I was lucky enough to be in Stowmarket on Friday afternoon to catch the ceremony in Market Place in which the freedom of Stowmarket was awarded to the men and women of Wattisham Flying Station.
The bunting was up, flags were waved, and local dignitaries were out in force for a march past and flyover by a pair of Apache helicopters. The Mayor, Vera Waspe, made a brief speech, and quite a crowd were present to cheer and applaud.
It was nice to see such a gesture being made, as we need to recognise the sacrifices that our armed forces make, regardless of what we might think of the missions they are sent on.
March 28, 2010
March 24, 2010
Glossy leaflets may be the cause of some confusion
Residents of the village and, indeed, the wider Parish, will probably have received a copy of a glossy leaflet through the past, encourgaing them to vote for Daniel Poulter to be the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, in succession to Sir Michael Lord.
Regardless of the Party you support though, you won't be voting for Daniel, as boundary changes have moved the Parish into the Bury St Edmunds constituency...
We will be covering the contest on this blog over the coming weeks, so watch this space!
Regardless of the Party you support though, you won't be voting for Daniel, as boundary changes have moved the Parish into the Bury St Edmunds constituency...
We will be covering the contest on this blog over the coming weeks, so watch this space!
March 17, 2010
Stowmarket Relief Road - another update
Here's the latest report on the B1115 Relief Road project...
Now that the widening works have been completed and the new traffic islands constructed, we have the task of re-surfacing Gipping Way from Stowupland Road to South of Milton Road South, this work is still be finalized but this will probably be done at the middle to end of March with the Station Road junction being done over a weekend.
Milton Road South will be also closed for a couple of days (week commencing 15th March) to allow for its resurfacing from the Car Park to Gipping Way – the Car Park will be accessible from Ipswich Road.
Following completion of the re-surfacing at Station Road Junction – the traffic signals at the junction will be replaced, again this is planned for a Sunday, but the use of temporary four lights will cause delays.
The next major item on Creeting Road will be it’s closure from Elizabeth Way to the TOMO Industrial Estate – this section will be closed for two weeks commencing 6th April 2010.
Traffic will be diverted via Stowupland Road and Cedar’s Park – a pedestrian route will be maintained along Creeting Road, but this will consist of a shorter temporary division onto the new road and back again.
Once this new relief road has been tied into Cedar’s Park, Creeting Road will be re-opened with and traffic will have to go into Cedar’s Park.
Now that the widening works have been completed and the new traffic islands constructed, we have the task of re-surfacing Gipping Way from Stowupland Road to South of Milton Road South, this work is still be finalized but this will probably be done at the middle to end of March with the Station Road junction being done over a weekend.
Milton Road South will be also closed for a couple of days (week commencing 15th March) to allow for its resurfacing from the Car Park to Gipping Way – the Car Park will be accessible from Ipswich Road.
Following completion of the re-surfacing at Station Road Junction – the traffic signals at the junction will be replaced, again this is planned for a Sunday, but the use of temporary four lights will cause delays.
The next major item on Creeting Road will be it’s closure from Elizabeth Way to the TOMO Industrial Estate – this section will be closed for two weeks commencing 6th April 2010.
Traffic will be diverted via Stowupland Road and Cedar’s Park – a pedestrian route will be maintained along Creeting Road, but this will consist of a shorter temporary division onto the new road and back again.
Once this new relief road has been tied into Cedar’s Park, Creeting Road will be re-opened with and traffic will have to go into Cedar’s Park.
March 16, 2010
Faster Broadband in Suffolk
Given how remote we are in Creeting St Peter, I thought that readers might be interested in this letter...
Dear Parish Councillor,
You may be aware of recent publicity around the campaign for faster broadband for Suffolk. This important issue has been given a high profile recently due to the possibility of accessing EEDA funding to support the roll out of faster broadband in Suffolk. This key issue has been growing in importance as more of our future economic prosperity and community well being relies on good fast broadband access to enable skills and business development, health care, access to services and generally improved quality of life. This is particularly true in rural areas where service provision is often more challenging.
The recent Digital Britain Report (2009) identified Suffolk as one of the worst for broadband access in the East of England. BT have recently identified that Suffolk is second only to Norfolk in terms of take up of broadband services – this indicates a high demand despite poor service. Overall internet usage in rural areas is growing at a much higher rate than in urban areas – so demand for faster broadband is set to continue to grow.
But why campaign for faster broadband? Faster broadband provides significant competitive advantage for businesses, it enables children to learn more effectively and to gain higher grades – recent DCF research into the Home Access Programme showed that if a child is given internet access it’s GCSE grades can rise by as much as 10 points overall. Broadband enables people and businesses to access services more easily, it widens social and cultural opportunities for people living in remote rural areas or those with mobility/transport problems and it assists in carbon reduction through enabling home working, remote access to services, home shopping, access to entertainment. Additionally it can help to provide new businesses for rural areas to replace the gap left by farming and other shrinking sectors – possibly attracting higher value jobs as well.
