A new look for Creeting St Peter's only media outlet

I'll be honest, I've neglected this blog a bit of late. What with the election (I lost) and a general sense of ennui, even my main blog, the one that reaches out beyond the Gipping Valley, has suffered a bit. So, I thought that I'd freshen it up a bit. But first, an explanation of how we got here.

I'm a relative newcomer to Creeting St Peter, having only become a resident in 2008, and then only occasionally. I sold my house in North London in July 2009, and began a life split between London and mid-Suffolk. When I joined the parish council, it seemed like a fun idea to start blogging, a notion which created a degree of trepidation amongst some of my new colleagues.

It was suggested to me that I shouldn't cover the events of parish council meetings, that, as a councillor, I should leave reportage for the official version. And, rather foolishly, I agreed. However, there were mobile library visits to report on, county consultations and stories of buses, so I kept going, with the income from advertising being donated to the parish council (worth 5.5p per household in 2010!).

Becoming the Liberal Democrat district council candidate provided more restrictions on the blog, as I wanted to separate the politics that I do away from the village separate from the politics of Stowupland ward. I had, however, moved my job from London to Ipswich and finally become a full-time resident.

However, election over, it's time that I made up my mind as to what I want to do with it. So, I've changed the template, to something more redolent of the village. I'll add in some more interesting links over the next few weeks, some to local businesses (none of whom will be paying me for the privilege), others to local community groups who serve the village. Occasionally, it will look rather odd, as I experiment with the layout, colour scheme, or whatever. But bear with me, I'll get there in the end.

I'll also change the reporting style a bit. I have a rather liberal approach to freedom of speech and besides, you have a right to know what I'm up to as your parish councillor. I'm sure that my colleagues will be happy to communicate in whatever way they're comfortable, but I find blogging to be a decent way of reaching people... or should I say, publishing a local online newspaper...

Time to have some fun!