This is quite a busy time for me since I represent 18 Parishes, most of whom hold Annual Meetings. The meetings often fall on the same night which means a whistle stop tour around the lanes, aiming to arrive at the last event before everyone has gone home. This week I have two this evening, three on Thursday, and one on Friday, which may prove something of a challenge.
So, assuming that I manage to arrive in time to speak, what will I be reporting this year?
Firstly, I will be telling residents that Suffolk County Council's share of the Council Tax bill has risen by 2%. The increase is entirely due to the Social Care Levy, a ringfenced sum which will be spent 100 percent on looking after the elderly and vulnerable in the County. Unlike many other councils we have not increased the level of general council tax, so Suffolk taxpayers will be paying less than those in other parts of the country.
Secondly I will be reporting that not only have educational standards in the county shown improvement, but also that the services that we provide for looked after and vulnerable children received an OFSTED 'good' rating earlier this year. Only a small proportion of authorities have received a 'good' rating, so this is a credit to our officers.
I will be saying a little about Devolution, a subject that I have written about on this site previously. Suffice it to say here that at the time of writing it is still not clear whether or not Cambridge City or Cambridgeshire County Council will agree to join the so called 'Eastern Powerhouse' and there is little sign of the Government recanting on their enthusiasm for an elected mayor.
I will touch on the recent consultation about the Fire Service, the results of which are now available on the County Council Website. No final proposals have yet been published following the consideration of residents' views, but I know that these will be taken seriously by the Cabinet when decision time arrives.
Then I will talk a little about what I have been doing locally. During the year there are generally issues raised by individual residents, not to mention work that has been done in co-operation with the Parish Council to sort out problems specific to the village. High Speed Broadband is almost certain to be on the agenda, either because it is working fine, or, more problematically, because there is as yet no sign of its arrival. Parts of Cosford are among the most 'remote' in the county and there remains a good deal of uncertainty at present with regard to when some areas will be connected.
My only hope is that those who remain 'unconnected' will not shoot the messenger!
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