A Councillor's Comments - August/September 2005

It's nice to be back after your Town Council's summer break. We do not have a meeting of the full Council in August, but the work of the various committees continues. In particular the planning committee has been as busy as usual with a good number of applications for planning permission for comment and the start of our work in representing your views to East Cambridgeshire District Council for the Local Development Framework. This sets the policy for the development of Soham as well as the rest of the district. With the government insisting that at least another 6,173 dwellings are built in the district before 2021 it is important that this vast number are built in the least worst place. Your Town Council is trying to arrive at a sensible suggestion to make to East Cambridgeshire District Council; it is to be hoped that they will take some notice of our comments.

At our September 2005 meeting PC Kevin Humble reported that there were 62 crimes reported in Soham between 12th July and 12th September and 289 calls made to the police in the same period. The main seems to be unruly youths in some areas, particularly on school grounds after hours. The police are seeing if particular action, such as a dispersal order could help with this.

More happy things are happening; on Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th October 2005 the national Ploughing Championships will be held in Soham, at East Fen Farm. Your Town Council has arranged a free bus service to and from the site so that Soham people can see the ploughing and the ploughing fraternity can visit Soham and use its facilities. On Friday 7th October 2005 at 7.30pm, there will be a blessing of the plough at St. Andrew's Church and the Town Council will be entertaining the ploughing officials to a ploughman's supper, with real ale with thanks to Rotary, in The Pavilion. This all will help to put Soham on the map in a happier way. Your support is hoped for.

The move towards town twinning moves on apace; Soham now has an official Twinning Association and a good number of visits to us and Andrézieux-Bouthéon have taken place both "official" and informal. In October a deputation from Andrézieux-Bouthéon will be entertained at the Pumpkin Fair and the Soham Festival and another, of education experts, will be meeting with the Village College to find ways in which the secondary schools in both towns can co-operate. Also in October 2005, deputations from your Town Council and the Pumpkin Fair committee will be visiting Andrézieux-Bouthéon  for their Pumpkin Fair - 'La Fete de la Courge'.

Your Town Council has given me a perfect opportunity to mention the MAGPAS Soham Community First Responders Scheme. They have decided to support the scheme with a donation this year. Now I can blow the Soham Community First Responders Scheme trumpet, although we have only 5 active members, in the 10 months since it went active about 5,000 hours of volunteers time has been given and over 60 patients helped before the ambulanced arrived. Supporters and volunteers are needed to keep the scheme going and, hopefully, give 24/7 cover (8,760 hours pa).

Kindest Regards

Tony Hinsley
Soham Town Councilor