A very merry Christmas to our readers!

This blog celebrates its first Christmas this year, and so it gives me great pleasure to wish our readers a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Good luck to you all, and I hope that the festive season brings you everything you could reasonably ask for...

We'll see you in the New Year, with more news and tales from the heart of mid-Suffolk (population 260... ish).

Will 'adequate' be the epitaph for Mid Suffolk District Council?

I have not always been entirely complimentary about Mid Suffolk District Council. However, until now, I haven't had anything to compare it with. Now, that has changed, courtesy of OnePlace, a new website which provides independent information on local issues in England, and brings together the views of six independent inspectorates.

So, how does Mid Suffolk rate? Not that well, I'm afraid. Graded 2 out of 4 for managing performance and use of resources, it achieves an overall rating of 'adequate', putting it on a par with Waveney (Lowestoft and surrounds) and Babergh (South Suffolk). Unfortunately, Forest Heath (West Suffolk), St Edmundsbury, Ipswich and Suffolk Coastal are all rated as performing well, scoring 3 out of 4 on both key measures, as does Suffolk County Council.

All well and good, I hear you say, but why does this matter? It matters because we are less well-served than most other residents of the county. We deserve something better than merely meeting the minimum requirements.

All this said, the news that proposals for a unitary authority covering the entire county are likely to be passed in time for a May general election means that the days of Mid Suffolk District Council are probably limited in any event. Here's hoping that local government reform means better services for Creeting St Peter...

Snow and trains - probably not a good combination...

Snow. Pretty, covers the fields with a blanket of white. Not so good for trains though, and with the forecast for heavy overnight snow, National Express East Anglia have declared an emergency timetable for tomorrow (Friday). For more news, click here...

If you're planning to travel, good luck!

There's cheese in them thar hills!

Bored with mass-produced cheese? Fancy something a little different? Well then, you'll be interested in the latest enterprise to make a splash in neighbouring Creeting St Mary, Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses.

A family-run business, with award-winning pedigree Guernsey cows, their output is based on two main products, Suffolk Gold and Suffolk Blue, although they also sell milk, cream and home reared beef and pork. Best of all, they'll sell you their produce from their farm shop, although hours are a bit limited.