This is David and Sue’s campaign web-site. We hope you’ve enjoyed browsing its contents and that it might have made you inclined to vote for us. We’ll keep it going just a few weeks longer until such time as we’ve organised an appropriate web-site to cover our joint councillor activity.

Being a county councillor: the new Lib Dem group

Sue is one of 10 new councillors in the Lib Dem group on the council (11 if you include Fiona Whelan who was first elected in November). It is a diverse group with a good male female split and the presence of councillors like Sue keeps the average age below 50.

Last week Sue enjoyed her first Lib Dem group meeting when the Group’s officers were elected (Lib Dems do that fresh every year) and appointments to committees were agreed.

Sue has taken places on Children and Young People’s Services scrutiny and the South Cambs Area Joint Committee. She is also on the Fire Authority which is appropriate given that Cottenham has its own fire station.

At the same meeting David was re-elected Group Leader. He is also spoke for the ‘corporate directorates’ (what we used to call Corporate Services). David sits on the Northstowe Development Control and on the Appointments Committee.

What an smashing result

The count seemed to take all day, there was a recount and with it being a 2 member division it was rather complicated anyway, but when the result was finally announced David and Sue had been successful. The two Tories came in close together and just behind Sue. The Green candidate secured a credible 5th place ahead of Labour.

Yesterday was election day.

It was a 5am start and ran through with hardly a break until 10pm. We don’t know how the result will turn out of course until the ballot boxes are opened but we remain positive. Our next post will be the result which will be announced around lunchtime today.

David on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Today David took part in a live listener phone in along with Tory leader Jill Tuck and Labour leader Paul Sales. It was hardly a debate but it was nonetheless expertly handled by the BBC’s Andy Harper.

The questions, predictably, were about expenses and allowances and transport. Sadly there were none about education or social care. There was also one about Council employees’ pension entitlements.

David says: ‘there is still much annoyance about the expense issue and this flows into concerns about the allowances which councillors get. There is also a continuing negative vibe re the Guided Bus. It’s difficult to find anyone, except the Tory Cabinet, who thinks that it’s good project.’

If you missed it and are really keen to listen to it click here. You will need to advance the recording to about the 2 hour point.

Everybody likes to ride a bike

It’s common knowledge that more people ride bikes in and around Cambridge than anywhere else in the UK but still the % of regular bike users is only about 15%. But that doesn’t stop most people being interested in better cycle routes.

Maybe people remember that it was their first bikes which gave tem freedom to wander. Whatever the reason a disproportionate number of people on the door-step seem to want to talk about them.

Cambridge of course is the home of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign which is a very professional lobbying group. Check out its web-site at www.camcycle.org.uk. It’s pretty good.

The Cycling Campaign has polled all Cambridge and near to Cambridge candidates for the approaching county council elections and the results are available at www.camcycle.org.uk/elections/2009junecounty/. David and Sue have both responded.

David has given an input to the campaign’s survey. He says: ‘With the Cycling Demonstration Town money we’ve got a real opportunity to make a big difference. But we must not compromise. Cycle routes must be through routes, they must be wide enough and they must be free of obstructions. Plus we need to make sure that better cycle routes don’t disenfranchise pedestrians.  And if we can make routes for cyclists safe a lot of the speed limit issues will take care of themselves.’

Where can children go and play?

Standards now being implemented for new developments such as Orchard Park ensure that there are ample open spaces for children to play in. Unfortunately that’s not the case in our older villages and some places appear down-right hostile to children.

There’s too much traffic in Cottenham

Most Cottenham residents complain at some time or another about the traffic. It might be speeding on the approaches to the village or at the top end as drivers are keen to hit the ‘open road’ again. It might be HCVs late at night or early in the morning. Or it might be inconsiderate parking, sometimes on the pavement and sometimes where it’s simply dangerous. And Cottenham’s no different to the other villages and communities.

What do the Lib Dem key policies mean for CH&I?

People have asked us on the door step what our key policies mean specifically for our local villages. Click on MANIFESTO in the menu bar and select the fifth ‘click here’ down for a document which details exactly that.

Bus services OK but could be better

The regular bus services to Oakington (the Citi 6), Cottenham, Histon and Impington (the Citi 7) and Orchard Park (the Citi 4) all run frequently during the working day and they are attracting more people to use them instead of driving between the villages and into Cambridge. However they could be better.