Ipswich Prefabs - No cause for concern

Myself outside the prefabs in Inverness Road with local campaigner, Sandra Gage.


At the North East Ipswich Area Committee this week, a number of residents from the prefabs in Rushmere Ward attended, many to inform Tory Cllr, Judy Terry that they were not happy with her comments about their homes. Certain Ipswich Tories have since accused me of delivering a leaflet to the area of Inverness Road to invite residents to the committee meeting. Below is a copy of the leaflet and you can see there is no mention of the Area Committee - another Tory statement made without any evidence to back it up!

Dear Residents,

The highly-publicised call by Tory Councillor Judy Terry for the prefabs to be demolished, calling them ‘not fit for purpose’ has caused unnecessary alarm and anxiety among residents.

We want you to know that there is no cause for concern.

We agree with the statement made by Councillor John Mowles, the borough council’s Housing spokesman, on learning of Cllr Terry’s outburst:


“The prefabs are some of the council’s most challenging properties to maintain and as a responsible landlord we are constantly reviewing how best to keep them up to modern standards.

However, we know that the vast majority of our tenants living in these houses love them. Whatever we do in future will be done with their best interests in mind and in full consultation with them.

It is deeply irresponsible of Councillor Terry to start waving her ill-thought out plans around in public without any thought about the effect it would have on residents. It has caused a lot of distress for many elderly and vulnerable residents.”



What Cllr Terry got wrong:

• Her condemnation of the prefabs was made at a meeting of Suffolk County Council, who have no responsibility for housing

• She said the homes were unfit and even got her Tory colleague, Colin Noble, the county council’s Health and Adult Care cabinet member, to say that Ipswich Borough Council ‘should be ashamed to have these prefabs in their stock’

• She has obtained from architects a plan for redevelopment of the site

• Her insults have smeared the community and worried elderly residents.
What we say:

• The prefabs are fit for purpose

• They are very popular with residents

• Cllr Terry should know that when she comes out with her unconsidered thoughts about these houses she is talking about your homes.

My week ahead 11 - 17 March 2013

Monday 11 March, 4pm – Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm - Labour Group campaigning

Tuesday 12 March, 10am – Briefing on Ransomes
5pm – Sidegate Primary School Governor training

Thursday 14 March, 6pm – Scrutiny meeting at Grafton House

Saturday 16 March, 10.30am – Labour campaigning, North West Ipswich

This week we have just seen how desperate and divided the Ipswich Tory group is, Cllr Judy Terry declared at a Suffolk County Council meeting that we would not have to build on the Northern Fringe if we built on brown field sites or if we knocked down the pre-fabs in her own ward. She even went as far to say she had been in talks with architects and developers and she then got out the plans at a County Scrutiny meeting!

Now this was news to Ipswich Borough Council and also more importantly to the residents of the pre-fabs. Cllr Terry often goes on about a lack of consultation on certain issues, well it seems she had not mentioned the plan to any resident of Inverness Road, Sidegate Lane, Lanark Road or Humber Doucy Lane. She did take Cllr Colin Noble on a tour of the area and show him her great plan – but it also seems she has forgotten to inform any of her Tory colleagues on the Borough Council!

Part of the plan is also to build a care home – now Mr Gummer is promoting a Care Home 200 metres away and the County Council may be shutting a Care Home in Sidegate Lane. So is another care home needed in Rushmere?

So Judy Terry has just managed to scare the residents and upset many – she also leaves many questions unanswered – will the replacements be Council owned? What will happen to the current residents? Is this Ipswich Tory Group policy or just a plan she has hatched up with Colin Noble?

If this is part of a plan to stop building on the Northern Fringe? If so it seems strange that the plan revolves round upsetting many of the residents that she has been elected to represent.