Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils discuss closer ties

It is a bad time to be making predictions, as Nick Robinson of the BBC (who claimed that there was no imminent plot to unseat Gordon Brown within an hour of last week’s coup) has found out to his cost.
No sooner was the ink dry on my recent ‘Year Ahead’ post that it became apparent that there are many in Suffolk who think that Local Government Reorganisation is dead in the water and that, this being the case, other plans must be made to secure the future of Babergh.
It has been reported in the press that Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils (marked 3 and 4 on the map above) are in talks with regard to the merger of some services and functions. This has elicited immediate criticism in some quarters, but it should be borne in mind that firstly these are only talks, secondly we already share services with other Councils, including Mid Suffolk, and on the whole these arrangements work well.
It should be stressed that at present a merger of the two councils is not in prospect. A separate act of parliament would be needed for this and there is no sign of any enthusiasm for this sort of arrangement coming from Westminster.
Whether people are keen on the idea of closer co-operation or not it is plain that, in the absence of the introduction of unitary authorities, something fundamental must be done to address the deteriorating financial positions of local authorities. Central government funding looks vulnerable and the recession, which savagely reduces our fee income, shows only hesitant signs of coming to an end.

The Year Ahead

A happy new year to everyone!

It’s the time of year for making resolutions and predictions. I’m not intending to divulge my new year’s resolutions, mainly because I rarely manage to keep to them for more than a week or so. However, I am happy to try to make some predictions in respect of what might happen in Britain and in South Suffolk in 2010.

Last year incidentally my predictions weren’t too bad! In fact I had a 50 percent hit rate. Although I was right to say that Car Parking charges would not be imposed in Sudbury in 2009 and that the Belle Vue House protests would (temporarily) fade away, I did not predict the judicial interventions that have postponed Local Government reorganisation and, contrary to my expectations, Bretts Aggregates decided not to appeal against Suffolk County Council’s refusal of planning permission for a quarry at Chilton.

So looking ahead to 2010.....

First everyone knows that there will be a General Election this year. My prediction is that the Conservatives will win this with a majority of between 30 and 60. This is a mandate of sorts, but is not really enough to guarantee a trouble free passage for the tough measures that they will need to take. It is not impossible therefore that there will be two General Elections during the year. ( I don’t think that I can stand it!)

Secondly, we shall finally find out whether Local Government arrangements in Suffolk will stay as they are or whether a unitary system will come into being. My guess is that we shall actually ‘go unitary’ and that the last gasp of this Labour Government’s choice will be for One Suffolk. I shall be very pleased because this will enable me to start planning the rest of my life!

Thirdly, even if a unitary system is adopted, many people in Babergh will be adversely affected by the hard choices that will need to be made by the Council to bridge its financial deficit. It is fair to say that almost everyone in the District will be affected, whether they are connected to charities who will lose their grants, or are workers in Sudbury who have to pay for Long Term Parking. I am anxious to see that people do not suffer ‘double whammy’s‘ however, and I shall be asking hard questions about the situation where organisations have suffered both a loss of grant and the prospect of having to pay Business Rates for the first time due to the reduction of relief.

Fourthly, I fear that it is the year that the green agenda goes onto the back burner, as it is overtaken by other priorities related to the lack of money. This is I think something that we should all fight. I am, as many of you know, an agnostic about man-made global warming, but whether or not it is ‘good science’ it must be good sense to conserve the world’s precious resources and to fight to maintain biodiversity and a clean healthy environment.

Happy Christmas to all readers of the blog

This christmas tree at Gainsborough's House was kindly donated by one of the many volunteers without whom the House could not survive.

I hope that all followers of the blog will have a very happy Christmas holiday, and that you will all enjoy good fortune and good health in 2010.

Troubleshooting in Babergh West

Despite some muddle over the date, place and time, the last Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team meeting of the year, which took place yesterday in Lavenham, was quite well attended. Representatives from both Acton and Great Waldingfield Parish Councils were there.

These monthly meetings are very much still ‘work in progress’, but I am happy to say that a workable format is now gradually taking shape. The object of the exercise is to prioritise areas of local concern through dialogue between the community, officers from Babergh, the police, and other agencies. All members of the public are welcome to attend and have their say if they wish. Some 36 parishes are included in the Babergh West scheme.

