Agenda item

(a)  Motion from Councillor D N Keane

 

Infrastructure Readiness and Evidence-Based Growth Planning

 

This Council notes that:

 

Huntingdonshire District Council is preparing a new Local Plan to guide development across the district to 2046.

 

Since work commenced on the Local Plan, national planning policy and housing targets have changed, with significant implications for future housing requirements across Huntingdonshire.

 

While no local authority has formally launched a judicial review, multiple councils, led by different political parties, have strongly pushed back on the revised housing targets. Some councils are seeking longer timescales, additional infrastructure funding, and adjustments to the local plan process.

 

To date, Huntingdonshire District Council has not publicly set out what flexibility, infrastructure support, transitional arrangements, or timetable adjustments it may seek in response to the revised national housing targets.

 

The emerging Local Plan must be supported by relevant, proportionate, and up-to-date evidence, including evidence on infrastructure, transport, viability, flood risk, water management, health, education, utilities, and community facilities.

 

Work remains underway to assess the transport implications of future growth, including through the A141 and St Ives Improvements Study, the Strategic Transport Assessment, and related transport evidence.

 

The Council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Infrastructure Delivery Study, and associated infrastructure schedules identify substantial requirements for highways, public transport, active travel, education, health services, utilities, flood mitigation, water management, community facilities, green infrastructure, and environmental infrastructure.

 

The Independent Review into bus franchising was published by the CPCA in June 2026, confirming a phased approach to bus franchising from 2027–2030.

 

The Local Plan relies on the assumption of expanding sustainable transport; therefore, this revised timeframe and scope of delivery should be accounted for.

Residents across Huntingdonshire consistently raise concerns regarding the cumulative impact of development on roads, schools, healthcare provision, drainage, flood risk, public transport, and local services.

Council believes that:

 

a.  Sustainable development requires housing growth, employment growth, and infrastructure delivery to be planned together.

 

b.  Public confidence in the Local Plan process depends upon decisions being informed by the most complete, current, and transparent evidence available.

 

 

c.  The cumulative impact of development across Huntingdonshire should be properly understood before strategic decisions are taken on the scale and distribution of future growth.

 

d.  Infrastructure capacity, funding, timing, and deliverability are central to whether proposed growth can be considered sustainable.

 

e.  A Local Plan that is not supported by clear evidence on infrastructure delivery risks being less effective, less credible, and less capable of commanding public confidence.

 

f.  Effective infrastructure planning requires close engagement with infrastructure providers, neighbouring authorities, the Combined Authority, and relevant government agencies.

 

This Council therefore resolves to:

 

1. Request Cabinet to bring forward a consolidated infrastructure readiness report, drawing on existing and emerging evidence relevant to the Local Plan, including transport, education, health, utilities, flood risk, water management, community infrastructure, green infrastructure, and environmental infrastructure.

 

2. Request that this report identifies, so far as the evidence allows, infrastructure requirements, delivery assumptions, funding sources, delivery responsibilities, key risks, material gaps, funding constraints, phasing issues, and delivery dependencies which may affect the preparation, soundness, viability, or deliverability of the emerging Local Plan.

 

3. Request that the report includes consideration of cumulative infrastructure impacts across Huntingdonshire, including the interaction between major site allocations, market town growth, village allocations, employment sites, and existing infrastructure pressures.

 

4. Request that the report be brought to Full Council before the Local Plan proceeds to its next formal stage, or, if that is not practicable, that Cabinet provides Full Council with a written explanation of how infrastructure risks will be addressed within the Local Plan timetable.

 

5. Reaffirm that Huntingdonshire’s Local Plan should be prepared on the basis that housing, employment, infrastructure, and community services are planned together, with clear evidence of how growth will be supported, funded, phased, and delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b) Motion from Councillor R Coogan

 

Confidence in the Chair of Council

 

The Council notes that:

 

The concerns raised regarding Cllr Stephen Ferguson’s conduct in his capacity as Chair of Huntingdonshire District Council.

 

This Council believes that the Chair must command confidence across the whole Council and wider district, and must discharge the office with neutrality, impartiality, sound judgment, and respect for the Council’s rules and legal obligations.

 

This Council therefore resolves:

 

1. That this Council has no confidence in Cllr Stephen Ferguson’s continued ability to discharge the office of Chair in a neutral, impartial, lawful, and confidence-building manner.

 

2. That this Council calls on Cllr Stephen Ferguson to resign as Chair of Huntingdonshire District Council.

 

 

(c)   Motion from Councillor R Coogan

 

Cutting Waste and Delivering Services

 

The Council notes that:

 

All councillors must retain their individual rights to speak, vote, ask questions, submit motions and represent residents, and that statutory political-balance requirements must continue to be met.

 

However, this Council believes that very small political groups should not create disproportionate administration, duplication or officer workload.

 

This Council therefore resolves to:

 

1.  amend the Constitution so that groups of five councillors or fewer receive only the recognition required by law, and no additional group-based administrative or procedural support unless expressly agreed by Council.

 

This Council believes this change will help cut waste, reduce bureaucracy and ensure Council time and taxpayers’ money are focused on delivering services for local people.