Sprucing up Sudbury; a chance to get involved

Belle Vue Park, Sudbury

Are you concerned about how Sudbury looks?  Or are you confused about the number of people who are involved with attempting to keep the town tidy?  Or do you want to point out areas that you feel could do with sprucing up?

Next week, on Wednesday 19^th July at 6.30 p.m. in the Town Hall there is an opportunity to discuss improving the look of the town.

It is the case that many local organisations, as well as the Town Council, are working hard to try to present the town at its best.  Recently the Sudbury Society launched their ‘Love Sudbury’ campaign, and ActivLives does clear up work with volunteers in Belle Vue Park and other locations.

Many individuals and businesses also play their part, taking care of their own premises and the adjacent public areas.  The Town Council, among other services, provides the floral displays around the town.  Of particular note are the beautiful flower troughs around the railings of St Peter’s Church.

Some of these efforts go unnoticed and it is certainly the case that there is little or no co-ordination between those involved.   The meeting next week hopes to address this and other related issues.  Any group or individual who is already involved or would like to know more,  is invited to bring suggestions, good practice and ideas for partnership working to this informal forum.

In order to accommodate numbers could you please contact the Town Council at advice@sudburytowncouncil.co.uk or telephone 01787 372331 if you wish to attend or require further information.

Stop the neglect! Ban public bodies from owning buildings!

I was alarmed to hear on the radio today that the Government has postponed taking any decisions about the repair and restoration of the Houses of Parliament until 2020.   This has alarmed those who work in the Palace of Westminster and believe that the need to act to preserve the ageing fabric of the building is very urgent.

Once again it is hard to escape the view, stated before on this site, that public bodies should not be allowed to own buildings because they never look after them properly.

I well recall sitting in the chamber at Babergh while water poured through the leaking roof of the council chamber into strategically placed buckets during council meetings.  Belle View House, a council owned property in Sudbury,  was in the news once again last week as vandals took advantage of its abandonned and unguarded state.  This has done more damage to what was already a sadly neglected Victorian villa.   It is good to see that Sudbury Town Hall is having some much needed work done, but the fact that the extent of the repairs is greater than originally thought implies that attention should have been paid to the building at an earlier date.

The excuse for delay in all these instances will,no doubt, have been lack of money.  However the truth is that public bodies will always manage to find more interesting ways of spending their money than boring old renovation work.  They only spring to life when the need for action is well overdue.   Clearly those in power have never heard that a stitch in time really does save nine.

We should not leave it to 'Them'

Russian communal clean up or 'subbotnik'

On 4^th March, at Sudbury on Show, the Sudbury Society launched the LoveSudbury Campaign.  The aim of this initiative is to encourage people to ‘do their bit’ when it comes to improving the appearance of the Town.  Last week the Group launched its website which can be accessed HERE.

Apparently this admirable campaign is to some extent motivated by the perceived shortfall in services that has resulted from central Government cuts to local authorities.  This has caused some people to criticise the campaign because they say that councils will not resume services when the current period of austerity is over, and ‘people’s jobs will be at risk’.  This negative approach is misconceived for a number of reasons.

Firstly, are we to wait until councils have the ability to start spending again (probably some time in the mid 2020’s on current forecasts) and simply allow the situation to get worse and worse?  I certainly hope not!

Secondly, upright and responsible citizens in all communities have, even at times of plenty, done their bit for the common good.  How many people do we know who 'just cut that little piece of grass' that is always neglected, or regularly organised small scale litter picks?  Even in the Soviet Union regular communal clean ups were organised that encouraged a voluntary approach to civic pride.

Thirdly, demand for public services is infinite.  However much money is available there will always be room for improvement, always more that can be done.  Even in the City of London, where support from business rates from banks and other businesses mean that to some degree the streets really are paved with gold, there are patches of neglect.  Sadly there are few residents around to take these in hand.

When it comes to our communal environment, there are always those who say ‘it’s a disgrace, “THEY”  should do something about it.’    What they forget is the actually ‘THEY’ really means ‘US’.

Poster advertising a communal clean up

Nasty scam reported in Essex!

 A nasty scam has been reported by Trading Standards in Essex, which, for many of us in South Suffolk is just down the road!  Please see the message and advice from Suffolk Trading Standards below.

We have been advised by Essex Trading Standards that they have received three reports of roofers calling at homes, claiming to be from Trading Standards.

The callers are claiming that a roofer who recently carried out work is being investigated. The caller claims that they can carry out a survey of the resident’s roof and that they will be able to claim compensation as part of the investigation. They are then asking the resident for sums of around £2,000.

Trading Standards Officers are highly unlikely to visit a consumer’s home unless they have already been asked to by the consumer or a trusted friend or relative.

Trading Standards Officers will NEVER ask a resident for money.

There are certain precautions that can be taken to guard against doorstep callers:

·         Fit and use a door security chain when you open the door.

·         Check the identification of a caller by ringing their employer. Use the telephone number from your telephone book and not one they might supply.

·         Do not let anyone to carry out work on your house until you get a second opinion and never agree to callers who say “we are only in the area today”.

·         Never keep large sums of money in the house and keep purses out of sight, not near the door.

