Cllr Lucius Vellacott on Soham 3G Sports Pitch completion

I am delighted to see Soham’s 3G Sports Pitch finished. This project benefited from funding from ECDC raised from housing developments, as well as an enormous drive of local fundraising.

It will serve as a hub for sport in the town all year round and I can’t wait to be at the opening soon.

The Tiger On Demand bus service continues to serve both Soham and Wicken, but it runs at a high cost to the taxpayer.

I am working with Combined Authority mayor Paul Bristow to find a time-tabled solution, but we need to prove how important this service is so that we can improve it further.

Use the Tiger On Demand app or call: 01480 595440, from Monday-Saturday to book.

The double yellow lines on Fountain Lane and Red Lion Square are due to be renewed, with the High Street and Co-Op areas due soon.

We continue to work closely with the police to get proper enforcement of these hotspot areas.

Congratulations to Kingfisher Bridge Nature Reserve on their 20th anniversary.

Why not get a Tiger bus to visit the water buffalo?

Further afield, I continue to be disappointed with the Government’s position on local government.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill seeks to remove democratic oversight of smaller applications and place the often-controversial burden on officers alone.

I brought a motion to the council which told the Government how opposed to this we are, and work begins to keep councillors involved wherever the new law allows.

Alongside this, residents are being forced into reorganisation which will make councils more distant and more expensive to the taxpayers of East Cambridgeshire.

We need truly local and value-for-money councils, which is what we will fight for, no matter the geography which is decided by the government.

This is especially true in light of higher taxation and bills all round.

August is a quiet month at the council, but I am always around for chat via lucius.vellacott@eastcambs.gov.uk.