Suffolk Libraries don't have a sleigh, but they'll bring books

Even though Christmas is drawing ever closer, the Mobile Library Service elves will be coming to The Lane, here in the village, twice next month;

Friday, 9th December

Friday, 23rd December

The Mobile Library will be present between 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon.

Not got a Kindle? Why not try a real book instead?

For those of you who enjoy a good read, the Mobile Library Service returns to The Lane, here in the village, twice next month;

Friday, 11th November

Friday, 25th November

The Mobile Library will be present between 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon.

As the nights draw in, Suffolk County Council return with more books

Life returns to normal, as the Mobile Library Service comes to The Lane, here in the village, on two occasions this month;

Friday, 14th October

Friday, 28th October

The Mobile Library will be present between 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon.

Your Parish Church needs you!

St Peter's Church is now thought to be well into its tenth century as a place of worship, and whilst it has been refurbished, altered and partially rebuilt, it remains a Grade I listed building. Much of the remaining fabric of the building dates back to the fourteenth century, although there are some areas of Norman flint walling.

But, like so many rural churches in small parishes, maintenance depends on a small number of volunteers, so the Parochial Church Council is seeking help with its efforts by holding a Church Maintenance Day and Spring Clean on Saturday, September 24th between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The intention is to tackle the more long term and difficult to reach dust and cobwebs in the church and to do some essential maintenance on the exterior. All are welcome, and refreshments will be available.

Public opinion sought on Suffolk's mobile libraries

A consultation asking users of Suffolk's mobile library service how they think savings could be made was launched yesterday. The six week consultation will give people an opportunity to tell Suffolk County Council what they value in the service as well as make suggestions on how to save public money.

Suffolk County Council currently spends £600,000 a year providing the service for around 7,000 customers. This equates to £7.70 per customer visit as opposed to £2.51 in Suffolk's 44 built libraries. Six mobile libraries (plus a backup in case of breakdowns) make 630 stops fortnightly in 361 communities across the whole of Suffolk - predominantly in rural and isolated areas but also in areas with or near to library buildings.

Visits to mobile libraries have declined by 36,744 (32.46%) over the last 10 years and loans have decreased by 123,090 (37%). Statistics in the past three years show a rise in borrowing.

The main proposals being consulted on are:

1. Reducing the service from fortnightly to four weekly or monthly visits - as is the case in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire
2. Removing mobile library stops in parishes or towns which already have a library building.

If implemented, the proposals would save £225,000 of public money annually.

No decisions will be made until after the consultation responses have been thoroughly examined. Suffolk County Council's Cabinet will decide on the way forward in November 2011. For some people living in Suffolk's most rural communities, the mobile library service plays a significant role in given them access to reading and learning.

Councillor Judy Terry, Suffolk County Council's Portfolio Holder responsible for libraries, said: “There is therefore no question of removing it altogether. I want to reassure people that these proposals will not leave anybody who currently uses mobile libraries without any level of local library provision.

“What we're asking people for are their views on how to keep it running whilst making necessary financial savings. We think we can save money whilst keeping a valued public service running. But that decision is a long way off. Now's the time to work with Suffolk residents to find out what they want to happen.”

Villagers wanting to make their views heard are encouraged to visit the consultation website.

Heritage Open Day 2011 comes to the River Gipping

Sunday, September 11th is Heritage Open Day this year, and to mark the occasion, the River Gipping Trust is taking part for the first time, when it will be welcoming visitors to Baylham, where volunteers are restorong the lock to full working order as part of their mission to return the full length of the River Gipping to navigation.

The Trust is proposing to undertake a feasibility study for providing a tourist boat service between Bosmere Lock and Baylham Lock when the work is complete, which will make the Needham Lakes facility even more attractive.

Baylham Lock is near the Rare Breeds Farm, and will be open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with volunteers available to answer questions and show visitors around the site.

Police come for tea and cake

Saturday, September 10th sees another Parochial Church Council Coffee Morning. And as a bonus, the second in what is hoped will become a regular six-monthly visit by the Mobile Police Station is planned, with either PC Stefan Henriksen or PCSO Sam Knibbs in attendance to offer advice and tips on home and personal security, or to answer any questions you might have.

PC Henriksen is keen to meet as many villagers as possible, and is always happy to address any concerns about speeding, anti-social behaviour and other blights on village life.

So, make sure that you come to the Church Room, at the end of The Lane, between 10 a.m. and noon.

No time to get into Stowmarket for a good book?

