Martin Redbond

Attended Mid Suffolk District Council ‘Budget Training’. This is designed to ensure that Councillors understand how the Council spends its money, where the money comes from, key issues affecting the Council’s finances and the Councillors role in budget matters. It is hoped that it will better equip Coucillors to participate in budget discussions and decisions which will take place through December to February when the budget is presented to Full Council on 28 February for approval. Members of the public can find out more information about this year’s budget and the medium term (2007-2011) financial strategy of the Council . If you have any queries please contact me.

Attended Mid Suffolk District Council’s Planning Control Committee meeting at Needham Market. Councillors approved a development in Palgrave that will provide 10 affordable houses for local people. The scheme dates back to 2005 when a Local Housing Needs Survey identified a lack of affordable housing in the area. The provider, Wherry Housing Association have received a Housing Corporation Grant of £680,000 for the scheme which will include eight rented units and two shared-ownership units.

The Claydon High School Extended Schools Governor Working Group has met with Jeanette Hunt, Extended Schools Development Officer (West Ipswich Cluster) for an update on progress to date and governance issues.  The idea is that Extended Schools will provide a range of services and activities often beyond the school day. The Government believes that Extended Schools will act as a hub for community services. Included will be childcare, homework clubs, parenting support, referral to specialist support services and community access to ICT, sports/arts facilities and adult learning.  Claydon is already well down the road to providing such services and exciting plans are well in hand to enhance these further. We, the Governors have agreed an action plan that will ensure that everybody in the community is fully informed of the objectives of the scheme and is made aware of what is currently on offer. Also that the school understands what services the community needs and what it wants to achieve.

For more information on Extended Schools

Have now returned my ballot form for the Liberal Democrat leadership election. Fortunately we have two excellent candidates so it has been a diffficult decision. However, I have decided to back Nick Clegg. Having watched him on Question Time I believe he has the charisma and ability to connect with the voters.  He appears to have the support of most of the Liberal Democrat MPs and has been well received by the membership too. He should also appeal to the wider population. We, Liberal Democrats, need a renewed vision and I believe that Nick is well-placed to both inspire and articulate this so that we can win many more seats across the country. He clearly has the charisma and ability to be able to present the Liberal Democrat case to a wide range of people who are increasingly turned off by the other two old parties. I now look forward to the result due to be announced in the week before Christmas.

 Figures have just been released by Defra (Department of Envronment, Food and Rural Affairs) which measure the levels of waste for each Council in England. The aim is to expose the best and worst performing local authorities. For the second year running, Mid Suffolk District Council is leading the way in Suffolk and is helping to reduce the amount of waste that is landfillled. It is well positioned in the following three categories: 

•  Top 10 dry recyclers – 34.2% (1^st place)
•  Lowest total household waste per head (3^rd place)
•  Lowest residual household waste per head after recycling (4^th place) 

Thanks are due to all residents for their contribution to this success. Mid Suffolk entered into a joint waste partnership with Babergh District Council and Serco, the waste collection provider, in April this year. The new arrangement is also making significant cash savings.

  For more information about what you can and can’t put into the recycling bin 

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Liberal Democrats held their AGM and elected the following officers for 2008:

Chair: Martin Redbond

Vice Chair: Andrew Houseley

Secretary: Kay Field

Treasurer: Audrey Lilley

Membership Secretary: John Field

After the meeting members discussed the environment, in particular nuclear power, renewable energy, energy from waste and excess packaging. Members watched excerpts from Al Gore’s film ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ and the Greenpeace film ‘The Convenient Solution’ and endorsed the Liberal Democrat policy to achieve 30% of the UK’s electricity from clean, non-carbon emitting sources by 2020 rising to 100% by 2050. Also to support the Party’s Green Tax Switch plan which would cut income tax by 4p in the pound, and switch to green taxes instead.