I hear frequently how the decision to scrap Middle Schools in Suffolk was all-party.  The voting record indicates otherwise. 

The vote was 42-28.  41 Tories voted to scrap Middle Schools, 3 Tories voted to keep them and only 1 out of 11Tories in  West Suffolk did so.  The link below is the official record of the vote.

schoolorganisationreview.pdf

We had a look at the Tory County/District proposals for Newmarket’s Residents Parking Zones (RPZ) last night.  As the sole opposition member present.  I wanted  a RPZ to be last resort not first as seems to be the approach at present.

Everyone agrees that parts of Newmarket Town centre is becoming increasingly congested.  My approach is that we have to 1. Look at ways of reducing the number of cars coming into the Town Centre for long stay periods.  The park and shuttle in Newmarket is at present a joke.  There needs to be  site that is safe, secure and allows people waiting for what must be a frequent service comfortable from all the British weather can throw at them.   2. Give local residents much greater alternative transport options if they work elsewhere particularly larger service centre such as Cambridge, Bury or London.  By improving public transport frequency, reliability, links and comfort can  Town centre residents  feel that taking the bus and train to work is a real alternative to the car commute.  3. We must make it much more friendly for Townspeople to be able to walk or cycle to the town centre and secure for them to lock up bikes.  

The trajectory of ever increasing car usage in the town must be slowed or reversed if we are to avoid gridlock.  Only once the council has put into place these options, should RPZs which only allows a household one permit to park a car within their zone be considered an option.

Last Night I was at a Forest Heath Overview and Scrutiny meeting where we recieved a report on the performance of King’s Forest Housing.  King’s Forest is the arms length housing association that runs Forest Heath’s old council house stock and helps provide the majority of the social housing needs for the district. 

One of Kings Forests first actions was to build a plush new office complex in Mildenhall. Meanwhile whilst all this was happening it transpires that 1 in 12 routine repairs are not considered satisfactory - a more than doubling of the level since it took over. Virtually every satisfaction rating has fallen and it has been given a fairly intensive action plan to improve. 

Conservative controlled Forest Heath for its part has failed in 5 years to draw up a legally binding contract with King’s Forest to set and monitor minimum standards of performance and satisfaction levels. Such an agreement is stated in the consultation document of October 2003.  

A set of action points as long as your arm to improve, truly terrible for this district and those in need of social housing that it has come to this.

Over the months I have been on the council, regularly we are told black is white, standing orders don’t mean what they say and that the Council is great.

Last night most of the Tories and the Independent (who always votes with the Tories) refused to protect one of the oldest trees in Lakenheath because that would  increase bureaucracy for the farmer/developer who they are sure wont harm it and if a tree preservation order was applied would no longer care for it!  Credit must go to Cllr Bill Bishop for opposing this decision, 1 of just 2 Tories to do so.

To me it shows that they only care for the environment when it suits them.  This decision was just indicative of that. 

Well, we had Rosalind Turner in from Suffolk County Council into Full Council on Wednesday.

She expressed a very firm opinion on why we had to switch to two-tier.   There then followed a discussion in which the Chair called a succession of Tories who had a variety of things to say including a complaint about a school wall in Lakenheath!

When it cam to the chance for the opposition to say anything we were told by the (Tory) chair that we could only ask one question each and not make any statement (despite  the fact we had just had to listen to a totally random monologue from a Tory).

Yet again we are denied equal speaking rights in Council from Tories who refuse to listen on issues that affect the people.   We are apparently to get another chance to speak at a further council meeting - watch this space.

 After the meeting we had a Tory whispered that it was not a party political issue the schools review,  well I disagree  it needed 38 votes at County Council to make the switch, the Tories provided 41.   Much as it shames me to say it, 1 Liberal Democrat voted for it also.  The  West Suffolk Liberal Democrat  local party has been steadfast in its opposition to the review from the outset.

I was a little upset not to have been able to go to the meeting of those opposed to the closure of Paddocks School.  Having two boys aged 3 and 1 and Mum working late on occasions can make some evening meetings difficult for me.

I wasn’t surprised to see that Richard Spring MP opposes the closure.  However if he hadn’t sat on the fence when the schools organisational review was up for discussion two years ago and had exerted a little pressure on his Conservative underlings then Paddocks would never have faced the threat of closure in the first place.

If he hadn’t been so concerned to make cheap political points when he responded to Liberal Democrat concerns  that we had expresssed in a leaflet about where the Tories were leading the school organisational review in Suffolk then Parents wouldn’t be worried sick about the future of their childrens’ education. 

Mr Spring said in a letter to the local Lib Dem Constituency Chair, Terry McNally on 4th April 2007  ‘As you well know, explicit assurances have been given about the future of Primary schools’.     He went onto say ‘I have never persionally sought political gain by scare stories you have initiated.’

Thanks Richard but how can I believe anything you now say on this issue,  its no use just campaigning piece-meal for individual schools but now is the time to scrap the whole review, yes Paddocks needs to be saved but so does the whole school system in this part of Suffolk. 

Anybody who wants a copy of the letter can have it by contacting me.

I see the Tories at Suffolk County Council are putting saving  money ahead of our local children’s education.

Uproar (quite rightly) about plans to merge Houldsworth Valley with my old school of Paddocks and create a mega primary on the Houldsworth Valley site.   The probable disappearance of  the play areas except a concrete playground for 420 kids to exercise and play in.  As well as a school where kids as young as five can fall out of the system.

I do hope we get a chance to vote next year for the Suffolk County Council elections and give the Tories a good kick up the backside!

The Project manager has resigned, not a problem we are told on a project already millions of pounds over budget.   Councillors are to get another tour next week to see the project.

Recently changes to delgation powers on planning decisions were pushed through Forest Heath.
The changes that the officers managed to push through means that planning applications only go to committee that the Chief Planning Officer wishes to go to committee. I requested that an application went to committee and it was taken under delegated powers for refusal. Apparently under the new delegation regime, it is in the remit of the Chief Planning Officer to determine whether an application goes to committee or not Councillors can be consulted but even the Chair of Planning cannot overturn a decision it seems I have suggested that  Parish Councils should amend the way they comments on planning applications. It should use wording such as This council opposes/supports this application and if the recommendation by the case officer is to the contrary requests that this application is determined by the Planning Committee.’ If it feels strongly one way or the other on an application.

The ‘Haven Gateway’(Ipswich and Felixstowe and hinterland) proposal has some merit.  It is a natural travel to work area and would have much to say for it in that it would be a big enough area to achieve the necessary savings as a unitary authority.

The remainder of Suffolk Authority (minus Lowestoft) would be an authority with no natural centre.  It could be made to work, now that Lowestoft would not be part of it as it would be an authority comprising the market towns and rural villages of Suffolk.  No one town would dominate it.  

I personally would have been happier with a West Suffolk authority but this is a proposal I could live with if appropriate arrangements are put in place. This authority would have 2 members per county division to create a council of about 80 Councillors.  There would be about 10 area committees with 6-10 councillors on each and direct parish participation who would have much local decision making powers.  The eventual presumption is for single member wards.