Labour- the only party in Ipswich that can save our libraries

Labour councillors on Ipswich Borough Council have published proposals which could save every threatened library and school crossing patrol in Ipswich.

In an amendment to the council's budget, Labour are proposing to stop the introduction of “locality” budgets which would see all councillors given £5,000 “spending money” – at a total cost of £240,000.

Instead, Labour is proposing that the money is spent on:

1. Staffing costs of the 15 currently active lollipop patrols in Ipswich
2. The “direct” costs (staffing and supplies) for the threatened Ipswich branch libraries
3. Minimising future cuts and council tax rises

Labour's amendment will enable Suffolk County Council to significantly reduce the running cost of these services while keeping them professionally staffed. It will save the council redundancy costs and avoid adding to local unemployment numbers.

Labour's proposals can be implemented while maintaining the level of council tax proposed by the council.

Councillors will vote on these proposals at a meeting on Wednesday 23rd February.

Labour Leader David Ellesmere, pictured outside Rosehill Library with Ipswich Lollipop Lady, Sally Hawkes, said: “We can’t promise to save everything that the Government is cutting, but this shows Labour is standing up for Ipswich. Our proposals will protect jobs, protect our children's safety and protect our local libraries.”

Beating Berlusconi!

On Friday night I paid a visit to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich to watch the one man show (Paul Duckworth) - 'Beating Berlusconi!' The title and part of the play is based on the true tale of one of the many Liverpool fans who went to the Champions League Final in Istanbul in 2005.

This part of the play is hilarious but the whole play is full of comical moments but also at some points the theatre is silent as we remember the tragic events of Heysel and Hillsborough.

The play is not just about football, it is a portrayal of a city that was ravaged by Thatcher and her cronies but still survived, in part due to their own Scouse humour.

I loved every moment of it, for many reasons - as a football fan who spent many away match being treated like an animal both before and after Hillsborough dark days but also a fan who can remember watching those early European Cup finals with Liverpool in, like Rome in 1977. As a soldier, my regiment had our fair share of Scouse's, so very used to their humour and the scally in all of them. But also as Labour supporter as the story spoke of Thatcher, Hesseltine, Hatton and Kinnock.

I came home thinking how fantastic this great game of football is, the only game that a play about another team would go down as well in any city in the world not just Liverpool, but I was also worried, like the film/play 'Billy Elliot' they are great reminders of the Thatcher years, but we must never go back there, and with Cameron and their 'Big (no) Society' I am worried, and watching the video of the great Hessltine idea to rescue Merseyside - The International Garden Show in Liverpool - very worried that we are moving back towards those dark days. Where we will be at the whim of stupid plans by people who have no understanding what it is like to be poor, unemployed and in some cases desperate. Where can we sign up for 'Big society' if libraries and other community hubs are being closed down? Wonder where they will build the International Garden Show this time?

Nice to be thanked

I did not become a councilor in Ipswich just to get a 'thank you' for everything I do on behalf of the community, but it is nice when you do get thanked and also when you can see the result of the assistance you have given.

Last year the Northgate allotment group (Sidegate Lane/Colchester Road) asked for my assistance in getting funding towards a permanent toilet block on their allotment site. I was able with the assistance of Conservative Cllr Eileen Smith to secure some funding towards the scheme. The allotment group came up with a well researched plan and funding of their own and so the installation of the toilet block has commenced.




An example of the Tory 'Big society'? - no, it is just what communities have done for years, getting together as a group and improving a facility for themselves and other users. But it took time to get the funding and then months to get the build started, so how do the Tories expect residents to come up with £40,000 in just a few months and take over Rosehill or Westbourne Library?

A large number of Rushmere residents are keen to help others, but they need support, funding and guidance from all layers of local government - instead of what we currently have - just the threat of closure if some vast sum of cash is not found within a very short time scale.




Well done to the allotment users on the Northgate site, I look forward to the 'Grand Opening' (and thank you for my 'wheel barrow' card).

Cameron breaks promises to Armed Forces.

The Conservatives have rightly come under some fierce criticism for their failure to deliver the promises they made to the Armed Forces before the election. Both Channel 4 News and the local Ipswich Evening Star asked me for my views on the Tories failure to stick to pre election promises on what they would do to make the Military Covenant law.

