Some locals feel their village is ‘left behind’ by a district council

Cottenham locals say their village is at the “back of the queue” in local politics, ahead of elections this week. People across Cambridgeshire, including South Cambridgeshire, will cast their vote in local elections on Thursday (May 7).

Several Cottenham residents have shared what they’d like to see from those elected to South Cambridgeshire District Council. All seats are up for re-election across the district council. You can see a full list of candidates here.

Paul Whitcombe would like to see more of a focus placed on the village, as he feels that Cottenham is treated as being at the “back of the queue”. He added: “I think Cottenham is not well-served by South Cambridgeshire. It’s frustrating.”

Paul would also like to see more work done on the village roads. He said: “More needs to be done for the potholes. To give you an idea, I had to get a new tyre because I hit a pothole. You can’t talk to the district council about it because it’s a highway issue.”

Paul also feels it’s “difficult” to navigate local government in Cambridgeshire as a whole. He added: “We have an elected mayor, we have a combined authority, we have several district councils and we have a county council. This is a county of around 700,000 people, and we have so much governance.”

From those elected, Paul also wants to see improvements to village broadband, transport, and access to green spaces. He added: “There are no benefits to the guided busway. We have a declining bus service. It’s also hard to get to the countryside. There is one place called Les King Wood.

“You need to drive to get to it. Also with the broadband, I used to have Virgin but that was too expensive. I then went to BT. I’m right in the centre of the village, but the broadband is patchy. There is an absence of speed. There is a sense the village is back of the queue when it comes to things like this.”

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, similarly said that she feels the village is “forgotten about”. She added: “For any problem there is, it feels like we are always last for sorting things like potholes. I know that is a problem everywhere, but it feels like it takes ages for one small pothole to be filled.”

The woman also feels broadband is a problem. She added: “The broadband in the area needs sorting. We have been promised faster, but we still don’t have top speeds. I just want to see more of a focus on the village and for it to not be left behind.”

Other villagers would also like to see elected district councillors push the county council to improve Cottenham’s roads. Adam McDermott said: “The roads have bumps everywhere. I hate driving down some roads because I worry my tyre is going to pop.

“It would just be nice for those elected to do more for the village. It feels like sometimes we are missing out or are the last to get benefits.”

With polls open across Scotland, voting in person is simpler than many realise

Polling stations across Scotland are open today (May 7) from 7:00 am until 10:00 pm, giving voters all day to cast their ballot in the Scottish Parliament election. If you’re registered to vote, you should already have received a poll card in the post telling you when to vote and which polling station to attend.

But despite what many people assume, you do not need to bring your poll card with you in order to vote in person. As official guidance from the government website clearly states: “You can still vote if you’ve lost your poll card. You do not have to take your card with you to vote.”

The key thing is that you can only vote at the polling station listed on your card. If you are unsure where to go – or never received your card – you should contact your electoral registration office to confirm your polling place. If you need to do this, the number for your electoral registration office can be found here on the government website.

For Holyrood elections, voting in person is extremely straight forward, as all you need to place a vote is yourself. Additionally there is no requirement to present photo ID in Scottish Parliament or local government elections, unlike UK general elections.

This means that when you arrive at your polling station, the process is simple. You just need to give your name and address to the staff inside, who will check your details and hand you a ballot paper. You can then head to a booth, follow the instructions on the ballot paper and cast your vote.

Do you need to bring a pen?

The quick answer is no as all polling stations will provide what you need.

The Electoral Commission says pencils are handed out at the polling stations. They say pencils are usually supplied for practical reasons including cost and reliability, and stress that “there’s no reason to be concerned” about vote tampering if you vote in pencil.

In a video posted last year, the Electoral Commission also warned that using a pen can sometimes create problems if the ink smudges.

“Ink from a pen might smudge when you fold your ballot paper in half, causing your vote to be unclear, or your cross might have rubbed into a second box in an election where you can only vote for one candidate which would then disqualify your vote,” a spokesperson for the organisation said.

That being said, voters are able to bring their own writing equipment if they prefer and “you don’t have to use the pencil that the polling station provides”.

The most important thing is simply getting there before polls close at 10:00 pm – with or without your polling card.

Team Jak Foundation provides emotional, social and practical support to children and young people from birth to the age of 25 with cancer and related illnesses, as well as their families, friends and those who have been bereaved, across Scotland.

A Livingston-based charity has secured a further £5,000 after receiving the highest number of votes from Scotmid members at the Society’s AGM in Edinburgh, having already been awarded £5,000 through in-store member voting.

Team Jak Foundation provides emotional, social and practical support to children and young people from birth to the age of 25 with cancer and related illnesses, as well as their families, friends and those who have been bereaved, across Scotland.

Team Jak was awarded the funding through Scotmid’s Member Choice Awards, which give Scotmid members a direct say in how community funding is distributed in their local area.

READ MORE: Supermarket giant calls on West Lothian shoppers to take on Supermarket Sweep

The funding will support resources, crafts and activities for the charity’s Teen sessions, helping create a supportive space for young people to connect with others going through similar experiences.

The Member Choice Awards sit alongside Scotmid’s wider community grants and donations, which together support more than 1,000 organisations every year

Learn more about Scotmid’s community funding at https://scotmid.coop/community-funding

READ MORE: West Lothian town may soon have its own dental practice

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Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said five fire engines were called to the blaze at around 6.20pm on May 6 at the junction of Common Lane and Ellesmere Street in Tyldesley.

Crews from Atherton, Hindley, Leigh and Farnworth fire stations attended and worked to bring the fire under control.

A GMFRS spokesperson said: “At around 6.20pm on Wednesday 6 May, five fire engines from Atherton, Hindley, Leigh and Farnworth fire stations attended a derelict building at the junction of Common Lane and Ellesmere Street, Tyldesley.

“Firefighters were on the scene extinguishing a fire involving a derelict farmhouse using hose reel.

“Operations have been scaled back but fire crews remain at the scene at this time.”

Firefighters used hose reels to tackle the blaze, with operations later reduced as the situation improved.

However, crews continue to remain in attendance as they deal with the aftermath of the fire.

A radio system is wreaking havoc on train services across southern England this morning, with passengers warned of severe disruption.

Seven train companies have been affected: CrossCountry, Gatwick Express, Great Western Railway, London Overground, Southern, South Western Railway and Thameslink.

The fault has been placed in a radio system, used so that the driver and signaller can communicate.

South Western Railway said their engineers haven’t yet found where the fault is, and they don’t have an ETA as to when services will resume.