Billy and the A13

Last month I blogged about the Billy Bragg concert at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich. As i have already mentioned it was brilliant but!
there is aways a but... He never sang his tribute to South Essex/east London and in particular the A13. Now it may have been because he thought we would have preferred a song about the A12 or the A14 (or A45!).
Well thanks to the brilliant blog, 'The Poor Mouth' - you all now have a chance to hear Billy wax lyrically about that great road!

Will we ever be a Greater Ipswich?

Many of us have been in shock over the last few days as we come to terms with the Government decision not to give Ipswich Unitary status- we may have had a stronger case if the Tories could have got their fellow party members on Suffolk County Council to support the bid.

We may see a Unitary council, but not in 2008 as we hoped for- I actually believe the Government is right in stating Ipswich as a Unitary Authority needs to be larger, I believe it should be all those who live inside the A12. Ipswich in the 21st century is the urban mass surrounded by the A14/A12 box - including Kesgrave, Martlesham Heath, Rushmere and Pinewood.
That does not at first sound good for us in the Labour Party- many would think the inclusion of places like Kesgrave would make it harder for Ipswich to return to the fold of Labour run authorities, but I think we should just take it a challenge, and let us get into places like Kesgrave and Pinewood, because they have the same priorities and concerns as Ipswich residents do.
But whilst we wait for the Boundary Committee to decide on a Greater Ipswich, it is the children of Ipswich who will suffer the most as the school children of Ipswich are seen as the poor relations by the Tories who run Suffolk County Council.