High Speed Broadband approaches....

Frank Lawrenson writes:

Fibre Optic High Speed Broadband is scheduled to be rolled out on the 31^st March in this area!!

The main Sudbury East BT exchange is due to go live on the 31^st March. Apparently, this exchange covers most of the Waldingfield area. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will able to get the high-speed broadband. For this to happen, BT also has to upgrade your nearest “cabinet”. These are the old green telephone exchange boxes that you can see in the street. BT have told me that the new Fibre Optic enabled boxes are taller than the old ones and rather than swapping them out, may be located beside or a short distance away from the old cabinets.

The long and short of it is that if you have one of these in your street, then you will probably be getting access to the new high speed broadband fairly soon.

If you haven’t then it appears to be a wait-and-see game. However, one way in which you can try and push for it quicker is to register your interest on their site… http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/expression-gen.aspx.

Bearing in mind that the exchange is going live, if you and your neighbours all register your interest, then you are much more likely to see something happen sooner.

Councillors encouraged to focus on ICT

As 'E Government Champion' at Babergh I am keen to see the Council move itself further into the 21^st century by focussing more about the role of Information and Communication Technology.

In the State of the District Debate at the Council Meeting yesterday I made three points:-

Firstly, we must try to encourage the County Council and others directly involved to improve the situation with regard to internet reception in the more remote (and in some cases not so remote) settlements and villages in the District. At a recent workshop to discuss the Babergh Development Framework in Bildeston, every Parish Council present complained that internet speed is a real problem. If we are to encourage small local businesses, working from home and other desireable and environmentally friendly results then a decent broadband connection is essential.

Secondly, Babergh itself, and ultimately Baberth/Mid Suffolk, should make more use of audio and video conferencing facilities. This can be a real money saver for relatively small investment, and also stops people burning unnecessary petrol driving all over the District.

Thirdly, we must persevere in our efforts to encourage public access points, training and support, for those who are currently unable to access the internet. Those without internet connections are becoming increasingly disadvantaged. For example, they may be unable to access all public services, and are very disadvantaged when it comes to on line shopping, access to information etc. Between 20 to 30 percent of all households still have no connection, and it isn’t just the elderly who are in this situation.

My comments went down quite well, although some of the members present were alarmed at the prospect of video conferencing. This has been commonplace in the private sector for many years however and can work really well in practice. The picture above shows how 'realistic' it can be.

Need help computing? Read on!

Cockfield Computer Circle 2010-11 Programme: Learn to love Your Computer!!

For further information and to sign up for specific sessions, please contact Neil Ashton, neilka@btopenworld.com Tel: 01284 827238 or 07900 880 888.

The Cockfield Computer Circle (CCC) sets out to help participants improve their computing knowledge and hence get more from using their PC. It is achieved through a combination of teaching and sharing of experience amongst participants in a relaxed environment. Some topics are aimed at beginners seeking to learn new skills and gain more confidence in using a computer; other topics are aimed at the more experienced user seeking to push their knowledge a little further.

Another CCC Programme is planned to start in October. Sessions, which are free of charge, are held on Mondays in the Ivy Room at Cockfield Hall, from 2.30 to 4.30, and each topic is repeated from 7 to 9 pm. There are 8 desktops in the facility, and participants are also free to bring their own laptops.

Connecting Chelmondiston

On Friday I went down to the Shotley Peninsular to discuss the establishment of a pilot Community Internet Project in co-operation with Chelmondiston Parish Council .

For some time at Babergh we have been concerned to encourage wider internet useage across the District. It saves money for us if people contact us on-line and opens up all sorts of possibilities for those who at present do not have internet access.

Statistics show that some 30 percent of households still have no access to the internet. A good number of these people are elderly, and some probably are not interested having got along without the facility thus far. However, rather shockingly, some are younger families who cannot afford a connection or a computer, and this lack of access not only inconveniences them but is an additional educational disadvantage for their children.

The aim in Chelmondiston is to access funds to site two computers in a quiet corner of the local pub. Training and support will be provided and it is hoped that this will be a win-win situation, both for the pub, who should sell a few more drinks, and the community. If the project is a success further sites will be explored, funding permitting.

Cockfield Computer Circle, 2009-10 Programme, Remaining Sessions

You may be interested in these computer courses, held in Cockfield, which I believe are free of charge, although a donation towards overheads would, I am sure be welcome.