Unusually, the Mobile Library Service comes to The Lane, here in the village, three times next month;

Friday, 2nd September

Friday, 16th September

Friday, 30th September

The Mobile Library will be present between 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon.

County Council consult on Informal Adult and Community Learning

Suffolk County Council and The Suffolk Partnership for Informal Adult Learning are consulting of the development of a strategic plan for Informal Adult and Community Learning. It is important for us that we hear the views of as many people and organisations as possible.

You can respond by completing the on-line survey that should take no longer than 10 minutes. Alternatively you can email your responses to k.brundish@ucs.ac.uk. Please put IACL in the subject line.

This consultation is open until 30th September 2011.

News for parents of disabled children

Suffolk County Council's Short Break Duty Statement is now available to view. If you have a disabled child or young person, or know someone who does, take a look and let them know what you think. 

A link to the document and an explanation of how to give your views is available here.

Suffolk's broadband plans get £11m boost

Suffolk's £41m plans to build a super fast broadband network across the county have received strong financial backing from the Government.

The £11 million investment pledged by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport means Suffolk can move forward with its ambitious goal to create a broadband network fit for the twenty first century.

It follows a decision by Suffolk County Council to invest up to £10 million in the project - a move which almost certainly proved crucial in securing the backing from Government.

Councillor Mark Bee, Suffolk County Council's Leader, said:

"I'm ecstatic. From the day I was elected Leader I've wanted this and have worked hard with all our partners to make it happen. Today is an important milestone in our ambition to create for Suffolk a broadband network fit for the twenty first century. We can now crack on with the project and turn our ambition into a reality."

The Suffolk target is to have 85% of Suffolk premises with access to superfast (20Mbps or greater) fibre optic broadband. The remaining 15% of premises will be served by fixed wireless broadband.

Suffolk is hoping to complete the procurement phase (to secure a supplier to install the infrastructure) of the project by Q3 (July-Sept) 2012. Deployment should therefore commence before the end of 2012.

It is envisaged that the infrastructure will take up to 2.5 years to complete. The target date for completion is March 2015.

Suffolk Rural Arts Directory - everything you need in one place

If you thought rural Suffolk was short of arts group and activities think again.

A new Suffolk Rural Arts Directory offering 120 pages of arts and heritage contacts to help residents and visitors looking for arts resources and information has just been published by Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal councils working together to promote local tourism.

The directory lists crafts, dance, drama and musical theatre, film, galleries and art studios, museums and heritage, professional arts agencies and services, professional artists and makers, spoken and written word, technical services and equipment for hire, venues and visual arts groups - within Mid Suffolk, Suffolk Coastal and some in Babergh. 

“Cultural tourism is a vital part of the local economy” explains councillor Diana Kearsley, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Community “we have a wealth of arts groups presenting fantastic work across Suffolk, and a directory like this one is crucial in letting people know what’s going on and can choose to get engaged if they want to.”

The directories are free and available at libraries, arts venues, tourist information centres and local businesses and via the new website. There’s loads of other good stuff on there too, such as a what’s on guide, event and project profiles and artist opportunities.

If you are not already in the directory and are organising arts activity across rural Suffolk, you can register as an artist, organisation, venue or service by going online and completing a simple form. 

For further information please contact Zoey Furzer on 01449 724638 or email zoey.furzer@midsuffolk.gov.uk.

Watch out for a new tax scam

Suffolk Trading Standards are warning consumers about a serious tax rebate scam from a company falsely claiming to be from the well known brand name - Money Saving Expert.

Money Saving Expert is best known through TV and Radio presenter Martin Lewis and the company’s popular consumer website moneysavingexpert.com. The fraudulent company are providing the Money Saving Expert company address in London and are also claiming to represent the ‘Ministry of Finance’.

Initially, a Suffolk consumer contacted Suffolk Trading Standards on 5 August 2011 after a company was cold calling him over the telephone saying he was due a tax rebate of nearly £6000.

Money Saving Expert has confirmed that they do not cold call consumers and do not provide cheques to consumers for tax rebates or any other purposes. It appears the company's name and address was being used illegally in an attempt to give some creditability to the scam.

The second claim that the company were representing the ‘Ministry of Finance’ was also entirely false as there is no such department in the UK.

This scam works by asking the consumer to buy a Ukash voucher, which are available for cash at a variety of retail outlets, for the value of £100.

The Ukash voucher is a less familiar form of payment that enables people to exchange cash for a voucher that can be used to pay for goods, mainly on the internet. However, once a consumer has provided the number located on the voucher, any one else can use its value in exchange for payment of goods. The consumer's voucher is then no longer of any value.

