Councillor Michael Blakenham's Blog

GOOD LUCK TODAY

Michael Blakenham — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:28:00 GMT

Good luck today to all the candidates. And thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Suffolk Together campaign. We look forward to this time and next time as well. MichaelB

Health

Michael Blakenham — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:44:00 GMT

At the District Council level Suffolk Together have campaigned for the retention of local surgeries so that elderly people and those without cars have access to medical facilities without having to travel too far. If elected to the County Council we will be in a much stronger position to argue for the retention of specialist facilities within the county. It isapparent that many of our county specialist facilities are being transferred outside the county on the grounds that other counties have better specialist units and that Suffolk residents would have better treatment if they travelled outside the county. This not only ignores what happens in time -critical or frequent -visit cases, but it totally begs the question as to why Suffolk can't have its own top flight specialist units.

It appears to us that the county is quiite happy to import other counties waste materials for incineration with its attendent health risks on the one hand and at the same time is setting about exporting our specialist medical facilities on the other. We don't believe that this is satisfactory. Will you help us put this right?

Parliamentary Expenses

Michael Blakenham — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Over the last couple of weeks we have learned that many members of parliament , Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democratic, have shamelessly and in some cases possibly illegally exploited their creaking expenses system. The time has come to break the grip of the old national political parties and increase the influence of independent local groups that will better serve the communities in which they are based. We can start at the County Council elections and go on to the General Election and if this a pattern repeated around the country we could end up with a strong new force for the better in the new parliament. Realistic opportunity or pie in the sky? Please give us your view. MichaelB

Rubble on the newt pond.

Michael Blakenham — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:38:00 GMT

Twenty thousand tons of rubble has been dumped on the second best Snoasis newt pond. This reckless disregard of the rules does not give much hope for the remainder of the wildlife, including eighty species of breeding birds, that currently inhabit the site. To find out more and view a picture, click here

Hello from Michael Blakenham

Michael Blakenham — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:28:00 GMT

Hello there,

I'm Michael Blakenham and for those who don't know it, I'm a district councillor for Bramford and Blakenham, and together with Steve Wright in next door Somersham we represent the Suffolk Together party on the Mid Suffolk District Council.

Steve sits on one of the two MDSC Planning Committees and the Licensing Committee and I'm on the Environment Policy Panel and the Scrutiny Committee, (which can call in any Council decisions that deserve a second look).

We do our best to attend all Parish Council meetings in our wards so that we can fulfil our election pledge to ensure that local voices are heard at the District Council level.

A big issue at the moment is the total reorganisation of local government in Suffolk, hoping to make it less expensive and more efficient. With this in mind the government-appointed Boundary Committee made a preliminary recommendation that the Suffolk County Council, the seven District Councils and the Ipswich Borough Council should all be abolished and be replaced by two unitary authorities; one to represent Ipswich and Felixstowe and the parishes between (200,000 people) the other the rest of rural Suffolk (400,000 people).

It also considered the possibility of a single unitary council. Both these alternatives would involve massive disruption and job losses, which is not what is needed in these tough economic times and neither has received broad support in the County. There will then be a further public consultation until mid-May, with a revised report going to Government in July and a final decision scheduled for September,

The Suffolk Together party believes that although a single unitary for Suffolk would be the better of the two possibilities so far put forward, it would be far too remote from the parishes especially as it would involve interposing new unelected "community boards" to replace the elected district councils. This also applies to the "two unitary" alternative which has the added disadvantage of separating Suffolk's main commercial and industrial growth areas from the rest of the rural community.

The Suffolk Together view is for more government to be devolved as close to local people as possible. For that reason we would have preferred to see Suffolk going for three or four unitary councils including one for Ipswich and the six existing district councils being combined in pairs or threes with the County Council being abolished. Considerable economies would be achieved and the newly elected councils would connect much more closely with the local people and parishes. None of the parishes in Steve or my ward want to end up as part of an enlarged Ipswich, so as more unitaries are not on offer we will be pushing for a single Suffolk and one that works as best it can,

What do you think? Click here and give us your ideas.

Many other local Suffolk issues will be appearing on this blog in the coming weeks ---- lack of integrated planning is one (see Local Government button). After several months of pushing I've got MSDC to agree to talk to the County Council and the Highways Agency about traffic infrastructure problems building up in the Great Blakenham area, so watch this space. But the Unitary issue is probably the most time critical and I hope will help to get the ball rolling on the blog.........