New Years messages from the MP and mayors from around the district

Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire

"As we move into the new year, we begin to consider what the months ahead will hold and it is a great comfort to know that we can now look ahead with much optimism.

With the General Election behind us, it is time to move forward with certainty and begin to heal the divisions that have troubled our country for too long. It is also an opportunity to ensure that North West Cambridgeshire reaps the benefits that will arise as the UK pursues a different path on the global stage.

This includes attracting more investment to improve our infrastructure and boost the local economy.

I was deeply humbled and honoured to be re-elected as the Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire and for the trust and confidence that has again been placed in me by my fellow citizens.

I look forward to continuing to serve our community to the best of my ability and work towards a positive vision for the future.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the festive period and been able to spend some time with family and friends. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year."

Cllr Dick Taplin, mayor of Godmanchester

"In 1968 Zager and Evans sang a song entitled In the Year 2525, about a world increasingly depleted of resources.

They might have been overly optimistic for, as we enter 2020, some of these predictions from half a century ago already appear to be coming to fruition and, for this reason, we as a community, need to take positive action. Hence, my message to you for the new year is 'environment, environment, environment'.

We must improve our social environment, ensuring that the disadvantaged of our society are cared for, be they impoverished, unwell, or lonely.

Secondly, we must improve our physical environment, ensuring that buildings are of a high quality, that we provide green spaces - and new woods - and create a town that lifts the senses of all its citizens.

New housing should be built to Passivhaus standards to reduce their energy requirement. Should they not come with solar panels and EV charging points as standard?

Pure profit for builders is no longer acceptable, they also have to play their part in improving our carbon footprint.

Third, we need to address that elephant in the room, climate change/global warming - call it what you will - the global environment, and the council will do what it can to support these initiatives.

We already have plans to adopt the Community Plant Nursery and increase its bio-diversity; and we must not forget the actions of local organisations, such as Godmanchester in Bloom and the Willows Volunteers in planting additional trees. We are actively involved in planning a new fish pass at the Mill Steps.

We are a member of the Ouse Valley Trust, and we are considering what other actions we can take, including encouraging local renewable generation, energy use reduction, and public EV charging point installation. Let's make the future 3G - a greater greener Godmanchester."

Cllr Steve Corney, mayor of Ramsey

"As the old year draws to a close and the new one starts, I look back at probably the busiest year I've ever had, my first full year as mayor completed with far too many events and meetings to list.

Along with many new friends made from what we mayors call the "chain gang" those friendly faces amongst the crowds at events we are all invited to and seeing the pride each mayor has in their own town when we visit each other.

This was no different for me when I invited them all to my civic service back in September, the sun shone, and everyone came together to make the event what it was.

Watching my eldest son march on to Abbey Green with the air cadets at the civic service when we gave them the freedom of the town and the BBMF gave us a Hurricane flypast was the icing on the cake.

Now to top this last year. There are so many things happening in this coming year here in Ramsey, I really am excited and looking forward to being just as busy and bringing some of the projects we have started to fruition.

The biggest one being the Market Town Strategy which is a Combined Authority project which will see some investment in the town. There are exciting times ahead for Ramsey.

Whilst looking forward I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Be kind, be positive and be happy."

Cllr Daniel Rowe, mayor of St Ives

"Another year down and we say goodbye to 2019. Many of us will have fond memories of great events during the year, and most I am sure will also have memories that were less positive - but nonetheless given us opportunities to learn and to grow.

Whatever has happened, a new year is always a great opportunity to regroup for a fresh start as we explore new opportunities and adventures.

This time it is even more special as we move into not just a new year, but a new decade. Once more we enter the 'twenties', although one suspects it will differ greatly from the last one.

A few fun facts to make everyone feel old now; Toy Story 3 is now 10 years old, it has now been 20 years since Britney Spears Did it Again and it has been 30 years this year since JK Rowling sat on a train and came up with the first concept for Harry Potter.

As these events move further into the past, we also look into the future. More challenges lie ahead, more celebrations and more things beyond our wildest predictions. For me, 2020 will be particularly special as I look forward to my wedding with my mayoress, Amy, in October.

Whatever this new year - and new decade - holds in store for you, I wish you the joy of it and look forward to experiencing it with you."

Cllr Steve McAdam, mayor of Huntingdon

"The message seems to be that everything is changing and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

We know that in nature everything is in a constant state of change. Some of it is rapid, some of it is over long periods of time, say, millions or even billions of years.

One thing we know is happening is climate change, and this is something of such colossal importance that I honestly don't think most people really comprehend the enormity of the impact it will have not just on the climate, but the whole of nature and human society.

It threatens to massively disrupt everything, and ultimately our very existence.

This is why my message to everyone as we go into the new year is just to consider what each of us can do to play our part, in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere.

I am proud of the fact that we on Huntingdon Town Council have created a new sub-committee dedicated to ensuring that we do everything we can to ensure that, as a council, not only are we lowering our carbon footprint, put also doing what we can to reduce pollution of the environment.

This means that in future when we replace vehicles or machines which use fossil fuels, they will be electric. Across our departments we are working towards zero single-use plastic, reducing energy use, and reducing waste overall."