Category: Uncategorized

Halloween is here, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary would like to emphasise the importance of keeping safe whilst having a spooktacular time!   If you’ve got children heading out for trick-or-treating, please remind them of the importance of being mindful of those who do not wish to participate in the holiday. In order to respect those who may not wish to participate for a manner of reasons, we ask that you do not knock on the doors of those who have ‘no trick or treaters’ signs or even those without any lights/decorations displayed.   With it getting darker earlier, you can help make it safer for children by keeping your outdoor lights on. Furthermore, ensure that children are accompanied by a responsible adult.   For those thinking of taking part in the ‘trick’ aspect of Halloween, it is important to keep in mind that any deliberate behaviour that results in damage or hurts someone is a crime.   We hope you won’t need the them, but as with any other day of the year, the Police are at the end of the phone if you need them and will have our neighbourhood officers on patrol across the country as a visible presence.   You can find more information and where to report any issues via our dedicated webpage.

Public Notice

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are working together to create a joint Statement of Community Involvement and are inviting comments, via public consultation.

The consultation documents can be viewed:

• on the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service website: https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/about-us/statement-of-community-involvement/
• by appointment at Cambridge City Council’s Customer Service Centre: Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1BY (phone 01223 457000);
• by appointment at South Cambridgeshire District Council Reception: South Cambridgeshire Hall, Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne, Cambridge, CB23 6EA (phone 01954 713000);
• at Cambridge Central Library (7 Lion Yard Cambridge CB2 3QD) during normal opening hours.

Hard copies may be obtained at a charge by contacting the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service using the contact details below. If you need assistance to view the documents, or wish to discuss the consultation, please contact us using the details below.

The Councils are also holding in-person events during the consultation period, where planning officers will be available to answer questions.

How to make comments

You are encouraged to comment online – full details are available on our website at https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/about-us/statement-of-community-involvement/

If you have difficulty commenting online, please contact the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Policy Team on 01954 713694 or email us at localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org

Alternatively, you can make comments in writing using response forms available on the Councils’ websites or on request. Completed response forms should be emailed to localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org or posted to: Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service,Cambridge City Council, PO Box 700, Cambridge, CB1 0JH

Comments can be made on these documents between 9am on Wednesday 18 October and 5pm on Wednesday 27 November 2023.

All comments received during the consultation period will be published. Please refer to our privacy notice for further details, which can be found on our website.

Willingham Parish Council have been advised of the planned programme for gulley works for our region. Currently work is due to start in Willingham from 4th December 2023.

If there are any issues with drains we recommend you log them on the report a fault portal so they are aware of them at https://highwaysreporting.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/

If you have any questions, please contact Cambridgeshire County Council Highways on 0345 045 5212.

October 12, 2023

Support for Ukraine community update for hosts in South Cambridgeshire, as well as District Councillors, community coordinators and parish council colleagues. We would like to reassure hosts that while our communications on any updates to the Homes for Ukraine scheme may now be more intermittent, we are committed to continuing our support for you in this crucial role while the war in Ukraine continues.

We would like to draw your attention to a new scheme designed to make more options available to guests who are ‘moving on’ after their initial stay with a host.

Homes for Ukraine Landlord Incentive Scheme

South Cambridgeshire District Council has recently launched a Homes for Ukraine Landlord Incentive Scheme.

Landlords who are able to provide properties in South Cambridgeshire to Homes for Ukraine guests who are resident in the district will qualify for a financial incentive. These incentives differ depending on the size of the property, and whether the property is provided at market rent or at local housing allowance (LHA) rate. The landlord must also provide a minimum tenancy of 6 months from the outset. Please see the below table that details initial payments:

Number of bedrooms	Market rent incentive	LHA rate incentive
1 Bedroom	£1,140	£2,280
2 Bedroom	£1,300	£2,600
3 Bedroom	£1,350	£2,750
4 Bedroom	£1,410	£2,820

The above payments are for tenancies which are 6 months in length. If a landlord wanted to offer 12 months initially, then the amount paid is double that of a 6-month tenancy. Once the initial 6 months has expired, landlords will qualify for another payment if they wish to offer a further tenancy. If at this point landlords offer a further 12-month tenancy, they will qualify for a payment worth 150% of the value of their initial payment. It is important to note we will only provide incentive payments for up to 18 months’ worth of tenancies per Homes for Ukraine family.

