Pushing for light rail and the end of the ‘war on motorists’ - what Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor Paul Bristow did on his first day

The newly-elected mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough began his push for light rail in the Cambridge region on his first day - and also began action to “end the war on motorists”

Conservative Paul Bristow announced a change in direction at the Combined Authority following his election success last week.

Among his first actions were to scrap the Combined Authority’s target of reducing car miles driven by 15 per cent by 2030.

He also wrote to the East West Railway Company to propose how a Cambridge light rail system could connect Cambourne to the city well before the East West Rail line arrives.

Mr Bristow argues light rail would unlock a quicker and cheaper southern route into the city that would avoid disruptive embankments through villages like Hardwick and Comberton, while still serving the new Cambridge South station.

Mr Bristow also demanded a strategic reset - suspending the existing corporate strategy and previous mayoral pledges pending a full review, which will take into account the policies from his manifesto.

And he wrote to the government about ending the Combined Authority’s role as the accountable body for the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.

The hub has been hosted by Combined Authority but the vast majority of its activities are outside Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with no direct impact on residents.

Mr Bristow asked the government about how best to transfer responsibility to a more appropriate authority so that the Combined Authority focuses on work directly supporting the county’s residents.

In another notable move, the Combined Authority Business Board was told it now has only an advisory role.

There is no future government funding for the Business Board so the mayor began the process of removing allowances for the chair, vice chair and members, following a manifesto pledge.

The Combined Authority said the mayor “is determined to ensure public money is focused on frontline priorities and is re-evaluating all activity and funding”.

Some key appointments were also made to create what was described as a “delivery-focused mayoral team”.

Mr Bristow said: “I’m determined to bring pace and purpose to being mayor, starting on day one. These are just the first steps in making the mayor matter to you.

“Today I am ending the war on motorists, ensuring that your money is spent effectively and putting my manifesto priorities in place.

“We are getting Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving.”

On day two, Mr Bristow said he met with the chief secretary to the Treasury and “made the case for the Ely Junction upgrade and to dual the A47 as part of the Spending Review”.

The mayor’s support for light rail as a solution to the congestion challenge for Cambridge has been welcomed by Cambridge Connect, an independent group that has drawn up detailed proposals for how it could work.

Colin Harris, director of Cambridge Connect, said: "We are excited by mayor Bristow’s plans to proceed with Cambridge light rail. I would encourage all political parties on the new county council to build the consensus behind Cambridge light rail and to help focus on its design and delivery. It's time to develop a modern mass transit system, make public transport an attractive alternative, get Cambridge mobile, reduce traffic congestion, and make the region better connected."

Mr Bristow, who pushed Reform UK’s Ryan Coogan into second place in last Thursday’s election, also pledged during his campaign to scrap the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which is progressing plans for three busways around Cambridge.

He described the £230million Cambourne to Cambridge busway as a “deeply flawed project that threatens to carve through our countryside” and pledged that if he became mayor it would “bin” it.

Likewise, he described the £162m Cambridge South East Transport busway as “a disastrous project that threatens to tear up our countryside while failing to deliver the transport improvements local people actually need”. He promised the current plans would not proceed if he became mayor and instead “a better bus route using the existing road infrastructure” would be adopted.

And Mr Bristow, who has taken over from Labour’s Dr Nik Johnson, also pledged in his campaign to reopen Mill Road bridge to all vehicles.

That could put him at loggerheads with the county council, which initiated the move, and is now run by a Liberal Democrat majority.

In the meantime, a court case brought by campaigners is due to be heard on 10 June, challenging the Traffic Regulation Order that brought about the bus gate.