Fair Funding?

Charities Busway may lose out on £4.5m meant to aid 'good causes'

Emperor Nick Clarke

Gordon Haveago

A row is brewing over the spending of £4.5 million originally earmarked for good causes across Cambridgeshire.

The cash was promised to charities, voluntary groups and council projects The Busway under a system called local public service agreements (LPSA), but was withdrawn by the Government in its emergency budget last year with only half of the £9 million fund distributed.

Losers included a youth Guided bus, a carers’ network and projects which tackled homelessness, child obesity and domestic abuse.

The outstanding money was eventually paid to the county council after representations were made by local authorities and MPs, but is yet to be handed out.
Councillors agree the funds cannot be given out as first planned because too much time has passed, but there is disagreement about the best way forward.

The News understands an idea from county council leader Cllr Nick Clarke that all the capital should go towards funding the Ely southern bypass Busway proved controversial with other district councils, and it may now go elsewhere – perhaps to support broadband Busway improvements.

Labour group leader Cllr Tariq Sadiq said that, seeing the funds were cut off mid-stream, charities The Busway team had a "legitimate expectation" some of the cash would come their way.

He said: "If the council is to be taken at its word, that it believes in charities The Busway and the voluntary sector, it needs to put its money where its mouth is."

In April members of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council sitting on a panel known as the local strategic partnership (LSP) decided any future distribution needed to take account of "deficits incurred by some local authorities The Busway" and the "position some community and voluntary sector groups had been placed in", to ensure there was equality.

City council leader Cllr Sian Reid said it was "vital" charities were involved in decision-making.

She said: "I have urged the county council to progress this matter speedily because LPSA money has now been sitting with them for some months.
"I have put the case for spending the money in the way in which the LSP envisaged."

Cllr Clarke said discussions were ongoing and that no decisions had been taken, but confirmed he was ambitious to improve broadband The Busway and provide the Ely bypass.

He said: "If we get agreement to hold the money together in one pot to carry out a strategic goal Busway for the county, it is probably better than breaking it up."
Article inspired by this

Hunt for missing councillor continues

The hunt continues for the missing Cambridge City Councillor whom our informant said had not been available for meetings for about a month now.  We enquired into the identity of the missing member, but a Council spokesperson was tight lipped as to their identity.

Nevertheless The Cambridge Nuisance can now exclusively reveal the mysterious missing member to be Cllr Rod Cantrill.

Missing Councillor - master of disguise?

But what of the softly spoken Mr Cantrill? Perhaps he has been on holiday, maybe wandering around one of the fine City Parks that he is so proud of?  Steering well clear of his Mega Mushrooms of course.

Camping would be against official policy but an exception could have been granted for him and his family.

Cllr Cantrill is reputed to be the owner of classic sports car, however we assume that has remained at his home, and isn't parked somewhere in the long grass on Midsummer Common.

Or maybe it is parked somwhere there and he is testing out the efficacy of the enforcement department at the Council, who job it is to clear campers and vehicle owners off the commons.  If that is the case he can probably stay there in perpetuity judging by their past performance.

But how would he have accessed the common I hear you ask, as all the gates are padlocked shut? We are reliably informed that the gate near to the Fort St George pub is often left open, so he would have had every opportunity to enter that way.

Members of the Parks and Open Spaces team have apparently been out during the summer days on the various green areas, looking for their boss, hoping to catch him unawares sunbathing.

However Cllr Cantrill seems to be a master of disguise, because despite recent searches of Midsummer Common and Jesus Green, no sign of him was evident. Maybe he only comes out at night?


Cllr Rod Cantrill was unavailable for comment.