes North, and wish to see their role expanded to cover more City Council services.
5. A PART OF THE COMMUNITY Conservative party members already work in the City’s voluntary bodies, serving the community. Conservatives will work in partnership with the City’s statutory and voluntary sector organisations to improve the standards of living and quality of life in the City. Conservatives support the network of post offices and appreciate the role they play in their communities. We will apply pressure to keep post offices open across the City. We will also encourage residents to use these services – a well-used post office is the best defence against closure. We support local charities like COPE. We are committed to ensuring the NHS gets more funding to reflect our ageing population. We will
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 7 of 20
Manifesto 2010
reintroduce the earnings link for the basic state pension. And we will start a home protection scheme so that people do not have to sell their property to pay for residential care. We think Sport has a vital role to play in bringing the community together and making Cambridge a healthier and happier place. Much volunteer time is put in running local sports clubs and societies. We believe the City Council should be doing much more to support participation in mainstream sport in the City, particularly in the run up to the Olympics. We also support mass participation sporting events in the City, and would welcome the re-introduction of a Cambridge City Half Marathon.
6. TACKLE CRIME Police officers spend more time doing paperwork than on the beat. That helps to explain why crime has risen. We need a new approach. We will introduce elected police chiefs so that the police are accountable to local residents. We will also make sure police officers spend more time on the beat. We support our county’s Chief Constable in her campaign for a fairer funding formula for our area. The pressures of immigration and population growth are felt here, but the government funding schemes are based on out-dated figures, understated figures and a bias against Cambridgeshire in favour of Labour heartlands. We will support the police, householders and residents who object to graffiti, litter and cycling on pavements. Bicycle theft is a local issue, so a co-ordinated campaign involving the provision of cycle parking/facilities, the education of users/vendors and crackdowns on the trade in stolen bikes is wanted. Zero tolerance of street life-related anti-social behaviour – such as aggressive begging – should be coupled with strong support for agencies providing rehabilitation. However, the City Council should be wary of supporting draconian measures that could impact all residents in favour of measures targeted at individuals responsible for anti-social behaviour.
Page 8 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
Conservatives welcome the opportunity for local representatives to decide neighbourhood policing priorities, and would like to see better democratic control generally of how the police set their priorities, and will use these opportunities to ensure the police are more responsive to problems of particular concern to local residents.
7. EMPLOYMENT Conservatives believe that Cambridge should be attractive to employers and to workers. Wherever practical, local government red tape would be cut. We will also work with the County Council to ensure that sustainable development takes place and is matched by local employment opportunities. We do not support the Liberal Democrats attempts to make Cambridge less competitive. (The main objective of the Liberal Democrat MP between 2005 and 2010 has been to introduce legislation to make it easier for the city council to penalise local businesses and to increase the cost of housing making it even less affordable.)
8. ENVIRONMENT We will promote recycling as part of our commitment to long-term environmental gain. We called for the introduction of the Blue Bins, as used by Conservative controlled Huntingdonshire, as a way of increasing the recycling rate. Eventually, the Lib Dem City Council introduced them. Conservatives support the recycling initiatives and will work with the County Council to improve rates. Conservatives will review those areas where people could be offered rubbish bags as an alternative to bins, and will investigate more local collection sites. We regret the move away from weekly bin collections and would carry out a review to assess how a more regular service can be restored. We would also take note of the potential differing demands for the
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 9 of 20
Manifesto 2010
services in parts of the City before making a final recommendation for change. For many residents, car ownership is an inescapable obligation. The Conservatives will work with residents to provide proper parking areas for local people, especially where grass verges have been used, a custom which is both unsightly and not good for vehicles. We can prevent parking on verges in locally approved zones, at the request of their communities, as well as turning other places into proper parking areas. We will work with South Cambridgeshire District Council to make full use of the leisure opportunities at Milton Park. For tackling Climate Change and keeping energy use down, we prefer action to words, and should focus on measures that will save the Council money – current spending on the climate change agenda is not focussed on directly cutting energy use and too much on promotional activity. Conservative run Windsor and Maidenhead Council has not only installed smart metering in Council properties, but the usage is available online – allowing residents to check all the time if their Council is wasting energy, and encouraging them to keep bills low. In Cambridge, on one of the coldest days of the year, the heating in the Guildhall was swelteringly hot, and staff were busy trying to open windows to cool down. As ever with Lib Dems, it is more important to be seen to be doing something, than actually fixing problems.
9. PLANNING The prospect of a Conservative government could see a fundamental shift away from failing central planning policies towards genuine local control. The City Council must grasp the opportunities this involves to fix broken planning policies and to make the case for more housing, subject to consent of local residents. We have a responsibility to hand on to the next generation buildings and structures that reflect our lovely historic City. New developments must be of high quality, and with adequate transport infrastructure.
