A recent BBC television programme 'Burning Issues' relayed concern from some people about how cement works around the country are becoming interested in burning what are classed by the cement works as 'Secondary Liquid Fuels'. The Rugby Cement works at Barrington is currently burning 'Secondary Liquid Fuels' on a trial basis. 'Secondary Liquid Fuels' are in fact cocktails of dangerous chemicals which are normally disposed of in purpose built incinerators. People are concerned that the cement kilns are putting the purpose built incinerators out of business and that the regulation of the burning of dangerous chemicals at the cement kilns is less strict than at the purpose built facilities.
At a recent meeting chaired by Sir Anthony Grant (MP for S.W. Cambs.) at Harston Village Hall, John Newton, Rugby's Operation's Manager promised to 'throw open' the doors of the works to anyone who wants to see whats going on - in a gesture somewhat reminiscent of a certain Cumbrian nuclear power station. At the meeting, HM Inspectorate of Pollution official, Martin Leech fielded questions.
Afterwards Grant said that he thought that people were reassured. However, a spokesperson for the group set up by concerned residents, Camair 95 (of which no speakers were invited), disagreed.
The Rugby Cement Works in Barrington is burning dangerous chemical waste - dispersing heavy metal and dioxin waste over a fall-out area which includes Cambridge. Rugby Cement recieves money from the government for the disposal of these chemicals.
The original application that the Works made to burn these dangerous waste materials was turned down because the plant's proposal didn't meet requirements layed down by Her Majety's Inspectorate of Pollution. However the Inspectorate did give permission to the plant to burn dangerous waste in 'trials'. Experts on the recent television program maintained that dioxin emissions from the cement works were less than those from other, unregulated incinerators.
People are concerned that the cocktail of dangerous substances named as 'Secondary Liquid Fuel' by the Rugby Cement should be classified properly as 'waste' and that the places where it is burnt should be 'waste incinerators'.
More about Barrington waste burning.
MP for Cambridge, Anne Campbell, has been campaigning to provide facilities for free access to the Internet in some public places.
Also, trials are being carried out in the city of an interactive television system.
Some pubs in Cambridge are reacting to the 'Free Press' of Prospect Row decision to go 'no smoking' by advertising areas in their pubs where smokers are welcome. However, Chris & Debbie Lloyd who have run the 'Free Press' for almost 17 years and who made it a 'smoke free' zone two and a half years ago, say that they are busier now than they ever have been.
East Cambridgeshire District Council have supported plans for £250,000 to be spent on the Town Centre. Some rebuilding with 'quality' materials will take place. Plans include the positioning of video cameras in an effort to deter crime. Philip Kratz from the town council thinks that the war memorial should be moved away from a traffic island on the high street where it "does not have the dignity it deserves".
Last Friday the father of a 10 year old Mid - Anglia girl lost a two day long court case that was faught to establish the legality of the Cambridge health authority's decision not to treat the child with chemotherapy in an attempt to cure her leukaemia.
Steve Thornton, chief executive of the Cambridge and Huntingdon Health Commission said that the cost of the treatment (£75,000) was not a factor in their decision not to go ahead with the treatment. The treatment would be considerably traumatic and offer only a slim chance of survival.
However, a mystery benefactor has provided the required sum of money for girl to be treated privately. Dr. Peter Gravett, consultant haemotologist of Harley Street will probably carry out the operation. Although he says the girl's chances of survival are only 10-20%, he is delighted that the money has been found.
Brain child of former science teacher John Abbott, 'Quest' is stirring up much interest amongst academics and industrialists alike.
Abbott's idea is reckoned to cost £15 million, will be based in Cambridge and will provide local people and tourists access to a Hall of Science and Discovery, a planetarium, workshops, film theatre, computer simulations and a section devoted to 'super- highway' computer technology.
Funding is expected to come from the Millennium Commission - which anticipates to be able to contribute sums of between £10 million and £50 million to a dozen or so large capital projects around the country. Mr. Abbott's efforts have already raked in around £80.000 from 20 or so local businesses and councils.
Last week cows left to graze on Midsummer Common discovered that they could get through access barriers - causing the parks and recreation manager to get numerous complaints. Unfortunately - making the barriers harder to get through for the cows also made them harder to get through for people - especially those with bicycles and pushchairs, causing yet more complaints. The council have arranged to have the barriers returned to their original state. They will have to think of other ways of keeping them in - or will have to keep them somewhere else until they get fatter.
