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Suffolk Together - what we've done, what we can do and why you should vote for us on June 4th
Fed up with bickering politicians and politics? Disillusioned by national parties who don’t understand life in our community? Tired of not being listened to by unelected officials? Then make a change for the better and vote Suffolk Together on June 4th.
Suffolk Together is a “non-political” Party made up of local people representing local views and promoting local policies free from the dogma of the big parties controlled from Westminster. We believe strongly that decisions about our day-to-day life should be made as close to the people who pay for them as possible. We already have elected representatives on the Mid Suffolk District Council and now is the chance to expand our influence at County level. We believe in commonsense and putting the people of Suffolk and our beautiful county first.
Suffolk Together is committed to increasing local prosperity by encouraging new businesses that will bring sustainable and well paid jobs to the area. But we also believe that there needs to be a proper balance between development and the environment and we will resist projects that destroy Suffolk’s landscape, environment and wildlife. We want to see more local food in the shops, more local post offices, better local schools, and doctors; a better more sustainable approach to generating energy and disposing of waste. Above all, we want to see local people properly consulted and listened to by the councils that we foot the bill for in an efficient and effective local government approach.
Suffolk is a very special place. Let’s make sure that we keep it that way by listening to the people who live and work here. So don’t just grumble about things you see going on that you don’t like – give us your vote on June 4th and we will give you a local voice on Suffolk County Council. We will campaign for a better, more accountable and fully sustainable approach to local government.
What we believe in
Local government should be for local people by local people, not dreamt up in London or decided by unelected local officials. We believe that freedom and democracy should begin at grass roots level with people like you - the local residents. We pledge to restore the voice of local people in local government and we will make sure that you are kept in the picture.
More and better paid jobs. We are committed to increasing prosperity in Suffolk and encouraging new businesses and jobs to the area, particularly high-tech developments that will provide sustainable and well paid employment for our young people.
More affordable housing. We want houses that local people can afford and will press for the maximum number of low-cost affordablehomes. We want local houses for local people—particularly for the young, who are priced out of the local market. Keep Suffolk a beautiful place to live and work. We are determined to protect Suffolk from ugly and inappropriate developments that threaten the countryside that we all enjoy and treasure. In particular we want to revive our local towns and villages through keeping local shops and post-offices open,more local schools and doctor’s surgeries.
No to incinerating our rubbish. We think that the Council’s plan to build a giant incinerator pumping out masses of carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gases is wrong. We advocate reduce, re-use and recycle as part of the waste hierarchy with incineration and landfill being the last resort. We also believe government should force supermarkets to minimise packaging.
Our story so far...
Two years ago our campaign for seats on the Mid Suffolk District Council (MSDC) was based on it’s poor performance rating and our belief that the Council was ignoring the voices of local people.
Two of our three candidates were elected. By immediately forming a coalition with two Greens and an Independent, and thus getting representation on all the Council committees where most of the decisions are taken, we have been able to punch well above our weight and play a constructive role.
The performance of the Council has meanwhile considerably improved and financial reporting, financial management, internal control and value for money are all performing well, but problems nonetheless remain.
Planning
One of these has been the lack of integrated planning between MSDC and Suffolk County Council - for example in the Gipping Valley, where leisure, housing, land-fill and possible incineration projects are in potential conflict without serious overall attention being paid to the infrastructure and social consequences. We have been pressing for some considerable time that these developments should not just be looked at on a piecemeal basis and we're glad to say that an overall exercise, involving the two councils and the Highways Agency is now taking place.
Jobs
In these increasingly hard times, we wholeheartedly support the plans of the Suffolk Strategic Partnership to bring new jobs to Suffolk and create additional training opportunities. We also actively encourage high-tech employers who wish to establish job opportunities in the Cambridge to Felixstowe corridor.
Communications
Another example of the lack of adequate communication between the councils was the closure of the purpose-built Day Care Centre in Bramford, where although the building is owned by the District Council, the County’s decision was apparently taken without consultation. This should not have happened and is an example of why Suffolk Together needs to be represented on the County Council. We are extremely concerned at the way the Conservative-led County Council is diminishing services to the elderly and we will fight to reverse this trend.
At the other end of the scale, when it looked as if the pre-school in Bramford was also going to have to close after the County Council had rejected it’s original application for a new building, We were delighted to be able to bring new life to the campaign, which led to an eventual change of heart and a successful conclusion.
Local Government re-organisation
On the question of Unitary government coming to Suffolk, we strongly oppose the official Liberal Democrat policy, which supports a two Unitary solution, as this would result in Akenham, Barham, Bramford, Claydon, Little and Great Blakenham ending up as part of the urban Ipswich authority which none of those parishes want.
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