Reviewing my first three months

I became the Leader of Cambridge City Council at our meeting on June 1, a little over 100 days ago, and it’s been rather busy but intensely rewarding since then and I have I’ve found it stimulating and, in almost every respect, enjoyable. I’m grateful to the Council officers and staff, and my fellow councillors from all parties, who have given me great support. We  all work hard to deliver for everyone in Cambridge.

A major focus has been making sure we can work together effectively with Labour as a minority adminstration – we have fewer than half of the seats on the council and can only make decisions with support from other councillors. 

I said in June that all the parties, have a vital and active role to play in the future success of Cambridge and I think we have managed to bring everyone together, with cross-party consultation, transparency, and a focus on delivering key community priorities that reflect the city’s evolving political landscape. That doesn’t mean we always agree, but we are working to find compromises and ways to be effective.

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Running the Cambridge 10K

I’ve run the Cambridge half-marathon four times – the photo is from 2025, but this year I’m going for the 10K as I wasn’t well enough in the Spring. I’ll admit that I’m partly inspired by the sight of PM Andy Burnham completing the Great North Run but I’m looking forward to seeing my fellow runners again and supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK in their important work.

See you on October 4th – all the details are on the Muscular Dystrophy UK website.

Looking at the cobbles

There’s some concern about the issue of the cobbles in the market square and how they should be treated. I wanted to show you some of the examples of what’s there now, or nearby, and what we’re hoping to do.

In this video you can see the current cobbles and an example of what we propose. And before you ask a ‘sett’ is the name for a rectangular or square cobble stone.

What do you think?

Joining the dots between water, food, and a growing city

Each month I write a column for the Cambridge Independent (online here but it will ask you to acccept coookies or pay) that’s also published on the City Council website.

However I believe in a principle known as POSSE, which stands for Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. You never know when someone else’s site will go away or add a paywall, so it’s worth having your own copy, under your control.

So here it is.

As the leader of Cambridge City Council, I often find myself reflecting on the issues that keep us up at night, not just as politicians, but as neighbours, parents, and members of a vibrant, interconnected community. And the recent hot weather, which has made it hard to sleep for many of us, has given me lots of time to consider the connections between climate change and two of the issues which got me into local politics in the first place – water and food.

Before I became a councillor I studied food policy and campaigned for food security. In 2024 the council’s support for the Cambridge Sustainable Food Partnership helped the city obtain a Gold Award from Sustainable Food Places, recognising Cambridge as leading the way in transforming local food systems to better serve our communities, the environment and the local economy.

However, it was always clear that water supplies in Cambridge were limited and precious, and the needs of farmers, developers and residents sometimes came into conflict. In 2019 I organised awater crisis forum with experts and local people to talk about the wider issues of how to get enough water to support the city as it developed, and the use of water for farming was one of the issues we discussed.

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The future of Market Square

I was on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Dotty McLeod this morning, where I was joined by long-standing market trader Zoe Hardinge to talk about the future of the market, as a planning application is coming to the planning committee next Wednesday.

I know how important the market is to Cambridge, and go there regularly myself. In thinking about its future we want to preserve its vibrant, colourful character of our market while ensuring our stallholders can trade there successfully for years to come. We also want to make sure that the market square itself is a great civic space for everyone, especially in evenings when the market isn’t operating.

During our conversation, Zoe highlighted several practical concerns from experienced traders, particularly around future rent structures and the proposed balance between fixed, open, and demountable stalls. I agreed with her that traders need clarity on these rates so they can plan ahead with confidence. Retaining our existing stallholders and helping them run successful, profitable businesses remains central to our vision, which is why we’re putting in special arrangements to relocate stalls while the work is being carried out.

To make the square fit for modern use, we are also delivering essential background infrastructure. We are upgrading water supplies, drainage, and power across all stalls, replacing the current uneven surfaces with a single level floor for improved accessibility, and moving commercial bins underground to create a cleaner, more hygienic environment. Environmental sustainability is embedded throughout the design, featuring insulated roofs and solar panels on fixed stalls, green roofs on semi-permanent stalls, new tree planting along the northern edge, and the full restoration of the plumbing of the central fountain.

And the layout of the market stalls themselves will adapt as needs change. If future demand shows we need a different proportion of open or demountable space, we have the flexibility to adjust.

