For or Against Merger

Cuts in Government grant funding over the next four years means that Mid Suffolk District Council will have to make more savings. This means further budget cuts and possible loss of services. However, much of this can be avoided by integrating our services with Babergh District Council, a process that is currently ongoing.

Further savings can be made by merging the two Councils into one and this is the next step. There will be fewer Councillors so it will be necessary to make sure that you are properly represented and that the costs and savings are carefully  monitored. You will have a chance to vote for or against a merger in a ballot that will take place between 9 May and 6 June 2011. You will be able to vote electronically, by post or by text.

 Mid Suffolk Lib Dems are backing ONE Council, it makes sense, so we hope you will too.

April 28th, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mark Bee replaces Jeremy Pembroke

Mark Bee was elected on 18th April as the future Leader of Suffolk County Council. He replaces Jeremy Pembroke and was elected in the first round of the Suffolk County Tories’  AV style election process, by a significant majority. Will this make any difference to the Conservatives style of governance in Suffolk?  Probably not. It should be pointed out that all Conservatives, both backbench and frontbench voted for every single New Strategic Direction proposal at full council.

So are our local services in safe hands.  It seems not. The thousands of people who have recently taken to the streets, signed petitions and attended protest meetings are witnesses to that. The  Conservative County Council administration recently axed the young people’s eXplore card, cut important  bus routes, removed lollipop patrols and as yet has not properly resolved how to deal with our waste sites, libraries, picnic sites and youth clubs. Was there any meaningful consultation? No. Will satisfactory decisions be made by the proposed deadlines? No. Are we in a state of confusion? Yes. Will other services be cut in the  future? Yes.

Surely its time to send the Conservatives in Suffolk a message. They need to take into account the views of their electorate and they need to do this first not after a  decision has already been made. Some of the County Councillors who are standing in the District Council elections in May are the very Conservative County Councillors whose  unworkable policies we are all protesting against. Let them know what you think.

April 21st, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Closure of Mid Suffolk Household Waste Recycling Centres

Bramford is Well Used

Good news at last. The closure of 6 out of 7 HWRC sites destined to close has been delayed until 31st July. The exception is the site at Ingham.   This should allow other probably community solutions to be found.  Sense strikes home at last!  Liberal Democrats have been fighting this since the County’s budget scrutiny in November and Mid Suffolk members for a similar time.  Its been looking for some weeks as though we would all be doing less recycling and more fly tipping as the County Council closed HWRC’s to “save” money.  There are at least three obvious problems, the reduction in recycling, the impact of increased fly tipping on our environment and the cost of clearing up to the district council tax payer.

As you will be aware there has been an intense campaign in the County to find some way out of the problem which would be caused by the County closing HWRC’s.  Mid Suffolk and Babergh Councillors local to Broom, Chelmondiston and Bramford sites have, across party lines, tried to prevent closure.  The waste portfolio holder Roy Barker has worked to ensure alternatives are in place and local councillors have been working on possible local solutions.


Continue reading Closure of Mid Suffolk Household Waste Recycling Centres

April 13th, 2011 | Category: Waste | One comment

Babergh Mid Suffolk Merger

February 6th, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment