County Councillor Report for Parishes – October 2026 – Cllr Anna Bradnam – PDF Version
Deneia School construction
On 21 September I was delighted to lead the historic and joyful act of signing the lift shaft of the Deneia Primary Academy at Waterbeach. Representatives from Anglian Learning Academy Trust (who will run the school), Kier Construction (who are building it), Urban and Civic (the Master Developers who have funded the majority of the school) and myself representing the County Council all signed the concrete. This charming and positive tradition – signing a part of the framework that will subsequently by hidden as the construction develops – is a curiously symbolic act; a commitment from the stakeholders working in partnership to achieve the new building’s purpose.
The Deneia Primary Academy will accommodate up to 630 children and a 78-place nursery provision. There will also be two additional class bases to support the inclusion of children with special educational needs, which reflects the Council’s aims to ensure that all children are enabled to thrive in their local school.
I spoke of my intention for this to be a school where we have high aspirations for the children as they learn and for the young people to have high aspirations for themselves.
Highways and Transport Committee – 6 October
The Committee will consider prioritised applications for the 20 MPH 2026/27 and the LHI 2026/27 Programme. These proposals have yet to be agreed by the committee.
See link – Council and committee meetings – Cambridgeshire County Council > Meetings Calendar
LHI Complex 26/27
Landbeach – application was transferred to non-complex.
Fen Ditton – application was withdrawn due to delivery through another funded programme.
LHI Non-Complex Prioritised list (labelled 2025/2026 but I think should be 2026/27)
Congratulations – the following have been prioritised for funding:
Horningsea – 3x solar power systems to three existing Parish Mobile Vehicle Activated Signs (MVAS).
Waterbeach A10/Ely Road warning signage
Milton – Various locations – Parking restrictions such as double yellow lines.
Sadly the following were below the cut line for funding:
Landbeach – Speed limit reduction to 40mph (buffer zone) was not prioritised.
Fen Ditton – 20mph speed limit request – delivered via another workstream
2026 / 2027 20mph funding initiative applications
Horningsea and Fen Ditton applied but were not successful. Only 7 of the 70-odd applications in the County were prioritised.
Charging highway contractors for overruns
The number of days roadworks overran in Cambridgeshire fell by almost half during 2025/26, as Cambridgeshire County Council stepped up enforcement, issuing more than £424,000 in fines and charges to utility companies and other organisations.
The council issued 1,443 Fixed Penalty Notices, generating £196,286, for offences including working without the necessary permit or failing to comply with permit conditions.
A further £228,350 was recovered through charges for works that overran their agreed duration.
The number of days that works overran fell from 1,191 days in 2024/25 to 692 days in 2025/26, a reduction of almost 42%. The decrease suggests that enforcement activity and overrun charges are encouraging companies to complete works within agreed timescales and helping to reduce disruption for road users.
In total, the council issued 36,685 permits during 2025/26, regulating when and how works could take place across the county.
In Cambridgeshire there are 51 utility companies that are permitted to work on our roads – and when that work is deemed an emergency, such as for a burst water main, they can legally start work before notifying the council.
Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the Highways and Transport Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We know how frustrating roadworks can be for all of us travelling around Cambridgeshire. Utility companies have a legal right to work on our roads. Our role is to make sure works on the highway are properly managed and that unnecessary disruption is kept to a minimum.”
“It is particularly encouraging to see the number of days that roadworks overran falling by almost 42% in a single year. This suggests that our approach to enforcement is helping to improve compliance and reduce disruption.”
“We have also increased our focus on identifying non-compliant or bad quality works. With the higher penalties we introduced in January, there is now a greater financial incentive for companies to comply with the rules and complete their works on time.”
The Library Presents
A series of events for children and adults are planned at libraries throughout the county from now until December. You can find events on the Council website under “The Library Presents” and here: Library Live | The LIbrary Presents
Shaping the future of adult social care
People across Cambridgeshire are being encouraged to have their say on the future of adult social care as part of a national public engagement programme launched by Baroness Louise Casey.
The Big Conversation on Care, launched on 29 July, aims to give people across England a direct opportunity to influence the future development of a National Care Service and how care and support will be provided for years to come.
The commission is seeking views from the public on a range of issues, including who should be eligible for support, what role families should play in caring for loved ones, and how care should be funded in a fair and sustainable way.
The programme will run until April 2027 in two phases. The first phase, running from July to November 2026, focuses on the values and principles people expect from the care system and who should receive support. The second phase will look at funding, delivery and long-term reform of adult social care.
Find out more and take part at www.caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation
Fen Ditton – M215 Report on an application for a Definitive Map Modification Order to recognise a public right of way between High Ditch Road and Public Bridleway No.17 (the disused railway).
