A result!

I was very alarmed yesterday when I heard that workers in the Passport Office had gone on strike.

To deliberately take this action at a time when many are waiting for passports, perhaps in order to travel to see loved ones, or go on a well earned holiday seems cruel and unecessary.

I was particularly concerned however, because a week or so ago I was approached for help by a Suffolk resident who works in my Division about a passport application which had got caught up in the delays that are currently crippling the system.

Her mother and aunt happen to live in Waldingfield Ward.   Neither of them are in the first flush of youth and both have been recently widowed.  They had made an application for their first passports almost six weeks ago because they had booked to go on their first ever holiday abroad, a cruise leaving in early August.  Concerned that no passports had arrived, they tried themselves to contact the passport office in order to urge matters along but with no success.  These days applications for first passports are much more complex than they used to be, and an interview is necessary before one can be issued.  Prospects of getting everything organised in time were looking increasingly bleak.

I suggested that my correspondent ask her own District and County Councillor, Richard Kemp, to contact Tim Yeo's office, and I offered to write an urgent letter to Teresa May on behalf of my residents.   I suspect that my intervention is still waiting in the Home Office In Tray, but Sarah, Tim Yeo's fantastic assistant at the House of Commons, managed to get things moving.

I received an e mail today to say that an interview was arranged on Friday and that the Passports arrived yesterday in the nick of time.  It seems that my concerns about the strike action were unfounded.

All credit to Tim Yeo's office for their speedy work.  It is good sometimes to be able to hack through the thickets of bureaucracy and achieve a result.

Save the Bury Picturehouse!

The Picturehouse in Bury St Edmunds is a lifeline for those of us who like to go to the Cinema to see  good and unusual films.  In addition, their live screenings from various arts organisations in London and elsewhere offer great performances for many who would not be able to see them otherwise.

It is therefore alarming to know that the future of the cinema appears to be in doubt.

I have received the e mail via the Cockfield e vine below.   Of course, the sale of the cinema might not mean that it changes, but this is by no means certain. What seems clear that the new owner intends to continue to programme films in order to appeal to current audiences and if there were to be a rise in ticket prices these would not be large.

'All in our area,

You are may be aware of recommendations by the Competition Commission following the takeover of by Cineworld of the Cityscreen cinemas which includes the Picturehouse in Bury,to force one of the the cinemas to be sold.
If this was to happen  we could loose the Picture house and its very popular format. There are many of us in the village who support and enjoy going to this cinema and it would be very sad if we were to loose it.
There is an online  petition to the Competition Commission to stop it forcing the sale this cinema and two others
See:
Competition Commission: Stop the enforced sale of three Picturehouse cinemas" on Change.org.
 Here's the link:
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/competition-commission-stop-the-enforced-sale-of-three-picturehouse-cinemas?share_id=RAqfuXrDEO&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Also
Views can be e mailed direct  to the Competition Commission
cineworldcityscreen@cc.gsi.gov.uk

Scrap metal bill in Parliament yesterday

I was pleased to see that the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill, which tightens up the law and strengthens penalities for dealing in stolen scrap metal, passed through the House of Commons to its Third Reading yesterday.

It was a private members bill, the Government in its wisdom apparently unable to find time for it in its official legislative programme,

Under the Act local authorities will retain their licencing powers over scrap dealers, but these are enhanced, and both local officials and police will acquire improved rights of search and entry.

I wrote about this issue on the blog some time ago following a spate of thefts of lead from church roofs locally.  I am sorry that there had to be so many incidents across the UK before action was taken.  These were not confined to the theft of lead from church roofs, but also of copper wiring from railways and the metal parts of war memorials.

News on Acton telephone problems

 Thanks to Acton correspondent Margaret Maybury for the following information:

'I have just spoken with the engineers working on the major telephone fault in Acton.

The fault is on the Sudbury Road between the entrance opposite THE CROWN INN and a bend in the Sudbury Road.  Simon, the engineer, informs me that the main underground cable has a fault and needs replacing.  However, due to the fibre optics there is not enough room to add another cable so the engineers at either end of the cable, talking by radio link, are putting in a new overland cable lying at the edge of the road so we hopefully will have telephone by tonight.  The old underground cable will be removed and a new one put in.  The engineers will be working all day and all night (I did warn them about cable theft) to rectify the situation and full telephone service will hopefully be in two days time.'

