County Councillor Report for Parishes – July 2026 – Cllr Anna Bradnam
County Councillor Report for Parishes – July 2026 – Clir Anna Bradnam – PDF Version
County Council
In June the Environment and Green Investment Committee endorsed the publication of the documents preparatory for the five-year review of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Local Plan; this included the notice of intent to commence a timetable, a scoping consultation and associated supporting documentation that legislation requires as part of the review of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan
Kingsway Solar Farm (near Six Mile Bottom) is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and the applicant has applied to the Secretary of State for a Development Consent Order (DCO). It consists of three large arrays between Six Mile Bottom, Balsham and Brinkley and a pylon route to a proposed new southern substation near Burwell. Since the County Council submitted its initial response, the application was withdrawn by the applicant, to enable them to provide additional evidence.
The key themes that will inform the County Council’s response were endorsed by the Committee. If approved, the scheme is expected to have the capacity to generate up to 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity, the equivalent of powering approximately 175,000 homes annually.
Communities Social Inclusion and Mobility Committee
The Council re-affirmed its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families.
Highways and Transport Committee
On Tue 30th June the Committee will be considering (amongst other things) a paper addressing the motion agreed at Full Council on 17 March and provides and update on the junction improvement scheme at the A10/Humphries Way junction. (Please see my June Report for background.) I have copied and pasted the relevant sections of the report below for convenience but you may be able to follow the link here: Humphries Way – A10 Junction Update
It is long for this report but knowing how strongly residents feel about this I felt it was important to enable you to see the update.
“1.1 The update on the proposed Humphries Way /A10 junction set out in this paper aligns to the Council’s vision of a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire. An improved junction at Humphries Way will support Cambridgeshire residents to be well connected with employment, learning and leisure facilities by providing a safer junction with improved capacity supporting development along the A10. Additionally, the junction provides improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians crossing the A10, addressing an existing severance, with the inclusion of a dedicated signalised crossing, supporting the ambition for active living.
2.1 In 2019, the Council entered into a Section 106 agreement with developers and South Cambridgeshire District Council for a number of measures linked to planned development, including an obligation for the signalisation of the Humphries Way junction with the A10.
2.2 The Section 106 requires the developers, Urban and Civic, to transfer £422,729 to the County Council by the occupation of the 250th dwelling and the Council must deliver the Humphries Way works prior to the occupation of the 300th dwelling. At present the 250 dwelling trigger is forecast for around June 2027, with the 300-dwelling trigger point in Spring / Summer 2028. This means that the Council would need to put into place plans to deliver the signalisation works by early 2028 to comply with the Section 106 requirements. With indexation, and with a further developer contribution from the Cambridge Research Park (which is due to be paid in 2027 at the earliest), around £725,000 developer funding should be available towards works at the junction.
2.3 In March 2026, a motion was agreed by Full Council regarding the Humphries Way junction improvements. This report provides an update to the identified actions in the motion and outlines the next steps for the scheme.
3.0 Main Issues
3.1 The current design for the upgraded junction of Humphries Way and the A10 includes signalisation of the junction, improving the safety and increasing capacity on the A10. The junction improvements would also address the current severance presented by the A10 for cyclists and pedestrians between Milton and Landbeach through provision of a signalised crossing. Recent cost estimates for the upgraded junction show that the cost is significantly higher than the available Section 106 funding. An alternative scheme may be brought forward providing that it delivers an equivalent level of mitigation for the developments. The design for Humphries Way junction is currently under review to assess value engineering opportunities and revised design proposals. This process is expected to be completed by March 2027.
3.2 Section 106 funding linked to the development is expected to deliver around £725k towards the scheme. A funding gap has been identified between the Section 106 funding and cost of delivery. Section 106 funding can only be secured to mitigate the impact of the developments and not to address pre-existing issues.
3.3 The motion requested that the Council ask the Combined Authority to consider an allocation of funding to the scheme from the Road Safety Small Capital Projects and the Delivering Transport Strategy Aims (DTSA) programme. A formal letter was therefore issued in June 2026 to the Combined Authority’s Interim Executive Director for Transport from the Council’s Executive Director Place and Sustainability, as requested. A programme level allocation is in place from Department for Transport (DfT) via the Combined Authority through the Local Transport Grant, which funds both the Road Safety and Transport Improvements (previously DTSA) programmes. Specific schemes for the DfT Local Transport Grant are presented to the Highways and Transport Committee annually in March and are subject to final sign-off by the Combined Authority thereafter. The schemes for inclusion in the 2027-28 programme are currently under review, and Humphries Way will be considered as part of this process.
3.4 A further action was to ask the Combined Authority to prioritise the Humphries Way junction improvements as part of their A10 improvement scheme. The Council has written to the Combined Authority, as set out in paragraph 3.3, to ask that the junction improvements be prioritised as part of the A10 improvement scheme. The A10 Ely to Cambridge Corridor scheme is currently at Outline Business Case (OBC) stage. The OBC is being developed by the Council on behalf of the Combined Authority through a funding agreement. Options being developed to inform the business case include a ‘junctions only’ package, which references the planned developer funded improvements proposed for Humphries Way. The Combined Authority is currently awaiting a further update from DfT on funding for the scheme, which is expected in the summer. However, the timing of the A10 scheme delivery will extend beyond the timeframe for a junction improvement at Humphries Way to comply with Section 106 conditions and so this is unlikely to be a suitable way forward.