South Cambridgeshire District Council will help source a Homes for Ukraine tenant if one is not lined up, and also provide assistance with setting up the tenancy agreement if this support is required.

If you would be interested in signing up for this scheme, please complete the online form by following this link.

Alternatively, you can contact the team at HFULiaison@Scambs.gov.uk or call them on 01954 713411.

Moving On Information

The council is delivering workshops for hosts and guests which give information and answer questions about moving on to independent accommodation. The general focus of the workshops is on Social Housing/Homelink, the Private Rented Sector and any financial assistance which is available.

The next Moving On sessions are:

12 October, in-person at Cottenham Village Hall, 7pm.

17 October, online via Zoom, 6pm (link to be sent the day before).  Your guests can sign-up for the session using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/Xv6LABziNj

A reminder of the support your guests can access when they are Moving On is available on our website and covers the following:

Social Housing – Social housing is rented to a tenant at a lower monthly rent than it would be if it was privately owned. Properties are available via Home-Link which advertises the available council and housing association properties across the area. To be considered for one of these properties, you first need to make an online application to Home-Link to have your housing need and priority assessed at Home-Link.

Private rental: Renting privately in South Cambridgeshire is expensive, and the rental market is very competitive. Our website details the financial support available to help Ukrainian refugees considering private rental accommodation – such as the council’s Rent Deposit scheme, Rent in Advance scheme and Discretionary Housing Payments.

Furniture Pack Scheme: Financial aid may be available to help with the cost of buying essential white goods and furniture needed to rent accommodation, following an assessment to determine eligibility.

Please see Moving on – South Cambs District Council (scambs.gov.uk) for more information on all of these options.

Rematching service: In some circumstances, we may be able to help facilitate a rematch with another host within South Cambridgeshire. But please note, this is a last resort option as the number of Hosts available for this is very limited,

Useful Information for your guests

We thought we would also take this opportunity to make you remind you of some of the useful information which is available on the Council website for your guests. It can be found in the Guest Information Hub covering Financial advice and support, Local travel support, Access to health and wellbeing services, Access to education and childcare, Hobbies and leisure activities and Moving On.

We continue to be extremely grateful for your support of Ukrainian guests and thank you for taking the time to read this latest update.

Best wishes,

Bill Handley
Lead Cabinet Member for Communities
South Cambridgeshire District Council

Opportunities to meet your local officers in South Cambs

Next week the South Cambs neighbourhood team will be attending a number of events and you are invited too. On Tuesday (17 October) and Friday (20 October) between 11.30am and 1.30pm we will be at Tesco in Unwin Square, Orchard Park available to speak to anyone with concerns or seeking crime prevention advice. On Tuesday (17 October) we will host a Coffee with a Cop event at Great Abington Institute between 2pm and 3pm. On Wednesday (18 October) we will be at Tesco in Royston between12pm and 2pm alongside Royston Safer Neighbourhood Team. On Thursday (19 October) between 12pm and 2pm we will be at Morrisons in Cambourne hosting a Coffee with a Cop event in the Café. All welcome. Between 2pm and 3pm we will also be at Papworth library on hand to discuss any concerns you may have. On Friday (20 October) we will be at Twelve Charity Shop in Fulbourn between 2pm and 3pm for anyone who would like to see us. Kind Regards, South Cambs Neighbourhood Policing Team St Neots Neighbourhood Policing Team

Message Sent By Tara Dundon (Police, Senior Communications Officer, All )