Three days remaining to support our Police and Crime Commissioner

Tim Passmore, our PCC

Cuts that have been made to funding of the Police Service in recent times have had an obvious and damaging effect,   Time was when Parish Councils recieved the assurance of a visit from their local PCSO at parish council meetings, for example, but this is no longer the case.   I understand that these very valuable officers only now work during the daytime.  There also seems to have been an exponential increase in house burglaries in rural areas, and many routine road traffic offences such as speeding and HGV weight restrictions are rarely enforced.

Our Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, is asking for public support in his attempt to obtain a fairer funding deal for Suffolk from central Government, and there is just 3 days to take action.

I set out his e mail to all interested parties below. Do take action if you can!

Tim writes:-

 As your Police and Crime Commissioner it’s my job to ensure you as a Suffolk taxpayer gets the very best value for money for policing in the county. At the moment I don’t believe we get a reasonable share of funding so I am launching this campaign to get public support to make a case to Government for a fairer settlement.

 I welcome a fundamental review of the funding formula by the Policing Minister, Brandon Lewis, as it provides me with this opportunity to lobby for a formula which is readily understandable, transparent and provides a fairer funding settlement for Suffolk.

 But I need your help, I’d like you, to go to www.suffolk-pcc.gov.uk to read my assessment and, if you agree, to show your support by emailing  fairshareforsuffolk@suffolk.pnn.police.uk  by Friday 20^th January . Any additional comments that anyone wishes to make can be added to this email.  I  will use these public responses as evidence to lobby the Minister for a fairer deal for Suffolk.

I think Suffolk should get a more equitable settlement, which reflects the challenges the county faces.  Whilst I recognise that fairness should take account of specific factors that will be common across all policing areas, I think the rural nature of Suffolk should be given proper weighting and the challenge of policing individual communities over a large geographic expanse should be considered when levels of funding are agreed.

 Suffolk is home to one of the largest container ports in Europe, has a coast line of over 60 miles, we have five military establishments including two American airbases, the county is home to a nuclear power station and the A14 is a major route of national importance – my concern is that the Government does not recognise the significance of these crucial strategic national assets and the impact it has on our police service.

 If we compare ourselves to one of our closest neighbours, we would receive around £3m more Home Office grant funding every year if it was funded to the same level as Norfolk (using unweighted population as the basis of the calculation).  This is just not fair; £3million is a huge disparity between two quite similar counties.

 Suffolk has a reputation of being a very prosperous county, and while there some very affluent areas, over 83,000 people in the county live in income deprivation at the most minimal standard provided by welfare benefits, that’s over 10% of the population.   The recently published ‘Hidden Needs’ research makes pretty sober reading; the first report was written five years ago and sadly deprivation levels have increased right across the county since then. Sadly, where there are higher levels of economic and social deprivation, communities suffer from increased levels of crime, anti-social behaviour, addiction and abuse, which provides resourcing challenges for the Constabulary which are not considered in the current formula.

To support my call for a fairer share for Suffolk please go to www.suffolk-pcc.gov.uk to read my assessment and then e-mail fairshareforsuffolk@suffolk.pnn.police.uk  by Friday 20^th January.

Kind regards

Tim Passmore 

Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner

Police Headquarters

Martlesham Heath

IPSWICH  IP5 3QS

Tel: 01473 613614

Mob: 07725 085604

tim.passmore@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

A Clerk of Oxford: St Anselm and the Hare

Cope Embroidered fragments from a cope with The Tree of Jesse England 1295-1315 Silver-gilt, silver thread and silk embroidery on silk twill 

During 2016 I engaged a good deal with much that was mediaeval.  Firstly I visited (twice!)  the exhibition of Mediaeval manuscripts at the Fitzwilliam Museum.  This revelatory show led me to buy the wonderful book by Christopher de Hamel 'Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts' which is a must for anyone interested in knowing more about the study of these windows into the mediaeval world.

Over Christmas I went to the astonishing exhibition of Mediaeval Embroidery at the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw many of the images that occur on parchment realised on fabric by English craftsmen and women.  For  a period English work was renowned throughout Europe and was unsurpassed by anything available elsewhere.  Interestingly some of the craftsmen came from Suffolk, including one from Haverhill and a woman called Mabel from Bury St Edmunds.  Unsurprisingly many English saints, including our own St Edmund, were depicted on the vestments, altar cloths and other items that have been preserved.

