My Name is Russ McPherson and I have represented Cherry Hinton ward since May 2004, when I was elected in the last set of all-up elections which. We have lived in Cherry Hinton since 1983 although Carole, having been born in Cambridge, is a truly ‘local’ girl.

Over the last fifteen years I have worked as the Security Student Liaison Manager at Cambridge Regional College, before moving on to another role in the College as First Aid Instructor in September 2019. I also volunteer as a local Community First Responder attached to the Ambulance Service. Carole & I are both members of the Cherry Hinton Royal British Legion, selling poppies every year and me playing pipes at the Station Road War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday for around 20 years. We are also members of Friends of St Andrew’s Church Cherry Hinton, where we were married in 1978, and of the Cherry Hinton Residents Association.

So, for me the best thing about being a local Councillor is to represent the village that we have made our lives in, and the one that Carole has lived in for most of her life. We know many residents and they know us, so it’s a really great feeling to be able to make a small difference in our community. We can’t solve everything that’s for sure, but we will always do the very best we can to resolve issues and support the community on a day-to-day basis. After all, it’s our home too and they’re our neighbours.

I am re-standing in May, because Cherry Hinton is so important to me and Carole. We are in the middle of some potentially huge changes in Cherry Hinton in the coming years. I want to be able to represent our community to help ensure that we are not swamped with over-development and unwanted traffic. I also want to continue my involvement in the on-going task of successfully completing the extension to our library which will bring a much needed community hub to our village – at present we don’t have anything like that. It’s vitally important that, even though progress will happen, I want that progress to be right for Cherry Hinton residents and for us to maintain our identity even through all the changes happening and the changes yet to come.

My areas of responsibility on the council are firstly (and even in this Covid year) as Mayor of the city for the second time – although this time has been very different indeed. I’ve been chair of the Labour group for the past ten years, Lead Cllr for Community Safety and Standards and a member of the Licensing committee. I was also chair of the Civic Affairs committee for four years until 2020.

For me, community safety and working with the emergency services has always been important and matches my skill set well, having worked closely with Cambs Police and others for well over 35 years. I believe that safety on our streets, and tackling County Lines drug issues is a huge priority for us. This, along with high housing standards for our residents are issues that go hand-in-hand. Over this past year addressing homelessness has been a priority – I’m pleased to say that our excellent housing policy and ongoing commitment to providing accommodation for those who find themselves on street during Covid continues to be very successful.