Ipswich Buses - only safe under Labour

Ipswich Labour have always promised to do all we can to help save the Ipswich Bus Company.

Ipswich are now one of only eleven municipal bus companies left in this country with Edinburgh and Blackpool being the two largest.

John Carnall the Tory leader even stated a few days before the local election in 2011 that his intention was to sell the Bus Company off. Labour won so that put a stop to his plan, but the company is under plenty of pressure from outside influences.

The Tory run Suffolk County Council took away the Park and Ride franchise when the Ipswich Tories were in power and have since cut back on the rebate given to IBC for pensioners fares and taken the 'Explore' card away completely whilst the Tory Government is about to reduce the diesel fuel rebate it hands to bus and coach businesses.

Yesterday Rachel Reeves MP and Iain Wright MP visited the Ipswich Bus Company along with David Ellesmere and were very happy to see that Ipswich was still maintaining a municipal bus service.

But do Ipswich residents still want a council owned bus company? I think they do and it is far better than the alternative that Iain Wright told us about, in Hartlepool they no longer have a bus service run by the council and the council also can no longer afford to give the private bus company money toward subsidising routes - so what does Hartlepool now have? No buses after 6pm during the week and no weekend bus service at all. If that's what you want in Ipswich- Vote Tory but I am sure most of you would like not only to keep our 'Green' buses but to improve the service - then you have to vote Labour.

Why do the Tories want to destroy all the good work done by Labour?

And why do the Lib Dems just sit on their hands and do nothing? Or in most cases put their hands up to vote when their Tory masters tell them to?

My week ahead 5 - 11 March 2012

Wednesday 7th March, 2pm - Campaigning in Ipswich
7pm - Fabians AGM

Thursday 8th March, 7pm - Mayor of Ipswich Charity Quiz

Friday 9th March, 5pm - Labour Campaign meeting

Saturday 10th March, 10.30am - Labour Campaigning in West Ipswich

This week we put forward our budget to Full Council, as expected the Tories put forward an amendment proposing a 3% Council Tax cut. It was a cheap stunt and if it had gone through would have seen £140,00 taken from Public transport, more staff made redundant at Ipswich Borough council and most scandalously handing over the HEARS service to Suffolk County Council.

Showing yet again that the Tories have no wish to help the young, the old or the poor.

The Lib Dems seemed to have learnt something off the Tories, they just now abstain or allow Cllr Lockington the opportunity to show that she has no clue to what is going on beyond the leafy ward of St Margaret's.

The week finished yesterday in style with a great session meeting residents in Rushmere and St Johns. then the surprise of returning to the Golden Key for a beer before football. The surprise? We found in the car park, Ben Gummer and 3 Tory Cllrs having their picture taken - Ben Gummer has already written a letter stating that the pub should not be turned into a store. Has Cllr Terry now joined him (and Ipswich Labour) in supporting local residents? If so will Cllr Terry declare an interest when the planning application is debated at the next planning committee?

My week ahead 27 February - 4 March 2012

Monday 27th February 4pm - Culture Portfolio meeting at Grafton House
6pm - Labour Group meeting

Wednesday 29th February 6pm - Ipswich Borough Council, Full Council Meeting

Thursday 1st March 5pm - Rushmere Youth Club - planning meeting

Friday 2nd March 7pm - St Helens School quiz night

Saturday 3rd March 10.30am - Labour campaigning in East Ipswich

This week will see our budget discussed and voted on at the Full Council meeting, we hope that this budget will lead to Ipswich Borough Council starting to build council homes again. It will also see money put into helping get more investment and jobs in the town. We have managed to put these initiatives into the budget whilst still freezing Council Tax.

But do not expect the Ipswich Tories to congratulate us, instead expect some stupid stunt and claims that they would have reduced council tax ( by cutting more services, selling anything they can off and making more staff redundant)

Wednesday night could see an interesting debate in the Council Chamber.

My week ahead 20 - 26 February 2012

Monday 20 February 1pm - Meeting at Sidegate Primary School
6pm - Labour Group meeting

Tuesday 21 February 5.30pm - Tony McNulty talk at UCS

Saturday 25 February 10.30am - Labour campaigning in South East Ipswich

This week we finished setting the budget for Ipswich that we will put to Full Council at the end of the month. I believe Ipswich residents will see that we have managed to put forward a progressive budget even with the limitations placed on us by the Tory/Lib Dem Government. More information on the budget here.

Over the next few days I will be continuing to talk to residents about the proposal to build a shop on the site of the Golden Key.

Labour run Ipswich Borough Council - a budget for jobs and growth

At the end of the month, Ipswich Borough Council will vote on the first Labour budget for 8 years, certain Tory and Lib Dem commentators were already stating that they thought we would raise Council tax, but even with the cut in grants from the Tory/Lib Dem national government we have managed to freeze council tax.

But we have also manged to produce a budget for jobs and growth, these are the key points;

1. First Labour budget for 8 years
2. A Budget For Jobs and Growth
a) Major investment in jobs and skills
b) First new council houses in over 20 years
3. No cuts to frontline services
4. A freeze in council tax

The establishment of a £1.5million Jobs and Skills Investment Fund. A report to the March Executive will set out how this Fund will focus on:

Up-front and one-off investment in initiatives that will support jobs and skills issues in the next year

Initiatives that would provide a return and enable the creation of a revolving fund

Initiatives that the Council would support over a number of years;

A £5 million a year programme for the provision of new affordable housing – mainly via the construction of the first new council houses in Ipswich in 20 years.

A £1 million revolving fund to bring empty homes back into use;

Reintroduction of renovation grants to support improvements to homes in the private sector.

Golden Key - second planning application

Back in October I helped local residents in their campaign to stop Greene King building a supermarket on the site of the Golden Key pub in Woodbridge Road.

The application was turned down but Greene King have now put in a second application - more details here.

Please contact me with your views on the planning proposal to put a supermarket on the site, I have heard from residents both for and against the proposal, but even those in favour of a store are concerned about the traffic congestion that may be created at what is already a busy junction.

Other than two more windows on the side of the building, there seems to have been very few changes to the original application. I am disappointed that Greene King have not used the last few months to enter into a full consultation with their neighbours. A missed opportunity.

E mail your views by the 20th February - alasdairross@hotmail.com