Here is my piece that I wrote for the Channel 4 News website:

I am sure today many soldiers will be sitting in their Units feeling they have been used by this Government - not used as in the way they would expect to be used- serving their country in Afghanistan, the Gulf, the Balkans but used by Cameron - as a publicity stunt.

The Tories claimed that Labour had broken the Military Covenant and that they would make sure it became law - yesterday they broke that promise - all we will get now is a report every year about the covenant.

Cameron also probably gained many votes off servicemen and veterans when he increased the operational allowance (an allowance introduced by labour) but what he forgot to say, whilst making his speech in June on HMS Ark Royal (scrapped) is that pay would be frozen and other allowances cut and scrapped. All with far more speed than it has taken to cut the allowances to MP's and the Lords

When I served in the Army, I had a decision to make when my daughter reached 11, would I put her in boarding school or move back to my home town. I chose my home town and I was able to do with help from the army through the 'Over 37' package, this gave me assistance in getting home once a month to see my family, and for them to settle down before I had to leave the forces at 40. that package is to be scrapped and also the boarding school allowance is to be cut.

So the only choice would be to leave your child in a Forces school, and that mean every two years they would change school- so much for looking after Forces families. There was talk from the Tories of paying for soldiers children to go to university, well if a child has to move schools every two years there would be little possibility if any child gained the academic qualifications to get into university.

Today many of my ex comrades feel used- used by Cameron in a cheap election gimmick.

On the Channel 4 News blog here, you can read by piece

Rosehill Library - fantastic effort by local residents

Today it was privilege to visit Rosehill Library, fantastic effort by a small group of activists, joined by residents, parents, children and book lovers from all over Ipswich (plus 5 Labour Councillors)

you can help by following their Rosehill website here



Well done again!

Save Libraries Day - This Saturday - 5th February

Save Libraries Day - This Saturday - 5th February



Here is your chance to help save the libraries that are under threat in Suffolk - take a few minutes on Saturday, 5th February to visit your local library to show your support to the campaigners fighting to keep this valuable asset open.

Our own local library at Rosehill on Tomline Road would like to see you between 11am and 2pm this Saturday, visit, join, and sign out a book. I will be delivering 'Save our Library' leaflets in Rushmere Ward, Ipswich this Saturday but then I will get along to Rosehill Library to show my support.

What to cut next?

What to cut next?
Libraries, School Crossing patrols, Day Care Centres, Front Line Police, Forces Pensions, Nimrod, and now forests and woods.
No one thinks there should be no cuts, we are in debt as most of the world is – but it is the severity and speed of the cuts that is so shocking.
It is also seems that every level of tory government is happy to join in, coming up with there own list of cuts.
Now some Tories in Ipswich are saying, ‘well what would Labour cut?’ It is hard to answer that as John Carnell the Deputy Leader (Deputy in name but the real leader) of the Tories in Ipswich keeps the budget very secret, so secret that most Tory portfolio holders have not got a clue how much their own departments will get. This was highlighted last week when Cllr Cenci was not her usual happy self when the Scrutiny committee asked he to go back to Cllr Carnell to ask for £90,000 towards a project that all 3 political groups agreed deserved to be supported by the Council now Government money has ceased.
If all Councillors had been involved in the budget planning (as they are at many other Councils) the Labour Group may have been able to offer advice, alternatives, and ideas – but no it is all down to one man.
The other thing that I have noticed about the cuts (or out sourcing, or some other new-fangled name the Tory County Council has come up with) is that the cuts are being made to projects that the Tories would have liked to seen cut/sold off/privatised even if we were awash with cash. That is the point most of these cuts are being made on ideological grounds combined with the Ipswich/Suffolk Tories (Carnell) mantra of low council tax, no matter how much the Council services are need by many of this great town.
This path being blazed by the national Tory Party with Pembroke and Carnell following makes it hard for me to understand how Cllr Harsant the Tory leader in Ipswich can tell a local paper that Ipswich is not doing enough for homelessness when she knows that the problem will get worse thanks to the likes of Osborne, Pembroke and Carnell.