3.5 If funding cannot be secured through the Combined Authority, or developer contributions, alternative funding options will be considered, including prudential borrowing. This will depend on the outcome of the detailed design work for the value engineered scheme and the approval for the scheme specific programme put forward to this Committee, as outlined in paragraph 3.3.
3.6 The Infrastructure and Project Delivery service will develop the value engineered design and costing and take it through a suitable procurement route. This work will support development of a viable scheme and feed into the prioritisation process for the Local Transport Grant scheme specific programme. The proposed timescale for design and delivery of the Humphries Way junction to ensure it can be delivered in accordance with the Section 106 agreement is set out in Table 1.
| Activity | Programme |
| Design review and develop tender pack | Programme July 2026 – March 2027 |
| Funding Confirmation | March 2027 |
| Tender Process and Contract Award | April – July 2027 |
| Section 106 Trigger for Funding – 250 Homes | Expected June 2027 |
| Main construction | September 2027 – March 2028 |
| Section 106 Trigger for Junction Delivery – 300 homes | Expected Spring / Summer 2028 |
4.0 Conclusion and Reasons for Recommendations
4.1 This report provides a response to the Full Council motion of March 2026, setting out the steps being taken in order to explore and secure additional funding required to enable the Council to fulfil the obligations under a Section 106 agreement to deliver the Humphries Way junction improvements.
5.1 Finance Implications
As noted in the report, the current allocation of Section 106 funding is insufficient to deliver the full signalised junction package. Current estimates show a funding gap of around £1.4m, including risk contingency. Further work is ongoing to review value engineering opportunities and to develop an accurate scheme cost. The Council remains obliged to deliver a scheme in this location that meets the required level of mitigation for the development, which will result in a requirement for additional funding. As set out in the report, options for funding are currently being considered, primarily through the Local Transport Grant. Should the scheme not be prioritised as part of the Local Transport Grant in 26/27, a route for borrowing would need to be considered by the Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee as part of the capital programme rephasing in 2027/28.
5.2 Legal Implications
The Council has an obligation to deliver the scheme under the Section 106 agreement. The obligation on the Council is mandatory and therefore, the Council is obliged to accept the Early Transport Contribution from the developer and to deliver the highway works by occupation of the 300th dwelling. If the Council fails to deliver the works as per the triggers in the Section 106 agreement, it would be in breach of the agreement. It may be possible to reach a revised understanding for delivery of the mitigation measures but in the worst case, this could result in a stop notice being issued against the development and potential legal action against the Council.”
Adults and Health
On 30 June the Committee (on which I sit) will consider
- Re-tendering of Home and Community Services – as a place-based Homecare Framework.
- Section 12 Doctor procurement – to enable the Council to meet its responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, following withdrawal of funding by the Integrated Care Board
- Integrated Community Equipment – clarifications to allow the Agreement to be sealed.
- Adult Social Care Complaints Policy – to ensure compliance with current legislation
Highways improvement funding update
20 mph schemes
In 2024/25 Waterbeach’s village-wide application for 20mph funding was approved and I believe work is proceeding with the parish council to design the scheme.
Residents are encouraged to support this scheme at consultation stage, since it will make the roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, scooters’ and drivers.
In 2025/26 20 mph schemes in Milton and Landbeach were approved. I believe work is proceeding with parish councils to design the schemes.
Applications for Fen Ditton and Horningsea were unsuccessful in that round.
Non-complex LHI Schemes
In 2024/25 LHI schemes were approved in
Horningsea – MVAS (?) and an Options Report for designs to reduce speed in the north of the village
In 2025/26 LHI schemes were approved in
Milton, Coles Road – DYLs to protect the entrance to the parish car park
Landbeach, access roads – install buffer zones
Waterbeach – parking restrictions and MVAS
Complex LHI Schemes
No complex schemes have been approved for villages in the Division in 2024/25 or 2025/26.
Trees
Landbeach High Street – I have given County Estates details of a number of Ash trees on the east side of High Street, which are carrying a lot of Ivy, with a view to getting the Ivy stems cut, to reduce the ‘sail’ effect on the trees.
Ely Road, Milton – the Horse Chestnut near the College of West Anglia which has dropped limbs recently, has been deemed healthy by an Arborist engaged by the County Council. The fallen wood has been cleared along with the cones and tape.
Upcoming Highways work
Fen Ditton, High Ditch Road – NOTICE is given that … High Ditch Road, Fen Ditton will be closed between 46 and The Black House. Access will be maintained to properties affected by this order. The alternative route for vehicles is via A1303; B1047; High Ditch Road and vice versa. The proposed Order is necessary to facilitate telecommunications overhead connection and associated works which are being carried out on or near this highway and it will come into operation on 2 July 2026 and continue until these works have been completed. It is anticipated that these works will be carried out on 2nd July 2026.
Local Government Reorganisation
The initial response from local council leaders is here:
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/210325-response-to-jm-lgr-invitation-to-leaders.pdf
The County Council’s assessment of the various options can be seen here
https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/lgr/proposal/LGR-Option-A-Proposal-28-Nov-25.pdf. We await the government’s decision on which option will be taken forward.
Cllr Anna Bradnam anna.bradnam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 27/06/2026