Goodbye National Express, hello... well who, exactly?

Thursday's announcement that the current franchise for the East Anglian region, held by National Express, will come to an end three years early, in 2011 instead of 2014, will probably come as no surprise to those who use their services frequently.

Increasingly worn out rolling stock, frequent use of bus replacement services, the reductions in the numbers of cleaners and customer service staff, the loss of the award-winning restaurant car, all of these have been have indicated a company that is short of money, short of ambition, and unlikely to provide the level of service that our increasingly prosperous region needs. Anyone who uses the Ipswich to Cambridge line, with its elderly carriage(s) and ever-present one-carriage services will share my view that we could have so much more.

We'll see what comes of any change, although it is hard to believe that National Express will regain the right to run our trains...

A bridge too far? Another delay for the new bridge in Stowmarket

Rumour has it that the new bridge over the railway at the southern end of Stowmarket station has been, once again, further delayed. My sources are now suggesting that the project will not be completed until June.

What does this mean? For one thing, taxi metering will potentially cause significant costs for those travelling to Stowupland, Creeting St Peter and points beyond, as the risk of being caught at the level crossing remains. Also, the disruption for those who live in Cedars Park near the point where the bridge joins up with the link road through the estate will be extended.

Taxi metering - a punishment for living in a village?

I don't know whether you've noticed the new meters that local taxi drivers now have, but I know that I have. The taxi drivers are certainly unhappy about them, especially as they're having to pay for the privilege of having one.

From a personal perspective, I've noticed that the fare from Stowmarket Station to the village is now nearly £7, a significant increase on what it was before metering, and so I questioned our District Councillor, Caroline Byles, on the subject, only to get an answer that I hadn't expected. She claims, as I understood it, that an amendment moved by the Green Party group and passed by the appropriate committee has added to the fare charged to those whose journey starts from somewhere other than the town.

This raises two questions. Firstly, Mid Suffolk is a Conservative-run council, so why are the Greens winning votes? Second, where was the consultation, or even the announcement? As a Parish Council, we might well have had something to say on the subject. In any event, I'm keen to find out what really happened. We haven't heard the last of this, I suspect...

Parish Council meets again tomorrow evening

Yes, it's time once again for the Parish Council to meet - Monday, November 16th at 7.30 p.m., at the Church Hall at the end of The Lane.

We'll be, amongst other things, considering our budget for 2010/11, a planning application and the grass cutting contract for next year, so why not come and join us?

Christmas services on the Anglian Main Line

Just in case you were planning to travel by train over the Christmas/New Year period, you'll be interested to know that the service will run as follows;

Thursday 24 December

The last trains wil be departing from London at about 22:00 for most destinations except Stansted Airport.

Friday 25 December and Saturday 26 December

No services.

Sunday 27 December

No services north of Stowmarket or south of Ingatestone. Bus replacements will run.

Monday 28 December

No services south of Ingatestone, with a bus replacement service to London Liverpool Street.

Tuesday 29 December to Thursday 31 December

Services will terminate at Stratford, with onward connections via the Central Line. There will be a reduced service during peak hours.

Friday 1 January to Sunday 3 January

No services south of Ingatestone, with a bus replacement service to London Liverpool Street.

My advice would be to stay at home...

Lest we forget...

This year, the Parish Council has decided to place a wreath at the War Memorial at St Peter's Church to mark the anniversary of the end of the Great War.

It appears that we hadn't done in recent years, and our Parish Clerk, Rosemary Cochrane, pointed out the omission. The three Parish Councillors were all keen to ensure that we do so, as a mark of respect to those who gave so freely to preserve our nation in its darkest days and those who do so today, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Whilst there are those who wonder why we were in Iraq, and why we are still in Afghanistan, it is important to differentiate between those who serve, and those who send them. We are blessed with armed forces who serve their nation and their Government, as opposed to those countries where the armed forces run the country. It is for our leaders to decide where and why they serve, and for us to tell the Government whether or not those decisions are good ones.

The River Gipping - mentioned in dispatches...

Alright, the River Gipping will probably never be spoken of in the same breath as the Amazon, the Nile or the Yangtze, but last week it was mentioned in a debate in the House of Lords.

Baroness Scott of Needham Market commented during a discussion on water management;

"Across East Anglia there are small local organisations, such as the East Anglian Waterways Association, which work tirelessly to clear riverbanks, clean ponds, inspect canals and so on. In the north of the county, the Otter Trust in Bungay was so successful in reintroducing the otter that it has now disbanded, although I accept that the health of otters may not be too beloved of the noble Lord, Lord Dear, and fellow anglers. I am patron of the Pickerel Project in Stowmarket, in which volunteers look after the River Gipping on a regular basis. It is with the help of such organisations that East Anglians are trying to conserve their rivers; without them we would be in a far worse situation. However, it will require a lot more than local action by volunteers, however welcome that might be."

If any of our readers are interested in getting involved, more information about the Pickerel Project can be found here.