Entries from June 2010 ↓

Ben Gummer’s column for the Evening Star can now be found on his blog. The last four entries were:

Thank you – 21st May
Getting Started – 28th May
Never Give In – 4th June
Honouring the Hospital – 11th June

The Art in the Garden event is on today at Maidenhall Allotments, part of the IP-Art festival.

Ben Gummer was asked to write a letter to the Maidenhall residents, to appear in the Maidenhall Residents’ Association newsletter. Here it is:

Dear Maidenhall Resident,

I am really pleased to be able to write in this, the first edition of your newsletter since my election on 6th May. I want to say from the outset that I am here for everyone in Ipswich, no matter how they voted. So please, do not hesitate to get in touch with me if there is any issue that concerns you – whether it is a personal problem or something to do with the government. I shall soon have an office set up in Ipswich and will let you know the details when it is open but until then please continue to contact me using my email address (ben@bengummer.com), by ‘phone (0845 634 9197) or by post (House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA).

I am determined to help you and local activists deal with some pressing problems in the Maidenhall Estate and across Bridge Ward. The first is anti-social behaviour. I know that many people have been troubled by this in the area. I know people see that this is not something we can simply solve with more and more police powers: we need to attacked the root of the problem, which is family breakdown, our failed prisons system and a general lack of respect. This is not something any government can solve quickly or on its own. So you will see in the next few years measures to support families, to help restore discipline to our schools, and to give the police the powers they need without the paperwork that holds them back. But we must also work hard as a community together to do something about anti-social behaviour. So please let me and the MRA know of any problems that you have encountered and the ideas you have for improving the situation.

I know that many people have been disturbed by noise from the port, which can be very annoying. Before my election I lobbied the port companies to deal with the problem and some silencing work has since been done. But from recent reports I have received from local activist James Spencer it is clear that all is not completely solved. The key here is to ensure that the Borough Council knows whenever you are disturbed or irritated by noise, as then they are in a stronger position to do something about it. If you are troubled by noise from the port (or anywhere else for that matter) please contact the Council’s Environmental Protection Hotline on 01473 433 110. In the meantime, I shall be talking to company representatives from the port shortly to see what else can be done and will report back to you on progress.

For some years there has been a problem with speeding traffic on the corner of Maidenhall Approach by the Green. I am aware of this and the issue has already been taken up with the Borough. I shall pursue the issue next time I meet with traffic officials: there is a long list of complaints from across the town but this is one of safety and so I shall stress that it is a priority.

Finally, I’d like to commend the Residents’ Association on the work it has done is running the shop on Maidenhall Green. I know that this is a lifeline to many people and I would like to take the opportunity to let everyone who helps keep this shop going that it is a service others elsewhere in Ipswich would love to see in their area. So I hope to encourage others to take up your idea!

I hope to see you a lot over the next few years – and please do remember to get in touch should you want me to help with anything.

Yours,

Ben

Back in February she got a medal from the Pope and now Lori Squirrel, who lives just inside Bridge, has been awarded an MBE for ecumenical work. Not bad for one year.

It’s not in Bridge, but it’s close by. The newly reopened County of Suffolk, in St. Helen’s Street has Ben Gummer MP from about 8 pm onwards. The pub is opposite the old Suffolk County Council headquarters. Now he’s the MP, it’s your duty to make his life uncomfortable.

There will be a Table Top Sale at Hillside Primary School (on the bit of Belstead Avenue before going to Stoke High School or Maidenhall Approach.

It’s on at Saturday 26th June from 1pm onwards.

Ben Gummer writes a weekly column for the Evening Star every Friday. Go on the Evening Star website and you won’t find it. If you search the website you’ll find an article about the one joke Blinky Ben column. But no column.

And Ipswich Spy bemoan the lack of an online presence from Ben, ignoring his weekly offline column. Perhaps they don’t get the Star.

Hopefully the Star is sorting this out. If they aren’t they should. This column is probably more of a public service than the Evening Star’s Weird and Wacky column, although we could all nominate a couple of Labour councillors for that spot/

I was working from home today so I walked around Rectory Road, which is where I used to live. In my old house, and one of the neighbouring house there are three holes in the windows that look like they are bullet holes. They had been made on Saturday night.

I talked to people in both houses and they think that it is simple vandalism with an air gun, but this needs to be verified and whoever has done this does need to be tracked down.

There is a school of thought on crime prevention that is known as the “broken windows” theory. This is the belief that small crimes should not be overlooked as they lead to bigger crimes. This is a literal example of the broken window. It should not be seen as an act of simple vandalism, but a crime where a gun was aimed at an occupied house.

I will be keeping tabs on the police investigation.

One of the groups in Bridge Ward that I’ve never covered, and it is remiss of me, is the Ipswich and Suffolk Credit Union, which is based in 63 Austin Street, and also has an information point in the Maidenhall Residents Association shop every Friday between 10 and 12 in the morning.

This group does a great amount of work helping people deal with the fluctuations with money without going to a doorstep lender. It operates throughout Suffolk, so it can be said that it is the largest financial institution with its headquarters in Bridge.

I received this today from Councillor Alasdair Ross, the Games Master at Ipswich School:

James
This local candidate issue does not stand up to scrutiny- I live in Rushmere and I am the Cllr for the ward- unlike Mrs Terry or Smith who both live outside the ward, but Mrs Smith is a great local Cllr, so are people that bothered? And before you keep going on about Cllr Smart – sort out your own party- Cllr Pope lives in East Ipswich but represents Stoke Park, I think you will find that is further way than Cllr’s Smart and Rudkin. even in Bixley the safest Tory seat, only one of the Cllr’s lives in the ward.

Well let’s ignore the fact that it was apparently Soo Smart, Mrs Philip Smart, who brought up the question.

The fight for Bridge will be within the ward, not in Bixley. Yes I do believe that local councillors are better. And that does put me at odds with many in my own party (not for the first time),

All politics is local. It is not about party. Party is important but one of Alasdair Ross’s (and Philip Smart’s) abiding failures is their inability to see that the party should come behind their duty to their constituents. A long way behind.

The party is simply a label. I believe in low council tax, economic growth, efficient services and strong families. The Conservative Party by and large believe in these things too, and so it is a good label for me. If I stand under the Conservative banner then people know where I’m coming from.

However, it is merely a label. What is most important is representing your patch. Although I don’t doubt that Philip Smart cares about Bridge, I don’t believe that he originally chose Bridge because of the links he had with the place. I’d love to be proven wrong. And as for Dame Bryony…

I simply think that a person is not as good a representative if they don’t live in the ward, shop in the ward and socialise in the ward. This is not some silly point of contrariness this is why I’ve refused to stand outside Bridge. I don’t mind another (local) candidate taking over – well I mind quite a lot, but I’ll accept it – but I will not stand where I don’t live. And yes, writing things like this paragraph does drive other Tories in the Association to the point of distraction.

I want to represent my patch and do what’s best for my neighbours. To me that is a far higher honour than being the youngest recorded mayor of the borough or the chairman of Ipswich Buses. I know that this does not “stand up to scrutiny” if your party is more important than your constituents. If your constituents are more important than your party, then what I said makes perfect sense.