Work is due to start on the replacement of a sewage drain under Midsummer Common in July - after the Midsummer Fair. The whole project will take about a year. Work will start at the Four Lamps Roundabout at the junction on Victoria Avenue and Maid's Causeway and is likely to cause disruption in that area for around two months.
The dangerous traffic conditions on the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon have come under a spot light since a recent crash causing the death of two people. The crash is among an increasingly large number happening on this stretch of road.
The traffic on the A14 has increased by 60 per cent since access between it and the M1 and M6 motorways was improved less than a year ago. The increased traffic has caused bumper-to-bumper driving at high speed to become common place.
The Cambridge Evening News reports that Coun John Reynolds is set to ask the local authorities Policy Committee to have safety measures incorporated as soon as possible. Normally he would have had to have waited until the motion had been been discussed at a full council meeting before taking further action. However, since no one will question the urgency of improving safety on the road, he has been able to brush aside some of the red tape.
Safety measures that might be introduced in the near future include closing the lay-bys and introducing a fifty mile an hour speed limit.
County Councollor Dave Kelleway says he will be continuing his scheme to provide free or cheap bus fares for unemployed people.
Kelleway wants the council to spend an estimated £75,000 on a scheme which will facilitate the search for work by the unemployed. He says the council and the districts would make up the money that the bus companies lose in fares.
Cambridge and Peterborough city councils run subsidised bus schemes for the unemployed but East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and East Huntingdonshire District Councils will not join a county wide scheme. Kelleway says "cheap fares are very important in the rural areas where the unemployed may have to travel long distances seeking work".
The Cambridge University department of psychiatry are looking for volunteers who suffer from depression to help them with a study aimed at finding better ways of treating the disease.
Researchers will be trying to establish the relative benefits of prolonged drug treatments over other forms of treatment including cognitive therapy where patients are incouraged to talk about themselves and identify in themselves the kind of negative thinking that leads to feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem.
Wednesday 12th April is 'Defeat Depression Day' promoted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Since business rates are now determined by central government, the Business Rates Consultation Team established in the 1980's is to be replaced by a new consultation programme between Cambridgeshire business leaders and the County Council. The revamped organisation is called the 'Cambridgeshire Strategic Business Forum'. It is set to have an annual meeting with the county council regarding the council's budget and will meet throughout the year to discuss other topics such as policies on transportation, economic development and education.
The theft of prizes for an event to be staged by the Spastics Society from a storage facility in the East Road area may mean that six year old Melanie Speed of Cambridge's trip to the Peto Institute for intensive physio and speech therapy next month may be in jeopardy.
The society needs to raise £1000 by the beginning of May for Melanie's treatment at the Peto Institute in Hungary.
Donations to the society would be welcome. Phone them on 01223 276829.
Any information about the theft should be given to Cambridge Police on 01223 358966.
Anne Campbell, MP for Cambridge and member of the Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology is introducing a Bill that aims to prevent discrimination against people who suffer from genetically inherited diseases.
The Bill is required because it is now possible to identify people with a genetic predisposition to disorders such as Alzhiemers disease, cystic fybrosis and breast cancer. Mrs. Campbell is taking action to prevent employers and insurance companies discriminating against these people.
John Bullamore will be joining a 15 lorry convoy to a rehabilitation centre for the 'forgotten children' of Chernobyl at Chernigov in the Ukraine. He will be helping with new hydrotherapy equipment.
The charity organising the expedition, British Aid for Deprived Children still needs cash for extra items such as multi-vitamins and baby milk.
If you can help, you can contact John at the Unit Works Stores, Estates and Facilities, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, tel 01223 217097. Cheques should be made payable to British Aid for Deprived Children.
After 140 teachers are made redundant and natural wastage there will probably be 200 less teachers in the county next year. This follows the recent decision made by councillors to reduce next years budget by four million pounds.
There is, however, much talk of councils around the country setting illegal budgets and spending more than the Government allows.
The proposed straw burning power station at the Elean Business Park in Sutton near Ely has been ruled against by East Cambridgeshire District Council on the grounds that it would make an unacceptable impact on the fenland landscape.
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