A community remembers

Yesterday, I was given the privilege to speak at the unveiling of a mural to remember a Westbourne Academy pupil, and a  Whitehouse Estate, Ipswich resident, who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2007

Aaron McClure will be remembered by his comrades from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment, but also by his friends and family from this close knit part of Ipswich.

Well done to his mother, his friends, and the school for keeping his memory alive.

Ipswich Tories are right- house building has stalled (but stalled by who?)

Ipswich Tory leaflets have always read more like a fantasy story than a document of facts and public information but this year they have really gone out of their way to persuade the Ipswich public that they (the Ipswich Tories ) do live in a world of self denial!

One of my proudest achievements is to have been part of a Labour Council that is just completing one of the largest council house building projects in a generation in Bader Close and my proudest personal achievement as a councillor has been that I helped enable two roads of new Council houses and flats in Whitehouse Estate be named after two Ipswich (and Whitehouse) soldiers who lost their lives serving their country.

But if you read the latest Ipswich Tory leaflets you would have thought we have not built a single home – the Ipswich Tories (make it up as we go along) PR machine informs us;

“House building in Ipswich has stalled and more needs to be done. Ipswich needs family homes yet this council is failing to provide them. We would make building quality family homes – and the infrastructure accompanying them – one of our top priorities.”

Fact is we would like to build more Council homes and see developers start some large building projects – but we keep coming up against barriers – and these obstacles have been placed in front of us by local Tories from MPs ben Gummer and Dan Poulter to local Tory leader Nadia Cenci and a combination of Tory Borough and County Councillors.

You could suggest ‘I would say that’ but unlike the Tory leaflet I can back my views with facts.

Labour run Ipswich proposed and gained permission for a large development of council houses at Ravenswood in South East Ipswich. Tory Cllr Cenci called our decision in, they were not happy with the amount of social housing – after her ‘call in’ was thrown out they then got Ben Gummer the Tory MP to get Eric Pickles to call the Borough decision in – this was disappointing but only to be expected as Mr Gummer looked for easy votes but what has been disgraceful is that over a year later we are still waiting for this Tory Government to tell us if we can or can’t start to build these much needed family homes. So Cllr Cenci – your right house building has stalled but not because of a Labour Council but because of the actions of you, Ben Gummer and Eric Pickles.

Then we have the Northern Fringe development, the original plan was actually put through by the last Tory/Lib Dem administration – but they needed help from us as 6 Tory Councillors voted against the plan as they wanted NO HOMES built north of Valley Road.

But once we took back power in Ipswich the Tories (and Lib Dems) have become slightly less keen on the building of a large estate in the north of the town. Mr Gummer at first complained about the proposed location of the cricket green! Since then he has written to many residents ( in the build up to the election) stating why he could not support the proposed development. Cllr Cenci went further and distributed an expensive leaflet (with her name on) stating that the new build would see current residents have their commute to work or leisure time increased, they asked for residents views that they would then pass to to Borough Council. I filled in their consultation – but have heard nothing back! Did they ever hand the consultation findings (13 months ago) to the Borough? I ask as some may have seen the whole campaign as a way of farming email addresses! I look forward to reading the results of their consultation – after 56 weeks you would have thought it was ready for publication.

Now I agree with the Tories, we need infrastructure to support the Northern Fringe development but to bill for that must fall to the developer, the TORY County Council and the TORY Government – you may have spotted a theme here.

So have the Tories helped get that much needed infrastructure – no! Dan Poulter MP, declared rather than a northern link road we should just have a tunnel under the Orwell (along with the pie in the sky) Mr Gummer has managed to gain funding for a road- but not the much needed northern link road but for a (possible) Wet Dock Crossing. Which of those two schemes (Northern link Road or Wet Dock crossing) would lead to the building of much needed homes?

Then we have the housing development in East Ipswich – St Clement’s – the local Tories wanted the application turned down and a park built instead!

Ready for a shock statement? IPSWICH TORIES ARE RIGHT! House building has stalled in Ipswich – but the people who have helped stall it are Tories – Ben Gummer, Nadia Cenci, Dan Poulter, John Carnall, Eric Pickles, Robin Vickery, David Goldsmith, all take a bow you have helped deprive Ipswich residents of homes.

The leaflet also has a few other classics from Tory fantasy land – it tells us congestion in the town has become unbearable – forgetting to add that TORY run Suffolk has just wasted £20 million on ‘Travel Ipswich’ and to finish the leaflet off and to pretend they are community minded – they have a picture of the Whitehouse Skate Park – not surprising they forget to mention it was built with help from funding by the local Area Committee – the same committee they wanted to scrap!

If you want homes built for your families in Ipswich – Vote Labour not for the ‘Stalling Tories’

Whitehouse Estate and Ipswich remember two of their own

In 1979 the British Army suffered one of its worst losses of life when 18 soldiers were murdered by the IRA at Warrenpoint, this was in the time  before the days of 24/7 news and also when the troubles in Northern Ireland seemed to many of us to be deliberately ignored by both the press and politicians.

But in one part of Ipswich the Warrenpoint atrocity would not be forgotten as one of those from the 2^nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment murdered that day was 18 year old Gary Barnes.

Gary was from the Whitehouse Estate and a former Westbourne School pupil.

There is a memorial at Warrenpoint, a bench in Aldershot (the former home of the Paras) and a further memorial in Palace Barracks, Belfast. Gary was not forgotten in Ipswich and his name was added to the Cenotaph in  Christchurch Park, Ipswich.

