A hard job but one that I look forward to doing

This week I attended the Full Council meting held in the Ipswich Corn Exchange, the main purpose of the meeting was to see the changeover of Mayor from Glen Chisholm to Roger Fern.

The meeting also saw the announcement that I had been promoted to the Executive, it was a great honour but also a funny feeling to find myself sitting at the front (far less boiled sweets available here!)

The Portfolio I have been allocated is 'Community Protection' - a very varied portfolio. Good news is that I am taking over from Neil MacDonald - not only has he done a brilliant job over a number of years but I always know he will be available to ask if any advice is needed.

I now realise it is a complex and quite varied portfolio, with responsibility for  CCTV, Noise nuisance, licenses for tattoo parlors and exotic pet shops and much more!

But I think much of my time will be spent working with the police to ensure Ipswich residents are kept safe, this job will become more difficult - we have fantastic policemen and women in Ipswich but they are restricted in what they can do by the number of savage cuts that have been forced on them by this Tory Government. It will be the next few years where we will begin to notice the reduction in service that we have come to expect from the Suffolk Constabulary.

It will be up to me and our great team of council officers to ensure that we do all we can to make sure the council are doing all we can to help in the fight against crime but also to hold the Police and Crime Commissioner to account to make sure that Ipswich gets the police and resources it needs to help keep the streets of Ipswich safe.

Ipswich Labour select David Ellesmere to fight Gummer

This afternoon I attended the hustings to help select the next Labour parliamentary candidate for Ipswich.

I estimated that the attendance was over 130 and with postal votes added, it led to a total of just under 200 people voting. - There has been criticism from certain Tories that the selection meeting should have been open to all. I don't believe they are right and I am going to repost the piece I wrote about the Gummer selection in 2007 so you can compare the two processes.

The 4 candidates all spoke for 10 minutes and then answered questions for 15 minutes, all received similar questions, and the topics included: Europe, strikes, Ed Milliband, Abortion and creating jobs.

I was very impressed with the passion shown by both David Ellesmere and Neil MacDonald. They had to be at their best as Jeremy Miles possessed many of the attributes that made Ken Weetch a great Ipswich MP, Francis Rehal did not impress me with her 10 minute presentation but her strength was answering the questions.

I am sure the 3 losers will go onto other selections and I am positive that Jeremy Miles will become an outstanding MP in another seat. Thinking of what will be best for Ipswich, I hope that Neil does not look for another seat as he would make an excellent leader of the Ipswich Labour once we get David elected to Westminster.

Now the real fight starts - with the St Margaret's by-election giving us an unexpected opportunity to campaign in what once was a Tory safe seat.

Still campaigning hard in Rushmere

Tuesday saw me out lone canvassing in Rushmere- not always the best thing to do but the reaction of local residents made it worthwhile- They seemed to want a local candidate. Wednesday and it was some work on editing new leaflets and then out in the evening in St John's, again a good reception for Neil MacDonald, the residents seem to appreciate that Neil and sandy Martin live in the ward.
Today it was off to Dundee House for a visit to their coffee morning, they soon put you in your place! They had very few complaints and all appreciate the service they get from the excellent warden but council cuts are being noticed by the residents, they have gone from 3 cleaners to 1 in the last year. these are the sort of cuts that most residents don't see. A number of visitors to Dundee House did mention the speed of vehicles on Humber Ducy Lane and all are agreed that it is only a matter of time before there is an accident where a child gets run over if something isn't done soon.
Tonight I was out canvassing in Rushmere, the state of the NHS was one topic raised and also the Ipswich Bus service - strange that! according to our local paper, the Tory candidate- Mrs Smith has not had the proposed curs to the bus service raised once whilst she has been campaigning- she must be visiting very few houses! I wonder how they will explain the Bus manager telling Suffolk County Council today that increased rent at the bus depot will lead to cuts in services. Lets just hope the message gets over to residents that there will be even more cuts if the Tories stay in power.
Friday will see a large push all over the town as we try and speak to as many residents as we can.

We campaign hard and the Tories try and take the credit!

Monday was a busy campaign day, a visit to the party office to drop off canvas sheets whilst other members were delivering a leaflet about the new Hayhills development. The evening saw us in the South West of the town, 18 of us canvasing. A good response on the door, none of the negativity that we are reading about in the national papers. We finish off over a pint at the Steamboat and then we hear the news (good).
After a determined campaign by local residents (many of them parents of Sidegate School pupils)and assisted by myself and St John's councilor Neil MacDonald we seem to have been successful in getting the much needed zebra crossing that will make it safer to cross both Rushmere Road and Woodbridge Road.
How did we find out about? That is the bad news - through a Tory leaflet- they seem to be taking the credit - no mention that the Tory Councillor for Rushmere voted against funding for the zebra crossing when it came before the council the first time. It seems strange (if not surprising) that it has been announced so close to the local election. Then again the Tory leader has admitted that she is playing politics- by that she means that they can lie in their manifesto- as if this is acceptable behaviour in election time!
I would just like to say well done to the residents of the Roundwood Road area who did not give up in their desire to get the zebra crossing- they deserve all the credit- the Tories?- all they deserve is to be defeated at the ballot box.