County Councillor Report for Parishes – March 2025 – Cllr Anna Bradnam
County Council Budget agreed for 2025/26
On 11 February 2025 the County Council agreed a budget for 2025/26. Members prioritised investment in highways maintenance as well as in children who become looked-after and building new schools.
The county council had to close a gap of £35.1m – with 73% of the Council’s net spend now being funded from Council Tax.
Based on resident feedback through the Quality-of-Life Survey, the council has prioritised key areas, which are aligned to its vision to make Cambridgeshire greener, fairer and more caring:
- Investment of more than £56m in highways maintenance. This is to tackle the significant backlog of repairs, addressing resident concerns. This includes £14.5m for the day-to-day management of the highway and an additional £20m in planned maintenance including roads, pavements, drainage, bridges, safety barriers, traffic lights, public rights of way and cycleways.
- Sustaining critical adults and children’s social care, which includes £3m to cover inflation for local care providers and an extra £8m for the 5% increase in the Real Living Wage. An additional £9m for children who become looked-after, £4.7m to support home to school transport services and £920,000 investment in capacity in SEND services.
- The council continues to support vulnerable communities, with an estimated £6m of Household Support Fund that will be delivered to support those most in need alongside investment in further improvements in our libraries through £1.3m already committed to the Libraries Plus programme.
It was agreed to increase Council Tax by 4.99% (2% of which is for Adult Social Services) – raising £20m of local income to help maintain and protect critical services for the most vulnerable communities. For most of our residents in Band A-D properties that will mean between an extra £1.04 pence to £1.55 a week.
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “We’re prioritising our funding in several key areas to make our county greener, fairer and more caring. We have listened to residents, which is why we’re investing more than £56m in highways maintenance. Historically, we’ve seen underinvestment in highways, this has left us with a bill of more than £600m. We started the journey last year by nearly doubling our highway maintenance budget and we’re going to invest further – acting on residents’ concerns.
“Whilst this delivers a legal council budget for 2025/26, it has been a tough process. We, like many other councils up and down the country, have felt the demand on key services such as special educational needs and disability services. Between 2020 and 2024, there was a 70% increase in children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), cost increases in home to school transport and in autism services over the same period. We do not receive the funding from Government to meet the needs of the growing population in Cambridgeshire, so we have done what we can to deliver value for money in the services we provide, whilst investing in what matters most to our residents.”
Cllr Elisa Meschini, Deputy Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, added: “We want to think differently, intervene earlier and engage with our residents, which is why we have a plan for the next five years and that includes new primary schools, investing to create in-county residential homes for children in care and helping the significant pressure felt by our services for adults and older people with care and support needs.
“We’re conscious that in future years we need to change the way we operate whilst still achieving the vision of a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire. This is why we agreed the ‘Our Future Council’ change strategy to reshape the way the council operates to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. In all this we will make sure that we continue to listen to our residents.”
Members began debating the draft business plan and budget in December 2024. The scrutiny from all the council’s January policy and service committees, as well as feedback from our online public consultation (Business Plan and Budget 2025-26 Consultation Survey | Cambridgeshire County Council) and the views of Town and Parish Councils, other local and public authorities, business representatives and trade unions have contributed to the debate.
The Council heard about the final Local Government Finance Settlement, which means over £98m of central government funding for Cambridgeshire in 2025-26. Our funding is also likely to be impacted by the anticipated Comprehensive Spending Review in Spring 2025 and the ambitions for Local Government Reorganisation set out in the Government’s recently published English Devolution White Paper.
The business plan and budget are available to view on the Council’s website and you can view the live stream here Cambridgeshire County Council – YouTube
Primary Schools – a balancing act
Residents in the new homes at Waterbeach Phase 1 are keen to know when the new Deneia Primary Academy will open on site. Meantime the County Council are anxious to ensure pupil numbers are maintained at Waterbeach Community Primary School and that the new school is brought on stream at the right time to cater for pupils in the new town. It is a delicate balancing act between building, sales and attracting new young families versus opening the school before pupil numbers are viable.
I am asking that while the County Council is supporting Waterbeach Community Primary School, they need to ensure that pupils can get there. I am asking for the existing school bus bringing pupils from Chittering and Landbeach, to drop into the New Town Transport Hub to collect pupils from there as well. Whilst the walking and cycling route is just under the distance to qualify for a school bus, I am making the case for this currently isolated community to be assisted to attend the local primary school – which they will attend for the duration of their primary education.
Highways issues
Mere Way
I have been discussing anti-social behaviour on the Mere Way with County officers, who are seeking ways to deter drivers on this cycle and footpath.
Horningsea GCP Greenway – The PC and I are seeking better visibility for build-outs and bollards.
Hoarding at Northgate Farm – I have asked for it to be moved to the back of the verge.
Fen Ditton – Church Street and Green End
I submitted a request for the footway in Church St Fen Ditton to be resurfaced after a site visit with the LHO in April 2023. The footway has still not been resurfaced, it is extremely uneven and dangerous for pedestrians and was the site of a recent accident. It is only separated from the carriageway by a line of paint and yet children living along Green End use this route to school daily.
In recognition that this will likely require major works, I recently submitted the job to the capital scheme programme. I have been advised that that the works should be done by end of March 2025.
Milton – Ely Road northbound – left bend before joining the A10 – chevron signs existed on this bend up until 2021 but since then they have been demolished during some serious accidents. Replacement chevron signs have been added to the LHO list of works to be ordered in the financial year 2025/26.
Cambridge Road – I have requested resurfacing (again).
Waterbeach – Denny End Road A burst water main was repaired overnight 10-12 February.
Cllr Anna Bradnam anna.bradnam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 24/02/2025