Suffolk County council needs more Ipswich Tories

Being an Ipswich borough councillor is important to me. My main aim as a local politician is to help my side of the town - the SW Ipswich because it is under-appreciated by many and under-represented by my party.

There is only one Tory borough councillor representing that side of the town - and that's me!
There is also only one Tory councillor representing the whole of Ipswich on the county too and that is the excellent Paul West.

! believe the labour councillors representing ipswich on the Suffolk County are not unhappy when things go wrong in the town because it gives them gleeful license to point the finger and blame the county. They are political beasts and that is why they hood-wink the residents in their literature. I can't even count the number of fibs I have seen in their red rag and I will not play that game.

They prefer to to try and take over the administration of the County than to actually make things better in the town (although there are a couple of exceptions to this, most are just mischief makers).

If they were to take over the County it would be bankrupt in a matter of weeks by their own admission of policy and plans. They cannot be trusted.

I am standing in Chantry along with Bob Hall - residents have 2 votes because it's such a large area with 3 wards - Stoke Park, Gipping and Sprites - and our aim is to change all that and fight for our town.

We are local candidates, living in those wards - I believe that is essential.

If you follow me on twitter @stokeparkcllr you will see I am honest, not afraid to answer any questions and I am passionate about my town.

I've been a borough councillor for 11 years, up for re-election next year, and I have been leader of the Ipswich conservatives for approx 3 years.

I now wish to be involved in County matters and take my experience into education, communities and health and well being of Ipswich residents.

I will not be posting anymore on this page until after the elections so please follow me on twitter
@stokeparkcllr
for everyday comment and for questions.





Promoted by Alex Burgess on behalf of Nadia Cenci both of 9 Fore Street Ipswich IP$ 1JW

A Northern Road for Ipswich

Last week we had another intolerable day of traffic logjam in Ipswich, off the back of several days of disruption across the town centre as road works collided with ever-increasing numbers of cars. First things first: the reason why there is more day-to-day traffic in Ipswich is because our local economy is growing fast.  People who say that it has got a lot worse in the last few years are right: it has, and the reason is because there are more jobs here than ever before, more people moving around, more shopping and more leisure.  The reason all these cars get stuck is because Ipswich is built around a town centre that is Anglo Saxon and, in places, older still.  It is worth remembering next time you walk down Westgate Street, over the top of the Cornhill and through Tavern Street that you are treading an Iron Age drovers’ track that is over two thousand years old. In the 50s and 60s, their answer to the clash of modernity with the ancient England was to engage the bulldozer.  The result is Star Lane which, when you see what was demolished to make way for it, will make you want to weep.  For once we can thank that mid-century Ipswich disease of never finishing anything properly for the fact that we still have Fore Street and St Nicholas’s Street, for both would have been demolished had the traffic madmen had their way. These are more sensitive times – but until recently, they were also less ambitious.  Until a few years ago we were content just to manage the problem, and had backed away from serious schemes as we because increasingly afraid of our own possibilities as a serious town. That has now changed.  We are thriving and growing.  There is much more to do but on whatever index you choose to look – house prices, vacant shops, jobs – we are doing well and doing better at an accelerating rate.  That is because we have decided to make a change; but it is also a pattern of growth that cannot be sustained if we do not continue to be ambitious about our future. That is why I was determined to address the traffic issues of our town head-on.  The key was to find alternative routes across the town and to do so in short order.  That is why we began by assessing the relative merits of the two schemes that had been around for some time – the Northern Bypass and a Wet Dock Crossing. What became clear pretty soon is that each scheme answered different problems.   Modelling shows that the bypass made very little impact on traffic volumes within the town itself on the 364 days when the Orwell Bridge is not shut, whereas the bridge has a significant impact every day of the year – reducing journey times across Ipswich by an average of 18% in the morning peak and 27% in the evening peak hours.  Moreover, and unexpectedly, the bridge relieved significant pressure from the Orwell Bridge in peak times, as it provides a better route for people who currently leave town on one side in order to come back in on the other. A northern route, or bypass, or relief road – whatever it may be – solves a different problem, however.  It certainly provides resilience when the Orwell Bridge is shut – but that happens so rarely that it would be impossible to get the business case for several hundred million pounds to stack up on that alone.  What it does more usefully for the rest of the year is support growth to the north of the town, so that Ipswich can continue to grow without creating yet more traffic chaos. So both of these solutions are ultimately necessary.  The last question is in what order you do them.  Frankly, that question answers itself.  The Upper Orwell Crossings, being over water, have very limited impact on people and property – and it is considerably cheaper than a northern route will be.  Moreover, it is easy to see where the route will be and can be delivered quickly. By contrast, because of the complexity of a northern relief road, we do not yet even have general route options, let alone a chosen path, which means that we also have very little idea of what the costs will be.  Even when we have all that – and we are a couple of years still from that point – it will be many more years securing  money, planning permissions and land purchases before spades actually hit the ground. This is our task, therefore: to move ahead with both projects as fast as we can, and in so doing we will deliver real improvements in traffic within the next five years, whilst ensuring we can cope with growth in the decades beyond that.  That is the plan – and now, unlike before, it is actually happening.   Welcome to Ben's regular newsletter. If you have any comments or concerns, please get in touch with my team. Email: Ben can be contacted directly at ben@bengummer.com Ben's office address is: 9 Fore Street Ipswich IP4 1JW 01473 232 883

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Ipswich Buses planned strike: emergency timetable

Ipswich Buses planned strike: emergency timetable, updates for parents and car park and travel advice

Ipswich Buses has published an emergency timetable for Monday 10th October for use if a one-day strike called by Unite the Union goes ahead.