Page 10 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
The Conservatives will scrap centrally set house building targets in favour of greater local decision-making. Our national planning green paper calls for a system of incentives to encourage building projects led by local communities. Any community building new properties would receive a government grant to match pound-for-pound the extra money the community received through increased council tax for six years. Neighbourhoods would also be able to keep some of the money given to councils by developers when planning approval is granted. The City Council planning policies have proved ineffective in the face of huge development pressures. In particular, current policies: -
Time and again fail to ensure high quality design and materials are used, even in high profile sites like Cambridge Leisure park
-
are weak when it comes to saving gardens from garden grabbing
-
provide no protection to pubs from residential redevelopment, even when it is the last pub in the neighbourhood and key community asset
-
Fail to ensure sufficient transport infrastructure is in place, in particular restricting car parking spaces (without any conditions on car ownership) exacerbating existing parking problems, and failing to provide sufficient cycle parking.
We call for an early review of current planning policies to address weaknesses. We will review staffing within the City Council carefully to concentrate on key areas such as planning. Conservatives will call for a review of the system operating in the Planning Department to ensure more applications are determined on time locally and reduce the decisions taken outside local control at appeals. We will also call for more accountability and scrutiny for section 106 agreements to ensure we understand the impact on developers, so we can ensure developments are high quality, without being unviable. The City Council finally signed off the s106 agreement for the CB1 development at a recent planning meeting. This gives the development permission to go ahead. The arguments go on about the financial viability of the whole scheme, what the Council knew about the previous Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 11 of 20
Manifesto 2010
developers Ashwells financial problems, and why even now there is a risk that only parts of the development will be built (like the student accommodation that appears to be most profitable), with some of the vital transport infrastructure never being built. We are concerned that certain developments, if allowed, would blot the historic skyline of the City. The height of new buildings must be controlled if we are to preserve the views that attract people, and business opportunities, to our City. We need to strengthen planning controls to prevent overdevelopment of suburbs – as recommended by English Heritage. For example, we will encourage a long-term strategy for the future of historic wards that ensures that they retain their integrity and character, or are valued by the local community. We also recognise that the diversity of our City wards means that a uniform approach to tackling problems is not appropriate. Exciting changes to the station area are planned for the future. They could be vital to transport infrastructure for the City. There are three things that are needed for this to happen. Firstly, public consent – we need meaningful dialogue with local residents before decisions are taken. Secondly, we need high quality development - in such a key strategic part of the city, we must have a very high quality built environment. The Travelodge on the Leisure Park clearly fails this test – we mustn't make the same mistake with other sites. Finally, we must develop the best possible transport links – and this means getting the agreements right when granting planning permission, and making sure developments are viable with the improvements to transport that must be provided to make the developments work without putting local residents to any greater inconvenience than they are already from problems such as commuter parking .
Page 12 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
10. FINANCE AND LOCAL TAXATION We are the only mainstream party in Cambridge to believe that the size of government is too large and its reach too overbearing. We believe in keeping taxes low and services efficient. Conservatives on the city council will push for council tax increases to be kept below 2.5% to take advantage of the Conservatives’ national pledge to provided matched funding to freeze council tax. We would go further and aim to provide regular council tax cuts, as the best performing Conservative Councils have done elsewhere. Conservatives will undertake a root-and-branch review of the system for collecting council tax in order to reduce the shortfall in collection under the Liberal Democrats. We will be more transparent about the use of capital reserves and assets to fund spending, and would publish online all Council spending and procurements (subject to a low de minimus limit) to all allow residents to scrutinise value for money. We won’t deny residents their legal rights under the Audit Commission 1998 to inspect contracts the Council enters into with Council taxpayers money, and will work with suppliers to ensure they are aware of taxpayers rights to know how their money is spent. The picture how £650,000 of taxpayers’ money came to be lost by the City Council on the Folk Festival is now clear. Several departments in the Council were aware and could have stopped the problem, all of then came very close to stopping it, but they never quite managed to push the emergency stop button. This is because concerns were not raised appropriately so some senior people were not involved as soon as they should have been. The Councillor-led enquiry, in which the Conservatives took part, revealed that problems were not confined to just one department at the Council – all managers at the Council need to rethink risk management. Those providing advice and support need to make it clear who is responsible for the outcome of their advice, and to make sure that even if it is not acted on, the possible consequences are made clear.
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 13 of 20
Manifesto 2010
Our conclusion is that the Council does not put first and foremost the interests of the Council taxpayer. Services are delivered without always thinking where the money has come from. To this extent, the Council is taking its lead from the politicians who are responsible for setting the tone in the policies they make. It remains remarkable that after such a series of failings resulting in a £650,000 loss to the taxpayer, none of the Liberal Democrats running the Council have felt the need to resign. We fear the station agreements will turn out to be a terrible deal for taxpayers – who have already funded much of the site through the bank bailouts prior to Ashwell's going bust, and who are now likely to pay for a lot of the transport infrastructure on the site as well. The Council should undertake a systematic and thorough audit of its own assets.
