Mid Suffolk Cabinet member, Councillor Teresa Davis said: “In a time of counting every penny, it is great to show that by working together we can make improvements in our stations and encourage more users to opt for the train”

Green Party councillor Jen Overett, who proposed a motion to Full Council in January this year and gained unanimous cross-party agreement that Mid Suffolk would pro-actively pursue establishing a Community Rail Partnership with Greater Anglia, said: “I’m very pleased that we’ve reached the point of establishing a Community Rail Partnership for the Ipswich to Cambridge line at last. Hopefully it will ensure that our council and local community groups have a greater say in the future of rail travel in our area.

“I look forward to seeing residents in and around Thurston, Elmswell, Stowmarket and Needham Market benefiting from increased investment in our local stations, including potential new projects to improve accessibility, information about local attractions, and initiatives addressing mental health , exclusion and isolation. Taking the train is a very sustainable way of travelling and hopefully this partnership will encourage more people to use the service and will help to make our railways stations a much stronger part of our communities.”

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In the Hoxne and Eye by-election, which was always expected to be close, Green votes totalled 891 in an area which has been held by Conservatives for most of the 50 years since East and West Suffolk were merged to form Suffolk County Council in 1974.

County group leader Councillor Andrew Stringer said: “This proves once and for all that in rural Suffolk, in election after election, it is a straight choice between Greens and Conservatives.  Given the Green Party did not stand a candidate in this seat at the last County Council election in 2021, to come from zero votes last time to be within a handful of votes of landing another electoral shock in Suffolk, is testament to our fresh ideas and approach as well as all the hard work of our volunteers and supporters on the ground.”

“We welcome the upcoming County election next May when this seat will be voting once again, with the division boundaries changed to include more villages that are already served by Green Party District councillors. This clearly shows we are taking the fight to the Conservatives, and more than capable of winning.”
 

Candidate Joanne Brooks added: “I’m incredibly proud of the campaign The Green Party ran with the support we received from the community and our dedicated volunteers. This result shows that the people of Hoxne & Eye division are ready for change, and while we may have fallen just short this time, we’ve continued to build on our strong foundation for future success. The Green Party will continue to work hard to represent the voices of local residents and make a real difference in Suffolk.”

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• Nineteen years living locally, the last twelve Eye
• Works in project and events management leadership 
• Achievements include the Climate Clinic which was held at the main political party conferences, involving 36 environmental pressure groups and charities
• Preparing to work as a trainer in the regional health service raising understanding of learning disabilities and autism, making the system more inclusive and accessible for people across the neurodiversity spectrum
• Active in campaigns to elect Councillor Lucy Elkin and Adrian Ramsay MP
• If elected Joanne will become the tenth member of the Green councillor group which leads the opposition at the County Council

Joanne says : 

“My involvement with the Green Party has deepened my understanding of local issues such as traffic and parking, fly-tipping, flooding, and the shortcomings of the local NHS and schools. I want to give local communities a strong voice in tackling these problems.”

County councillor Andrew Stringer,  group leader, added :

“Joanne would be a great addition to the official opposition group at Suffolk County Council. Having a tenth Green Party councillor in this group would increase our scrutiny of the ruling Conservatives, as well as deliver even more for the communities we serve.”

The Greens expect the by-election will be a close race between the Green Party and the Conservatives with the 2023 district council election results for the wards which make up the division putting Greens neck-and-neck, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats out of the running. 

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Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley, has written to both the bus company and Suffolk County Council to urge them to find a solution. 

Adrian said: “People rely on these bus services to get to college, to get to work and to meet vital appointments. I have written to Suffolk County Council and Simonds to challenge these cuts and to underline how vital it is that we retain our bus services in local villages.”

Councillor Richard Winch, who represents Walsham and Badwell Ash  on Mid Suffolk District Council and has met residents from both villages, said: “There are numerous families without access to cars in Badwell Ash and Walsham Le Willows who all tell me they will be left with no way to get their children to college in Bury St Edmunds.”

“What are they supposed to do? Stop their courses? One resident has told me he will have to give up their job in Bury if this route is scrapped, and another resident tells me she needs the bus to meet medical appointments at the hospital.

“The bus company, Simonds, says that the route does not carry enough passengers to make it viable. But there is strong demand for the morning and late afternoon services which are the two that get students to and from college and people to and from work.

“Suffolk County Council is making a political decision not to intervene and subsidise this service. Over the years the council has drastically cut subsidies for our vital bus services in spite of the growth in housing in our villages.”

“Rural routes like these are not just a business, they are a vital public service and there comes a time when subsidy is needed.”

