Specialist planters designed to protect cash machines and stores from ram-raiders have been installed outside Histon Tesco Express. The location is one of 14 “high-risk sites” identified as part of a £100,000 initiative.
Ram raiding is a type of burglary where criminals drive a vehicle into a building, often one with a cash machine, to help them access property or cash to steal. It is said the heavy duty concrete planters can withstand the force of being hit by a vehicle or machinery.
The completed planters at the Cambourne Co-op. Photo: SCDC
Two were installed at the Tesco Express on 11 April, one close to the ATM and another near the car park. But the Council has explained there has been a delay with planting because of heavy rain over the Easter weekend and that the guttering from the Tesco Express building has been leaking into one of the planters.
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A South Cambridgeshire District Council spokesperson said the Histon planters will be planted up “asap”, once the repairs to the gutter have been carried out.
She added the same planters have been installed at the Co-op in Cambourne, and are “looking lovely, whilst doing an important job for our rural communities”.
In the meantime, residents have commented on social media about the new Tesco Express planters, with one joking it had become “a water feature” since it was installed. Another described it as “a total eyesore”.
‘Total eyesore’
Another planter has been placed next to the Tesco Express car park. Photo: HI HUB
One resident said: “Tesco roof gutter has been overflowing at that point for ages, so will continue to receive excess water after rainfall until that is fixed. Even if holes [are] drilled to allow drainage for planting, the volunteers’ work to make this nice will be ruined.”
SCDC says the planting and upkeep of the planters will be the responsibility of the Parish Council.
Gutter to be fixed
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are working to fix the gutter at our Histon Express as quickly as possible, and thank customers for their patience as the work is completed.”
He added the store remains open as usual and that Tesco will provide updates on the works progress.
The £100,000 funding for the project to install heavy duty planters across South Cambridgeshire District Council has been provided by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
With the County Council and Mayoral elections just a few weeks away, HI HUB has invited those standing the opportunity to introduce themselves to our community.
Both have five candidates in the running, representing the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Reform UK parties.
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Each confirmed candidate was invited to first introduce themselves to potential voters, and also to answer the following question pertaining to hyperlocal community journalism: If you were to be elected, what are your plans regarding supporting the growth and sustainability of independent and local news? Each was asked to do this in 300 words or less.
Here are their responses in alphabetical party order unedited and unabridged.
Mayoral Candidates
Conservative : Paul Bristow
I’m Paul Bristow. I live in Wansford, a village just outside Peterborough, where I was the local MP. My parents were NHS nurses and I grew up in Whittlesey, on the Fens. Villages like Histon and Impington represent the best of Cambridgeshire, as does this fantastic local news site.
I want to make the Mayor matter to you:
Dual our major A-Roads – Our major roads, like the A10, need to be dual carriageways. As Mayor, I will designate a Key Route Network, get the plans in place and ensure that funding is prioritised.
Connect with faster trains – I’ll ensure a much faster Peterborough-Ely-Cambridge service, using new rail powers for Mayors. The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement will remove the bottleneck on local lines.
Scrap the failing GCP – The Greater Cambridge Partnership is a disaster. It tried and failed to impose congestion charging. Now it wants to put bonkers busways through unspoilt countryside. I’ll get it scrapped.
Deliver the Fens reservoir – Water shortages are a huge issue for our region. Getting the new Fens reservoir built is essential, but political leadership has been lacking. It needs to happen now.
Build light rail in Cambridge – With Cambridge expanding and talk about 150,000 new homes, it’s time for a light rail solution. I will make light rail a precondition of the government’s growth plans.
End the war on motorists – Labour and the Lib Dems voted to force 15% of cars off all local roads by 2030. That requires road charging or closures. I want good alternatives, like light rail, but I will never punish drivers.
Stop increasing our tax – Labour’s Mayor put a charge on our council tax, then trebled it, then tried again. I will never increase the mayoral precept.
I think independent and local news is incredibly important – and when I’m Mayor, I’m going to do everything I can to support them. HI HUB does a great job keeping people informed of what’s relevant to Histon and Impington. That’s such a valuable thing for the local community. Everyone from the Mayor down should be engaging, so that projects of this kind can succeed.
Together, let’s get Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving.
Business & Charity Background – Bob has lived in Cambridgeshire for 45 years, and is currently the programme lead for FutureIN, which gives disadvantaged young people employment opportunities in construction. He works for two other social enterprises. Having directed the Cambridge office of a national construction company for 15 years, he understands business, is passionate about sustainability, and the importance of developing the skills of the local workforce.
Tackling Inequality – Bob will focus on tackling the cost of living crisis. He wants to invest to end homelessness, fight for tenants rights and campaign for rent controls. He says more social housing is essential because affordable housing simply isn’t.