The company is still committed to continuing talks in a bid to resolve the dispute but plans to get as many services as it can on the road, using double-decker buses where practical in order to help as many passengers as possible.

There will be a standard fare of £1 for all journeys – passes will be valid as usual. There will be no departures from Tower Ramparts after 7pm and most routes will not start until 7am. Full timetables are available from the Tower Ramparts Travel Shop and on the Ipswich Buses websitewww.ipswichbuses.co.uk

  

Ipswich Buses plans to operate a reduced Park & Ride service at both Copdock and Martlesham. This service is managed by Suffolk County Council.

The emergency timetable is attached below but additional changes affecting schools and colleges are listed here:

·      Suffolk County Council has announced that all dedicated school bus services (i.e. contracted services specifically for schools) are being covered by other bus operators and will clearly display the relevant service number. 

·      Parents of children who use public bus services (irrespective of whether the County Council pays for their travel or not) are advised to check the Suffolk On Board website www.suffolkonboard.com for details of whether the service will be running at a reduced frequency or not at all. 

·      Two County Council subsidised public services are also affected: Service 111 from Bildeston and 173 between Woodbridge and Felixstowe are to be replaced by another operator and Service 202 from Shotley will have two journeys operating to get students to and from college only.

·      Ipswich Buses will be operating the One sixth-form college routes from Felixstowe and Stowmarket.

·      Carter’s Coaches routes will not be affected by the strike action.

  

Car parks offer

Overall, it is expected there will be more congestion if the industrial action goes ahead. More people will be using cars to get into work, on school runs or entering or passing through the town.

As the town’s principal car park operator, Ipswich Borough Council plans to help reduce that congestion by cutting the cost of a day’s parking in its long-stay car parks to a maximum of £3 (from £5).

The Council will have staff at each of its main car parks to assist motorists find the best car parking.

Its own staff are being encouraged to adopt a more flexible working pattern to avoid the usual rush hour, and is encouraging car sharing and other ways of getting to work.

To find out the latest information on bus services on Monday, along with available car parking spaces updates, use @ipswichbuses on Twitter and the company’s Facebook page.

PLANNED EMERGENCY TIMETABLE – MONDAY 10^TH OCTOBER

South-west Ipswich

Route 13 will run every 30 minutes and 15/15A will both be running every 60 minutes. Routes 12, 14 and 16 will not run. Ipswich Buses hopes some customers on these less busy routes will be able to walk to the routes that are running. Carters’ route 93 also serves London Road and Carters will run services as normal. There will be double-deckers on Park & Ride providing extra seats for One sixth-form college but this route will also only run every 30 minutes.

North-west Ipswich

Route 8 will run every 30 minutes and routes 9/10 will both be running every 60 minutes. First route 88 also serves Norwich Road and 89 serves Bramford Road and will run normally. Unfortunately, routes 17 and 19 will not be running. Some of the customers on these less busy routes might be able to walk to Norwich Road or Henley Road. Galloways' 115 and 116 services will be running normally on Henley Road.

North-east Ipswich

Route X5 to Ipswich Hospital will run every 30 minutes and 6/6A will both be running every 60 minutes. Passengers might also wish to use the Park & Ride between the town centre and the hospital stop on the Colchester Road/Woodbridge Road roundabout. First routes 64, 65 and 66 run frequently along Woodbridge Road and these will operate as normal. First Buses’ route 75 will be running normally along Spring Road and serves the Hospital. First’s service 59 to the Northgate area (off-peak only) will also be running as normal.

South-east Ipswich

Route X3 will run every 30 minutes with journeys to Ransomes Euro Park at peak times. Routes X1 and 4 will not run. First Buses provides alternative services to Nacton Road and Gainsborough on Routes 60/61 and to Felixstowe Road on services 76 and 77.

Wherstead Road and Shotley

A reduced timetable will apply on route 98/98A. Carters’ routes will run as normal. First X7 also serves Wherstead Road.

Country buses

Suffolk County Council is making arrangements for another company to run routes 111 and 173. Carters’ routes (92-96 etc) will run normally.

School and college buses

Ipswich Buses will run routes 11A, 18A, 501, 502, 914 and 988 as normal. Route 11B will not run. Other school contract buses will be provided by other operators for Suffolk County Council.

Town centre shuttle

The free town centre shuttle, route 38, will not be running.