March 2023

5 Buckden Roundabout March 2023 From your County & District Councillors From your County Councillor Spring I am hugely excited about the year ahead and the promise it holds for Brampton/Buckden, but I know for many the last twelve months have been particularly difficult. People rightly expect public services to run effectively. It is one of my top priorities for the weeks and months ahead to support the ac- tion taken to resolve these issues and hold the County Council to account for its shortcomings. I have been particularly troubled by the obvious issues with ambulance services. Rightly, the Government is taking action to resolve these issues. NHS England has allocated an addition- al £150 million to address ambulance service pressures in 2022/23 and support improvements to response times through call handler recruitment and retention. Towards the end of 2022, the NHS England was progressing a plan to recruit more call handlers in 111 and 999 call rooms across the country to meet the higher demand for emergency services. The Govern- ment is focused on delivering shorter response times for Cate- gory 1 and 2 incidents, enabled by quicker handover of pa- tients so ambulances can get back on the road and respond to 999 calls. I appreciate that there is always more to do and I will continue to push the Government to take further action. Locally, I am deeply concerned about the epidemic of potholes that have beset many of our local roads. Last month, the Lib Dem - led County Council voted against a Conservative proposal to invest more money in road maintenance, instead proposing huge increases to council tax as well as new charges and price rises like One Leisure Membership increases and the Cam- bridge Congestion Charge. Like their district council colleagues, the administration is planning to put up your council tax by as much as they can get away with, yet at the same time voting themselves more money in allowances at the expense of public services. I promise to keep pushing for more spending on the proper repair of potholes - not just the temporary quick fixes that soon see our roads in a sad state of disrepair again. I ’ ve lived in Brampton for a long time, and I know our area de- serves better - I'll be keeping the pressure up on the County Council to tackle these issues. As ever, if there any issues local- ly that you believe have escaped my notice – please do not hesitate to be in touch at ken.billington@cambridgeshire.gov.uk Best wishes Cllr Ken Billington From your District Councillor General The District Council is in process of setting and agreeing its budget (Medium Term Financial Plan) for this year and to 2027/28 – it will be agreed at a Council Meeting at the end of February. As I write this report the MTFS has been released for review on the HDC website and subsequently by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Buses and the Combined Authority At the Combined Authority Board meeting on 25 January the Board approved the Mayor ’ s draft budget for 2023/24 incorpo- rating a Mayoral General Precept to support buses across our region. The Mayoral General Precept, will be an annual charge of £12 for a band D property and, based on forecasts from collection authorities would raise £3.6m in 2023 - 24. The precept is in response to the financial pressure facing the Combined Authority across its supported bus services. This has resulted in the reinstatement of our local Route 66 bus after it was threatened by the withdrawal of Stagecoach. I can also report that a new contract with the company, Vec- tare, was entered into from 27th November 2022 for an ex- tended period, from the original 6 - month trial, of up to 3 years to deliver our Ting service. So far this has been a successful pilot, however, usage needs to be stimulated to reduce the cost per passenger. For residents that are not aware of Ting it is a form of DRT (Direct Responsive Transport). Ting covers the West Hunting- donshire area including key towns such as St Neots, Hunting- don, Sawtry and surrounding villages. The service has been introduced to West Huntingdonshire to improve transport links for those living in rural areas, removing young people ’ s de- pendence on parents for lifts and allowing local residents to lessen their reliance on cars. To give Ting a try, simply download the Vectare DRT app to your phone, book your trip and your bus will pick you up at your chosen time. Plus, you can travel anywhere within the service zone for just £2 for a single fare, £4 return. OAP and disabled concessionary passes accepted for free travel. A report examining the balance between the use of TING vs. other bus services is being reviewed along with punctuality, reliability, education services, etc. is due to report in the au- tumn. Lessons learnt exercise with other councils underway. Wishing you well, Martin Martin Hassall District Councillor for Buckden, Diddington and Southoe Executive Councillor for Corporate & Shared Services - Phone: 07480 798 342