Latest Ipswich Tory leaflet - ‘50% inaccurate, 100% hypocrisy’

Yesterday Ipswich Tories pushed out a leaflet in Stoke Park which is one the most inaccurate I have ever seen put out by the local Conservatives – and that is saying something.

Not sure our local MP, Ben Gummer will be too impressed that his name has been added to it. Not only is it inaccurate but is also scaremongering and as it intended target audience is some of our more senior residents that is scandalous.

But for me more shocking than the inaccuracies is the sheer hypocrisy of the leaflet. Cllr Cenci – who seems to be the author of the leaflet even repeated the inaccuracies on a post on her blog. She has since altered her blog but do not expect her to put out a second leaflet apologising!

Now let's put down the correct facts about the Number 16 bus route, before we highlight both the inaccuracies of the leaflet and the sheer hypocrisy of Cllr Cenci.

Labour are not axing the No 16 bus service, Ipswich Buses are De-registering the service which is not the same and does not mean the service will cease.

As Ipswich Buses no longer intend to run the service on a commercial basis there is a legal process they have to follow. They have to notify VOSA (Dept for Transport) of their intention to cease running these COMMERCIALLY.

Ipswich Borough Council are able to enter into an agreement with Ipswich Buses to continue to run these services with financial support if required.

Ipswich Borough Council has a budget which purpose is to support local bus services.
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That is the facts on the Number 16, and members of Stoke Park Residents Association have been consulted on this. Now the 16 is not the only route that was under threat. In the North East we have both the 22 and 31 being axed by the Tory run County Council, part of the route will now be replaced by a new route- the 39 – but Ipswich Hospital will no longer be served by this bus.

All over Suffolk, the County are looking to reduce their subsidies to bus services- a direct result of the County declaring that for the next 4 years there will be no rise in council tax.
Now onto the claims of Cllr Cenci –

The leaflet (and her original blog post) indicated that Labour Cllr Smart is a member of the Board of Ipswich Bus Company – he is not – she since has indicated that her leaflet does not say he is a board member! The leaflet states; “why he (Cllr Smart) and other Ipswich Bus board members” seems pretty obvious to me if I read that and did not know any better that it was implying Cllr Smart is a bus board member. She should have known that Cllr Smart was not on the board of the bus company as she was party to the nasty act of taking him off the Bus Board in March 2007.

She also needs to remember that every time she puts up a blog post another certain Ipswich Tory will have re-posted it on his site- so the lie/inaccuracy is on here even after she changes her post. (Bet Ben Gummer is glad his name is both on the post and the leaflet – Tory Chair Grant Shapps would not have been so bothered by the inaccuracies!)

Now she is also claims that she has never voted against anything to do with Ipswich Buses – she voted for the Tory alternative budget in 2012 that would have taken away the proposed grant to help subsidise bus services in Ipswich - £140,000 – and now just over a year later she wishes us to spend that money on maintaining the number 16. That is hypocrisy.

She also asks why Ipswich Buses didn’t – or does she mean Ipswich Borough Council? (she seems to forget that the Bus Company is owned but not controlled by the Borough) send her a letter telling of the changes – well as a Rushmere Councillor I am still waiting to be told by the Tory run County that they are to axe the 22 and 31 where in her ward the 16 is set to continue.

She then goes on to list a number of points and the best example of her hypocrisy:

She wants the Borough to fund Ipswich Buses to run the route NOT (her use of capitals) a private company. Shock, horror a Tory wants public transport to be run by the state!! Former Tory Cllr and part time UKIP cheerleader – Gavin Maclure, would want her thrown out of the Tory Party for that statement alone.

Then to even suggest we should use public money to subside public transport – they will think whilst some of her party are thinking of jumping to UKIP she is on her way to join the Far Left!

Now I would welcome her sudden conversion to socialist ideals, but this is the same councillor who voted for a budget that would have stopped IBC giving the bus company money to run routes, the same Cllr who was part of a Tory executive that not long ago wanted to sell the buses off to a private company!

If that is not enough hypocrisy for you to top it off Cllr Cenci stood as a candidate for the County Elections whose only real manifesto promise was 0% council tax rise- the same proposal that is seeing bus routes cut. On her blog post she states she is concerned mainly about the bus route as it is used by many of our senior residents- she did not seem bothered about them when the County agreed to sell off all the Care Homes – to a private company.

So Cllr Cenci, I can’t believe you have seen the light and are now a great believer in Public Transport not only being provided by a council but subsidised by the tax payer.

When I had only been on the council a short while(January 2010) I attended a Borough scrutiny meeting – where a leading Ipswich Tory councillor told us he would never travel on an Ipswich bus as it was like ‘hell on wheels’, last year the Tory transport spokesman did not even know how much is cost on the bus for a trip to town. Public Transport is not and never will be safe under a Tory administration.

Vote Labour - May 5th

Suffolk County Council are running scared, the Tories have made 3 U Turns in the last 2 weeks, but do not be fooled, every Road Crossing patrol will not be saved and the Libraries are still under threat. The Ipswich Tories - scream, "Don't blame us, it is the other lot" - but don't be fooled, the mask slipped today and John Carnell, the Deputy Leader of the Tories stated that if they retain power this week, they will sell off 'our' Ipswich Bus Company.

Only way to stop them - Vote Labour tomorrow, and if your in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich - Vote Tracey Grant

Bus leaflets in Ravenswood

I actually enjoy getting out, delivering leaflets, knocking on doors and meeting people. some members of the party do not like it, each to their own. But they are missing out on what is a vital part of local politics and also on what can be a quite enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning. I also enjoy working in different wards in the town, many have the same problems as Rushmere. it is often the same faces out each Saturday, but results in St Johns and Bridge Wards in Ipswich last year show that the more work you do the better the result will be.
Today over 10 of us were in Priory Heath, whilst other members also held a surgery in Westgate and Sue Thomas our Rushmere County Councillor was holding her own surgery at the Selkirk Road residents shop.
I was fortunate to be in Ravenswood (a new housing development on the old airport site) with Phil Smart. on top of meeting local people, whilst delivering it also give you the chance to discuss local and national political events. Phil is our "Mr Bus", who has been at the front of our campaign to stop possible cuts to the Ipswich Bus Service. This week the campaign took a nasty turn as the Tories (with Lib Dem support) ousted Phil as chairman of the Ipswich Bus Company. But as an Ipswich Party member told Phil, when it turns nasty and personnel you know you have won the argument.
The people from Ipswich have a great sense of pride in their bus service and it is up to us to get the message over that every Tory and Liberal on the council voted for a budget that will lead to a reduced bus service in the town.
We managed to get most of Ravenswood delivered, as it is a new build it can be slightly more difficult to deliver than the older estates but as well as being a fountain of knowledge on bus routes, Phil also is the ideal man when it comes to sorting out delivery routes, the use of a pincer movement was even thrown in to appeal to my military background.
Another good thing about going to Ravenswood it reminds you of what a Labour run Ipswich council achieved whilst in power, as Ravenswood is a great example of what a go ahead council can achieve with a builder if they get a chance or have the inclination to do so.

Ipswich Labour Group Meeting

Attended the Ipswich Labour Group meeting tonight, I am one of the Party observers on the group and have always found them lively meetings with planty of differing views offered.
An important meeting this week as it is full council meeting on Wednesday when the Tories and their Lib Dem partners will bring in their budget and with it a rise in the rent and dividends that the bus company will have to pay the council.
Will be interesting to see how the Lib Dems behave, will they vote for the budget then support Labour in our motion that the Council should run the bus service for the good of the Ipswich people not just for profit.
Will be able to tell you later in the week how the vote went.