Latest news with #FenlandDistrictCouncil
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
'Drastic' action needed to save Cambridgeshire £1 Tiger bus pass
A mayor who pledged to retain a discounted bus scheme warned it was in danger of being lost unless "something drastic" was Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority's (CPCA) Tiger bus pass allows people under 25 to travel for £1 and has been used on more than a million was introduced by former Labour mayor Nik Johnson, with his Conservative successor Paul Bristow promising it would stay in a BBC interview last month.A recommendation on how to continue funding it beyond the end of the year was not agreed by the CPCA board and will be discussed again at a transport meeting on 25 June. Chris Boden, leader of the Conservative-led Fenland District Council, had argued the council should not continue its local bus fare cap beyond December, when it is currently due to end, and instead fund the Tiger the Tiger pass once the national £3 bus fare cap had also ceased in December could mean the CPCA would have to reimburse bus operators to the tune of £473,000 a month, and £6.2m a year, a report to the board stated."If we don't take some quite drastic action, which involves a large amount of money being shifted around in the budget, then the Tiger pass will stop," he argued the Tiger pass must be continued to build up passenger numbers but would otherwise run out of funding in the measure could run until March, he said, when a new budget and proposal would be put forward. "We have an opportunity here with £1.8m in the budget for the fare cap coming on December 31," he said."If that money were utilised towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass to March 31, that would be a very significant part of the funding needed for that."Speaking in support of the proposal, Bristow said: "We are in danger of losing the Tiger pass if we don't do something drastic."What people want is continuity and security."Lucy Nethsingha, leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled Cambridgeshire County Council, said she thought the Tiger pass was a "priority" but would rather everyone had the correct figures before making a Bailey, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council - led by the Tories - supported the recommendation and said the bus fare cap was the "wrong choice" when the Tiger pass was City Labour councillor Anna Smith, who was deputy mayor when the Tiger pass was introduced, suggested looking beyond the transport budget to find money for the bus Tiger bus pass and bus fare cap are due to be discussed at a transport meeting on 25 June before being brought back to the board in July. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New houses planned to keep homeless out of hotels
New housing could be built on council-owned land in a bid to reduce costs incurred by housing homeless people in hotels. Fenland District Council said at any one time it was paying for about 30 households to stay in hotels, because there was nowhere else for them to go. It has now put forward plans for 12 homes to be built on land it owns in Grounds Avenue in March, Cambridgeshire. The council said it hoped the project would ultimately help save the council about £188,000 a year. It said there were currently not many options for families facing homelessness in the area it covers. At a meeting on Monday, the council's cabinet agreed to move forward with plans to redevelop the plot of land in Grounds Avenue. This would involve commissioning a company to develop the land, and agreeing to lease the land for 125 years to a registered housing provider, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Sam Hoy, the council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "This proposal is another example of the council taking proactive action to reduce the number of homeless households who live in hotels and in doing so reduce revenue costs on the council's statutory responsibilities to address homelessness." She said hotel accommodation was "not housing benefit compliant and this places significant additional pressure on our finances, but also is not a good option for the households we are helping". The council hopes the new homes will be built by October 2026. Ms Hoy added there was a risk cost to the council of about £92,000, which she said was the planning cost that would be refunded if approval for the project was granted. She added: "It is a good deal for the council and it significantly reduces reliance on expensive temporary accommodation that is not subsidy compliant." Addressing a concern that the homes might be used for asylum seeker accommodation, Ms Hoy said it would be for "local housing need". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Fenland District Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New homes in March planned to keep homeless out of hotels
New housing could be built on council-owned land in a bid to reduce costs incurred by housing homeless people in District Council said at any one time it was paying for about 30 households to stay in hotels, because there was nowhere else for them to has now put forward plans for 12 homes to be built on land it owns in Grounds Avenue in March, council said it hoped the project would ultimately help save the council about £188,000 a year. It said there were currently not many options for families facing homelessness in the area it a meeting on Monday, the council's cabinet agreed to move forward with plans to redevelop the plot of land in Grounds would involve commissioning a company to develop the land, and agreeing to lease the land for 125 years to a registered housing provider, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Hoy, the council's portfolio holder for housing, said: "This proposal is another example of the council taking proactive action to reduce the number of homeless households who live in hotels and in doing so reduce revenue costs on the council's statutory responsibilities to address homelessness."She said hotel accommodation was "not housing benefit compliant and this places significant additional pressure on our finances, but also is not a good option for the households we are helping".The council hopes the new homes will be built by October Hoy added there was a risk cost to the council of about £92,000, which she said was the planning cost that would be refunded if approval for the project was added: "It is a good deal for the council and it significantly reduces reliance on expensive temporary accommodation that is not subsidy compliant."Addressing a concern that the homes might be used for asylum seeker accommodation, Ms Hoy said it would be for "local housing need". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Support for relief road to ease town traffic
Market town residents have spoken about how their lives have been blighted by traffic, as councillors backed plans to explore the building of a relief road. Fenland District Council said it would look at ways to make a case for a new road in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, following concerns over increased journeys by lorries on the A605. One resident, Michael Gibbs, 76, told the BBC that somebody needed to "get a grip" on traffic in and around the town. The authority said it would look at sourcing £220,000 to make a case for the project, following approval by councillors on Monday. The relief road would look to reduce congestion in Whittlesey by giving vehicles an alternative to travelling through the town centre. Resident Mr Gibbs said a 15-minute car journey could sometimes take him 45 minutes, which he called "ridiculous". "The problem is if you've got an appointment in Peterborough, you don't really know how long it'll take you to get there," he said. Brian and Jayne Brian-Platt, aged 60 and 59, live in nearby Thorney and welcomed the idea of a relief road. "We're new to the area and we've noticed how dirty our car gets when we're up and down the High Street to Whittlesey," said Mrs Brian-Platt. "The heavy vehicles, they just bound along the road so fast." Mr Brian-Platt said lorry traffic on the roads in Fenland was "unbelievable". He believed a road "especially made for the heavy traffic" would be a "good idea". Dee Laws, the Conservative councillor for Whittlesey North West, told councillors on Monday she was "probably a little biased" due to being based in the town, but thought the project was "essential to move forward". "Increase in traffic is happening daily, especially HGVs," she said. "If you want growth in the economy to actually open up Fenland, you need to improve the road structure between east and west." It is thought any relief road would run south of the A605 but not bypass Whittlesey entirely. In a report, the district council said the road was "currently unfunded" but congestion was a problem in the growing town. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk. Plans to ease traffic in growing market town Officers pilot home visits in knife amnesty week New lease of life for former funeral shop Fenland District Council
BBC News
19-05-2025
- BBC News
House in March is served with closure order due to disorder
Police have served a closure order on a house following concerns about drug use and dealing at the legal action applies to 11 Southwell Close in March, Cambridgeshire, between 9 May and 9 order prohibits legal access to everyone at all times, with the exception of those named on the order, including the premises owner, its agents, Fenland District Council and emergency Jamie Cole, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "Following reports of drug use, dealing and its associated anti-social behaviour coming from the address, action had to be taken to support the residents." Failure to comply with the order would be a criminal offence that could result in imprisonment of up to three months, a fine, or Cole added: "I hope this order shows those affected by the issues that we are listening to them. "We will carry out regular checks to ensure the order is being adhered to, and action will be taken against anyone found to be breaching it." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
