After the power cut, some good news...

UK Power Networks have made the following announcement;

Am I entitled to compensation?

We are writing to all customers who qualify for any payments following power cuts caused by Monday's storm.

You are entitled to a payment under a storm event if you were without power for 48 continuous hours. The statutory payment is £27 but as a gesture of goodwill because we understand the difficulties experienced by people last week, we have agreed to double this to £54.

You are entitled to a further payment for each 12-hour period thereafter and this again will be doubled by us to £54. This is capped at £432. All customers who qualify should receive a letter from us to explain this at the early part of this week.

Will UK Power Networks pay for my lost freezer food?

Unfortunately not. These payments detailed above are not designed as compensation and do not preclude customers from claiming on their home or business insurance for any loss. So please check with your home insurance company. We’re happy to confirm the details of the power cut if your insurance company need this information.

How to apply for compensation

All customers who qualify should receive a letter from us to explain this at the early part of this week. But if you haven’t heard from us then please contact us by:

• Completing this online form
• Writing to Customer Relations (Storm Payment), Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8AA.

To help us process this as soon as possible, please state the dates and times between which they were continuously off supply.

On that basis, given that the village was without power for at least sixty-three hours, all eligible customers should be entitled to at least £108, which will certainly help with the restocking of the fridge and freezer...

Meet your friends and neighbours for a nice cup of tea

Saturday, November 9th 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.

Editorial: the time for unitary government in Suffolk has come

Four years ago, the talk in political circles was all about cutting the costs of local government by creating new 'super councils', two, or three unitary authorities to take on all of the roles currently handled by the county and district councils. By doing so, vast amounts of money could be released to spend on already hard-pressed local services.

As usual, however, agreement could not be reached, with the Labour Government pushing for a unitary Ipswich despite some very vocal disagreement from local politicians. The argument for a unitary Ipswich on its current boundaries was a relatively weak one, given the evidence that unitary authorities only really work above a certain level of population, and surrounding communities were deeply suspicious that a 'Greater Ipswich' would offer them little but higher levels of council tax and far less influence. The fact that the rest of the county was left untouched also led one to suspect that it was a political solution rather than a workable one.

Meanwhile, local Conservatives were unable to agree a strategy, with the County Group keen to create a unitary County, whilst the District Groups wanted something a bit smaller, a two or three unitary solution. And, with Conservatives in control on five out of seven authorities, another, Babergh, under no overall control, and Ipswich run by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, their failure to agree led to stalemate.

The incoming Coalition Government immediately cancelled the Ipswich unitary, and tossed the matter back into the hands of local politicians to come up with a solution themselves. Since then, mostly silence - it was all too difficult and there were too many conflicts of interest.

And yet, with every council in the county bemoaning the fact the cuts will need to be made, there is appears to have been little, or no, discussion on the structure of local government. That is, until recently.

Cllr David Wood, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Suffolk County Council, last month called upon politicians across all parties to act. So, in a spirit of co-operation, here's a suggestion for a three authority solution;

• West Suffolk - Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury and West Babergh (including Sudbury)
• North Suffolk - Waveney, Mid Suffolk and Suffolk Coastal (excluding Felixstowe, Kesgrave and Martlesham)
• South Suffolk - Ipswich, Felixstowe, Kesgrave, Martlesham and surrounds, and East Babergh (including Hadleigh)

Or, if two authorities is your preferred choice;

• West Suffolk - Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, Mid Suffolk and Babergh
• East Suffolk - Waveney, Suffolk Coastal and Ipswich

But, whatever you prefer, ladies and gentlemen, would you kindly get on with it?

Editorial: think not what local government can do for you, but what you can do without...

Recent announcements by both Mid Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council to the effect that they are both going to need to make hefty cuts in their expenditure to deal with reduced income from Whitehall can only mean one of three things. Either they will need to cut waste, raise Council Tax levels in real terms, or cut services.

Raising Council Tax levels isn't that easy. The insistence that any increase above a certain, arbitrary, centrally-defined amount triggers a referendum of voters means that local councillors are loathe to even try - running a campaign against an increase in your tax bill is pretty easy, and most local politicians would rather tell you what they think you would like to hear, i.e. you can have services and someone else will pay for them.

Naturally, if the media are to be believed, there are huge levels of waste in government which could be attacked to protect front line services. Sadly, whilst there is waste, it isn't necessarily caused by bad management, but by the fact that people want services supplied that, were they to have to pay for them directly, they might think twice about keeping.

