Remember your County Councillor

I was disappointed to read in the Suffolk Free Press this week about the issues that a resident in my Division has been having with the Highways Department at Suffolk County council.

The disappointment lay not so much in the issues described, although service failure is always to be regretted, but in the fact that the resident did not think to raise the issue with me, his County Councillor, before complaining to the newspapers.  (Actually it would have been quite good if the newspaper had contacted me for a comment too).

One of the main parts of a County Councillor’s role is to take up residents’ problems, and, without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I have over the past four years been assiduous in raising all reasonable complaints with County Council officers or referring people on to other agencies as appropriate.   On the whole I have had a good success rate in resolving local issues, although it has to be said that no one can have a 100 percent record.

Failure to resolve an issue has usually been because of the financial constraints that the council has suffered over the past 4 years as central government cuts have had an impact on the speed at which officers can respond. There are also situations in which one would like to help, but for legal or other reasons it does not prove possible. In the case of highways matters it must be added that demand for work on our roads is infinite and officers have to prioritise their work load to deal with the busiest routes and the gravest problems first.  This can sometimes lead to what seems to be excessive delay.

Returning to the case in point, I spoke to the resident concerned yesterday and, since I have less than a week to go as a County Councillor, I have agreed with him that I will pass information about his problem to my successor, whoever that may be.  I am sure that he will take the matter up, and is likely to be able to resolve it.

Do remember that if you are having problems with the County Council, the first port of call should be your County Councillor.  The contact details of all new and re-elected councillors will be up on the County Council website shortly after the election on Thursday.

Suffolk and India

Ashley Cooper

Little Waldingfield History Society was delighted to welcome Ashley Cooper, one of Suffolk’s leading local historians,back to the Parish Room on April 19th. As anticipated, the audience of more than 40 people were enthralled by the myriad connections he had identified between the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and Suffolk.

A full report on his talk can be found on the India tab above

The next two events hosted by the History Society will be

17th May, when the Director of Gainsborough's House,  Mark Bills will talk to us about the Life and Art of Thomas Gainsborough.

14th June, when Joy Bounds will tell us all about the life and times of Joan of Arc

For further information about the Society and its events contact Diana Langford on 01787 248298.

Learn more about Broadband

‘Broadband in the East of England and Future Plans’

 

Giles Ellerton

The next business breakfast organised by Articulate at the Swan in Lavenham  offers a chance to meet Giles Ellerton, British Telecom’s Regional Partnerships Director.  The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday 18^th May.

This meeting is actually a continuation of a previous breakfast that was held at the BT Ad Astral Centre.  I understand that so many questions were posed during the informal part of the meeting that Giles did not actually get round to giving the talk that he had prepared.  Accordingly this 'second round' has been arranged.

Don’t worry if you were not present at the previous session.  You will have your chance to give your views on this very hot topic (particularly hot if your Broadband service remains poor!).  There will also be the chance to find out about the apparent resolution of the BT Openreach saga

To learn more and to book a place please visit www.articulatehlc.co.uk

 Price per head £15*

Bookings close on 8^th May.

 
*Please note that payments by cheque will incur a £1.50 surcharge as that is what the bank charges Articulate. BACS payments incur no surcharge.

Follow the artists' trail.

Thomas Gainsborough, Holywells Park, Ipswich, (1748 - 1750)

Gainsborough’s House has joined with other museums in Suffolk to produce a map that features local sites associated with the ‘Landscape of Gainsborough and Constable’.

Ten sites in all are identified.  All but one are within easy reach of one another in South Suffolk, and the other, St Mary’s Church in Dedham, Essex, is not far away.  Each has close associations with one or both of the artists.  At some places, such as Gainsborough’s House itself,  it is possible to view the artists’ paintings. Other spots are the subject of their work, were places where they lived, or, in the case of St Mary’s Holton St Mary, are connected with friends.

Holywell Park in Ipswich, one of the spots on the trail and pictured above, was the subject of a commission from local malster, Thomas Cobbald in about 1748.

The map, which includes a short description of each site, is available at Gainsborough’s House.