The company promised to send an agent to collect the voucher at the consumer’s home address in exchange for a cheque. At first, the company tried to complete the exchange on the same day as the initial call.

Fortunately, the consumer contacted Suffolk Trading Standards who waited for the business to return a telephone call to make arrangements for the cheque rebate. During the conversation the company repeated the false claims that they were from a company called Money Saving Expert and represented the ‘Ministry of Finance’.

Suffolk Trading Standards are warning people using Ukash vouchers not to provide the code numbers on the voucher to anyone calling them, particularly if they are claiming to be able to reclaim tax rebates, bank charges or similar.

County Councillor Colin Spence, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection said; “Consumers should be very wary of contact via distance communication from companies asking for an upfront fee or the purchase of money vouchers in exchange for tax rebates.

“In this case a well known company name has been used to try and provide the scam with some creditability and lure consumers into parting with hard earned money. The best advice we can give is if the offer appears too good to be true, it probably is. Consumers should contact Consumer Direct to report any suspicious contact of this type.”

Wendy Alcock, Campaigns Coordinator at Money Saving Expert said; “As campaigners on consumer rights we sadly hear tales like this every day. Scammers are good at making their scams look authentic and millions are caught out each year but it's great to see in this case the consumer knew things didn’t add up and contacted their local trading standards. We urge anyone else who is unsure of a company's claims to do the same.”

Anyone who has been contacted by a company they suspect may be trying to scam them should call Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Alternatively, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud can be contacted on 0300 123 2040 or on www.actionfraud.org.uk

Domestic Abuse: Be a part of ending it

The Mid Suffolk Domestic Abuse Forum, a group of local residents and professionals who are committed to providing service to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, is looking for a new chair person to help organise and fundraise for the forum.

Organising conferences, supplying material and supporting front line delivery services, the Mid Suffolk Domestic Forum strives to reduce the occurrence of domestic abuse in Mid Suffolk.

The group has been meeting actively since April 2009 and is currently chaired by John Spitzer, the Community Safety Manger at Mid Suffolk District Council. The group organised its first conference in 2009 with the theme of “A journey through the legal system”. In 2010, the theme was “Under-represented Groups”. The conferences were free and attracted national organisations and speakers. The Forum has also supported the Freedom Programme and MARACs.

John Spitzer, Community Safety Manager at Mid Suffolk District Council said: “This would be the perfect situation for a dynamic individual who is passionate about helping others and putting an end to domestic abuse.”

If you are interested in becoming the new chairperson, or would like to find out further information, please contact John Spitzer at 01449 724646 or john.spitzer@midsuffolk.gov.uk

If you would like to attend the group or volunteer to be the chair, the next meeting of the Forum is at 2pm on September 8 2011.

Gold Star for Green Effort

Businesses in Mid Suffolk are greener than they have ever been according to end-of-year figures released today by Mid Suffolk District Councils Trade Waste and Recycling service.

A record breaking 103 tonnes of recyclable material was collected from April 2010 to April 2011. That equates to almost two tonnes of waste per week which may have otherwise gone straight into landfill.

The success of the recycling service can be attributed to the wide range of materials accepted in the bins and a pricing structure which encourages businesses to maximise their recycling efforts. This coupled with excellent customer focused service delivered by the waste team in Creeting Road has made the service a winning choice amongst businesses in the district.

Cllr Roy Barker, portfolio holder for waste said: “The service is just what the district needs at the moment, it offers businesses a viable and sustainable way to reduce the waste they send to landfill whilst reducing the overall cost of disposal – everyone benefits.”

Rupert Tabley, Business Generation Officer at Mid Suffolk District Council said: “I’m really proud of what we have achieved in our first full year. In the future we hope to increase business recycling rates further by enhancing the range of materials we can recover through a variety of initiatives and strategic partnerships.”

More details of the scheme can be found on the Mid Suffolk District Council website or through the trade waste team on 01449 778623.

Tractors Boys crash out at first obstacle

Ipswich Town 1 Northampton Town 2

On a disappointing night which promised so much more, Paul Jewell's men were knocked out in their home first round Carling Cup tie against a team they eliminated last season on the way to an unexpected semi-final appearance against Arsenal.

