Need help because of the snow this weekend?

News has reached us via Parish Clerk, Rosemary Cochrane, that Suffolk County Council has arranged a Emergency Snowline telephone number for the weekend. If you know anyone who might need it, please pass it on...

Hotline for cold weather  

The weather is forecast to remain extremely cold over the coming days so Suffolk County Council will extend its usual customer service helpline to operate over the weekend.

The Emergency Snowline will respond to calls from the public on issues relating to the weather, anyone having difficulty accessing services on their usual numbers could also use this number if they are concerned. Staff on this number will be able to deal with calls related to the current weather conditions such as social care and highways.

Operators will have access to other agencies such as district and borough councils, the police and the health authority if necessary.   The number is 08456 037686 and will be available on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 8pm.

It may be cold, but the District Council are here to help!

Here at Creeting St Peter Blog, we've received an email...


From: Vicky Smy [mailto:Vicky.Smy@midsuffolk.gov.uk]
Sent: 07 January 2010 10:26
Subject: Information and guidance for bad weather conditions  


Dear all,


Please find attached some information and guidance on how the public can try to cope with the current bad weather conditions. It includes information on driving conditions, waste collections and also school closures.


We have set an area up on our website - www.midsuffolk.gov.uk - (under bad weather information on the homepage) that includes this information, along with details about any council services/meetings that have been disrupted etc.


Please can I ask you to share this with as many people as possible, and also direct people to our website. If you have any questions/queries, please let me know.


Many thanks - and take care!


Vicky Smy
Senior Communications Officer - Mid Suffolk District Council
131 High Street, Needham Market, Suffolk, IP6 8DL
Telephone: 01449 724850
Email: vicky.smy@midsuffolk.gov.uk


Consider it done, Vicky!

The mobile library is coming to town!

Yes, culture comes to our village, in the form of the Suffolk County Council mobile library. It will be parked in The Lane for fifteen minutes, from 12.05 to 12.20, on the following Fridays:

• 8th January
• 22nd January
• 5th February
• 19th February
• 5th March
• 19th March

If you need any help, contact Christine on 07721 879853.

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.