For further information or advice on consumer issues or rogue traders please use the following contacts:

Phone: 0345 4040 506

Email: trading.standards@suffolk.gov.uk

Website: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/community-and-safety/trading-standards-for-consumers/

Lorries in unsuitable places

HGV making its way through Sudbury on Wednesday morning

For some time I have been working with officers and  a small group of councillors at the County Council whose Divisions are particularly badly affected by heavy lorries.  These, as we know,  damage property while terrorising pedestrians and other road users while they make their inexorable way to their destinations.
 
Recently we received some good news from Ordnance Survey who are working in their own way to try to improve matters.  the organisation is creating a product it is hoped will by taken up by the providers of Satnav systems and deter drivers that try to save time and money by taking unsuitable routes.    The product will highlight features on roads such as  weight restrictions and signs informing of unsuitability for heavy vehicles.  It will also give information about the maximum road width.    We have suggested that Ordnance Survey include 'pinch points' too, such as the notorious corner at The Bell in Clare. and other spots in places like Lavenham and Bildeston.


It is hoped that the use of SatNavs that provide this important information, might be made compulsory in due course, but this will depend on new legislation.   The national problem of heavy lorries on unsuitable roads was debated a little while ago in St Stephen's Hall, with our own MP,  James Cartlidge, making a positive contribution.   It is good news that finally this problem, which has become more pressing as HGV's have become larger and larger, appears to be achieveing the recognition that it deserves.

Lavenham Post Office closed without warning.

I am disturbed to hear the the Post Office in Lavenham suddently closed over the weekend.

The Parish Council is seeking to find out more information, and a letter expressing concern has been sent to our Member of Parliament James Cartlidge.  I know that the Council is seeking to find a solution to the problem but this may not be easy .Having had various disputes with the Post Office as a councillor over the years I know that they are a law unto themselves and appear to be accountable to no-one.

No notice of closure was given, and I am aware that the sudden loss of the facility has already caused inconvenience and distress to residents.

If anyone has any news or further information about the matter I would be pleased if they would get in touch with me.

No HGV's in Verona!

View of Verona, an HGV free zone

We have just come back from a short break in northern Italy, visiting the beautiful cities of Verona, Vicenza and Padua.   It will, I am sure come as no surprise to readers that in the historic centres of these lovely places there was no sign of the heavy goods vehicles that blight our mediaeval towns here in Suffolk.

Illustrated below is the largest van that we saw delivering groceries in the historic centre of Verona. Most delivery vehicles were smaller.  It is clear that the fragile built environment of the city is protected by rules that insist that goods are decanted into smaller vans before they are delivered to the town centre.

When I try to argue the case for a similar system here in the UK, I am told that it would be 'bad for business'.   But here was no sign that business in Verona is being in any way adversely affected.  Indeed, it is clear that government. both local and national, in Italy has taken on board the fact that if historical heritage is not preserved, then their tourist dependent economy will suffer.

We really do need to think again about how we cope with the increasingly large vehicles on our own roads, and can take some hints from the Italians.

Trial by Train

'Sudbury Flyer' waiting at Marks Tey

Our train service to and from London seems to be getting worse and worse. Returning from Liverpool Street last week I sat outside Stratford station for half an hour while signal problems were sorted out.  I was lucky because the Sudbury Flyer was held up until the London train arrived, and so I was not as late as I might have been. I suspect however that this meant that others were inconvenienced.

In November we suffered the total suspension of services (and their replacement with an unreliable and spasmodic bus service) between Sudbury and Marks Tey for over a week.  Apparently this chaos was due to damage to the track and to trains caused by autumn leaves on the line!  Those in the know believe that the train operator made no attempt to pre-empt this problem by using special equipment designed to clear the leaves.  In addition much of this can be avoided if trees close to the line are cut back and/or removed as part of general maintenance. Clearly this was not done.

At the council meeting last Thursday a motion was debated drawing attention to this state of affairs.  This was proposed by Guy McGregor and seconded by Graham Newman, both of whom know a huge amount about our railways.  Stating that the withdrawal of services in Suffolk last month was unacceptable, (the lines affected included trains between Ipswich and Felixstowe and Ipswich and Peterborough as well as the Sudbury line) they called for a Government inquiry into the situation and also for assurances that the problem would not recur.

During the debate I learned that rail passengers in Suffolk are getting a particularly raw deal.  Last month we experienced 106 train cancellations in one day due to ‘leaf damage’.  This compares with just 12 cancellations on South West Rail, for example, where there is far more track and far more trees too!

Our train operator, Abelio, seems to be a total disaster.  Apparently the company does not maintain the rolling stock properly, and do not invest in their business either.   I seem to remember that one of the reasons that they won the franchise in the first place was their promise of nice shiny new trains but these have simply not materialised.

The franchise is up for renewal in the next year or so.  Abelio it seems were intending to bid for a further term in partnership with Stagecoach.  Recently we heard that Stagecoach have withdrawn from the deal, a move which may reflect Abelio’s recent shortcomings.   Given the anger generated by their recent performance I would have thought that the likelihood of Abelio winning the bid for the next contract is not high.

Lavenham Library tomorrow

I will be in Lavenham Library from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. tomorrow if anyone has any issues they want to discuss with me concerning the County Council, or anything else.

Jenny