Whilst a number of first-teamers were rested, including Michael Chopra, there was enough experience in the side to provide the 9,000 home supporters with reason to hope, and things started well, with Ipswich pressurising the Cobblers early on, before Jay Emmanuel-Thomas scored a great goal from the edge of the box, leaving the Northampton goalkeeper clawing at thin air to put Town one-up after fifteen minutes.

However, a good opening was missed later in the half after good work by Andy Drury, and Northampton took advantage of their generosity to score before half-time.

In the second half, the away team, cheered on by 400 noisy followers, were made to look rather better than they were by an increasingly insipid home team, and it came as no great surprise when Northampton scored again to take the lead. This drew little response from Ipswich, although they did rouse themselves in the last ten minutes, causing some nervous moments for the Northampton defence but rarely looking like grabbing an equaliser.

And so an opportunity for cup glory has been tossed away far earlier in the season than Paul Jewell and his squad would have hoped for. On this showing however, the squad needs reinforcing if Marcus Evans is to feel that he's getting value for money. Season ticketholders may not have his patience...

Time for tea once again

Saturday, August 13th sees the next in the wildly successful series of monthly coffee mornings, organised by the Parochial Church Council and held in the Church Room at the end of The Lane.

The event offers another chance to meet fellow villagers, eat some excellent baked goods and perhaps buy a jar of preserves, for yourself or for a friend as a gift.

The event kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs for two hours, leaving plenty of time for the shopping and other chores. All funds raised go towards the maintenance of the Church, so your tea drinking is for a worthy cause.

County Council announce street lighting proposals

As reported here last month, Suffolk County Council will be turning off some street lights, and dimming others as part of a measure to cut costs and reduce light pollution, and notice has reached the Journal of the proposals for Stowmarket, Stowupland and Creeting St Peter. Readers will note that the nine street lights located within Creeting St Peter are coloured green, signifying that they are owned by the Parish Council.

Highlights of the proposals:

• The heart of Stowmarket will remain lit.
• The main routes into the town are likely to remain lit, albeit dimmed.
• The street light on the corner of Creeting Lane and the A1120 belongs to Stowupland Parish Council, and an approach will need to be made to them to ensure that it remains lit.
• Most minor roads around Stowmarket will be unlit overnight.

Cllr Mark Valladares is keen to ensure that any issues of concern to villagers are addressed quickly. "I am well aware that whilst the access routes to the village are unlit, there are places where lighting is essential to ensure the safety of anyone travelling to and from Creeting St Peter.", he said, "But as a non-driver, it would be really helpful to have the perspective of drivers across the Parish.".

Stowmarket & District Road Safety Committee to meet

A meeting to discuss road safety issues in Stowmarket and surrounding villages will take place in two weeks time at the offices of Stowmarket Town Council in Milton Road, Stowmarket. New officers for the committee will be elected, and any issues that have arisen since their last meeting in May will be considered.

Cllr Mark Valladares will be representing the Parish Council for the first time. "I think that it is important that we use every forum available to us to make our voice heard. Villagers have concerns about speeding vehicles in and around Creeting St Peter, and there are other issues, such as the right hand turn into Creeting Lane from the A1120."

"I'll be reporting back to Parish Council at our September meeting, but if anyone has anything that they want to see raised, they should get in touch."

Breach of planning restrictions rewarded at Grove Farm

After successfully breaching the planning restrictions placed upon the tied property at Grove Farm by allowing it to be occupied by someone other than an agricultural worker for more than ten years without seeking clearance, and then making lawful the breach by applying for retrospective permission, a follow up application has been made to make additional single-storey extensions to 'Orchard Lea', as well as the building of a garage.

Whilst the failure of Mid Suffolk District Council to enforce the restrictions placed on the usage of the property is unfortunate, the owners of the property have merely taken advantage of an opportunity, a point not lost on at least one Parish Councillor.

However, the new application gives an opportunity to local residents to monitor this latest bid to enhance the value of the site, and they have until 24 August to let Mid Suffolk know what they think, if anything. For more information, look here.

Go Wild this summer with Mid Suffolk’s Countryside Team

Mid Suffolk's Countryside Team will be at Needham Lake every week putting on a family event throughout August. Join them for a varied programme of exciting, hands on countryside events for all the family. 

For younger children there is a Summer Welly Walk on Monday 8th August from 10.30 – 11.30am. Enjoy the sights and sounds of summer and take part in activities on a ramble around Needham Lake. Children £2, accompanying adults are free.

Come and join the team on Wednesday afternoons between 12 – 3.30pm for a huge range of fun activities.

On Wednesday 10th August find out what lurks in the water and sweep the meadows for some amazing insets at A Bug's Life.

