Thank you to all the residents of Soham who came to speak to me recently at my open meeting.
Constituents raised several important issues, not least:
The future of Staploe Medical Centre
It’s positive that Mereside Medical has submitted a planning application for expansion in recent weeks and I have written to East Cambridgeshire District Council’s Planning Committee to signal my backing. I also continue to call for a fair revaluation of the costs by the District Valuer’s Office and the funding required from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Parking issues
I understand that many residents and shop owners have been impacted by illegal parking in the town. I contacted Cllr Anna Bailey about this again in the last week and I am pleased to confirm that the council’s proposed parking enforcement volunteer scheme is due to undergo a pilot in the Spring.
Digital exclusion of the elderly
I met with the County Council and Ely Library about this matter recently. To help people struggling to engage on digital platforms, the Department for Science and Technology has negotiated high quality, low cost broadband and mobile tariffs for poorer residents, while the ‘Gigabit’ rollout of ultra-fast broadband has begun in Fen Ditton and Milton, with more of East Cambs on the way.
