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 Swavesey Parish Council News

FUN FAIR IN SWAVESEY
Many of us love a fun fair and this Feast Week again sees the appearance of the Fun Fair of James Dean. Rides will be open from Thursday 10th to Saturday 12th May. The vehicles bringing the fair will arrive on Market Street early morning on Sunday 6 May. Please could residents who use Market Street car park, be aware that the car park area will need to be clear of vehicles by late Saturday night, so that the Fair can pull on early on Sunday. Thank you for your co-operation.

BEHOLD A HOST OF GOLDEN DAFFODILS
We may not see a host of golden daffodils along the verges of Middle Watch, but it was hoped that the verges would be the colour green, rather than brown. Last Autumn the verges all along Middle Watch were seeded and then protected by temporary 'fencing'. The grass was beginning to grow very well. The temporary fencing then was taken down and within a very short space of time vehicles were driven on the verges, killing the grass and making  them muddy and unsightly. The roads are busy and it seems a good thing to park vehicles off the road and on the verges - but it just cuts up the verges.
Please try to keep our verges in a good condition, so that the drive to and from home is made more pleasant as we see some of this 'green and pleasant land'.

iainladds@netscapeonline.co.uk

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS
Monday 23rd April 2001, 7:30 p.m., Memorial Hall Monday 21st May 2001, 7:30 p.m., Memorial Hall
Members of the public are welcome to attend Parish Council meetings and will have an opportunity to speak at the end, subject to the Chairman's discretion.

 Jottings From Your County Councillor

February is budget month and the County Council has just agreed its budget for the next financial year. I suspect that the bit, which will cause most interest and concern, is the level of council tax, which we will charge for the next financial year. Yet again, the County Council has had a poor deal when it comes to the funding which we receive from government. I have spoken before about the lack of Area Cost Adjustment and the fact that a school in Hertfordshire receives on average over £200 per child more than the same school in Cambridgeshire. We have continued to press for better funding, but to no avail and this year we have been dealt an even poorer deal. For example, for some reason this year, the government decided to take money from counties which do not receive Area Cost Adjustment and give it to those that do -in Cambridgeshire's case this amounted to some £1.7m.

There are other changes in the funding formulae, which also mean that Cambridgeshire receives a poor deal yet again. On their own these changes do not amount to much, but when put together they make a big difference to what we receive from government. An interesting comparison is that film roughly equals 1% of council tax; as Tony Blair pointed out on the night before the last general election, if Cambridgeshire were to receive a fair deal and be funded in line with some of the London boroughs, not only would we not have to pay any council tax - we would be getting money back! Cambridgeshire remains the lowest funded Shire County at £78 per head less than the average Shire County.

Imagine what reductions we could make in council tax were we to receive what the average county receives. However, in order to ensure that we do not make swingeing cuts to services, we have agreed to raise the level of council tax by some 8%. Even so council taxes are still much lower than in many parts of the country and our council tax is the third lowest of any shire county in the country. Having said that, I fully appreciate that 8% is well above inflation and for those on fixed incomes the rise will be very unwelcome news. What we have tried to do is to balance the increase in council tax with the need to provide a decent level of service to our taxpayers. As a result, for the second year running we have provided for real growth in the money which we give to schools, we have been able to maintain a decent level of funding for social services and we have targeted money into highways so that we can stop the decline in the standard of our roads.

I am always available for consultation, either in person or by phone, letter or e-mail. I can be reached at the address or telephone number below.

Shone Johnstone
31 Pippin Close, Over CB4 5UA
Tel: 01954 202392
e-mail: Shona.Johnstone@council.camcnty.gov.uk

COMBATING HATE CRIME

The Southern Division of Cambridgeshire Constabulary has recently created a team who will focus on dealing effectively with incidents of Hate Crime.

The initiative is called 'Operation SHINE' - Stopping Hate in Neighbourhood Environments. SHINE will focus on crimes where the perpetrator's prejudice against any identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised. For example, those subjected to racist or homophobic crime, or those subjected to crime as a result of belonging to a faith group or because they are homeless or disabled, could be helped by the SHINE task force.

The 20 strong team includes detectives, community safety officers, operational police officers and support staff, all of whom are trained on how to deal effectively with homophobic and racist incidents and other incidents which could be classified as 'hate' crime. From 5th February any reports of such incidents will be referred to these officers, to ensure the correct action is taken.

Although the number of racially or homophobically aggravated incidents reported to police in Cambridge is still relatively low, many still go unreported - particularly in rural areas. Karen Clegg, the Minority Liaison Officer, has been holding 'surgeries' across Cambridge to encourage people to report any incidents such as these. It is anticipated that this service will be extended to rural areas in the future.

DCI Beck, the Task Force leader, said "I hope that anyone who has been a victim of racial or homophobic crime will trust me when I say that their complaints will be taken seriously, and that with the creation of this new team there are specialist officers who can help them further."

The team will not just work on a reactive basis, but will also work, for example with officers from the Divisional Intelligence Unit to proactively tackle people identified as committing offences such as racially or homophobically aggravated crime.

If you think you are the victim of Hate Crime, contact Cambridgeshire Constabulary on 01223 358966.

POLICE CRIME REPORT

There have been a large number of thefts from vehicles in Willingham, Over and Swavesey. A person from Ely has been arrested in connection with the thefts but the problem is still continuing with vehicles still coming from that area, usually abandoned when chased by police.

Over half of vehicle crime is 'opportunistic' and the offenders in this area are stealing car radios and bags/handbags that have been left in the vehicles. The vehicles in question have been parked at local doctors' surgeries and outside the owner's or friends' houses, sometimes only for a few minutes. This problem can of course affect any of us, so it may be worth taking a few simple steps to reduce vehicle crime.

• Don't leave anything on display.
• Fit an immobiliser / car alarm.
• Shut windows, lock doors.
• Garage vehicles where possible.
• Where possible park in safe areas.
• Fit a removable car stereo.
• Consider marking all your valuables.
• Keep your keys in a safe place at all times.
• Arrange to have the vehicle registration number etched onto all glass surfaces.
• Fit locking wheel nuts.

If you have any information regarding these crimes or any other crime it can be reported in confidence to myself on the number below or to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

PC. Richard Jakins. Community Beat Officer. Histon Police Station, 01223-358966. Voice Mail 1787. Richard.jakins@cambs.police.uk