Find out all about trees and take part in games and crafts at "Wood You Be-leaf it" on Wednesday 17th August.

Delve into the past at Dig It, an archaeological discovery day. Meet an archaeologist and handle real artefacts. Use your detective skills to discover how people lived in the past.

Round off the summer holidays on Wednesday 31st August at Rockets Return and launch your own water powered rocket at the lake. Please bring an empty 2 litre lemonade bottle.

Contact the Mid Suffolk Countryside team or visit our website to find out more. Visit the Countryside section on the Mid Suffolk website for the 2011 diary. Alternatively, ring 01449 724633.

A physiotherapy practice to come to Cedars Park?

The latest news to come from Mid Suffolk District Council is that a planning application has been made to convert the property at Alpha 1, The Buntings, off Kestrel Drive from business use to use as a physiotherapy practice.

This will, hopefully, open up new options for those needing physiotherapy services in the village.

For more information, details of the planning application can be found here.

Faster broadband to come to Creeting St Peter?

BT has announced that it is to extend the availability of its next-generation ADSL broadband service to a further 2.5 million homes, around 900,000 of these in rural areas. The news comes as Ofcom reveals that the average speed of broadband in the UK is 6.8Mbps (megabits per second).BT had already pledged to roll out its faster ADSL technology to 80% of the UK and this latest announcement means it will now reach 90%, promising broadband speeds more than double what they are now. However, the technology that it is using relies on the older copper wire telephone network, and offers speeds of up to 20Mbps. Unfortunately, few people will achieve the maximum speed because ADSL degrades the further a house is away from the exchange.

Given that Creeting St Peter is reportedly seven miles from the nearest exchange, that does not augur well for significant improvements, with Cllr Mark Valladares noting the difficulties this presents to those wanting to run their businesses from home. "Rural communities need improved broadband services, from schoolchildren doing their homework using the internet, to the elderly relying on the internet to keep in touch with friends and loved ones, improved broadband speeds are a must. And if we are to secure the future of villages like ours, the ability to run a business remotely will encourage people to move here and put down roots.", said Cllr Valladares.

A Day for Play…family fun for everyone

A giant cardboard kingdom, junk funk, a spider mountain, stilt-walkers, tightrope walkers and impromptu performances are just some of the treats in store for those heading to Needham Lake this August for the second free children's festival, A Day for Play.

The event, which is funded by Mid Suffolk District Council, Big Lottery Fund and Activities Unlimited, will be held on Sunday August 7 from 11am – 5pm, and promises to be jam-packed full of fun and frivolity.

Children and families will be able to have creative and messy fun working alongside artists in a range of workshops including clay, tie-dye, giant painting, raft making and jewellery and fairy making. You can even create your own mini-garden or sculpture to take home with you.

There will more activities for under 5's too, with the introduction early years activity based on playing and learning about around animals, habitats and countryside with fascinating stories and puppetry.

Cllr Diana Kearsley, Mid Suffolk District Council's Portfolio Holder for the Community said: "We are really looking forward to seeing families having fun and joining in the many activities we have planned for our second year at Needham Lake. After a fantastic turnout last year with thousands of people attending last summer, we look forward to seeing families enjoying another action-packed day for all to enjoy."

Free car parking will be available on site.

For further information about the day, visit this website or call 01449 724633. 

Need something to read on those summer evenings?

Just a brief reminder that the Mobile Library Service comes to The Lane, here in the village, on two dates next month;

Friday, 5th August

Friday, 19th August

The Mobile Library will be present between 11.45 a.m. and 12 noon.

Local Station to be refurbished

National Express East Anglia have announced that Stowmarket Station will be getting a 'refresh' over the coming weeks.

The project, starting next month and running until the end of October, will see painting, as well as some general repairs to the fabric of the station.

Passengers are asked to take extra care during the course of the works.

Planning application at Clamp Farm House

Creeting St Peter Parish Council have been notified of a planning application intended to gain permission to remove infill from two recently discovered bricked up openings and install new windows. As a statutory consultee, the Council is obliged to consider such an application and, where there are concerns, ensure that they are recorded with Mid Suffolk District Council.

This particular application is the latest in a series of permissions sought in order to restore this Grade II listed property, and is unlikely to draw much comment at a Parish level, being more likely to be considered more closely by the relative experts of the Mid Suffolk Planning Services department.

However, if you're interested in finding out more, or are an expert in the restoration and maintenance of historic properties, more information can be found here.

