Integrated Recession Plan needed from Cambridge councils says Labour

19 November 2008

Cambridge Labour Councillors are calling for concerted action by Cambridge councils, a new action group with Cambridge businesses, and greater council urgency in tackling the recession locally.

Labour Councillors want a major focus to be on delivering affordable and other housing.

Cambridgeshire councils are meeting as 'Cambridgeshire Together' on Thursday 20/11 but no concerted recession initiative has yet emerged, which local Labour councillors describe as disappointing given the scale and urgency of the challenge.

Cambridge Labour Councillors are calling for

1 - a major review on housing delivery and development sites plus the potential of large empty city council sites like Clay Farm and its part of Arbury park (called K1), with major potential working with with housing associations to build for sale as well as for affordable rental

2 - urgent work to fix up developments like Arbury Park, where builders have left the site, to make living conditions acceptable for residents already there

3 - a joint action group with local business including analysis every three months on the Cambridge economy, so that there is joint action, and local businesses and residents also have full information on future projections and opportunities

4 - targeting of advice and support to people most hurt by the recession and detailed poverty analysis in 2009

5 - investigation of potential for secure investment by local councils in the local economy, given that councils are having problems investing money and lenders are having problems borrowing.

Councillor Lewis Herbert, Leader of the City Labour Group said 'Cambridge faces totally different challenges in 2009, and that requires an urgent wholesale review and retargeting of council and private sector resources, and new joint action particularly on housing and development projects.

'We want to see a 2009 city budget targeting the recession as the number one priority, so that every £ of our scarce council resources is used wisely next year.'