Fen Ditton Parish Council applied for a Definitive Map Modification Order to designate the southern section of this as a Public Right of Way 10 January 2023. The application waited its turn to be analysed by the Definitive Map Officer, who provided the parish council with a very detailed 25-page report in August 2026.
At that time, the officer concluded “the evidence is insufficient to establish deemed dedication under Section 31 of the Highways Act 1980 or common law and does not satisfy the test contained within Section 53(3)(c)(i) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Therefore, it is recommended that the County Council refuse to make a Definitive Map Modification Order.”
The reasoning is as follows, taken from the report:
“When the County Council receives such an application it has a duty to investigate the evidence and decide whether to make a legal order to add the path to the Definitive Map (a “Definitive Map Modification Order”). The decision must be based purely on evidence of the existence of public rights…”
“In order for a claim that a public right of way has been dedicated under the provisions of this Section to be successful, it is necessary for there to be both evidence of uninterrupted public use of the route for at least 20 years and insufficient evidence from the period of public use that the landowner did not intend the route to become a public right of way. If both of these conditions are met, the surveying authority may consider that this evidence is sufficient to allow an order to be made under s53(3)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Section 31(2) of the Highways Act 1980 states:
‘the period of 20 years referred to in subsection (1) above is to be calculated retrospectively from the date when the right of the public to use the way is brought into question’.”
“Whilst there are no Landowner Deposits recorded over much of the Application Route, the very southernmost section of the Application Route where it crosses the railway line has had a landowner deposit filed on it since 24 August 1999. This could represent a date of challenge to the usage of the Application Route being 24 years earlier than the Application date. Additionally, there has been no break between the coverage of landowner deposits with declarations received on 05/08/2005 (131) and a subsequent new statement and map under S.31(6) of the Highways Act 1980 and S.15A of the Commons Act 2005 received on 17/12/2013 (387).”
“Accordingly, the date of challenge for the Application Route is taken to be 10 January 2014, being the date of the notice associated with landowner deposit number 387.”
The report concluded, “As such, on the balance of probability, available documentary evidence does not provide a strong enough basis to make an order to record a Public Right of Way on the basis of documentary evidence alone.”
Since the receipt of the report the Parish Council has collated further evidence of public use of the southern section of the route and will be submitting this to the Definitive Map officer for the purposes of an appeal against that conclusion.
Engaging young people’s views on planning
As Chair of the SCDC Planning Committee I support the Youth Engagement Service and most recently we were working with the Marleigh Academy Trust School, inspired by the public art programme at the new Vitrum Building on the St John’s Innovation Park. I was supporting the team teaching young people about the Planning Service, Careers in Planning, the importance of public art and how to ensure their view, interests and preferences are heard and understood through the planning process. I also supported the workshop where children worked in teams to create wonderful 3-D paper constructions incorporating pentagons and hexagons to create beautiful Time Pebbles, which reflected the design of the art installation at the Vitrum Building.
Highways recent and upcoming work
Landbeach – Track to Rectory Farm Barns
County Estates have just laid and levelled planings on the farm track to Rectory Farm Barns.
Waterbeach – the burst water main north of the level crossing has been repaired, which has enabled the road closure on Station Road/Clayhithe Road to be lifted.
Cracking on the northbound carriageway of Clayhithe Road, caused by subsidence of the embankment is a serious problem. Give-and-take traffic lights between the level crossing and Clayhithe Bridge will remain in place until stabilisation has been planned, costed and budget agreed.
A14 River Cam Bridge repairs and roadside technology upgrades between junctions 33 (Milton Interchange) and 34 (Fen Ditton Junction)
National Highways will be doing general repairs, fitting new bridge joints, improving drainage, building a new safety barrier and resurfacing the road.
Works will start on Friday 4 September for 12 weeks.
The work will be done overnight between 8pm and 5am on weeknights only, weather permitting.
The A14 will be closed in one direction at a time and a 40 mph speed limit will be in place throughout the work.
When the A14 is closed, drivers will need to follow the diversion routes.
When the Fen Ditton westbound on-slip is closed, the diversion will be via the B1047 through Fen Ditton to Newmarket Road and then onto the A14 at Jct 35 Stow-cum-Quy*.
When the A14 is closed between Jct 34 and Jct 35 the diversion will be on roads of the same classification, so via the A10 to Ely, then the A142 via Soham and Fordham.
More details here:
*Fen Ditton I have requested additional signage to direct diverted traffic away from High Ditch Road.
Cllr Anna Bradnam anna.bradnam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 29/09/2026