Transport – Bob wants to see more buses, running more frequently on more routes, with tap-on tickets that are capped. He says we must continue to invest in active travel, and maintain existing roads rather than build new ones. He doesn’t support the proposed new busways, saying there are better solutions, and would like the East West Rail to go north of Cambridge with a stop in St Neots.
Growth – The region is growing but it needs to be properly managed, prioritising the needs of the many over those of the few. He would focus on increasing support for small businesses and growing the green economy. He wants to see new housing developments using renewables – and including community facilities in them, and says that we must insulate our homes.
Environment – Bob says we cannot ignore the looming water crisis any longer and will take action to address it. He also wants to see more space for nature across the region.
Local and independent news is more important than ever before. In a fake news and misinformation news cycle, local independent news is vital in an ever changing world. We’ve seen the rise of the far right across the world in recent years, and we must learn how to tackle the spread of misinformation.
There are new ways for young people to get news, from the likes of Tik Tok and how this can radicalise young people.
By working with local independent news, we can work together to see a new dynamic of getting the right news to everyone.
My name’s Anna Smith and I’m Labour’s candidate for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor.
I am standing to be your Mayor because I believe I am the best placed candidate to deliver change for our region. I live in Cambridge and work in Peterborough. I know what matters to people who live here.
Since I became your candidate, I have been speaking to voters across the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – from Wittering to Whittlesford. And time and again I am hearing the same thing – people just want things to work.
That’s why my plan is based on our shared priorities – fixing our roads, building the infrastructure we need for our growing towns and making sure you can access NHS services when and where you need them. None of these things are unreasonable to expect. But after 14 years of Conservative government they feel unattainable. And that’s simply not good enough.
This election is for ALL of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, which includes both Labour and Conservative strongholds. Across the whole of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough only Labour or the Conservatives can win.
The choice on the 1st of May couldn’t be clearer: either return to Conservative chaos or a Labour Mayor with a proven track record of delivering for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As your Labour Mayor I promise to work with all of our councils, regardless of their political make up. And as a Labour Mayor I promise to work with our Labour government to deliver the change that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough needs. And that includes supporting independent and local news organisations by continuing to engage and support them as well as looking at how we can support them through training opportunities for journalists of the future.
I’ve lived near Ely since 2009, and have been a district councillor in East Cambridgeshire since 2014 and a county councillor since 2016. I’m an experienced campaigner with a proven track record.
I’m standing to be Mayor because this is a pivotal election, in which we need to address the challenges facing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and to seize the opportunities ahead of us. And I have a plan for real change. I’ll…
Work with local health and social care services and MPs to save our NHS and improve access to GP, dental and hospital care.
Join forces with local councils to lobby Government for the money we need to fix our rapidly dilapidating roads.
Proceed with bus franchising, but go much further, exploring opportunities to connect our county better including light rail and trams.
Protect our rivers and green spaces.
Prioritise genuinely affordable housing—not the Conservatives’ ‘£100K homes’ gimmicks.
Ensure young people can access the skills they need for the jobs of the future.
We really don’t need a return to the neglect of the Conservatives, or the failure of Labour. We need a Mayor who will stand up to the Government on behalf of local people and put the needs of our area first and foremost.
Community news outlets like HI HUB do great work in our communities, providing trusted local news in challenging circumstances where business models are changing fast. As Mayor I’d want to build positive relationships with local community journalism, including facilitating partnership with local colleges, and raising the profile of local news providers. Ultimately the sustainability of community journalism is about finding the right balance of income from advertising, subscription and sponsorship; and state support from Government including access to statutory public notices.
As you can probably appreciate I am constantly under attack from those who are ill-informed by one sided journalism, I am a free speech advocate, I welcome all independent and balanced news broadcasters, and this extends to the local community broadcasters as well, it is crucial for people to receive free opinions, free thinking journalism and local news. I am in full support of this.
About me: I am deeply connected to Cambridgeshire; I was born in Histon, studied at Impington Village College, Hills Road Sixth Form and Cambridge University, before working locally as a landscape designer. During the pandemic I volunteered as the coordinator for Cambridge Community Kitchen and was a team leader at Waterbeach Foodbank.
My team and I have spoken to over 1000 local residents in Histon, Impington and Orchard Park over the past six months to find the issues that matter most to our community. The main ones raised on the door step were; the need for safer streets, for more regular and direct buses and the desire for better facilities for young people. If elected, I would work hard to solve these problems. I would also push for housing developments to include high quality and sustainable social housing. I would advocate for the regeneration of our countryside to increase habitat creation. I will be a voice for young people in this ward who are bearing the brunt of the mental health crisis due to climate-anxiety and lack of amenity investment. I hope to put local people and our natural world back at the heart of our communal decision making.