(Thanks to David Hodge for the information)

The Cockfield Computer Circle 2009-10 Programme is nearing completion. This is a reminder of the sessions in the final block of topics, for which there are plenty of places available. To book your place, please contact Neil Ashton, neilka@btopenworld.com, 01284 827238, 07900 880888.

Feb 22nd: Buying and selling on eBay Comprehensive guide on how to buy and sell items on eBay, and practical guidance on what to look out for when using eBay.

Mar 1st: Home Networking and Internet Telephony Choosing and setting up a home network, using either wireless or cabling.
Introduction to Voice over IP technology for making internet telephone and video calls (e.g. Skype).

Mar 8th: The PC and Music These days your PC is as much a media centre as a computing device. Your PC can be a CD library with a number of possible applications. These include synchronising with an iPod or similar mp3 player, interfacing to your hi fi for access to your CD library or for multi-room music systems, and just simply using media software and your PC to organise and play CD’s, and to create playlists. The exact content would depend on your specific interests, but the session could range from how to create and organise a CD library on your computer, to a higher level discussion on integrating your PC into a home music system.

March 15th: Upgrading or buying a new PC Key things to look for when buying a new desktop or laptop. Guidance on upgrading your PC, adding new devices e.g scanner, external hard drive or DVD writer.

The Cockfield Computer Circle (CCC) sets out to help participants improve their computing knowledge and hence get more from using their PC. It is achieved through a combination of teaching and sharing of experience amongst participants in a relaxed environment. Some topics are aimed at beginners seeking to learn new skills and gain more confidence in using a computer, other topics are aimed at the more experienced user seeking to push their knowledge a little further.

I T Matters

Information technology is not a subject that sets many pulses racing, but like many technical subjects the more one knows the more interesting it all becomes.
In this connection I was sad today to have a last meeting with Robert Lavell, the Head of IT at Babergh, who is soon taking well deserved retirement.
Robert has made my role as Babergh’s E Government Champion and Chairman of the IT Management Task Group a lot easier. I have learnt a great deal from him over the past two and a half or so years, not just about IT but also about how the Council as a whole operates. I shall certainly miss him.
After my lunch with Robert I went on to meet members of the East Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership to talk about the project that I have been pursuing with Bob Southgate, the Head of Customer Services at Babergh. This is aimed at improving access to the internet for those who do not, for whatever reasons, have on-line access.
It is a remarkable fact that over 30 percent of households do not have access to the web and as internet provision of information and services becomes more and more widespread this becomes a source of potential social deprivation and exclusion.
This is a complex subject, not least because there are an awful lot of unco-ordinated programmes going on all over Suffolk with the same aim, few of which seem to be talking to the others. Just today we learnt about several further initiatives that we had not previously known about.
While the best schemes of this type are probably local initiatives that suit local needs, a little bit of joined up thinking seems to be in order in this area. The project continues.

When good neighbours become Good Neighbours

I wonder if anyone would be interested in starting up a Good Neighbour Scheme in Acton, Great Waldingfield, Chilton or Little Waldingfield?

At the request of some of the Councillors at Babergh I have over recent months been investigating the issue of access to the internet in the community. In the course of my research I have come across a county wide scheme that is being promoted by the charity, Suffolk Acre which encourages the creation of ‘Good Neighbour’ networks in villages. The idea is that an organised group of volunteers offer services such as lifts, shopping, small repairs etc. etc. to those who need them. Many people say when the idea is floated that the village already has a good network of support for others, but once a formal scheme is initiated it is generally discovered that this is actually far from true.

Although help with the internet has not been at the forefront of people’s minds when these groups have started up, I have pointed out to them that help with internet access could be one of the services on offer. There are a few technical problems, and issues of privacy that need to be addressed, but with the right sort of computer literate volunteer there are many ways that people can be helped to help themselves on line.

I have met the organisers of Good Neighbour Schemes in Long Melford and Glemsford and have been very impressed with what is being achieved there, and what still might be achieved.

If there is anyone out there who would like to consider starting a group in Waldingfield Ward please let me know and I will put you in touch with the people who can help you get the project off the ground.

