County Councillor Report for Parishes – October 2025 – Cllr Anna Bradnam – PDF Version
Princess Anne visits County Farms tenant David Mwanaka
The Princess Royal visited Stanton Farm in Landbeach where David Mwanaka grows white maize, along with other exotic crops like horned melon and pumpkin leaves, that are popular with African, Indian, Vietnamese, and Mexican communities.
When Mr Mwanaka moved to the UK more than 20 years ago, he started growing traditional Zimbabwean vegetables on an allotment but as demand for his produce increased, he needed more space and rented small fields on informal arrangements. In 2022 he secured a farm tenancy with Cambridgeshire County Council and now has almost 500 acres of land which offers security to grow his business on.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, visited the farm on 18 September and planted a peach tree to mark the occasion.
Mr Mwanaka thanked Princess Anne for supporting farming and he spoke about the importance of encouraging young people into the industry, with children from Milton Primary School also present.
The council has over 33,000 acres of farmland across the county, the largest public sector estate in England and Wales, which it leases to a diverse range of more than 160 tenant farmers.
Councillor Karen Young, chair of the Assets and Procurement Committee, said: “I am very proud that Mr Mwanaka has been able to build such a dynamic and exciting business on one of our many rural estate farms. What a fantastic testament to his hard work that it has attracted the interest of Princess Anne.
“We never underestimate the importance of our farmers and their contribution to the wider community. They provide a real boost to the local economy and make a huge contribution to improving the biodiversity of our natural environment.
“Our tenant farmers also collectively pay more than £5m in rent each year, contributing to the delivery of frontline council services.”
The Holiday Activities and Food Programme – funded until 2029
The Government has announced it will continue to fund the HAF programme across England for a further three financial years, meaning that families in Cambridgeshire will continue to benefit from the scheme until March 2029.
Through the programme, local holiday schemes offer free access to fun, enriching activities and nutritious meals for children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. Running during the Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays, HAF helps reduce pressure on families by providing safe, engaging environments where children receive a meal while having fun.
Holiday scheme experiences include sports, creative arts, Forest School, playschemes, and outdoor adventures. The programme also supports families by reducing childcare costs, promoting social inclusion, and connecting them with local support services.
The next HAF programme will run over the Christmas holidays, starting on 22 December 2025 and running until 2 January 2026. You can check your eligibility on our website. Do sign up!
To find out more about HAF, head to our website: Cambridgeshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme | Cambridgeshire County Council
Milton Recycling Centre
You will have noticed that the Milton Recycling Centre is still open, although it was due to shut in September for re-construction. The design has yet to be finalised, so the site will remain open for now. Updates will be posted here
Cambridgeshire Online | Milton Waste Recycling Centre
From 1 October the opening hours are Monday to Sunday 9am to 4pm or dusk if earlier.
QUALITY OF LIFE SURVEY 2025
The results of the County Council’s third annual Quality of Life survey have been published.
1. Happiness is at its highest point since tracking began, but loneliness and mental health struggles remain high. Happiness levels remain high (84 per cent) consistent with the levels seen in previous years. Residents report often feeling lonely (30 per cent) and struggling with their mental health (28 per cent), with younger age groups more likely to report these concerns.
2. Residents remain concerned about the cost of living and jobs and investment Concerns about cost of living increases remain high, with 87 per cent of residents reporting that they personally feel concerned. This is continuing to put pressure on residents, with over half of residents reporting taking action this year as a result of cost of living increases. Just under two thirds (62 per cent) of residents report concern over the level of investment and jobs in their local area. This has been steadily increasing year on year.
3. A sense of community and pride of place continues to be strong amongst residents Consistent with previous years, residents continue to feel safe in (85 per cent) and have a sense of belonging to (76 per cent) their local communities. Around half (48 per cent) of residents are involved in their local community.
4. Residents’ views on Cambridgeshire County Council performance are the most positive since tracking began. Residents continue to trust the Council to make decisions (52 per cent) and deliver value for money (47 per cent), higher than Local Government Association (LGA) averages. 50 per cent agree the Council acts on the concerns of local residents, lower than LGA averages but an increase locally compared to 45 per cent in the previous two years of the survey. Half (50 per cent) of residents feel that the Council keeps them well informed about the services and benefits it provides.
