The Potential Congestion Charge and Other Issues Ahead of the Cambridge City Council Elections
Key Highlights :
As the Cambridge City Council elections on May 4th approach, the potential congestion charge has been a major issue on the minds of many. However, there are other issues in the city that people have said they care about, such as providing more support for the vulnerable and creating new open spaces.
Support for the Vulnerable
In the centre of the city, people have expressed a desire to see more community support for the vulnerable and for those who are homeless. Pat McCafferty said she wanted to see more community support services for the vulnerable, to help provide “essential support for the basics of human needs”. She said: “I think we do not care about the most vulnerable in society. Issues such as homelessness, no wonder they are homeless, some are very unwell, people need to be cared for, how can we move forward if we do not look after the vulnerable in our community, they are not going to get better on their own.”
Donna, who also lives in the city centre, said she believed Cambridge had a “real problem” of inequality, and wanted to see more support offered for people who are homeless. She said: “It shouldn’t happen, it shouldn’t be that way, there must be a way to offer more help for people who are homeless, that is a real problem in Cambridge and I would like to see more help offered for them.”
Creating New Open Spaces
In Cherry Hinton, one woman said she wanted to see more open spaces planned for people to use, highlighting new developments in the area increasing the need. She said: “The footballers have not got enough space around here, we have got the recreation ground, but with all the houses they are building, they say they are putting in open places, but they are not actually putting in parks. In London they put actual parks in there then they build an estate but in Cambridge they do not.
“Especially on Saturdays there are kids, footballers, people walking, dog walkers; my friend got hit by a football last week. I won’t go round there when they are playing football, but it is not their fault, I’m not blaming them. We need more space for people. We all want to be outside and all want to do things.”
What the Political Parties Say
The Labour group has said that building new sustainable council homes and working to reduce and prevent homelessness is one of their key pledges in this election. In the party’s manifesto it also says the party will protect existing open spaces in the city, and ensure that future developments “support residents’ physical and mental wellbeing” by providing open spaces for recreation, sports and play.
The Liberal Democrats have said their vision for the city includes “providing homes for people in all walks of life, embedding sustainability and growth, respecting nature and the limitation of its resources, while blending the best of old and new”. The group said new homes should be part of “well-designed communities” which offer the “necessary amenities” and that “as many homes as possible must be affordable for key workers and young people”.
The Green Party has said it wants to see a “large increase” in social housing in the city, and said “too many people now live under the street of insecure housing”. The party has also said that it would oppose any further losses of urban green space and green belt land, and that it would ensure recreational green spaces and play areas were “safe, clean, clear of litter and accessible to all”.
The Conservative group has said building affordable housing in the city is an “urgent issue” and that it should be “addressed through mechanisms such as planning permission for brownfield sites”. The party has also said that it would protect existing green spaces in the city, and would work to improve biodiversity.
As the Cambridge City Council elections on May 4th approach, it is clear that the potential congestion charge is not the only issue on the minds of those living in the city. Providing more support for the vulnerable, creating new open spaces, and building affordable housing are all issues that people have said they care about. It will be interesting to see which of these issues the political parties are able to address in the coming months.