Beyond daily trading, Market Square is the civic heart of Cambridge, sitting directly in front of the Guildhall. By using stalls that can be put aside during quieter winter months or special events, we can create an adaptable, welcoming space for wider community gatherings while ensuring permanent traders continue to operate seamlessly year-round. Our ultimate goal is to create a safe, bustling, and beautiful civic space that honours our heritage, supports local businesses, and serves everyone in our community.

Listen here – scroll forward to 2:07:45

“The Soul of Chinese Music”

On Saturday I was at a fabulous concert of Chinese music held in Trinity College Chapel as part of the extensive Cambridge Chinese Music & Culture festival, which is co-hosted by the Cambridge Qin Society, Cambridge University Chinese Orchestra Society and Cambridge Chinese Community Centre.

The concert lived up to its name, The Soul of Chinese Music, and it was a real pleasure to hear the wide variety of musical styles, played on instruments from the guqin, the ehru and the yangqin to the piano and flute, and I especially enjoyed the Guqin Ensemble’s performances.

My good friend and former councillor and mayor Dinah Pounds and her husband Adam were also there to perform, with a beautiful meditation on passing time composed by Adam also on the programme.

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Remembering Jason Arday

This evening there was a vigil to remember Jason Arday, who died on Friday after being hounded by the press and online attackers and was forced to resign his Professorship at Cambridge University.
I am away from Cambridge and couldn’t be there, and I’m grateful to my colleague and friend Councillor Rosy Moore for reading some words on my behalf.

Like every one of my fellow councillors I am shocked and profoundly saddened by the death of Dr Jason Arday. We send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

As a community we will grieve his death and try to learn from what has happened. Nobody should face the pressure Jason was put under, particularly by the excessive, racially-motivated and cruel press coverage. And there are serious questions to answer for the organisations that had a duty of care towards Jason, and whether they did enough to protect him.

We know that much of the coverage was motivated by an attempt to destroy the career of an exceptional black man, and we must not allow those who tormented him to hide behind false protestations of shock or sadness.

Like many of you, I am left wondering what we have lost now that his voice is absent from the academic debate about race and inclusion, and that he will no longer be heard by the Runnymede Trust, the British Sociological Association and the many other places where he brought his insights and expertise. While we grieve Jason’s death today, we also remember and celebrate his legacy.

Thank you

Great to see the new Carter Bridge Murals

There was a lovely event this morning to mark the official launch of the Carter Bridge murals, commissioned by the city council and designed and painted by the team at Art Streets based on a series of community workshops.

The mural at the base of the bridge
The mural at the base of the bridge

International mural artist ATMA led the design work and we now have two wonderful murals, one on the base of the bridge on the station side and one covering the panels on the left as you cycle down into Romsey.

The mural on the Romsey side.. with foxes!
The mural on the Romsey side.. with foxes!

I couldn’t be there today to hear Iona and ATMA talk about the project and its inspiration, but I’ve watched the work progress over the last two weeks and will see it often in future. The Mayor and some of my fellow councillors, including Tim Griffin, were there to represent the city council.

Iona and ATMA from Art Streets in front of the mural
Iona and ATMA from Art Streets in front of the mural

During the project thirty-eight local residents volunteered to help, and they got a well-deserved round of applause to thank them for their work on behalf of their community. And I’d like to add my thanks as a local councillor.

Art Streets are open for commissions: https://www.artstreets.co.uk/

Talking toilets

If you watch yesterday evening’s Look East on BBC iPlayer then there’s a report on the new Silver Street toilets from Mousumi Bakshi where I’m interviewed (it starts at 17:15 if you scroll forward)

It was good to see that the bat box and squat toilets appeared, because I’m very pleased that we have an inclusive space that also supports nature, but I can understand why there’s a focus in the cost, and going from ‘spending a penny’ to spending a pound makes a great headline.

However if we want to keep our toilets clean, safe and well-maintained we have to pay for it. Providing public toilets isn’t a statutory duty for local authorities – though the British Toilets Association has a “Legalise Loos” campaign to change that – and so we have to balance the costs with all the other things the council needs to do.

Some public toilets are free, like those in Lion Yard, and we felt that £1 was a reasonable cost in a place where a lot of visitors to Cambridge are passing. As one person says in the interview, in other European countries paying €1 or €2 for the loo isn’t unusual. We will review the costs regularly.

We are also going to make sure that the signs on the toilet make it a bit clearer that you need to go downstairs, and that the ground floor is the disabled toilet.

You can also read about it on the BBC News website in Phil Shepka’s story or in my blog post from last week. There is also coverage on the City Council website.