Lorry Watch Scheme given green light

Valley Road.

Volunteers are needed to support a Lorry Watch scheme. Can you help?

As many of you know, Valley Road, which runs between Chilton Corner and the A134 is subject to a weight restriction. Unfortunately this is regularly flouted.  This is the source of irritation to many residents in Great Waldingfield, Chilton and Newton who have to suffer heavy lorries, ignoring the law, rumbling through the community to take the short cut.

Well help is now at hand.  Thanks to quite a long period of lobbying, both at the Safer Neighbourhood Team meetings and elsewhere, Trading Standards have agreed to help us to set up a Lorry Watch Scheme for Valley Road.

This means that lorries will be monitored as they drive along the road and the numbers of overweight vehicles will be noted and forwarded to the authorities.  The initial response from Trading Standards is a letter advising the owner of the vehicle that his lorry has been spotted.  If the lorry is reported again he receives a formal warning and on a third offence he will receive a summons.   

These schemes are very effective.  It is very unusual for a driver who receives an initial notice to be caught again, and a prosecution is rare.  Lorry drivers’ livelihoods are at stake here and normally just being spotted shakes them up sufficiently to ensure that they don’t risk being caught twice.

Given the whereabouts of the road we hope that this can be a joint venture between residents in Great Waldingfield, Chilton and Newton.  We already have some people who have agreed to help, but we could do with a few more. Training is simple and only takes an hour or so and we hope to organise a session towards the end of October.   

 If you think you can spare an hour or so every so often to participate then please get in touch with me by e mail (antillj@btinternet.com) or phone 01787 378310, or alternatively with Peter Clifford, Chairman of Chilton Parish Council on 01787 371798.

A Grand Tour of the Ward

Chris Fry (right) with Peter Clifford

On Thursday afternoon I took Chris Fry, who is Babergh and Mid Suffolk's Head of Environment, on a guided tour of Waldingfield Ward.This was a useful exercise in itself, since it was a great chance to take one of our key officers captive for an afternoon, and to be able to bend his ear on a number of issues, such as litter, fly tipping and the state of the airfield.

The main reason that Chris came along now however is that he has been paired with me to undertake the Babergh Community Engagement 2012 in  Acton, Chilton, Great Waldingfield and Little Waldingfield.     I wrote about this in July ,  click here  and the process is now getting under way.

We spent a little time looking round each of the four parishes, and I have to say everywhere looked pretty good on what was a sparkling afternoon.  In Chilton, Parish Council Chairman Peter Clifford took us on a guided walk.  We saw Chilton Hall, the Church, and the contested Prolog Site among other things.  I have to say that I was particularly impressed by the excellent state of Chilton's footpaths.  These are all cut by the Parish Council's own contractors, and I think that the money spent by the council on this is worth every penny.

Time has been set aside by Great Waldingfield Parish Council to hear the views of residents at the next meeting on October 8 (note early start at 7 p.m.), and Chilton is also planning a meeting.  Acton and Little Waldingfield have yet to make up their minds about what, if anything to arrange.

It isn't just down to the Parish Councils however.  If you are part of a community group who would like to have its own discussion on Babergh related issues that are important to you please let me know.  Also I welcome input from individuals, and will be creating a separate tab above today which will include the key questions that we would like people to consider.

The mystery of the disappearing postboxes

Acton Post Box...gone!

Residents in Acton, and also on the Chaucer Estate in Sudbury, were shocked this morning to find that their post boxes had disappeared.

The Acton box was scheduled for removal. A request was made in January 2011 and the Parish Council gave their consent.  However it was agreed that a replacement box would be situated near the bus stop opposite Bob's Stores. The Parish Council have heard nothing further.

The removal in Sudbury is more mysterious.  Apparently the Town Clerk knows nothing about it.  There does not appear to have been any consultation and it is not known if there are plans to site another box elsewhere.