Ofcom cuts rural broadband charges

The company is the only operator in many smaller telephone exchanges and ISPs have to factor 'renting' BT's equipment into their price plans. Rural broadband bills could fall after telecoms regulator Ofcom moved to cut the wholesale price that BT charges other internet providers. That means customers often miss out on cheaper deals available in towns and cities. The reduction only affects broadband services of up to 8Mbps.

From mid August until March 2014, Ofcom has ruled that BT must cut its rates by 12% below inflation per year. The Countryside Alliance said it was "delighted" by the decision. "People living in the countryside have been left behind in the digital divide for far too long and it is vital that they have effective and affordable broadband if their rural economies are to grow and prosper," said a spokesperson.

The government is keen to see next-generation services thrive in rural as well as urban areas as it aims to make the UK the fastest broadband nation in Europe by 2015. Critics have argued that relying on copper technologies will not future-proof networks and have urged operators to invest in fibre optics which can provide much faster services.

"Any retail price reductions that follow from this wholesale announcement will be welcomed by consumers, but the extent to which providers will reduce prices is uncertain," said Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of broadband news service ThinkBroadband.

"The wholesale cost reductions may be used by broadband providers to ease congestion at peak times by adding capacity instead."

"It is also important to note that the price control only applies to 'up to 8 meg services', which may be seen as a regulatory green light to encourage BT to upgrade rural exchanges to support faster 'up to 24 meg' ADSL2+ services, in the knowledge that they will be able to secure a higher return on investment," he added.

County Council announces interim replacement for Andrea

Suffolk County Council’s Staff Appointments Committee has appointed Lucy Robinson as the authority’s interim Chief Executive.

The role is initially for a period of six months, during which time the recruitment of a permanent chief executive will take place. Ms Robinson has been appointed on a salary of £150,000 pro rata.

Key objectives for Ms Robinson will include; effectively managing the budget setting process, to ensure the required savings of £50 million are made over the next two years, develop effective relationships with partners and effectively engage with staff.

Ms Robinson brings a wealth of experience to the position, having held a number of roles across local and central government, most recently as Director for Economy, Skills and Environment with Suffolk County Council since 2002. Ms Robinson has an in depth understanding of not only the county council but also the needs of residents and partners. For the past three months Ms Robinson has been covering the role of Chief Executive.

Cllr Mark Bee, Leader of Suffolk County Council said: “I am delighted that Lucy has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive. Lucy offers not only a wealth of experience but also the personal skills and drive to begin building foundations for the future. 

“Over the coming years we are faced with a number of challenges, not least the need to save £50m over the next two years.

“I look forward to working with Lucy to deliver on our promises to the people of Suffolk – good quality, value for money services and keeping council tax down.”

For the Liberal Democrats, Kathy Pollard commented: "I am delighted that Lucy Robinson has accepted the role of interim Chief Executive at Suffolk County Council. She got the job on merit and the decision of the staff appointments committee was unanimous."

Lucy Robinson said: “I am delighted to be offered this role and look forward to working with Mark, Cabinet and councillors to meet their objectives.”

Ms Robinson will take up the role of Interim Chief Executive from 1 August.

Incinerator gets go ahead

An energy from waste facility, which will turn all of Suffolk’s residual household waste into electricity, has been given the go ahead.

Planning permission for the plant at Great Blakenham near Ipswich was granted last week and earlier this month the Environment Agency issued the necessary draft permit for the site – effectively giving SITA UK the green light to proceed.

Building work is due to start later this year and the plant should be open by December 2014.

Mark Bee, Leader of Suffolk County Council, which has a 25-year contract with SITA UK to build and then run the site, said: “I am delighted we can now start work on this project which will provide Suffolk with a cheaper, greener solution for disposing of household waste which cannot reasonably be recycled.

“We are proud that Suffolk is one of the top recycling areas in the country with over half our household waste recycled. We want to do even better and aim to get to 60% by 2015.

“But there will always be waste left over. Now, we’ll be putting that waste to good use as a fuel to generate electricity. Over the life of the contract this will be around £350 million cheaper than continuing to landfill, and it will also be better for the environment.”

However, Opposition Leader, Kathy Pollard, has already indicated her opposition to the project, believing that there are better technical alternatives.

County Leader outlines priorities

In a speech this week County Councillor Mark Bee, Leader of Suffolk County Council, outlined his priorities for the authority over the next two years.