11. CITY HOUSING Conservatives accept the vote of City Homes tenants to stay under Council control and support the work of Housing Associations in providing more rented homes and less expensive homes for sale, including shared ownership to help people to get on the housing ladder. We will not take part in the arbitrary “bidding war” as to the percentage of affordable housing to be included in each development – by their nature each application should be examined on its own merit. Affordable housing should be encouraged in the widest sense of the word – seeking to ensure all residents have a choice of suitable housing within their means, and not in a divisive way that excludes many people on middle and lower incomes from the housing market. We support the view that UK homebuyers 'want to return to traditional housing' and not the ‘Stalingrad flats’ so beloved by our City Council. A report by Redrow shows that in 2000 15% of new builds were flats and 45% detached housing, while now 50% of new builds are flats and only 15% detached housing. Everybody knows that there have been far too many flats built but not enough of other kinds of housing. That is, everyone except the Labour
Page 14 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
government with their housing targets that force this kind of development. The local Lib Dems kicked out one of their own councillors for speaking the truth and are still desperate for 12000 rabbit hutches to be built on the airport site. City Conservatives have for some time been urging all local parties to take on board the Conservative plans for housing and planning, and start the change of mindset that will be required from nanny government knows best on housing regardless of local opposition, to giving local residents genuine local choice, and start encouraging schemes for the new family housing we desperately need that can attract the support of local people Conservatives will crack down on anti-social tenants. For example, we support the demands from East Chesterton residents that gardens are kept in order and that tenants are held to account for the condition of their properties all as part of their existing tenancy agreements. Improvements to sheltered and special accommodation should receive high priority, and the work requires a realistic timescale. Conservatives believe that special attention should be paid to renovations in historically sensitive parts of the town. The wishes of residents should be taken into account especially where “improvements”, for example PVC Windows, are not in character with the neighbourhood. We welcome the decision by the City Council, after pressure from residents and the Conservative Councillor for Coleridge, to reverse its plans to charge disabled tenants with special adaptations several hundreds of pounds a year for basic servicing and inspection. This would have applied when they were installed years ago and on the basis that these charges wouldn't be payable.
12. TRANSPORT Conservatives stand on the same side as those frustrated people who ask politicians the simple question, “Why can’t I get to work by 9am”? Conservatives support measures to tackle congestion – such as improvements in public transport, walking and cycling. We did not support a Cambridge congestion charge and believed that the ‘TIF’
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 15 of 20
Manifesto 2010
bid – which would have made charging compulsory – was wrong. Labour’s county councillors (in Coleridge and Cherry Hinton) voted with the Lib Dems to support the TIF. Conservatives support the plans for improvements to transport across the County. New homes should only be approved when the plans also show that the existing and proposed roads can cope. Conservatives support the successful Park & Ride scheme; we welcome its expansion so that City centre businesses can thrive while congestion is limited. Conservatives support the Guided bus. Whatever ones view, the decisions on rail verses the Guided Bus on this route have all been taken long ago now: the bus won. We will work with the County Council and central government to make it a success. Conservatives support the proposed Chesterton Rail Interchange. We called for it for many years and want to see it introduced as a regional transport priority. Network Rail has plans for the Coleridge side of the CB1 site. They would like to build a central platform that will open up a range of options for accessing the station from Coleridge. They also have a vacant site that appears to be ripe for development, and could provide much needed housing in an area that is well served by transport links. The Riverside Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge was welcomed – the first new bridge over the river Cam for 40 years.
13. CYCLING Conservatives support, more and better, dedicated cycle parking facilities around shops and businesses. We would consider adding them by converting existing car parking bays if necessary – but not as an anticar measure. Conservatives will:
Support the ‘Chisholm Trail’ for cyclists.
Page 16 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
Work with the County Council and undertake a complete audit of cycle lane routes – identifying gaps in provision, underused lanes and dangerous pathways. Signage of City cycle routes can be confusing and poorly maintained – this needs to be improved.
Encourage the continued development of off-road cycle routes, particularly towpaths along waterways and former railways, to create safe, traffic-free cycling routes.
Lobby the government to remove rigid Whitehall targets for the introduction of new cycle lanes and allow us the discretion to spend money on cycling as we determine – such as providing better information on existing cycle routes and the proper promotion of cycling training in schools.
Ensure provision for secure storage of bicycles is included in proposed railway re-development programmes.
14. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Cambridge has been hit by Labour’s university policies. Academics rightly demand less government interference. City Conservatives will work with the colleges, universities and other centres of academic excellence to promote Cambridge as the top destination for students. This includes making the City an attractive place live, where the City Council has a crucial role. Conservatives will look at issues in those wards where there are large student populations to see if changes or improvements are needed: for example safe cycle access to the centre, street lighting, late-night venues; their type and their licensing; access to leisure facilities and; public transport. Conservatives will work with colleagues on the County Council to ensure that schools here meet the best standards, and that the teachers who make this possible are accorded respect and thanks. The number of young people not in education, employment or training has shot up under Labour. Conservatives are committed to 150,000 more apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and college places.
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 17 of 20
Manifesto 2010
On-line References 
City Council Candidates: www.cambridgeconservatives.org.uk

Coleridge Team: www.cherryhintonroad.blogspot.com
Cambridge City Conservatives Working for a Better Cambridge, April 2010
City Councillor Chris Howell April 2010
Page 18 of 20
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Manifesto 2010
Cambridge City Council Conservatives
Page 19 of 20
Promoted and printed by Chris Howell on behalf of Cambridge City Council Conservative Group, all of 86 Argyle Street, Cambridge, CB1 3LS