There is a lot on the internet about manuscripts in particular, and I recommend the British Library website for anyone who wants to be able to examine them in depth.  I have also come across the website below, and very much enjoyed the story of St Anselm and the Hare.  To read about it click on the link below.
 
A Clerk of Oxford: St Anselm and the Hare

Don't forget the need for green spaces

Still under potential threat, Grade 1 listed Chilton Church and adjacent country walks and ancient parkland

As the population increases towns and villages have to grow, and some economic growth is desirable to satisfy our aspirations for progress and a ‘better life’. However, a headlong dash for economic growth at all costs, ignoring the environment, both built and natural, is a very ill advised approach to planning the future. 

Too often the Government and local planning authorities (who in their current cash strapped position are tempted by financial incentives to deliver growth at all costs) concentrate all their efforts on bricks and concrete to the exclusion of everything else. But with good planning there need to be no conflict between the demands of growth and maintenance of a diverse environment.

We have to see humans as part of a larger natural ecological system, which is necessarily interdependent.  It is very short sighted, and potentially fatal, to simply populate the earth and concrete over green spaces without taking seriously the need to protect other species.  Moreover we need green spaces to exercise and to relax.  We do not want to end up like battery chickens in our little cages aggressively taking out our frustrations on one another, lacking the green spaces that we need to metaphorically ‘scratch about’.

This is why it is good to see that a group is being formed to protect the green fields around Sudbury.  I have posted further details about this on the Suffolk Wildlife Tab above.  The co-ordinator is Nick Miller who lives in Bures.  This initiative is particularly timely due to the fact that the Babergh Local Plan will shortly be up for review.

Nick also produces a useful newsletter on ecological matters and events in the area which is well worth reading and which he will forward to you if you e mail him on nm431010@gmail.com

Could this be us?

Primary School application deadline just one week away!

Parents of children who were born between 1^st September 2012 and 31^st August 2018 have just a week to apply for a primary school place for the 2107/18 School year.

It really is important to get the application to the council in time to give a child the best chance of attending their first choice of school.  An online application is recommended, and 82% of parents and guardians use this facility.  The great advantage of the online route is that parents receive immediate acknowledgement that the application has been received.

 Any applications that reach the County Council after the deadline will be considered after all the others have been processed. This could mean there are no places left at a preferred or nearby school which can cause real inconvenience and distress to parents and children alike. An application must be made, even if the child already has a place in a nursery class, pre-school or children’s centre.

Last year Suffolk County Council received 7920 on-time applications from parents for the reception year outlining which school they would prefer their children to be educated at from September 2016. Of those, 90.7% of applicants received offers for their first preference and 97.5% of applicants received an offer from one of their three preferences.

 Any parents or carers who have not yet applied for a school place should apply online or download an application form at: www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions or contact Suffolk County Council immediately on 0345 600 0981.

Sudbury Town Council

As many now know I will be standing down from Suffolk County Council in May.  It was not an easy decision, but I feel that my time would be better spent supporting organisations closer to home.

As part of this decision I have decided to stand for election to Sudbury Town Council where there is currently a vacancy.  Our home in Newmans Green is actually in the parish of Acton, but it is in fact only 2 miles or less from Sudbury town centre as the crow flies. Nick and I have enjoyed Sudbury's amenities for over 30 years and have seen some changes in the town over the years.  Not all of these have been for the better.

HGV's..worth moaning about!

I intend taking a positive attitude towards Sudbury. I believe that there is far too much mulish pessimism expressed, particularly in the pages of the Suffolk Free Press on a weekly basis.  I very much support the campaign recently announced by the Sudbury Society urging local people to take pride in the town and to do their bit to support it.  It is good to see people pledging support to what is, after all, a very beautiful and unique place.

The election will be on 19th January and we shall see whether I will be successful.  Seats on the town council are hotly contested and there is a slate of 5 candidates of different political persuasions so it is hard to judge.

On my leaflet I have listed my priorities as follows:

• Focus on Sudbury;  A thriving town centre for everyone, young and old.
• A buoyant local economy; more skilled jobs in the town
• Encouraging tourism; supporting Gainsborough’s House and other local attractions
• A sustainable environment ; protection of our fine buildings and green spaces
• Working in partnership; support for our local voluntary organisations

I will be happy to talk to anyone who wants to contact me about this, particularly if they live in Sudbury North.