Councillor Bee said; “Good quality, value for money services, protection of the most vulnerable and keeping council tax down – this is what the people of Suffolk want me to do and I am determined to deliver it for them.“To do this we need to think differently to think radically about how we operate in the future.”

He continued; “One of the key ways in which we can achieve this is to break down the barriers across the public sector and work in partnership removing duplication. I would like to see a single gateway for public services delivering joined up local government.

“A perfect example of this is public buildings. Working together with my fellow leaders across Councils in Suffolk and other public sector organisations including the police and fire service we will be looking to share accommodation, use space more efficiently and improve the services we are able to deliver.

“It’s about delivering what people need, not what we want to provide.”

County County saves libraries - but not all of them

Last week, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet approved an approach that, it was claimed, will secure the future of library services in Suffolk retaining the current library network and putting it on a "strong and sustainable footing for the future".

Three options for the central organisation will be considered and a final decision made by Cabinet at its meeting in November. They are;

• An in-house business unit similar to the Schools Library Service.
• An external, but wholly council-owned, company.
• An independent company managed by the county through contractual arrangements.

County Councillor with responsibility for libraries Judy Terry said the service had undergone significant changes over the last few years, but the council was determined to maintain the network.In the meantime, the council will be working to deliver a number of partnership pilots with town or parish councils, community or staff groups keen on running a library - providing them with the flexibility, funding and support to make it a success. Given that a wide range of groups have come forward with proposals to run their own libraries, it is hoped that the pilots will act as a model elsewhere. Community involvement is critical to the success of the vision throughout Suffolk and the council will work with other groups to develop their business plans.

Unfortunately, as far as the more rural communities are concerned, the prospects are not good, with a proposal to change the frequency of mobile visits from fortnightly to monthly. Whilst no decision will be made on mobile libraries until after the views expressed during the public consultation have been taken into account, the expectation is that Creeting St Peter will see a 50% reduction in its mobile library service to just fifteen minutes each month. The proposal will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting in November, whilst full Council in September will debate the best value options and mobile libraries plans.

Sewer ownership to change from 1 October

Anglian Water have announced that, from 1st October 2011, they will be looking after many more sewers and pipes that take wastewater from loos and sinks as a result of a change in the law. If a house is connected to the public sewer system, they will be taking ownership of any pipes that are outside its property boundary.

This will mean that, from 2014, water bills will be increasing, although by a relatively small amount - the Government have estimated that it will be somewhere between £3 and £14 per year.

For more information, visit the Anglian Water website.

Village to lose popular vicar

After nine years as vicar to the Benefice, the Reverend Christine Everett has announced her retirement. Serving the chuches at Stonham Parva, Earl Stonham, Creeting St Mary and Creeting St Peter, she has played a key role in the life of all four villages and will be sorely missed.

To celebrate her ministry, a Benefice service will take place at Earl Stonham chuch on Saturday, August 14th, starting at 10 a.m.

Alice Mathewson, Chair of the Creeting St Peter Parochial Church Council, commented, "It has been a joy to have her as our vicar.".

Child literacy goes to the Circus!

This summer sees Suffolk Libraries take part in a literacy problem for the under-elevens, the brainchild of the Reading Agency.

Children are encouraged to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge at Stowmarket Library during the school holidays – it’s FREE – and they will get a stage set and stickers to start them off. As they read their way through six books, they help the Circus Stars progress through Practice and Rehearsal to their ultimate goal – Showtime!

The fun doesn’t stop at the library though! They can create their own avatar and join the Stars on a journey through games and activities. They can keep track of the books they are reading, send messages to other Circus Stars, and even meet some famous authors.

For more information, go to the Suffolk Libraries website or to the Reading Agency's website. The programme kicks off on Saturday (July 23rd), just in time for the school holidays.

Time to turn off the street lights at night?

Whilst Suffolk County Council are taking steps to turn off most of their street lights between midnight and 5.30 a.m., there will not be any change in Creeting St Peter for the time being, as the parish's nine street lights are operated and funded by the Parish Council.

At a recent meeting of the Suffolk Association of Local Councils Mid Suffolk South Area Committee, new lighting proposals were outlined, including the introduction of new gadgets that can control when an individual streetlight switches on and off. "It is estimated,", said Cllr Mark Valladares, "that introducing similar equipment in Creeting St Peter would pay for itself in electricity savings in just three and a half years, a very powerful consideration when financial times are tough, and a potential contribution to reducing our impact on the environment too.".