Local media has been crushed by multi-billion pound media tycoons that saturate the market. A thriving local media is essential for a functioning democracy. Therefore, supporting local media is something that I would actively prioritise if elected. I want to de-mystify local politics by creating educational content that could be published locally and would continue to promote local news outlets to people on my social media platforms. Finally, I encourage anyone who wants to protect local media to join the Green Party in its call to restrict the ownership of print and press media so that no individual or company owns more than 20% of a media market.
As a Cambridgeshire County councillor, I’d be all about the community where I live.
Keeping the community together. Many young people move away because they can’t afford to rent or buy here. The Cambridge Growth Company (a subsidiary of Homes England) is ramping up its work. I will campaign for affordable homes. And I’ll campaign for better protections for renters. This is especially important to Orchard Park with its many Houses of Multiple Occupation.
A safe community to be in. I want to see better use of the Community Safety Partnership and more bobbies back on the beat. On the County Council I will take an interest in Youth Services, so there’s something for everyone to do. Independent local news has a valuable part to play here.
An easy place for the community to get around. I’m so pleased that bus franchising is happening. Meaning we take back control of our buses: routes, timetables and fares. I’ll run passenger surveys and work with the Labour mayor to deliver the services you need. I’ll push for safer bus stops with lighting, up-to-date information and somewhere to sit.
I’d be a good councillor because I offer:
Experience of service and speaking up for others. As a teacher, my life revolves around public service. I’m a workplace rep for my Trades Union.
Team spirit. I play for a local amateur Rugby Football Club. I know that we can achieve so much more when we all pull together.
A younger voice. There aren’t many councillors under the age of 30. We need that balance at the County so that all voices are heard.
My mantra is local, local, local! I will write a regular blog. If I can work with HI Hub to share and debate with a wide audience that’ll be great.
It is my pleasure to stand for re-election as County Councillor for Histon and Impington.
Before I was first elected, National Highways caused chaos with the A14 upgrade. My campaigning changed how they worked. After election I got 840,000 dead A14 trees replanted. I made a difference.
Fixing Roads. I have fought tirelessly for highways maintenance. Raised tables on Station and Cambridge Roads have been replaced, recurring flooding stopped (B1049, Holiday Inn, Bell Hill) and hundreds of potholes filled. Our roads have been underfunded for decades. We have a plan to change the system allowing quicker repairs, progress tracking and inspection.
NHS Services. Access to GPs and dentists is an ongoing problem, government demands housebuilding in Cambridgeshire then blocks NHS expansion. Working with our MP I am lobbying government to change their rules.
Our Thriving Green Community. Making a difference locally is why I became a councillor. I’ve got involved, listened and created opportunities. The Infant School site is now home to Cambridgeshire Music and a forest school for our youngest children. I have grown the repair movement, supported the pump track and planted trees.
Tensions were rising over the new 3G football pitch. I organised a meeting which allowed people to speak openly and is addressing longstanding concerns on New Road.
I’ve increased busway frequency and made such a compelling case for an interchange bus stop at Orchard Park that the stop is now agreed and will transform travel options. Busways are urgently needed by keyworkers in our new towns.
HI HUB holds politicians to account. Local government must support small independent journalism better. See blog (link below) for more.
I’ve showed up, listened and learnt how to be really effective. I take knocks, own problems and continue smiling. We achieve so much here, but there is so much more to do!
The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has signed-off plans for bus services that “put communities first”. The move will be the biggest overhaul of the bus network in 40 years.
Dr Nik Johnson, who leads the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, has officially announced he will franchise the bus system. Officials say this will bring local services under greater public control and create a more reliable, affordable and passenger-focused network.
‘It’s high time for change’
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The Combined Authority will set fares, routes, timetables and service standards. It will work with contracted private bus operators to ensure services are implemented and work effectively. The first publicly-funded routes are expected to launch by late 2027.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “This is one of the most significant moments for local public transport in decades.
“For too long, private control of buses has meant ever-dwindling, unreliable services which don’t meet passenger need, are less and less affordable and often require millions in public subsidy just to keep key routes going. It is high time for change.”
Franchising ‘puts communities first’
A three-month public consultation was held last year and found 63% of the 1,600 respondents were in favour of franchising. The alternative option put forward was an Enhanced Partnership model, which allows closer collaboration with operators – but left key decisions on the bus network, like service levels, in private hands.
Dr Johnson added: “Bus franchising puts communities first. It gives us the power to design a network that works for the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with better routes, more frequent services, and a focus on connectivity, not just what’s profitable for operators.
“This won’t happen overnight – franchising is a long-term project, and we have 40 years of poorly-regulated dysfunction to undo. But this decision is a major step towards a properly joined-up, high-quality public transport system that delivers faster, more reliable, and convenient journeys.”
