Geoff has written to the Chief Executive’s of both the Primary Care Trust and the Mental Health Foundation Trust about worries expressed to him by staff and the Friends of Fulbourn Hospital that pressure is growing concerning the number of acute beds needed at the Hospital - and information he has been given that suggests that more and more folk needing acute care are having to be sent further afield - causing problems for them and their families.

Community Care is all very well for those who can be assisted - but many cannot and need the security and support that an acute setting provides, it is clearly the case that with rising population and more people suffering serious mental health difficulties that there should be an adequate level of acute beds staffed and available.

Geoff in his role as County Liberal Democrat Spokes for Health - which includes children has re=acted angrily to the outcome of a Serious Case Review into the death of a young child known as Child A - which has been recently presented to the County Council and Primary Care Trust. The report in its executive summary is littered with the theme of agencies like Health, Schools, Children’s Socialcare and Police simply not ensuring that worries expressed to them by neighbours and other’s were properly and effectively acted upon, which could have helped get practical assistance in earlier and helped this child.

Agencies are far too keen to protect their backs, protect their empires and not use good old common sense in acting and sensing when things are seriously going wrong.

I am fed to the back teeth of reading report after report that says - “We will learn the lessons - they fail to do so because of the protective walls that get erected to save individual empires, this has to change and be coupled with Senior Managers and where applicable Senior Politicians considering their positions when things go wrong - and not hide behind collective oh well we have done our best.

If a child dies, you have failed, hold up your hand and resign.

Geoff has met on site with officers from the County Council, Cambridge Water and May Gurney in an effort to bring the whole saga which surrounds the condition of the highway to a conclusion once and for all. This has been a particularly frustrating and long journey not least in ensuring that officers at the Council see the problem through - rather than has happened in the past - hand the problem around and get nowhere.

I am at last a little more optimistic that the officer now given the task has got the bit between his teeth to see things move and finally close on this whole episode.

Geoff has joined other City based County Councillors in raising concerns about the allocation of resources for local primary schools - and whether in just a few years time when developments like Clay Farm and Bell School are carried out - there will be sufficient places available for new pupils - as well as the physical constraints of a School like Queen Edith’s Primary which has had very little in the way of investment for some considerable number of years.

I am already involved with Officers at ways in which things can improve - but as always we need more evidence, more questions answered and a confirmation from the County Council that we will be treated as a priority School for new cash.

Geoff has been in touch with Cambridgeshire Highways at Whittlesford to complain about the way in which a variety of different pieces of work are being carried out at a number of locations, the dumping of equipment, the tearing up of the verges and the damage that is being caused - seeking an assurance that damage inflicted will be put right when the work is completed. We await results of enquiries.