And as for cutting services, well, most councillors would rather cut their own throats than tell you that's what is necessary. Even were they to be that honest, a political opponent will campaign against them promising to save whatever it is.

As an example, people like libraries. If perceived to be under threat, hundreds will demand that they be saved yet how many of them actually use them regularly? How many of those thousands of books are actually read by anyone? And in an era of Kindles and other e-readers, are library user figures likely to go up, or down? At what point do you accept that the cost of providing a service is too great for the benefits gleaned?

We have grown used, as a society, to the idea that someone else, usually government, will do things for us. Government will keep the streets tidy, so that we don't have to, it will maintain parts of our countryside for public use, build roads to make it easier for us to get places. Littering increases because, it doesn't matter, someone will come and clean the street, we take less care about our surroundings as someone else will, we grow used to having a direct route to places and worry less about the economic viability of having three routes out of a village.

And yet, we complain about the size of government, about its cost, about its remoteness from our communities.

Eventually, we will be forced to accept that, in order to maintain the services that really matter - health, education, social welfare, to name but three - peripheral services might have to go. The prize then goes to politicians who are willing to be honest with their electorate and engage them in the debate about what is core and what isn't. Here at the Creeting St Peter Journal, we're not holding our breath...

Youngsters in Mid Suffolk set to enjoy enchanting lullaby concerts

Children across Mid Suffolk are invited to attend a series of interactive concerts taking place across Suffolk and Essex during half term week.  The Lullaby Concerts have been specially devised for children between 2 to 7 years old and aims to give them a magical introduction to classical music.

The fifth year of Lullaby Concerts sees the biggest tour yet, reaching more young children in more places. 

The City of London Sinfonia (CLS) will perform 10 concerts over five days between 28 October and 1 November 2013, at locations across Suffolk including The United Reformed Church, Hadleigh and the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket. 

The concerts are produced by Orchestras Live, a national music charity that brings orchestral music to thousands of people in under-served areas across England.

This year the theme of the concerts is Science. The orchestra will perform a range of classical pieces including Fossils from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens, and Handel’s Harp Concerto.  As usual there will be lots of singing and participation for the audiences.

Zoey Banthorpe, Mid Suffolk & Babergh Communities Officer for the Arts, says, “We are delighted to welcome back a world-class orchestra to Suffolk. The concerts are a brilliant way to introduce children to classical music in a fun and accessible way.”

At the end of each concert there will be an opportunity for everyone to use orchestral instruments which are being made available by Suffolk County Music Service.

Prior to the concerts, a series of workshops will be held at nursery and school settings in each district. These sessions will enable hundreds of children, nursery staff and parents to hear live music in their own settings and meet musicians who will be in the subsequent Lullaby Concerts.

The entire project is being produced by Orchestras Live in partnership with City of London Sinfonia, Babergh District Council, Forest Heath District Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Suffolk County Music Service and Youth Music.

Henry Little, Chief Executive of Orchestras Live, added:  “The success of the Lullaby Concerts over recent years has been phenomenal, and we are delighted to be working with partners in Suffolk to achieve our largest ever tour of orchestral concerts and associated learning activity specially designed to inspire a great many young children and adults.”

The Lullaby Concerts will take place at 11am and 2pm on the following dates:

• Monday 28 October, United Reformed Church, Market Place, Hadleigh IP7 5DL
• Tuesday 29 October, Clacton Coastal Academy – Coast Campus, Jaywick Lane, Clacton-on-Sea CO16 8BE
• Wednesday 30 October, Memorial Hall, High Street, Newmarket CB8 8JP
• Thursday 31 October, St John’s United Reformed Church, 1 Cowper Street, Ipswich IP4 5JD
• Friday 1 November, John Peel Centre for Creative Arts, Church Walk, Stowmarket IP14 1ET

Tickets cost £4 per adult, £2 per child, and £10 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.  They are on sale at the venues or local Tourist Information Centres. Further details can be found at www.ruralartssuffolk.org.uk.

Editorial: is this the first step towards the Business and Enterprise Park?

The announcement of the initial public consultation on the Mill Lane Development Brief ends a lengthy 'phoney war' over what would happen to the area on the Creeting side of the A1120 link road, opposite the Tesco supermarket at Cedars Park. And, whilst it was inevitable that the emergence of the UK economy from recession would lead to increased activity, there were hopes that the entire project had gone away, perhaps for good.