The behaviour of the Post Office seems to have been very careless.  Not only were no notices posted on the boxes to warn people of their imminent removal, but no replacement box has been provided in Acton as agreed. This means that residents have to walk a good deal further to post a letter at present, and some of them find walking any distance a problem.

Goodness knows what is happening in Sudbury.

The Post Office does seem to be a law unto itself.  My last run in with them took place a couple of years ago when the Chilton Sorting Office was undergoing reorganisation.  For several days, in common with others in the area,  we received no post at all, despite the fact that the Post Office is obliged to undertake daily deliveries to all addresses. For several weeks the service was seriously disrupted, despite the desperate endeavours of hard pressed postmen who appeared to be in training for the olympics rather than simply delivering the mail.   My complaints, and those of others, were met with flat denials and a series of misleading claims.  Gradually things got more or less back to normal, but our post now rarely arrives before lunchtime and we regularly receive misaddressed letters. This very rarely happened before.

A complaint with regard to the vanishing boxes has been lodged and it remains to be seen what will happen next.  Given my previous experience I am not very optimistic however.

The powers that be at the Post Office seem to think that the organisation is exempt from the duty that other publicly owned bodies have to engage with and consult the community.  Indeed my experiences in recent years suggest that it seems to have no concept of what customer service amounts to.   No wonder the Government is finding it difficult to dress it up for privatisation.  No one in their right mind would buy the shares

Postbox on the Chaucer Estate in Sudbury, also gone!

Complaints about noise

Babergh's environmental health department is investigating complaints from residents in respect of loud music emanating from the White Horse Pub in Great Waldingfield over the weekend.

Heavy rain expected! Emergency number to call.

Flood warning – midnight tonight 5 July until mid-day tomorrow 6 July affecting all of Suffolk

Babergh and Mid Suffolk have been contacted by The Environment Agency and the Met Office. They have issued warnings for torrential rain overnight in the Mid Suffolk and Babergh districts, which is likely to cause some localised surface water flooding. The warning covers the whole of Suffolk and the wider East Anglia, but exact locations cannot be predicted.

It is thought likely that areas affected during the previous floods on May 3 could once more be affected. If this is the case, we should prepare for potential flooding in Needham Market, Rattlesden and possibly Onehouse. This event may see very localised flooding elsewhere, including places not previously flooded.

If you have problems in the next 24 hours the number to call is 01473 265321 (The Joint Emergency Planning Service for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils)

Walking the old ways

I have been very much enjoying listening to readings on BBC Radio Four from Robert McFarlane's latest book, The Old Ways, about the ancient footpaths and routes around Britain.

In yesterday's extract,  which focussed on the Peddars and Icknield Ways, we heard about how in times gone by it was the habit in Suffolk to leave small sythes along the route of paths.  This was so that travellers could clear them themselves during the growing season.

This year the paths are particularly hard to traverse, in part due to the weather, and in part due to the fact that the County Council, understandably, I suppose, due to financial cuts,  seems to have finally  given up on their statutory duty to keep all rights of way open.

As McFarlane writes in his book paths need walkers, but walkers are unlikely these days to wish to spend their time cutting their way throught the undergrowth.  Every year Nick or I take our secateurs down to a little overgrown footbridge between here and Long Melford and cut back the brambles to make our walk a little easier.  Unfortunately the sides of the fields on either side of the bridge are now also currently virtually impassable, and there is no little sythe available!

Thank goodness the Parish Councils do take time to keep the most frequently used footpaths clear, which is, I suppose, something.

The readings from The Old Ways are at 9.45 a.m. every morning until Friday, and can be heard again through the BBC website here! for the next seven days.

Little Waldingfield Litter Pick by Brian Tora

Litter piled up at the Parish Rooms

Back towards the end of March our village conducted a litter pick. This is at least the third year we have carried out this exercise and I am delighted to report that, as before, we had no shortage of volunteers to don the High Viz jackets and, armed with stout gloves, bin liners and litter picking implements, venture out on the highways and byways surrounding our village.

