A free community safety tool that has been developed by a Histon resident will be presented at the next H&I Full Council meeting. The VillageWatch app is designed to quickly alert residents to any incidents that are happening in their area.
Details about the platform are limited on the agenda for Monday’s meeting (21 September), but it is understood to have been developed following the ongoing issues with antisocial behaviour in the village.
The VillageWatch website explains its users can log incidents they have seen, drop a pin at the location, and add a photo if they have one. They can also describe what is happening in their own words without “forms to decode” or “jargon to learn”.
All personal details are stripped from the report and those signed up are alerted to the incident through a push notification. A “Community Co-ordinator” connected to the platform can also view the full report, and escalate it to the police if necessary.
Police continue to advise reporting incidents to them directly as this “helps our officers to build a bigger picture of what is happening in the villages”. Officers are also hosting another “Coffee with a Cop” event at the Parish Council offices in New Road on 29 September between 5pm and 7pm where residents can share any concerns in person.
Community survey
At Monday’s Full Council meeting, members will also discuss final decisions on a Parish Council survey that it hopes to launch at the end of the month to guide future spending and potential improvements to active travel links.
Residents will be asked to participate in the online survey as the Parish Council prepares to set its budgets and precept rate for the 2027/28 financial year. It will seek their views on current spending priorities, future investment, community facilities and longer-term projects – and the results are intended to help Councillors decide where public funds should be spent.
“Gathering this information ahead of budget setting will help ensure that future financial decisions are informed by current community views and expectations,” says a report by Cllr Tom Hindley in the agenda pack for the meeting.
The Council says the survey will also build on its previous engagement efforts with residents, including work from the Neighbourhood Plan, community events and project-specific consultations.
Active travel
The survey could also ask for residents’ perspectives on three potential approaches to improving the active travel route between H&I and Girton.
The first would cost around £100,000 using funding currently available from Cambridgeshire County Council to upgrade the existing Beck Brook Bridleway for cyclists. According to the proposal, the work could take place within the next 12 months, but would be a “rough and ready upgrade” and could make the route less attractive to equestrians.
The second option – estimated to cost £1 million – would be to continue pursuing a new field-edge route which would provide a more direct connection to a central location in Girton.
The Parish Council says this would require Cambridgeshire County Council to prioritise the project but there is currently no funding available. It could also take two years or more, with no guarantee that the route would ultimately be delivered.
There is also a third option: improving the Beck Brook route now while continuing to explore a future direct route. But Cllr Hindley’s report explains this “is likely to be difficult to achieve as there are other villages with no active travel routes and these would take priority”.
Residents will also be asked how important they consider a connection to Girton Recreation Ground and the adjoining 10-acre field as part of any active travel route.
Comments on route access points, biodiversity, lighting, surfacing, width, accessibility and safety will also be appreciated.
The survey is expected to open on or around 28 September 2026, and participants have until 31 October to complete it.
Other matters
The meeting will be the first since the summer break, and there will also be discussions around street trading licences and the development of a Community Nature Recovery Plan with Histon and Impington Green Spaces (HIGS).
The Council will also decide whether it should take further steps to explore using 12 New Road as a future base for the staff team and potentially as additional meeting space.
The Neighbourhood Plan working group will also put forward a motion to Councillors requesting the use of Parish Council facilities and its intentions to provide a more detailed outline of its activities before setting the 2027/28 budget.
The Full Council meeting of H&I Parish Council will take place on Monday 21 September, 2026, in the Community Room at the Rec, starting at 7.30pm. For full details, see the agenda pack here.
READ MORE: Parish Council to gauge views on potential Council Tax rise; Momentum builds for new active travel route
What issue is this app trying to solve?
Are the reports collected only by the apps server, or shared directly with its users?
Users can share photos. What safeguarding and GDPR policies are in place?
Who decides what constitutes anti-social behaviour?
What safeguards exist against discriminatory or malicious reporting?
Could Hub please let the community know what was presented to Full Council. This app is deeply concerning and I think the community deserves to know more.