Care about St Ives and the surrounding countryside? Got steamed up about a local issue? Read the articles below. You might find your topic already covered, or a new one to send the blood pressure monitor popping.
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Conservative fake news in local election
What's happening to the old St Ives golf course?
St Ives members of the Nasty Party
PCC FACTCHECK : It's official. No more bobbies on the beat.
PCC FACTCHECK : Paying more for less in St Ives.
PCC FACTCHECK : Bobbies on the beat in St Ives.
Local Conservatives are treating St Ives voters as fools
Local Conservatives? You'd be hard pressed to find any on the St Ives Town Council election ballot papers for Thursday 3 May 2018. That's because most of them don't have the courage to stand under the Conservative banner. St Ives Town Council has been successfully run by independent candidates ever since the local Tories attempted to sell off the much-loved Corn Exchange. At election time these independents come together under the banner of 'Independent for St Ives'. Read more...
Where are our police officers?
This website covers issues affecting our beautiful town. Become a Facebook friend and you'll get updated with new topics. And if you know of something worth investigating please get in touch via Facebook, or use the 'Make contact' page.
Conservative fake news in local election
What an appallingly negative and untrue election pitch from Conservative Adam Roberts for the St Ives February local election to replace disgraced Jason Ablewhite. Whilst the other three candidates stick to saying who they are, what they've done and their plans if elected, Roberts repeats the lie that Independents on St Ives Town Council plan to 'flood the areas north of Hill Rise and Marley Road with more than 4,000 homes'. Hardly likely, given they opposed a recent planning application in the same area, to build 130 houses along Old Ramsey Road. Read more...
What's happening to the old St Ives golf course?
St Ives Golf Club sold it's nine hole course on the Houghton Road for building development and moved to its new location off the Needingworth bypass in 2010. The great news was a big chunk of the land abounding the Thicket path would be preserved as country park for the benefit of the town. Nine years on a whole chunk of houses have been built, but the land allocated for the country park has been left to grow wild. Fenced off with ugly steel caging, it can't even be accessed by walkers. So what is happening? Read more...
St Ives members of the Nasty Party
Only too keen to get their mugshots in the local newspapers to trumpet their 'achievements', Ryan Fuller and Jason Ablewhite seem less keen when local journalists ask awkward questions or highlight inaccuracies. They're attempting to intimidate the editor of local free news sheet The Riverporter. The 'deadly' duo aren't averse to applying a bit of intimidation themselves, allegedly witnessed ganging up on an opposition Councillor who subsequently made a formal complaint about the incident. Read more...
PCC FACTCHECK : It's official. No more bobbies on the beat.
In answer to commentary about the rarity of seeing a police officer in St Neots, even in a car, and several attendees expressing a wish for more visible policing, what was our Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite's response? The modern police force would not be returning to a "nostalgic era" of bobbies on the beat. Apparently community policing has become too reactive. But Cambridgeshire Police's own evidence shows targeted bobbies on the beat works. Read more...
PCC FACTCHECK : Paying more for less in St Ives.
Police & Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite is at it again. In the Hunts Post 10 January 2019 he's asking for an increase of £24 a year in the police element of our council tax. And in running a survey he's using the classic choice trick to get what he wants. Faced with increases of £4, £24 or £120 a year, he's hoping you won't be mean nor extravagant, going for his recommendation of £24. There's no option for a zero increase. Mr Ablewhite's choice of £24 is not driven by careful budget calculation. Read more...
PCC FACTCHECK : Bobbies on the beat in St Ives.
In the Hunts Post in December 2018, our Police & Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite explained the lack of bobbies on the beat was partly because 'a lot of crimes these days ... are cyber crime, which a lot of time will require officers to sit behind a desk and investigate.' When asked how many cyber crimes were committed in Cambridgeshire, Mr Ablewhite's office replied that he does not hold the information requested. Does that mean he doesn't know? And surely cyber crime requires skills beyond the ability of the average bobbie. Read more...
Local Conservatives are treating St Ives voters as fools
Local Conservatives? You'd be hard pressed to find any on the St Ives Town Council election ballot papers for Thursday 3 May 2018. That's because most of them don't have the courage to stand under the Conservative banner. St Ives Town Council has been successfully run by independent candidates ever since the local Tories attempted to sell off the much-loved Corn Exchange. At election time these independents come together under the banner of 'Independent for St Ives'. Read more...
Where are our police officers?
How many officers are allocated to police St Ives? You might think very few, based on visibility. It's infrequent an officer of any kind is seen around the town. Generally the view is of them flashing by in a police car. It is a truly rare event to see a uniform on the streets. So what's your estimate? A couple? Three? Based on a Freedom of Information request, the average number of officers allocated to police St Ives in 2017 was almost nine. Really? Where were they, and what were they doing? Read more...
What's happening at The Dolphin Hotel?
The Dolphin Hotel is a bit of a puzzle at present. In fact, has been for a while. Bought in February 2017 by newly-formed Cambridge Hotels, Ravi Gupta, Director and General Manager, promised major renovations, room upgrades and changes to the menu. Cuisine similar to TGI Friday's and Nando's were to be introduced, a sports bar too. Ten months on and changes have been somewhat underwhelming, ad hoc and, in some cases, amateurish. Read more...
£1.4 million cycle track
Driven out to Bluntisham recently? Then you may have noticed roadworks as you approach the village. Well, less roadworks than cycle track works. Lasting six weeks. The County Council have been gradually creating a cycle track between Needingworth and Bluntisham. The original estimate for the complete track was £420,000 when tentatively proposed in the 2006 St Ives Market Town Transport Strategy. The current estimate is £1.4 million to completion. Read more...
St Ives misses out on infrastructure investment
You might have read in last week's Hunts Post of Cllr Fuller announcing funds for a feasibility study into a new river crossing for Huntingdon. One of three studies for Huntingdonshire, the other two being a new river crossing for St Neots and improvements to the Huntingdon A141. With Huntingdon and St Neots getting such attention, you might wonder as you struggle to commute in and out of St Ives what improvements are planned for our own overstretched roads. Read more...
Another fine planning mess for St Ives
Every weekday morning motorists struggle to drive out of St Ives towards the A14. For anyone starting from the north of St Ives that battle is going to get a whole lot worse. Morrisons new supermarket will be opening early in 2018 beside the Marsh Harrier. Fast food providers McDonald's, Subway and Costa Coffee will be moving into new units to be built in the paddock just off Stock's Bridge Way. And planning permission has been granted for a new Aldi store at Compass Point. Read more...
Huntingdonshire District Council speculating on the property market
There was a rather stunning quotation from Councillor Rob Howe in a Hunts Post article dated Wednesday 26 July 2017. Headed 'Council builds portfolio as part of investment drive', Councillor Howe explained how HDC had spent £9,000,000 buying a retail park in Suffolk and an office block in Hertfordshire. The eye-catching quotation is 'So if Huntingdon went into decline we would lose a lot of money simultaneously...' The District Council are speculating on the property market? Really? Read more...
Building development plans
Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) have dropped plans for a major new development of 3,750 homes at RAF Wyton. The prime reason, money is not available in the short term to develop the required infrastructure. Developers have identified alternative greenfield sites much nearer to St Ives. The combined housing for these areas is estimated as 2,950. That's 4,000 additional cars per day onto the roads around St Ives. An additional 5,000 children would need schooling. Read more...
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