However, the proposed development brief is broadly in line with the steer given by the Area Action Plan, including tiered warehousing as tall as 15 metres at the south-western corner, tapering to a relatively small 6 metres at the northern extent. As indicated three years ago, the current route over the A1120 on Creeting Road will be closed to vehicular traffic, with a link road joining Mill Lane just north of the Clamp Farm area to the A1120 link road opposite Tesco.

A wetland area adjoining the River Gipping is included, although access from the village will only be possible via often blocked footpaths to the river itself, or by walking (or driving) through the industrial estate, hardly likely to attract local foot traffic. In addition, phase 2 appears to cut off vehicular access to the Creeting Lakes fishery, something that may not suit Quiet Sports, who own it, or the residents of Braziers Hall, whose only access it currently is.

Phase 2 will, if built, also cut the footpath that joins the village with the edge of Cedars Park, something which appears to go unmentioned in what is, admittedly, only a first draft. Indeed, the vaunted cycle/footway to replace Mill Lane and Creeting Road East will be an rather unattractive journey between warehouses and... more warehouses. It appears, on the face of it, to be designed to maintain the pretence that a right of way exists, whilst making it unlikely that anyone will want to use it.

There is an opportunity for villagers to examine the plans more closely at an exhibition, unsurprisingly located at the Cedars Park Community Centre, a building probably little known to residents of Creeting St Peter, as the District Council clearly don't believe that it is a matter that they should be concerned about.

However, forewarned is forearmed, and as many residents as possible should attend the exhibition at Cedars Park Community Centre, Pintail Road, Stowmarket, IP14 5FP on Saturday 19th October from 12 noon to 4pm.

The Mobile Library cometh

For those of you of a literary disposition, the Suffolk Libraries mobile service visits every four weeks and the future dates are as follows;

Friday, 11th October

Friday, 8th November

Friday, 6th December

The Mobile Library will be parked in The Lane, between 11.55 a.m. and 12.10 p.m.

However, if a stop in Creeting St Mary is more convenient for you, it calls at Whissels Farm between 11.20 a.m. and 11.30 a.m., and outside the Village Hall between 11.35 a.m. and 11.45 a.m.

Editorial: thank heavens for the Parochial Church Council!

What makes a village community is the people who work to make it a better place. Parish councillors, community activists, church volunteers, all of them take an interest in their village and, hopefully, help to create a lively, more inclusive, atmosphere.

St Peter's, Creeting St Peter

As a relative newcomer to the village, I have been particularly impressed by the work of the Parochial Church Council, currently led by Alice Matthewson, whose attempts to maintain the fabric of our parish church, the only community building in the village, have led them to branch out into being the commnuity social organisers. Monthly coffee mornings, frequent pub nights, concerts - there is no end to their efforts to entice the rest of us to abandon our armchairs and socialise with our neighbours.

And yes, the funds raised do go to maintain the fabric of a building which, I must confess, I don't enter often - I'm a Roman Catholic, no matter how tenuously. But even a rationalist like myself accepts and appreciates the value of maintaining one of the cornerstones of our village life - Creeting St Peter would be by far a worse place without a church to call its own.

However, what might have started out of necessity has blossomed into something which makes me proud to be a resident of our village, as the enthusiasm with which the myriad volunteers organise the events, and welcome us to share them, acts as an example to us all.

So, thank you to Alice and the team, and may there be many more opportunities to say so...

Apply now for Endeavour Card

Young people between the ages of 16 and 19 can now apply for a free Endeavour Card which will give them 25% off bus fares around Suffolk.

The travel smartcard, similar to the London Oyster Card, is being introduced by Suffolk County Council and will mean reduced travel costs on buses from 1 October 2013.

At first, the card will operate as a ‘flashcard’, giving the pass holder the discount as they board the bus and pay for their journey. But by April 2014, cashless payments and online top up will be activated on all cards. This will make the card easier to use and speed up boarding times.

Operators that have so far signed up to the scheme include Ipswich Buses, Galloway, Coach Services, Stephensons, Carters, Suffolk Norse, Anglian Bus and First Eastern Counties. The scheme is open to other operators to join until 31 March 2014.