Unfortunately, there was no shortage of litter to be collected either. Each year we tentatively hope the message has got across and there will be less strewn around the verges. Each year we suffer the same disappointment. Why do people do it? Some of the rubbish we collected must have necessitated a specific trip to dump the detritus. A suitcase (empty, fortunately), the front fork of a bicycle, several large, metal framed windows – all were left for our sturdy bunch to remove.

In the end the pile of bin liners almost filled the entrance to our Parish Room. We accumulated at least as much as in previous years. On every occasion there are items collected that defy the imagination. A single, perfectly sound, boot. A freezer load of meat. Items of intimate clothing. But, of course, it is the discarded food packaging, plastic bottles and other personal waste that depresses me.

Just as dog waste continues to be raised as an item on the parish council’s agenda (and not just here, either) so the perennial problem of man’s lack of consideration to man constantly reminds us that we are not a very caring race. It is surely not too much to ask drivers to take their rubbish home. We do. Indeed, my wife is regularly adding to the rubbish she collects when taking our dogs for a walk by removing other people’s waste from the side of the road, presumably thrown out by unthinking drivers.

Some years ago, Radio Suffolk launched a campaign to discourage litter dropping. Borrowed from Australia, where apparently one of Mark Murphy’s friends had spotted the slogan, Suffolk residents were exhorted not to drop litter by the phrase with the all too clear double meaning – “Don’t be a Tosser!” So successful has the media campaign been that it has been adopted by adjacent counties and even received a mention on Radio 2 recently.

But, without wishing to take away anything from Mark and his colleagues at Radio Suffolk, I gain the impression that the main result has been to encourage little groups like ours all around the county to clean up their communities. Recently, while driving to the West Midlands, we came across a village task force out in some strength to tidy up their roadsides. While I am sure such initiatives are far from new, it strikes me that Mark’s campaign has put fresh impetus into clearing up after inconsiderate litter droppers.

It would all be so much easier if people just observed some simple rules and remembered that we all benefit from a cleaner environment. Much the same approach applies to dog dirt as well. I’m not holding my breath, though. Next year, when I’m sure a similar exercise will take place, I’ll bet we have just as many bags for the district council to cart away. In the meantime, my sincere thanks to those who helped in this year’s litter pick.

Brian Tora is Chairman of Little Waldingfield Parish Council.    

Warning about bogus lottery letters

 I have received the press release below via Suffolk County Council and thought I should share it with you:

BOGUS Olympic lottery letters are being sent to unsuspecting Suffolk residents.

Suffolk Trading Standards is warning members of the public to look out for the scam letters which illegally use the Olympic and London 2012 logos and tell recipients they have won a prize of £525,000.

The letters claim that all recipients have to do is return a payment processing form, by fax, with their personal details to receive the full sum of money. However, these personal details are actually being forwarded to criminal gangs operating abroad.

Any information residents send to claim their non-existent prize is used to carry out identification theft. The letters use false names and addresses, usually of large office blocks, and ‘0207’ telephone numbers purchased to give the impression they are based in London. However, in reality, the person at the end of the phone could be anywhere in the world.

Suffolk Trading Standards is issuing the following advice and guidance:

·         It is unlikely that London 2012 will be asking individuals to pay for goods or services, whether directly to it or through agents, other than ticket sales and official London 2012 merchandise. Therefore such lottery letters are almost certainly going to be bogus

·         Bogus Olympic information will typically use poor quality reproductions of the Olympic logos

·         Trading Standards don’t know of any official lottery operators who ask for fees to collect winnings - any request for a fee payment is a good indication that someone is a fraud

·         Never respond to these lottery letters – this will only lead to further contact

County Councillor Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Protection said; “Sadly, in the next few months, it is very likely that Olympic related scams will be on the increase. With this in mind, it is vital that people remain extra vigilant around this time.

“Residents should not be afraid to discard of any suspicious letters. It is important to trust your instincts - if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”

If in any doubt about a London 2012 offer, residents can contact the Olympic organisers at www.london2012.com. The website also has an updated list of the latest London 2012 scams and frauds. Scams can also be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or locally to Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.