Babergh, Suffolk, the World. What does the year ahead hold?

A winner in 2013?

Well, looking back at last year’s Year Ahead pieces I am pleased to say that, as far as predictions went, in some respects,  I managed to do better than the previous year. In early January 2012  I called the results of three out of the four big election results correctly…with Boris, Vladimir Putin and Sarkosy all winning or losing as anticipated.  However I did fail when it came to the result of the US Presidential election.

2013 will see fewer elections globally, although in the Autumn Germany goes to the polls.  It is a hard one to call, but I will stick my neck out and say that Angela Merkel will manage to form a coalition once again.  If she does so, she will be on the way to becoming the longest serving female head of state in Europe and the second longest serving German Chancellor after Helmut Kohl.

On the economic front, I anticipate that 2013 will be a year of continuing global growth, almost entirely fuelled by the fast growing economies in the Far East and Latin America.  The UK will see little in the way of recovery as government cuts finally start to bite.  This won’t do the Conservatives much good in the opinion polls, and I was too optimistic last year about the continuing popularity of the coalition.  However, the Conservatives are doing better than most governments at this stage in a parliament.   I was also wrong last year to predict that some of the weaker European countries would leave the Eurozone.   Governments on both sides of the Atlantic have all managed to ‘kick the can’ (an awful phrase) further down the road, and avoid economic meltdown.  It remains to be seen if this can be achieved indefinitely however.

I was too gloomy about the impact of the Olympics on the nation, and I am very pleased that I got that one wrong!

As far as Babergh is concerned my predictions were more or less correct, although I was wrong about Council Tax being frozen. After debate, and despite government inducements, we decided to increase the tax by the maximum amount permitted without triggering a referendum.  I expect that this will happen once again in 2013/14, and that a lot of other councils will join us this time.   The amount per month involved per household is very small, we are taking steps to protect the poorest households, and the need to conserve our small tax base remains pressing.  The two year pay freeze for staff is expected to come to an end which will put more pressure on our finances.   Last year, despite some pressure, short term car parking in our towns remained free.  I really hope that this perennially attractive source of funds stays firmly off the agenda next year given the state of the retail sector and the need to continue to invigorate our town centres.

Last year’s themes of continuing closer co-operation with Mid Suffolk District Council and financial pressure will persist in the current year.  We will also put the finishing touches to our joint Strategic Objectives, which will look much like our previous ones, albeit with a bit more emphasis on supporting economic growth.  Those of us who are conservation minded in the broadest sense will need to fight to ensure that the protection of our environment, built and natural, is given sufficient prominence in the Plan.  No economic growth is likely if we wreck what is good about South Suffolk.

Last year I predicted that the emphasis on growth in planning policy would lead to some poor planning decisions and this was certainly been true in the case of Chilton.  A resolution of the Prolog issue should be forthcoming in the first months of the New Year, and I will be covering it in detail on this site.  My opinion on this issue (see Prolog tab above) is well known to readers and nothing that has happened since conditional planning permission was granted in May last year has changed my mind.  In fact I feel that my doubts and concerns have been confirmed as the attitude of the company has become clear.

Finally, 2013 sees elections to Suffolk County Council on 2^nd May.  I expect that the Conservatives will hold the balance of power once again, but with a reduced majority.