No more hanging on the telephone

We are constantly hearing about Government IT projects that have lost millions of pounds and never get off the ground. I am therefore delighted to be able to report that a major scheme, the £1.3 million Customer Access and Service Transformation Project (‘CAST’), that has been introduced by Babergh over the past five years, has been completed on time and under budget. It has also delivered significant ongoing cost savings while improving customer access to services.

Since becoming a Councillor I have sat on the Task Group that has been responsible for the oversight of the project’s implementation and it has been very fascinating . An over-simple way of explaining the scheme is to say that what are effectively call centre practices have been introduced into a number of departments in the Council. This has meant that many queries can be resolved, quickly, and generally in the course of one phone call.

All hasn’t been entirely plain sailing. A culture change has been needed among the members of staff who have retrained to operate the new system. This relies heavily on computers, and in addition to giving the public a faster response, it also supplies management with very useful information which can be used to drive on further efficiencies. One positive aspect of this is that if Local Government Review goes ahead, the operators of the system will have learnt some good transferable skills!

There are also still some glitches during periods of very heavy demand. We decided against the queuing system that plays Mozart to you while your telephone bill clocks up the minutes. This means that when all lines are busy people get the engaged tone. Some have found this frustrating, particularly since I do not think that you can use ‘call back’ on this system. This is being looked into and it is very possible that an answer-phone will be installed which means that during busy periods a message will be taken and an officer will call the enquirer back.

Now that the project is more or less complete the CAST Task Group is to be wound up. Today’s meeting was the last one. I am quite pleased about this in one way since I seem to be chasing my tail these days trying to keep up with everything. On the other hand it has been nice to be involved with the project and the hard working officers at Babergh who have delivered it successfully.

I

All of a twitter

Babergh has started to twitter!

I had read about twittering on a number of websites and blogs, but had thought that the new fad was largely the territory of adolescents who spend all their time communicating with one another, and doing little else. But no! Yesterday councillors received a communication from Paul Simon, the Head of Communications at the Council, telling us that we could now find out what Babergh is doing from its ‘tweets’ on the Twitter website.

Nothing daunted I opened a Twitter account (easy), and then tried to puzzle out what was going on on the site (not immediately very easy). I found that I was already ‘following’ a rather strange assortment of individuals and organisations, including various minor celebrities, a soft drink company and Number 10 Downing Street. I was able to see messages from all these people telling me what they were doing, which ranged from the bizarre to the incomprehensible. The comments from No 10 Downing Street were particularly obscure until I remembered that Gordon Brown is in Rome at present, and the ‘tweets’ (which I assume are actually posted by some acolyte) related to the Pope.

Within moments of logging on I received the message that Number Ten and the soft drinks company were now ‘following' me. Goodness me! Talk about Big Brother! I don’t much want to be ‘followed’ by Gordon Brown, but to date I haven’t found how to turn him, or the drinks company, off. In any event I don’t think Gordon will be very interested in the lamb hotpot that I cooked yesterday evening, or in the fact that I was off to bed at 10 p.m. with a cup of cocoa and a copy of Twelfth Night.

Having started however I thought I had better finish. I found Babergh on the Twitter site and requested that I might become ‘a follower’. Lo and behold, when I logged on to the site this morning (to tell Gordon and my other ‘followers’ that I was just off to Sainsbury’s) a message was there telling me that Babergh has decided to give money to Sudbury Citizens Advice for outreach work. This is of course excellent news, but time will tell whether this new sort of electronic message board really works for me, or for Babergh.

In case you're interested, I'm now off to cook supper again. It's pork belly with apples this evening!

You too can connect with Babergh!

On the day that many Local Government workers across Britain were on strike, the officers at Babergh were working overtime to stage a fair for Tenants in the District. There were several interesting stalls, including displays about affordable housing, customer access and the Local Plan. There was also a delicious cake stall (shown above) and refreshments. No wonder there was a queue at the door at the off!

I was particularly impressed by the new poster (also shown above) aimed at encouraging people to access Council services on line!

I have been charged with the job of encouraging councillors to open on line accounts for Council Tax payments. So far this has met with a rather mixed response. There are advantages in doing this even if they already pay by Direct Debit. They can view their payment details at any time online, and will receive notification of changes etc. electronically. If people decide to open on-line accounts with Babergh it will save the taxpayer money (no paper, no postage), and may save time-wasting phone calls to the council in the event of a query. It is possible to print out one’s account if a paper copy is needed for any reason.

If you have internet access it is worth thinking about!