A Councillor's Comments - May 2001

I would like to start this month’s thoughts by referring back to the visioning day events. I was very pleased to attend the day session and meet the pupils of the Village College They had some good ideas to put forward and were well able to ‘argue their case’.
would be very pleased to see some of them coming to the Town Forum. Then there was the evening session and it was so good to see so many people present and again there were numerous valuable suggestions. It was also a good sign that a follow up meeting was arranged. At the end of the day I was left with a very definite feeling that Soham is a vibrant town and has much to offer all of us. I hope we can move forward with a number of the suggestions that were put forward and that we get as much support as possible from the District Council.
Now to the latest Council Meeting. May I first remind you that the Annual Town meeting is Monday, May 14th at 8.00pm and we hope to carry out the sealing ceremony for the Millennium Time Capsule. Also this will be after the second Visioning meeting on May 9th 2001. The meeting was very much a ‘factual’ meeting as it is that time of the year we decided on the grazing tenders for 2001.
We were asked to offer our views on the proposed Fordham bypass. It is worth pointing out that Fordham is the last major settlement on the A142 to get a bypass and though it is really a major thing for Fordham the start of it would be of importance to the stretch of the road starting at the Downfields roundabout and would improve the travelling conditions at rush hour times in the morning and at the end of the day for all of us.
We had one very interesting application for financial help from SOHAM FAMILIES. This is a group which has been set up to provide a support group for parents and careers. They plan a weekly meeting place where people in like situations can gather together and talk. They are planning a programme which seemed to us to be valuable and something which is needed so we felt we could well support this group. Once again Chris Scurrah’s Online scheme continues to have tremendous success.
May I draw your attention to the fact that if you wish to take advantage of the concessionary bus travel scheme you may get a pass from the Post Office, but you will need to have a passport size photo. The pass itself is free and will entitle you to half price travel if you qualify.
Finally, I make no apology for returning to one of the things that I think is very important
- Crime Prevention. May I again remind you to be wary of two things: Theft of and from cars: do not leave visible goods in the car; secondly, at this time of the year thefts from sheds do rise so look after your garden equipment and take advantage of a plan to offer property marking. I also have a supply of personal alarms if you need one.

Lionel Hart
Soham Town Council - Chairman