During the last two election campaigns in Rushmere the Tories have attempted to cause alarm amongst local residents and sports teams about future plans for Ransomes Sports club.
It is disappointing that even this year, local Tories are still telling residents on the doorstep that the (Labour run) council intend to build houses on the site. A number of blogs have also found themselves fed the same inaccurate story by certain leading Ipswich Tories. Ipswich Spy has published a number of one sided posts in the past but it seems even they would not print the latest story being pushed out by the Tories.
But Tory activist Kevin Algar was happy enough to post an article about Ransomes without checking the facts. As both the local councillor and a sports fan it has been difficult not to speak out earlier but as it at one time thought that the Ransomes issue may end up in court it was not possible to go public with the true facts.
It has taken a lot of hard work by councillors, council officers and members of the various sports clubs to get to the position where we are now and there I still much to do but we are moving in the right direction. The latest inaccurate Tory post has upset many of those involved in the local sports clubs and they have decided to go public to show their disgust in the way the future of Rnasomes has been used by the Tories to try and gain votes.
A member of the cricket club did write to Ipswich Tory, Mr Algar asking him to remove his inaccurate post but he has refused to do so.
After Mr Algar refused to remove the post the cricket club have given me permission to publish the letter on my blog.
The letter clearly shows readers of this blog that the Tories have been attempting to alarm local residents in the hope to win the Rushmere seat. It has failed at the last two elections and will fail again this time.
Dear Mr Alger
I have recently read your blog dated 25th April 2014, concerning Ransomes Social Club and the apparent labour agenda under the leadership of David Ellesmere as the parliamentary candidates to eventual use the land as a building site.
I feel compelled to email you to express at first hand the inaccuracies of your article and politely request you retract elements of your blog. As a member of St Margaret's Cricket club for over 10 years we had witnessed at first hand the unfortunate decline of standards and facilities over recent years. In the 2013 season, we did not have hot water at times, electrics were in a dangerous state of repair and asbestos was rife throughout the building (to name but a few). Financially, one could argue, the club was being mismanaged and no longer financially viable.
When the Ipswich Borough Council took over the grounds with a labour run local government we (along with the other sports teams) had some real reservations about political interference initially. As a resident, with my property backing onto the land, I was concerned. However, we had consultation meetings, our committee members met with the council and labour representatives regularly and we have continued with these dialogues. Slowly my worries have somewhat eased.
Let's examine how things look in late April 2014. The Ipswich Borough Council under the labour leadership of David Ellesmere with councillor Mr Ross, Ms Rudkin &Mr Grant have done the following within the past few months.
1. Rightly condemned the building due to safety reasons to protect the public
2. Hired the correct equipment for maintaining the ground
3. Improved facilities by adding quality temporary facilities with showers and toilets
4. Improved the electricity and water supplies
5. Improved our meeting room with new kitchen equipment
6. Cutting the ground regularly
7. Ensured that cleaning is done regularly of the changing rooms and to a high standard
I could not be happier with the progress and could not have asked for more from the council. I have had letters reassuring me the council have no plans to build on this land. The money being spent on this and the time and effort seems to overwhelmingly support these statements. The futures, is looking brighter with the community rightly taking a more active role within collaborative with all parities.
Your comments in my opinion are unsubstantiated with a lack of primary evidence and personal experience. I urge you to readdress the blog at your earliest opportunity. In my opinion, Ransomes Sports & Social Club as a community sports area should not be used as a political football, particularly as in my opinion on this occasion Mr Alger you have scored an own goal!
Yours sincerely
Carl Fitch
Ransomes will thrive and we hope to give the site a further boost in the Summer with some more good news.
Top tip - never trust what a Tory tells you on a Rushmere doorstep
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