5. Usage of several services has increased since 2025 and residents’ satisfaction with most CCC services is at its highest point since tracking began. Registration services, library services and waste management have the highest satisfaction ratings. Road and pavement maintenance continues to be the lowest area of satisfaction among service users but satisfaction has increased this year to 28 per cent.
More details of the survey and findings are available online.
Quality of life survey results and findings 2025 | Cambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
Baits Bite Lock – CPCA contribute £500,000 for stabilisation.
The following update is from the website, Lock Island Updates | camconservators
“29/08/2025 – We are pleased to announce that mobilisation works have commenced at the BBL site, marking a milestone in the delivery of the lock island stabilisation project.”
Safety booms have been installed below the lock to protect live-aboard boaters and work will soon start on the lock island itself.
At its Board meeting on 24 September the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority committed £500,000 to the Conservators of the River Cam to support the costs of stabilising the lock island at Baits Bite Lock. You can read the 15-page agenda paper here:
Appendix B – Stabilisation of River Cam Bates Bite Lock Business Case.pdf
The report explains this contribution represents 1/3 of the likely £1.5million cost.
This is great news for the Conservators and the local community, as well as for the many users of the river from far and wide.
Around the Committees
COMMUNITIES, SOCIAL MOBILITY & INCLUSION
Connecting Cambridgeshire is inviting applications from community groups and organisations to enable Digital Hubs across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Connecting Cambridgeshire will be supporting applicants by providing small grants of up to £4,200 to procure connectivity solutions and digital devices to be used in their spaces by the public, and provide the local community with access to digital skills and confidence. These hubs aim to ensure holistic digital inclusion support can be delivered locally, through trusted partners, with established relationships within their communities. The original deadline for applications was Tuesday 30 September, but we are hoping this can be extended. Digital Hubs – Connecting Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire Youth Work Conference
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities Service will be hosting the annual Cambridgeshire Youth Work Conference on Saturday 15 November at Ely Community College. Through a series of talks, workshops and stalls, the conference will enable local partners and youth practitioners to come together and access specialist resources to support them in their work with young people. If your community works with young people and would like to raise awareness of the support you provide, then please contact liz.morris@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and
nichola west @cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
ENVIRONMENT AND GREEN INVESTMENT
Fens 2100+ update – The Fens 2100+ project has issued the following update.
Baseline reports
The final draft of the catchment baseline reports is due mid-July. Once issued there will be a review process undertaken with EA colleagues, IDBs and key stakeholders to ensure they are an accurate reflection of the current system and meet the objectives of Fens 2100+. Following the review process there will be a final period of refinement alongside the development of a system wide report, capturing the key elements from each catchment.
Case for Change
The team continue to develop the Case for Change alongside our partners with the completed first draft due in July. Building upon the evidence highlighted by the Baseline Reports the Case for Change explores the current and potential value of the Fens, sets out our case for continued and enhanced investment in the area and considers how we shift to a system wide approach to asset management. To support this a 10-step action plan has been developed which will be implemented by the Partnership over the next 2 years to ensure we set ourselves up for success
Flood Resilience Strategy
The work we have done to date has further highlighted the need for continued investment in our existing, ageing asset base to ensure we manage the inherited system that we currently have. In the autumn we will publish our approach to how we will develop a Flood and Coastal resilient Strategy which will be finalised in 2027. The strategy will include a costed 10-year pipeline of investment priorities with a focus on ‘no regret’ decisions as well as identifying potential transformational shifts. In addition, it will define a ‘target end state’ for the system at the end of 5, 10, 15 and 20 years to allow us to monitor success. The update says that the Environment Agency will be ‘publishing [their] first set of key deliverables in the Autumn’.
Anglian Water Wastewater Treatment Plant move – funding withdrawn
The relocation of Anglian Water’s wastewater treatment plant from north-east Cambridge to Horningsea has had its funding withdrawn by the Government. £80M had already been spent on preparations for the move, and planning permission had already been granted by the Secretary of State in April. Residents in Horningsea and Fen Ditton are relieved at the change of plan. The move was intended to make way for a large development of over 5,000 sustainable homes known as ‘Hartree’. The decision not to fund the project means that space will need to be found somewhere else in Greater Cambridge for that housing, and new plans will need to be drawn up for wastewater treatment.
Community watercourse maintenance grants
Community Watercourse Maintenance Grants of up to £10,000 are designed to support communities where the condition of local watercourses is increasing the risk of flooding. By providing funding directly, the County Council enables local people to take practical action to improve water flow, reduce flood risk, and enhance the surrounding environment. The grant can be used for vegetation clearance and debris removal, minor repairs to banks or channels, equipment hire or contractor support, volunteer training and safety equipment, and other essential maintenance activities.
Community watercourse maintenance grants | Cambridgeshire County Council
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/business/planning-anddevelopment/flood-and-water/community-flood-actionprogramme/watercourse-maintenance-grant
Explore green spaces this autumn
There are many free to access green spaces across Cambridgeshire, providing opportunities to get out on foot and connect with nature. The Cambs Open Space website shares the top 200 parks in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to explore, as well as an interactive map of parks across the county and upcoming events in green spaces. The county council also owns eight Local Nature Reserves, all of which are open to the public. They are excellent places to study and learn about wildlife or simply enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of being in nature. Visit the council’s website to access walking routes and top tips.
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-andparking/active-travel-in-cambridgeshire/getting-started/walking
Recent and forthcoming Highways works
A10 tree cutting
Tree cutting has been ordered from Royston to Chittering, to clear overhanging vegetation. This work will be done over several months, starting from the south and working north, so it may take some time to get to us…
Chittering
…In particular this includes cutting of vegetation to provide better access to the bus stop at Old School Lane and also the entrance to Willow Grange Farm.
Fen Ditton
Church Street / Green End – I’m delighted the section of footway in front of the cottages and in Green End was resurfaced on 25th September. The same day I reported that the white line separating the footway from the carriageway still needed to be painted. The white line will be reinstated (at the contractor’s expense) in the next few weeks.
High Ditch Road – My good colleague Cllr Matthew Morgan has been liaising with the LHM to get the potholes repaired, which is very welcome news.
Ditton Lane
The slabs installed when the west footway was widened have been replaced, as originally agreed, with Tobomore blocks, over the summer holidays. This has finished the job off well and look appropriate for the village.
Landbeach
The work to install the new Active Transport bridge over the A10 was completed over the first two weekends in September rather than three. I know the Farmland Museum, local businesses and residents will have been pleased to have returned to normal travel on the A10. Thank you to U&C and their contractors for completing the work so swiftly. The bridge is striking, with its wing-like design echoing the military history of Waterbeach.
High Street edge, opposite the Baptist Church – I understand that in May road-planings were laid here to build up the pothole at the side of the tarmac. This was only a part-job and the LHO is aware further work needs to be done to bring the roadside up to the level of the tarmac. More planings will will applied in due course.
Milton
Cambridge Road Industrial Estate – the double yellow lines were (re)-instated recently but cars parked overnight obstructed the work. The line-painting team will return to complete the work.
Cambridge Road will be closed overnight from 8 October for three nights 8pm until 5am.
This is to patch the surface between the junctions with Coles Road and The Rowans (north).
I think we’ve all noted that the awful road has kept vehicle speeds low so I hope cars respect our MVAS when travelling north once the repairs have been done.
There will another closure at the end of October for a water main to be installed near Barnabas Court.
Slip road to A14 interchange – the damaged signage as you approach the interchange has been reported. It is expected to be repaired when National Highways close the southbound overbridge for repair in December. Works are also being planned to support the embankment.
Waterbeach
Denny End Road – tree cutting and gulley clearing will be done mid-October.
Burgess Drove – has had some grading works to reduce the unevenness of the surface.
Cllr Anna Bradnam anna.bradnam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 30 September2025