My week ahead 29 July - 4 August 2013

Monday 29 July - 6pm, Labour campaigning, East Ipswich

Tuesday 30 July – 9am, Campaign Day in Oulton Broad for by-election

Wednesday 31 July – 10am – Visit to Christchurch and Holywells Park

Saturday 3 August - 10am, Labour campaigning, South West Ipswich

This week had an enjoyable evening with the Ransomes sequence dancing club, the Council have helped them find a temporary location at Gainsborough sports Centre whilst they wait for IBC to take over the running of the Ransomes Sports Club.

The members of the club made myself and the Mayor very welcome and told us how they were looking forward to going back to Ransomes once the legal situation is sorted out. The club are also happy about our proposals on how the site will be run and the improvements we have planned for what has become a very ‘tired’ pavilion.

The local Tories seem to be in disarray, local splits in the Ipswich group over the selection/de-selection of candidates for the Borough elections next year and more worrying for the residents of Ipswich seems to be the breakdown of trust between the Suffolk Tories and Ipswich Tories. This has caused a major fall out over the Tory run Suffolk plans to introduce lights on Bishops Hill and the removal of the mini roundabouts on Norwich Road.

I am not sure if the lights will benefit residents, but what is certainly true the lights were not in the original plans and there has been no consultation with local residents over the issue. This has now led to a public spat between the Tory County Portfolio for Transport, Graham Newman and leading local Tory, Liz Harsant.

There also seems to be no attempt by the local Tory MP’s Ben Gummer and Dan Poulter to bring the two groups together – trouble is it is only Ipswich residents who will lose out over this.

UKIP - Like the Tory Party of the 60's?

When you see Tory leaflets from the 1960's, it is no wonder some of their members are attracted to the policies of UKIP

WARNING

Thanks to Ipswich Spy, I have been informed that the poster may be fake - this has led to an on-line discussion on twitter with the national Conservative HQ stating that the Tories never used it whilst others have given examples of constituencies where the poster was used.

If it is a fake, it seems it is also from the 60's - what it does show that all political groups were willing to use the race card in one way or another for their own benefit.

The concern is that this weekend a van has driven round London - organised by the Government warning illegal immigrants that if they are caught they will be deported. Are the Tory Ministers doing this because they think it will work, or because they are scared that UKIP will take more of their members?

My week ahead 22 - 28 July 2013

Monday 22 July – 4pm, Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm, Labour campaigning, South East Ipswich

Tuesday 23 July – 2pm, East Ipswich Housing Panel tour

Wednesday 24 July – 8pm – Visit to Gainsborough Sports Centre

Thursday 25 July – 7pm – North East Ipswich Area Committee, St Johns Church – Cauldwell Hall Road

Friday 26 July – 2pm, Meeting with Football Leagues about use of park pitches,
4pm, First meeting of the Ipswich World War I Centenary steering group.

Saturday 27 July - 10am, Labour campaigning, North West Ipswich

Sunday 28 July – 7pm, North East Ipswich Labour, Curry night.

A bust week ahead with a number of meetings linked to my role as Deputy Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure. This week will see a meeting about park football pitches and a chance to attempt sequence dancing! It is a very varied portfolio. Last week we also launched our next cycling event in Ipswich. A major road race being organised in conjunction with UCS and Suffolk Coastal. With Chis Froome likely to win the Tour in Paris tonight, cycling is still on a high and it is great that Ipswich is one of British Cycling’s biggest partners when it comes to putting on top events’

Another interesting meeting this week will be the first steering group meeting for the WWI Centenary. It is important that we remember the losses this country suffered between 1914 and 1918, and that the centenary is used to remind all of us the dreadful consequences of a World War and it does not become some jingoistic flag waving event.

Three takeaways planned for the John Bull pub in Wodbridge Road, Ipswich

Ipswich Borough Council has received a planning application to convert the John Bull pub on Woodbridge Rd into three hot food takeaways, with a 3 bedroom flat above.

The applicant is Quality Fish Ltd, an Ipswich business.

The planning application proposes no extension to the building and will retain the 16 space car park to the rear, the three takeaway shops will face out onto Woodbridge Rd.

You can view the proposals on the IBC ‘Planning online’ page at the Ipswich Borough Council website and the application case number is 13/00551.

A change of use permission is required from pub to hot food takeaway, so the Council could refuse the development if there were good reasons for refusal. The recent changes at the Golden Key from pub to retail did NOT require a change of use permission so the planning application was for the extension.

The application is likely to go the planning committee at IBC on the 21st August. I would like to know your views on the proposal so that I can represent you at the meeting

If you have a concern, please email me at: alasdair.ross@councillors.ipswich.gov.uk

Ipswich wide Summer Fun - activity days

Thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council Area Committees in partnership with the Borough Council, County Council and Ipswich Basketball club, we are providing a number of free activities for our young residents over the summer.

These activities are taking place all over the town but I will concentrate on those events happening in our own Rushmere Ward. These are the activities that have seen funding from the North East Area Committee.

Wednesday July 31st – Activity Day – Dumbarton Road Rec, 1-4pm

Jumpers for Goalposts, Fridays from August 2nd to the 23rd, Dumbarton Road Rec, 2.30-4pm

Basketball – Wednesday from July 31st to August 21st, 2.45 -4.15pm and 4.15-5.45pm

All activities are free, just pop along and join in – Age 10 + - no need to book!

Coaching will be provided by ‘Positive Futures’ and Ipswich Basketball Club.

You can't trust David Cameron with the NHS

And now he has sold the NHS Plasma service to an American Capital Venture firm!

My week ahead 15 - 21 July 2013

Monday 15 July – 4pm, Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm, Labour campaigning

Thursday 18 July – 6pm, Scrutiny meeting

Back from a week away training potential Army Officers but now back in Ipswich to start Summer campaigning.
A planning application has been placed to turn the John Bull pub into a number of fast food take away restaurants. We are asking local residents for their views on this planning application.. The new application may cause more traffic issues on a road that is likely to see increased congestion once the Golden Key re-opens as Sainsburys after the summer. When Greene King applied to turn the Golden Key into supermarket they never mentioned that they were also going to off load the John Bull pub. Greene King have certainly not behaved like good neighbours.

Since I have been away, Ipswich Spy have posted about the on-going legal dispute with Ransomes Sports Club. As the issue may end up in court, unlike Ipswich Spy we have to be careful in what we say about the current management of the club. I am sure Sally Wainman means well but I am not sure she has been given the full story by certain members of the Ransomes management.

So maybe Sally should ask these questions:

Why was the Ransomes Bowls Club forced out by members of Ransomes management?

Why have the sequence dancing club also had to leave?

Why are many of the sports teams keen that IBC do take over the running of the club?