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FRIDAY 22ND OCTOBER 2010
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1947
ISSUE NO 726 | VARSITY.CO.UK
Students assaulted in poorly lit streets Failure of colleges and City Council to improve street lighting compromises student safety
Cambridge on the hook for carbon tax
JOE PITT-RASHID
CATHY BUEKER
NATASHA PESARAN & JEMMA TRAINOR
The Cambridge City Council and Cambridge colleges have come under scrutiny over failure to improve lighting in St Edwards Passage, putting students at risk of attack. Despite the assault of three students on the passage whilst walking back to their accommodation in March, along with numerous other complaints, no progress has been
made in the improvement of lighting on this street. Bureaucratic red tape and concerns for maintaining the historic character of the passage have proved major obstacles to ensuring adequate lighting in an area which has been the site of attacks on a number of students. The Cambridgeshire City Council are responsible for the maintenance of public lighting and own two street lighting columns in St Edwards
Passage. In speaking to Varsity, the Council has admitted that these two lights are “inefficient” and “do not give out as much light as a highway-designed lantern would.” A spokesperson for the Council told Varsity that “this is being dealt with” and has stated that delay has been due to “the process of obtaining brackets and lanterns which are in keeping with the historic design of the post.”
The Council added, “It is hoped that the Cambridge City Council will have funds to pay for this work.” The Council have no plans at present to install any additional lighting. Varsity was told, “The Safer Communities Team did make contact with various other building owners in the passage to see if they could provide additional lighting but I am not sure if this has progressed.” CONTINUED ON PAGES 4 AND 5
The University of Cambridge will be subject to a carbon tax, according to a statement released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The tax, which will be levied on over 4,000 of the country’s largest public sector bodies and businesses, is expected to bring in revenues of £3 billion or more per year. Among the organisations affected, in addition to Cambridge, are many large companies, hospitals, and the University of Oxford. Under the new system, private or public groups who use more than 6,000 MWh yearly must buy carbon allowances proportional to the amount of energy they use per year. The announcement, which was not included in Chancellor George Osborne’s speech to Parliament, affirmed that the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) would be restructured so as to raise revenue via the carbon pricing tax. This is a change from the plan’s previous form, in which the money would be recycled to the plan’s participants based on which groups cut their carbon footprints the most. According to the statement, “Revenue raised from the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will be used to support the public finances (including spending on the environment), rather than recycled to participants.” The new allowances will start at £12 per ton of carbon dioxide. The University is considering the implications of the policy before releasing an official statement, a spokesperson said.
Interfaith football How safe are the builds relations city streets?
News Interview: Robert Griffiths
Universities spending halved
Beloved King’s College cow dies
Muslim and Jewish students in Cambridge are trying a new approach to foster better understanding with each other. Their first interfaith football match was held last Sunday, giving them a chance to build better relationships. ❯❯p3
The General-Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain talks to Varsity about why the Party disassociated itself from Stalin, why cultural marxism is problematic, where communism went wrong, and what the future holds for the ❯❯p6 movement.
Coming at the heels of last week’s Browne Report, the Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review was released this week, highlighting the Government’s spending priorities. Varsity looks at what the review means for universities. ❯❯p7
It was a tearful week for King’s College students, as a cow that has long grazed in the College’s pastures passed away. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that the cow was expecting to give birth to a calf, who was now delivered ❯❯p8 stillborn.
Poorly lit streets and paths continue to pose a myriad of dangers to students, from muggings to assault. Varsity looks at the most dangerous streets in the city, and speaks to college and town authorities to find out why paths continue ❯❯p4 to remain unlit.
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