Cllr Geoff Heathcock

Geoff who has been connected with the Funeral Trade for nearly a decade now – and worked with two local companies, continues to assist those families who have suffered a loss of a loved one, although i dont have a permanent “funeral home” to work with – i am able to see families at their home or they can come and see me – in order to talk through what options are available in arranging a funeral which they feel comfortable with or fits in with the loved one’s wishes. I will shortly be announcing a new website, but in the meantime anyone who may need my help 24 hours a day can call me at home (244901) or send me an email – geoff.fire9@hotmail.co.uk for further advice and information.

When residents contacted Geoff on Thursday advising him that a mobile burger unit and vehicle had appeared on Nightingale Avenue near the junction of Rotherwick Way – he went and saw for himself what was going on. Then contacted Environmental Health at the City Council questioning planning authority, licencing, safety and the clash with established business on Wulfstan Way nearby – who both pay Business rates and Rent to the City Council. A Senior Officer from EH visited the scene and checked especially the safety aspects of what was happening. Geoff also contacted the Police to see if there were things that could happen under the Road Traffic Act, no response too date!

Meanwhile the vehicle and trailer were seen in Wulfstan Way on Saturday and further representations to the City Council have been made, the situation continues to be monitored.

Following the removal of a strategic street light near the junction with Godwin Way in Spalding Way – Geoff has had a variety of representations from residents which resulted in a site meeting with County Lighting engineers to look at why the light had been removed and examine costs for getting it back in its original position.

That is when the problems have started – with a series of different estimates all ignoring the fact that the electrical cables remain in the ground, County Officers are holding out against paying for it to be put back in, but i remain on the case to persuade them with the opening of the Queen Emma Primary School nearby – the light is needed especially on late winter afternoons.

Geoff has met with local residents and Officers from County Council to look at the very real problems – that young families have in trying to cross this road on route to Queen Ediths Way – and then the Community Primary School on Godwin Way, not helped by the height of bushes and other vegetation on the raised concrete roundabout near the junction with Mowbray Road.

Officers have agreed in the first instance that the bushes should be cut back, so this is step one. Meanwhile Geoff has asked City and County Officers to examine the costs associated with putting in some sort of crossing further along Fendon Road away from the junction which might cause less disruption to the various sets of cables.

Geoff who is a former County Health spokesman and Chairman of the Adult, Wellbeing and Health Scrutiny Committee has spoken out about the need for the Prime Minister to address personally the scandal which is “Care” in many of our Hospitals across the Country – which has featured very largely in recent months because of scandals at Mid Staffs, Canterbury and East Kent, Stockport – where many patients have either been badly neglected or in some cases clearly abused.

This is a crisis of ensuring that not only are the basic skills of nursing taken from the classroom on to the wards – but that Ward Management is sufficiently independent and professional to insist on High Quality personal care of patients and their need – both physical and in other respects whilst on the ward. Additionally Budget pressures which are clearly bending down over all our Hospitals whilst important for good use of resources must never be the driver as to how Patient care is delivered. If a Critical Care Unit is full of very sick patients and it requires a range of nursing skills and fully staffed that should be a priority for that Ward Manager not saving money off her monthly budget in order to keep Hospital Management off her case!

We dont need legislation to ensure that Highly Trained Nursing Staff can be enabled to do a thoroughly competent and good job.

Geoff who is a Member of the County Council Standards Committee has expressed his worries that the discussion surrounding allowances for a second time in a few months will once again be drowned out by lots of hot air and ill informed comment from sections not only of the Political establishment in the County but by many armchair pundits – who simply dont know what Councillors actually do.

The “debate” if you can call it that last Autumn was taken over by those who shoutest loudest but did not necessarily have all the facts before them but clearly played to the gallery. We have to accept that the whole issue of Local Government allowances is toxic – but until and unless any Government changes the rules, every Council and a Panel set up for the purpose has to come too a view, it clearly wont please everyone that is the nature of the beast. I am clear that some calm reflection and indeed calm imput is now needed as a new Panel is formed and takes the process forward from there.

Geoff in his role as a Senior Councillor on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority has welcomed the consultation with the wider Public on what the Fire Service part of the Council tax should be for 2012/3 and is encouraging all parts of the Community to write in and support a 2.5% increase – £1.44 a year towards this Service.

If we are to protect this Service in the coming years against the chance that stations, fire appliances and firefighters should be removed this modest increase will help do that, i imagine no one wants to pay anymore but this is such a vital payment for a vital service that no reasonable person will begrudge the increase.

You have until the 25th of January to let the Director of Resources – Matthew Warren at CFRS HQ know your views.

Geoff in his role as Senior Opposition Member on the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority has spoken out against another year of pay restraint for Members of the Fire & Rescue Service as confirmed in the recent Autumn Financial Statement by the Chancellor as extremely unhelpful and likely to lead too serious hardening of attitudes within the staff – now faced with a 1% rise in pay – when inflation is over 5% and taking staff into a third year of restraint!

Its desparately unfair to folk who give their all – ultimately from time to time expected to make the supreme sacrifice, they did not cause the National Financial mess that the Country is in and yet are being pinned down. More and More is expected of them every year and this is how they get rewarded. At the same time – the Fire Authority leadership insists on keeping the Fire Service component of local Council Tax artificially low – this helps no one and will sooner rather than later bring more problems for years to come. The Public rely and respect their Emergency Services and want them to be properly funded. I will continue to argue that case as we enter the 2012/3 financial period.

Geoff has expressed his worries that the Public Appeal Hearing surrounding the Bell School development off Babraham Road in late January appears to be going over ground which has already been covered and rejected by the City Council on earlier occasions.

I am not at all sure that this Hearing is going to get us much further with regards to the safety of the present rejected proposal for getting vehicles in and out safely from the development. An awful amount of time and energy has been spent trying to push a solution which is judged by all to have significant faults with it. Unless this Hearing is to be a re-run of old arguments i question its value.

Following his own inspection and comments made to him about the condition of footpaths in Alwyne Road – Geoff has been in touch with Highways at Whittlesford and they agree with him that the condition is very poor indeed. It will be added to the Spring list of roads in the area to have attention – probably with a slurry seal, we shall expect an update on timetable in the New Year.

Work has also been carried out in the Hills Road slip road which was in need of attention after Geoff sent photographs to Highways.

The footpath between Field Way and Rotherwick Way has also been reported for inspection.