Now I know that our absentee Labour Councillors are decent, well meaning types, but the thing that gets me up in the morning is their patronising attitude that they know best and we, mere residents, know least.  And that we should be grateful for their concern.

The Labour Party conference showed another example of this paternalistic attitude.  Bryony Rudkin attacked the Suffolk County Council divestment plans.  There’s a lot of questions to ask about this, and there is a job of opposition that needs to be done to keep a place healthy.

But what really stuck in my craw, and those who know me can imagine the violent revulsion that I had to this, was this little point:

At the council meeting last Thursday, one Conservative said his village had come together to build a new doctor’s surgery.

“That might be fine in the nice comfortable villages but who’s going to come together to build the doctor’s surgery in my area of Ipswich where there are some quite serious deprivation issues?”

Now, please tell me that was a clap line for a Neanderthal audience smarting from defeat, and that she didn’t think that it was a serious point.  There may be a more complete speech, which I will be glad to publish.

Bridge has the Wherstead Road Residents Association, still going strong after forty years and the longest continuously functioning residents’ association in Ipswich.  It has the Maidenhall Residents Association that keeps a presence and a community together.  The port noise was stopped largely by a concerted action from residents across Bridge and Stoke Park, spontaneously organising.  There is the Stoke Green Baptist church and Saint Mary Stoke which have great outreach services to people more deprived than you would find on Corder Road, which if we are going to get picky about this is closer to the area which Dame Bryony represents.  And this is not to mention such groups from allotment holders, social clubs, Pentecostal churches and Neighbourhood watch groups that do a great deal of good in Bridge.

These groups are ignored by that sort of dismissal.  Now building a doctor’s surgery may be a stretch but just because we do not have the most expensive houses in Ipswich does not mean that we are incapable of organising ourselves.  We need help, not direction.

If you want to insult us go and do it to our faces and in your leaflets, not to a hall of useless, overpaid, overpromoted and spendthrift public sector middle managers up in Manchester who got us in this mess in the first place.

The Vegetable Games at the Maidenhall Allotments in Halifax Road have proved really successful. The Town and Bridge project is proving to be coming up with some very innovative ideas and the Community Garden which looked a bit out of place last year now looks like an integral part of the Maidenhall Allotments.

Ben Gummer was also there, doing the MP sort of things. What’s really striking is how many people he knows already. I got mistaken for his brother, twice. Now I have no problem with people thinking that I look like Ben, he volunteered for public life and insults are a new way of life for him. But his poor brother, what did he do to deserve the calumny?

If they do decide to hold this event next year it is a really good idea to go down.

I don’t know whether this is possible to view this, but there is a programme of healthy walks organised by the Town and Bridge project.

The next one is tomorrow (Wednesday 14th July) in Bourne Park (ost code IP2 8RE, if you need to use your Sat Nav, councillors). Here are the details:

Meet at 12 noon at the People’s Community Garden, off Halifax Rd, Maidenhall. Access through the pedestrian entrance, please follow the signs. From the garden we will walk to and around Bourne Park and then back to the Garden for a relaxing lunch. Please bring a pack lunch with you. Refreshments will be available. Composting Toilet on site. Transport – No 16 bus. Everyone welcome, please come and join us and find out more about the People’s Community Garden.
Grade 1
Led by the Town & Bridge Project

Other Bourne Park walks are on 28th July, 18th August and 8th September – all at 12 O’Clock. There are also walks around Christchurch Park, the details are in the document.

The Town & Bridge project is running “The Vegetable Games”. It’s on Saturday 24th July from 11.30am till 4pm at the People’s Community Garden in Maidenhall Allotments. There’s going to be quite a few events, including:

• Arts and Crafts Competitions
• Vegathon Games running all day
• Health Bus/ Barbeque/Tea and Home made cakes
• Samboomba Samba Band / Live Music in the Summer House
• Smoothie Bike-make your own healthy smoothies with pedal power

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

The Evening Star is talking about the Shoreline Management Plan. This rather dry sounding document is vitally important to anyone who lives on Wherstead Road and, potentially the Maidenhall Estate and parts of Old Stoke.

It predicts that Wherstead Road is going to have to close down more frequently due to flooding. Which rather begs the question as to why the Labour Party has always opposed a relief road. Hopefully they’ll stop that now that Bridge is no longer a safe Labour seat. Let’s hope in this case that Wherstead Road is not once again sacrificed as a sure fire electoral bet for Labour to be sacrificed for more marginal wards.

I’ll be back on this later, but it is important for anyone in this part of Ipswich that we keep on top of this, even those of us who live on high ground as we’ll be regularly cut off without some real action.

In the meantime the relevant part of the Shoreline Management Plan is here (it’s in PDF format so you may need to download Adobe) :

https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/re/flood/anglian/smp150310/consult?pointId=1267547879064

The People’s Community Garden (or the Maidenhall Allotments) will be having a free Art in the Garden event on Saturday 10am to 3.30 pm as part of the IP Art program.

See here for details:

http://www.ip-art.com/event_listing_details.php?id=62

The People’s Community Garden (or the Maidenhall Allotments) will be having a free Art in the Garden event on 4th June 10am to 3.30 pm as part of the IP Art program.

See here for details:

http://www.ip-art.com/event_listing_details.php?id=62

If you’re not from the area, then here’s a map:

http://www.ip-art.com/event_listing_details.php?id=62

Should prove useful for our councillors.