The meeting yesterday heard that in response to public concern, the officers and PCSO’s have been very active in the area with their speed guns and several fixed penalty notices have been issued. Most of the people involved came from outside the immediate area. One individual, who was travelling at 57 mph in a 30 mph area, has received a court summons.

Representatives from Long Melford expressed their satisfaction that anti social behaviour in the village has declined dramatically since officers and PCSO’s have been making regular patrols in the evenings. Problems in Glemsford continue however and the area remains a priority. Recently the army visited the village to engage with young people and give them something other than vandalism to think about!

Several members of the public and representatives of Lavenham Parish Council were present, and a further priority is to look into incidents of anti-social behaviour in the village.

An unusual issue has arisen in and around Leavenheath, where there has been some rather gruesome evidence of deer poaching. One of the PCSO priorities this month is to gather evidence from farmers and local residents in the area in order to combat this cruel and dangerous practice.

PCSO Siobhan Hemmett is continuing to patrol the roads around Great Waldingfield School at dropping off and picking up time to try to encourage responsible parking etc. The police are to contact the school to see if there is some way to reduce the congestion that takes place at these times of the day.

The next meeting will be at Lavenham Village Hall at 11 a.m. on January 21^st.

Snow in Suffolk

The picture taken of our garden early this morning is to remind readers of the blog in far flung places like Australia, California and Mozambique of what snow looks like!

December Council Meeting

Two issues of note were discussed at today’s Full Council meeting.
Firstly it was decided to reject Sudbury’s offer to take over the management of Babergh’s car parks, not only in Sudbury’s but also in Hadleigh and Lavenham. This offer would have resolved the vexed issue of car parking charges at a stroke! I can understand the Town Council’s wish to control the town’s car parks, and even to extend their influence beyond Sudbury. However, I was swayed by the argument that it is hardly fair for the citizens of Sudbury to have to suffer a significant increase in precept so that people from the surrounding area can park for nothing!
The second main issue was related to what seems to be the never ending saga, Local Government Review. Once again we were being asked to comment on another set of proposalsfrom the Boundary Committee.
When colours are nailed firmly to a mast then it is hard to pull them down again, so even in the face of new information, many Members found it hard to change their minds. Most of them remain convinced that two unitaries for Suffolk are better than one. The Boundary Committee itself however has, as mentioned recently on the blog, changed ITS mind, and now prefers the option of one unitary council for the whole of the County.
I, who have for some time believed that one unitary council for the whole of Suffolk would be the best option, expressed delight that the Boundary Committee now agrees with me (and at least two of the four Parish Councils in Waldingfield Ward).
I am even more convinced of the logic of ‘One Suffolk’ now that parts of Waveney are not to be included in Norfolk. The inclusion of a deprived urban area such as Lowestoft in a so called Suffolk Rural Unitary makes me even more concerned about the economic robustness and operational logic of such a council. Unlike other Members I am not particularly about the ‘democratic deficit’ that it is believed will occur if there are only 80 to 100 elected councillors, rather than about 400 as is the case now. It is a great opportunity for real power to be devolved down to communities, who are often best placed to know what is good for them.
The debate went on for some time with those of us in favour of One Suffolk putting up a reasonable show, but in the end the vast majority preferred to ‘be consistent’ and continue to support the division of Suffolk into two parts.
The argument may yet prove to be academic since, even if there are no further challenges from disaffected District councils in Norfolk and Suffolk, an early general election may well see the collapse of the Government’s plans. This, in my view, would be a pity. I suspect that a Conservative Government will, despite its current declared stance, ultimately come to the conclusion that a unitary system is the right one for Suffolk, and indeed for the country as a whole. However, even more time will have been wasted and uncertainty prolonged.

The Boundary Committee speaks.

I have just received the news from Babergh that the Boundary Committee, hot on the heels of the recent Court of Appeal decision, has now made its recommendations to the Secretary of State with regard to the proposals for unitary local government in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk.

As far as Suffolk is concerned the press release states the following:

In Suffolk, the Committee has made two proposals: a unitary county of Suffolk (the Committee’s preferred alternative proposal for Suffolk); and a two-unitary pattern comprising an Ipswich & Felixstowe authority and a Rural Suffolk authority.

Preference for One Suffolk unitary represents a change of view from the Committee. However, having abandoned the idea of excluding Lowestoft from Suffolk, One Suffolk is really the only coherent solution.

The $64,000 Question is now: Can the Government implement this before the General Election? It will be very tight, but, they claim, not impossible.