So how can you as Parish Councillors help to support the growing case for faster broadband for Suffolk? EEDA have set up a website for people and businesses to register their interest in broadband – essentially what businesses and residents want to use faster broadband for. I am writing to you to ask you to go onto the EEDA website and register your interest in having faster broadband services for Suffolk. There is information attached to this letter on the type of activities that faster broadband can help with.
Early indications from EEDA on registrations from Suffolk are very good – we are one of the highest following our publicity campaign over Christmas and into the New Year – EEDA commented that the response in January was ‘exceptional’ with over 3,000 registrations from Suffolk. We need to keep the pressure on the ensure that we get the maximum number of registrations as the information will be used by EEDA to judge where there is most demand for funding intervention.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Bruce Provan
Portfolio Holder for Skills and Economic Development
Dear Parish Councillor,
You may be aware of recent publicity around the campaign for faster broadband for Suffolk. This important issue has been given a high profile recently due to the possibility of accessing EEDA funding to support the roll out of faster broadband in Suffolk. This key issue has been growing in importance as more of our future economic prosperity and community well being relies on good fast broadband access to enable skills and business development, health care, access to services and generally improved quality of life. This is particularly true in rural areas where service provision is often more challenging.
The recent Digital Britain Report (2009) identified Suffolk as one of the worst for broadband access in the East of England. BT have recently identified that Suffolk is second only to Norfolk in terms of take up of broadband services – this indicates a high demand despite poor service. Overall internet usage in rural areas is growing at a much higher rate than in urban areas – so demand for faster broadband is set to continue to grow.
But why campaign for faster broadband? Faster broadband provides significant competitive advantage for businesses, it enables children to learn more effectively and to gain higher grades – recent DCF research into the Home Access Programme showed that if a child is given internet access it’s GCSE grades can rise by as much as 10 points overall. Broadband enables people and businesses to access services more easily, it widens social and cultural opportunities for people living in remote rural areas or those with mobility/transport problems and it assists in carbon reduction through enabling home working, remote access to services, home shopping, access to entertainment. Additionally it can help to provide new businesses for rural areas to replace the gap left by farming and other shrinking sectors – possibly attracting higher value jobs as well.
So how can you as Parish Councillors help to support the growing case for faster broadband for Suffolk? EEDA have set up a website for people and businesses to register their interest in broadband – essentially what businesses and residents want to use faster broadband for. I am writing to you to ask you to go onto the EEDA website and register your interest in having faster broadband services for Suffolk. There is information attached to this letter on the type of activities that faster broadband can help with.
Early indications from EEDA on registrations from Suffolk are very good – we are one of the highest following our publicity campaign over Christmas and into the New Year – EEDA commented that the response in January was ‘exceptional’ with over 3,000 registrations from Suffolk. We need to keep the pressure on the ensure that we get the maximum number of registrations as the information will be used by EEDA to judge where there is most demand for funding intervention.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Bruce Provan
Portfolio Holder for Skills and Economic Development
March 01, 2010
An excellent result for the residents of Creeting St Peter
I have to say that I am particularly pleased that Creeting St Peter Parish Council has proposed that its precept goes up by just 0.73% for 2010/11. After all, times are not easy, and for the three of us that sit on the Parish Council, it's our money too.
Of course, the decisions we take as Parish Councillors are not a matter of life and death. Cutting the grass, making sure that the street lights stay lit, considering planning applications, none of these will irrevocably change somebody's life. However, they are important, as they are part of making people's lives better, and I am touched by the willingness of my fellow councillors, Sue Lawson and Steven Ashcroft, to give up their time in order to play this part.
There are only three of us though, and given that we should have five Parish Councillors, it would help to share the burden if others came forward. There are no expenses, I'm afraid, and a bit of reading to do for the six or so meetings we hold each year, but it is an opportunity to put something back into the community and have a say in the issues that affect the village. There may even be the odd biscuit and a cup of tea in it...
Of course, the decisions we take as Parish Councillors are not a matter of life and death. Cutting the grass, making sure that the street lights stay lit, considering planning applications, none of these will irrevocably change somebody's life. However, they are important, as they are part of making people's lives better, and I am touched by the willingness of my fellow councillors, Sue Lawson and Steven Ashcroft, to give up their time in order to play this part.
There are only three of us though, and given that we should have five Parish Councillors, it would help to share the burden if others came forward. There are no expenses, I'm afraid, and a bit of reading to do for the six or so meetings we hold each year, but it is an opportunity to put something back into the community and have a say in the issues that affect the village. There may even be the odd biscuit and a cup of tea in it...
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