27 Years later, another young man left Whithouse Estate to join the British Army  as a member of his local regiment, the Royal Anglians. Aaron McClure lived close to where Gary lived and went to the same school as Gary and was even in the same year at school as Gary’s nephew. Whithouse is a small estate where everyone knows everyone, a village within the town. In 2007, Aaron was to lose his life in Afghanistan, just north of Sangin in a ‘friendly fire’ incident.

One town, one estate, one school and now they had lost two young brave men fighting for their country.

I became a councillor in 2008 and then had a year away as I returned to the army in 2009 to serve in Afghanistan, on my return I was keen for a lasting memorial to be in the town to Aaron and David Ellesmere the council leader agreed and we both thought a street named after Aaron would be a fitting tribute.

We had a number of opportunities to name a street after this brave man but we were keen for the new road to be in the area of the Whitehouse Estate. Over the last few years we have been building more council homes and one new development would be behind the Whitehouse Estate shops on Ulster Way, so we saw Mrs McClure and family join us to place the McClure Way sign up.

The council was then approached by one of the areas more senior residents who thought it would also be an ideal opportunity to also honour another Whithouse lad, Gary Barnes.

So on Friday all those ideas and plans came to fruition as we unveiled Barnes Square, a new development of flats on McClure Way. It was an event that I will never forget, the three sisters of Gary, were joined by Lorraine the mother of Aaron plus other family members but they were not the only people there to honour the tow lads, also in attendance were friends, pupils from Westbourne School, local Ward councillors , veterans and the Mayor – also a Whitehouse boy.

I was very happy that I was also able to facilitate the  involvement of  the regiments that Gary and Aaron served in and it was fitting that the families were joined in the unveiling and the photographs by serving members of 1 Royal Anglian and 2 Parachute Regiment.

It is important in my mind that Ipswich remembered these two young lads who left our great town to serve in the British Army, now their names will always be part of the Estate that made them – McClure Way and Barnes Square on Whitehouse Estate.

Ipswich will never forget them.

To help us all remember Aaron McClure

This week on the Whitehouse Estate in North West Ipswich, the Borough Council asked Lorraine McClure the mother of Aaron to join the Ipswich Mayor in breaking the first ground in McClure Way.

This is a small development that will see much needed council houses built in the west of the town. The Ipswich Labour party promised residents that we would build new council homes and we have kept that promise.

But what is so special about McClure Way is that it is named after a local Whitehouse boy, Aaron McClure who lost his life in Afghanistan whilst serving with our local regiment the Royal Anglians.

I was honoured to be able to help the council and the family join together to get a road named after 'our' own brave soldier from Ipswich.

This will now be a permanent memorial to Aaron, one close to where he lived, it will help his family, his friends, his regiment and the people of Ipswich to remember this brave young man.

My week ahead, 23 - 29 March 2015

Monday 23 March, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm – Labour Group campaigning

Tuesday 24 March, 10am – Ulster Avenue, start of building council houses,

Wednesday 25 March, 6pm - Labour Group campaigning

Friday 27 March, 7pm – ‘Flying Start’ – launch of ‘short’ campaign to elect a Labour MP for Ipswich

Saturday 28 March, 10am – Labour Campaigning – SE Ipswich

Sunday 29 March, 11am – Labour Campaigning – SW Ipswich

More ‘Hard Pounding’ last week and more next week but council work still continues, and had a great visit last week to Holywells Park (a ‘must visit’ for all Ipswich residents this Summer) and this week i have a visit Tuesday that I have been looking forward to for a long time.

Labour run Ipswich Borough will start building council houses next to Ulster Avenue, that is a moment worth celebrating on its own but this Tuesday it will be even more memorable as the new street of houses is to be named after Aaron McClure - Aaron lived round the corner but lost his life in Afghanistan in 2007 whilst serving with our local regiment, the Royal Anglians.

I am proud to have been involved in having this street names after Aaron and it will be an honour to be there on Tuesday when Lorraine McClure ‘breaks the first ground’ to commence the building of much needed council houses in this part of the town.

We will remember

Kohima Epitaph

When you go home
Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow
We gave our today

The people of Ipswich came out in their thousands today to remember those from this town who have sacrificed their lives so that we can live in peace. I probably felt more emotional today than at any previous Remembrance Day. Not sure exactly why? Maybe when Mrs McClure laid a wreath to remember all those from the town who have died in conflict since 1945 or when the Apache helicopter flew over, reminding me of a daily occurrence in Sangin, Afghanistan.

Sangin - warmer than Christchurch Park

Not sure but it was pleasing to see the thousands of Ipswich people there to remember those who had fallen and in particular the large number of young people who attended.

We will remember.

Remembrance day

I will be attending the service in Christchurch Park, Ipswich in the morning, I thought of attending the Cenotaph service in London and joining the large contingent of ex Green Jackets - but no it will be Ipswich.

Why?

My father attended the service in the park every year, for many of them carrying the Korea Veterans Flag, so I will also be remembering my father.

Ipswich may not be a military town like Colchester but we have always been surrounded by RAF and USAF bases and now we have the Army Air Corps and Royal Engineers living close by, many of whom have now purchased houses in the town and think of Ipswich as their home- many of these have been or will be going back to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is also even more important this year for the people of Ipswich to remember those who given their lives for their country as we have lost one of our own, Private Aaron McClure, one of nine Royal Anglians who have died with the this year in the Helmund Province.

We should never forget those who served us in both World Wars or in the conflicts since, if you cannot attend a Remembrance service in the morning, just take two minutes at 11 o'clock in the morning to remember those brave men and women who continue to serve this country in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

They shall grow not old

As we that are left grow Old

Age shall not weary them

Nor the years condemn

At the going down of the Sun

And in the morning

We will remember them

We will remember them

Lest we forget.

Amen.