Cllr Valladares has called upon the Parish Council to give serious consideration to his suggestion that, where Suffolk goes, Creeting St Peter goes too, and it is likely to be a topic for discussion in September's Parish Council meeting. However, he is keen to ensure that there is proper consultation before any action is taken.

Village population grows by one

Congratulations go out to Steven and Tracey Ashcroft, as Tracey gave birth to a baby boy recently. Steven, the Chair of Creeting St Peter Parish Council, and Tracey attended a recent village social event despite the impending birth, and the Creeting St Peter Journal wishes them, and their son, every good fortune in the future.

Barriers to housing and services blight village

The Department for Communities and Local Government has published its report of Indices of Multiple Deprivation for 2010, and the Creeting St Peter Journal has uncovered a statistic that probably comes as no great surprise to villagers, in that the village falls within the bottom 10% of the more than 32,000 LSOAs (short for lower-level Super Output Areas, or in our case, District Council wards) in England on the index of barriers to housing and services.

The index is calculated with reference to the distance to key services (post office, GP, primary school and general store), as well as the availability of affordable housing. And villagers don't need to be reminded that we don't have any of these things here in Creeting St Peter. There is no doubt that the absence of these services has an impact, especially on elderly residents and those without access to their own transport.

All of this falls against a background of declining rural services. Figures provided by the Rural Development Commission, the Countryside Agency and Suffolk ACRE show that the number of rural parishes with a post office has fallen from 58% to 44% in England, and even faster in Suffolk, from 57% to just 33% since 1991.

The proportion of rural parishes with a general store is down from 25% to 14%,  and whilst Suffolk has retained more village pubs than across England as a whole, that may have something to do with the emergence of gastropubs, as reliant on food sales as they once were on local drinkers.

The Creeting St Peter Journal will be running a series of reports on the rural economy, following on from the Suffolk Foundation's recently published report, 'Hidden Needs', looking at the impact of social and economic change on Suffolk villages.

Why not use the bus instead?

The Journal is asked to remind villagers that the Suffolk Links Gipping North service is now available between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday, for pre-arranged journeys in an area including Mendlesham, the Stonhams, the Creetings, Haughley, Woolpit, Rattlesden and Great Finborough, connecting the villages with Stowmarket and Needham Market.

The vehicle, an example of which is shown above, is fully accessible with low steps, hand rails and a lift for wheelchair access. Best of all, concessionary passes are valid on all services after 9.30 a.m. Monday to Friday, and all day on Saturday.

And even if you don't have a concessionary pass, the return fare to Stowmarket is just £2.10 (£1.30 for a one way trip), and it will pick up as close to your door as is reasonable (usually on Pound Road).

Journeys can be booked up to a week in advance, and passengers can have two  days worth of travel arranged at any one time. For more information, or simply to book a journey, call 01449 616000. Margaret, and her team of helpers, will do everything they can to get you to where you want to go, when you want to go.

But passengers are asked to bear in mind that the bus may not be available exactly when you want it, so some flexibility is really appreciated. And bring the exact fare if you can, as change may not always be available.

Parish Council to meet

Parish Clerk, Rosemary Cochrane, has confirmed that the next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Tuesday, September 20th, at the Church Room in The Lane, starting at 7.30 p.m.

Reports from both the District and County Councillors are expected, as well as news of progress on the playing field project, and all residents are welcome to attend.

District Councillor mourns failed merger

The newly elected Full Council met in Needham Market on 30 June, in part to discuss the aftermath of the ballot of residents in Babergh and Mid Suffolk on a proposed merger of the two district councils. It was agreed that, given the significant impact claimed as a result of the inability to merge the two councils, further undefined cuts would be necessary.

At a meeting of Creeting St Peter PC on 5 July, Cllr Caroline Byles declared her disappointment with the outcome, as it was her belief that this was the wrong decision to take, a view unlikely to be shared by residents of Babergh, 61% of whom voted against.

However, having been unable to attend the meeting of the full Mid Suffolk DC, Cllr Byles was unable to enlighten the Parish Council as to the nature of the cuts that are being considered, despite her membership of the Executive Committee.

Villagers will doubtless be keen to find out what the impact is likely to be on Creeting St Peter, although there are currently very few services supplied directly by Mid Suffolk District Council - street lights are provided by the Parish Council, the community bus is sponsored by Suffolk County Council, and the major impact is likely to be on those residents still living in accommodation supplied by the District Council.

The Journal will be attempting to find out more over the coming weeks and months so, if you want to keep in touch with events as they take place, keep reading the Creeting St Peter Journal!