Councillor Graham Newman, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for roads and transport said:

16-19 year olds in Suffolk can now apply for a free Endeavour Card and I’d urge them to sign up now and start saving money. Most importantly of all, the Endeavour Card will help to remove transport barriers to college, training and work. This will make a significant contribution to achieving the aims of our Raising the Bar initiative - to raise educational attainment and aspiration and better match skills with future jobs.

Young people have been able to register an interest in having an Endeavour Card since May 2013. So far 2,300 have signed up and have now been invited to apply.

Online applications can now be made by visiting www.suffolkonboard.com

Future developments

Suffolk County Council is interested in developing a non-discount, cashless, smartcard for all Suffolk residents, regardless of age. This will be considered in the next 12 months.

Local residents invited to join leading councillor at ‘Grand Driver’ workshop

Councillor Graham Newman is inviting local residents to attend an education and safety workshop which focuses on drivers over the age of 60.

On Thursday 17 October, a 'Grand Driver' workshop will be running from 10am to 12.30pm at Kirton and Falkenham Village Hall. Councillor Newman, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for roads and transport is encouraging members of the community to join him in completing the course, which is entirely free of charge.

The 'Grand Driver' scheme has been running for over seven years and has seen hundreds of drivers successfully complete the course. In order to assist with the continuation of safe driving into later life, Suffolk County Council, with the help of Department for Transport funding and Cranfield University, were able to produce a comprehensive programme of education and assessment for older drivers.

The workshop will address the following areas:

• Health and mobility
• Refreshing knowledge of the Highway Code
• Improving hazard perception skills

Councillor Newman, who himself is over the age of 60, said;

People who attend the Grand Driver workshop with me next month will have instant access to an abundance of practical tips and advice.

It really is an excellent way of keeping your driving skills up-to-date and staying safe on Suffolk's roads, particularly as the majority of us will have had no expert driving tuition since we passed our first driving test, perhaps more than 40 years ago!

I would strongly encourage anyone over the age of 60 to consider attending the workshop and to call as soon as possible to register for a place."

To book a place on the workshop, email roadsafetytraining@suffolk.gov.uk, or call Jane Holland on 01284 758841.

Editorial: are the lights going to stay on?

Last night's power cuts are a reminder as to just how dependent we are on utilities that we generally take for granted. The village's nine street lights fall into that category too, and yet their long-term future is in some doubt.

The impact of higher energy costs, combined with the relatively low efficiency of the elderly equipment, hurts the Council budget. Worse still, EU regulations on light bulbs make the required bulbs obsolete, and hard to obtain. But, more importantly, the equipment is the property of the Parish Council, meaning that the County Council has no obligation to act.

A while ago, a paper was submitted to Parish Council which raised the question of turning the lights off between midnight and 5 a.m., as is already the case across most of the county. By purchasing meters, significant savings could be achieved, and the cost of the meters recouped over a period of less than four years. Parish Council was not convinced, however, and it was decided to leave things as they were.

The subsequent electricity bill did generate a discussion on whether or not to turn off the lights altogether, but nothing came of it.

Replacing the street lights with new LED versions - hugely reduced running costs, twenty-five year guarantee, reduced light pollution - will cost about £650 per light, so what is the Parish Council going to do?

Here at the Creeting St Peter Journal, I'll be keeping an eye open when Council meets to discuss its budget for 2014/15, to see if there is a plan, either to raise the capital needed to replace the lights, or to invest in new meters which will at least buy time.

I acknowledge that, whatever happens, there will be cost implications, either in terms of an increased precept or lost services/facilities. But surely, it's better to have a plan than to cross your fingers and hope for luck...

Making the vulnerable a bit safer

A joint initiative between Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and a local Rotary Club has resulted in a major boost to the provision of free smoke alarms to vulnerable residents.

The first batch of 240 alarms purchased by the Stowmarket Gipping Valley Rotary Club has now been handed over to SFRS. The alarms will be installed in homes in Mid-Suffolk where the occupants are elderly, disabled or single parent families.

Over the coming months it is hoped that the Stowmarket initiative will be extended county-wide. Already the Framlingham Rotary Club has signed up to the scheme, and many more clubs have shown an interest in a scheme which has major benefits for local communities.

At a ceremony held at Stowmarket Fire Station this month, the very first smoke alarm was presented by Martin Hall, president of Rotary Club, to Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for public protection.