Green spaces, worth protecting.

 

The Year Ahead 2017

Not foreseen in 2016!

It was with some trepidation that I looked back at the ‘Year Ahead’ post that I wrote on this day in 2016.

I was aware that I had been horribly wrong on two counts.  Firstly I was convinced that by now the US would have its first female President elect.  Secondly, I believed that David Cameron would have had the sense to postpone the referendum on whether to leave the European Community into 2017.  Despite the fact that I am now aware* that many of his advisors, including Linton Crosby, counselled him against an early poll, he decided to put the question to the People in June last year, and we all know the result.  I was however correct to suggest that ‘Remainers’ would be guilty of scaremongering, although the extent of this continues to amaze me,

My prediction that Jeremy Corbyn would still be delighting us as Labour Leader at the year-end proved to be correct.  So did the forecast that Tim Passmore would retain his job as the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner following the election in May.  

Suggestions about happenings at the County Council were more or less spot on; educational standards have continued to improve and the Better Broadband contract has rolled out on time and on budget.  However, as predicted, those in remote areas are becoming increasingly frustrated about the lack of progress in their areas.  The Council’s budget has continued to be squeezed by cutbacks from Central Government resulting in the need to dip into the council’s quite sparse reserves in 2017/18.

Something else not contemplated in 2016

Looking ahead, politics in the UK will continue to be dominated by Brexit and attempts by Remainers (anti-democratic bad losers!) to thwart the will of the People.  Inexplicably, the persistent failure of economic Armageddon to become a reality will surprise the pessimists.   The Supreme Court is likely (on a majority decision) to insist on a Parliamentary Vote before Section 50 can be triggered, but in the end both the Commons and the Lords will comply and a General Election will therefore be avoided.

European Politics could be dominated by four major elections this year.    Voting systems in the EU, based on proportional representation, will not be helpful for populist parties and therefore, although they are likely to make good progress in both France and Germany, I do not believe that they will actually lead the field.  This means that Mrs Merkell and the Right Wing French Candidate, Francois Fillon, are likely to prevail.  The situation in the Netherlands and, most particularly Italy, are more difficult to call, and in Italy at least, if there is in fact an election,  I believe that an upset could well be seen as more extreme parties from both Right and Left combine to create an anti EU combination.  Disillusion with the EU will continue to grow among residents across mainland Europe.

Sadly the outcome of the Russian election is not really worth forecasting.  Putin, with or without his shirt, will win.

As far as Suffolk County Council is concerned, I believe that the financial situation, which will look unpromising during the Budget setting debate in Early February, will seem a little better later next year, despite a continuing cash grab by Central Government.  Post the election in May it will be politically possibly to contemplate announcing further cost saving measures, and the Conservatives, if they still form the administration, will no longer be bound by a promise not to increase council tax.   Residents can anticipate a continuation of the 2% social care levy (at least), plus, in early 2018, a hike in the underlying council tax rate.  This is likely to result in quite a large increase overall.  The state of the roads will continue to irritate residents, and the council will continue to diminish in scope, gradually losing control over many schools, possibly losing responsibility for the Fire Service, contemplating the merger of Adult Care with the NHS, and also losing a good deal of control over its Pension Fund assets.   Any progress on a Suffolk Only Devolution Deal, which I believe to be ultimately improbable, is likely to accelerate this process.

This year the council is up for election, and my prediction is that the Conservatives may improve their position somewhat at the expense of UKIP, although a revival of the fortunes of the Liberal Democrats, as memory of the Coalition Government fades, is likely to limit the number of additional seats won.  I predict a small majority of 4 or 5.

As far as my own year ahead is concerned, I am preparing for change.  I have decided not to stand once again for the County Council, believing that my time will be much better spent devoted to causes closer to my home in Sudbury.  Principal among these will be working with Gainsborough’s House to build a landmark national museum in the Town, and also work with Compassion and as a Governor at Great Waldingfield School.  And then there is the Town Council, of which I will be writing more in another article.

Life taking a different track in 2017

*I learned this from a marvellous book that I am currently reading: Total War, The Full Story of how Brexit sank Britain’s Political Class, by Tim Shipman .  Highly recommended!