Update

Encouragement from Green councillors and MP Adrian Ramsay have helped to save the bus service for residents – but Suffolk County Council has only promised funding of the bus service through Walsham Le Willows until the end of December. Greens will continue to encourage the council for a long term solution for residents to get to and from college, hospital and to go shopping.

Suffolk County Council hands lifeline to under threat bus routes – BBC News

Key bus calling at villages between Diss and Bury St Edmunds saved… for now (suffolknews.co.uk)

The post MP Adrian Ramsay and Green councillors call for funding for bus routes in the Mid Suffolk villages of Walsham le Willows and Badwell Ash appeared first on Mid Suffolk Green Party.

Read the full story on BBC News

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In Suffolk we are blessed with strong winds, lots of sun and ports to service offshore wind farms. But these assets are not being used to their full.  

The Green Party supports the transition of the grid to 100% renewables as fast as possible to avoid runaway climate change and create a secure energy supply which will bring people’s bills down and create lasting jobs. The levers to bring this about include – roof top solar on new builds, lifting the ban on onshore windfarms, increased funding for offshore wind, enabling community owned renewable energy projects and making it easier for small scale renewable projects to connect directly to nearby homes and businesses rather than to the grid.  

We also urgently need a programme of support for insulating people’s homes which will keep people’s homes warm whilst keeping bills down and reduce demand for energy.

The Green Party is also actively supporting the campaign for a rethink on the Norwich to Tilbury pylons route: we need to have the right type of infrastructure to support the grid, and all options should be properly explored including the offshore grid.

The post Statement on Green Party Policy on Clean Renewable Energy for Suffolk  appeared first on Mid Suffolk Green Party.

Now the Green administration has produced a progress report listing its top achievements and are promising more to come.

Adrian Ramsay, national Green Party co-leader and MP candidate for Waveney Valley, which includes much of Mid Suffolk, said:

 “It’s been a delight to work with the enthusiastic and dedicated Green councillors in Mid Suffolk over the past year. All of them know their patch and are conscientious and empathetic with the needs of the people they represent. They are certainly an example and an inspiration to me.”

Andy Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk Council, said:

 “After a historic but tiring campaign last year, and once the national media storm had died down, we always knew we’d have to get our noses to the grindstone and get cracking on initiating some improvements for the area. I’ve always been aware of the weight of responsibility, being the first Green majority council. There are a lot of eyes on us around the country, so we needed to get things right.

“The advantage of having been in opposition for so long was that we also had a good idea of what we thought we could and should be doing. Although a district council has very limited responsibilities, the climate and biodiversity crisis meant that we wanted to go beyond that and reach out to involve people in the community in behavioural change and mitigation and adaptation.”

Deputy Leader, Councillor Rachel Eburne said:

“Luckily we have a fantastic team of councillors with a wealth of expertise and experience and a willing team of officers and that’s allowed us to press on with things. I’m proud of them all. It’s been a remarkable year for all of us involved in running the council both personally and professionally. It’s been tiring, but exhilarating. I’ve always felt honoured to have this role.

“We were also delighted to see our work recognised by being named, alongside Babergh, as UK Council of the Year in the iESE public sector transformation awards.”

Landmarks in the first year:

1.    Agreed, with unanimous cross-party approval, a plan for Mid Suffolk District Council to put environmental and social responsibilities at the heart of everything we do.

2.    Getting the local plan approved by Government inspectors. Andy said: “That process had been delayed under the previous regime. Now it has been approved, we are better able to apply our own, locally-set rules to control development.” 

3.    Funding approved for unique £18m Skills and Innovation Centre in Stowmarket aiming to act as green business hub. 

4.    Launched Cosy Homes initiative to insulate leaky private-rented and owner-occupied homes.  

5.    First phase of ambitious sports complex in Stowmarket approved.

6.    £670k allocated to tackle council house repair backlog inherited from earlier administration. “This had to be done urgently,” said Andy. “The backlog built up over Covid was never dealt with.”

7.    Up to £600,000 for rural community transport grants launched to help fund new services

8.    Higher council taxes for second homes and empty homes introduced to encourage landowners to rent them out to those in need of a home.

Rachel Eburne concluded:

“We have lots more in the pipeline. For example we have now completed a consultation on making it easier for owners of listed homes to insulate their property. Depending on the responses we get, there will be decisions made on this in the near future. And we are looking ahead to a decade of Green leadership.”

Pictured: Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay with 17 of the 24 Green Mid Suffolk councillors. Andy Mellen is behind Adrian and to his right and Rachel Eburne is on Adrian’s immediate left.

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District Council leader Andy Mellen said : “It is great to add more talent to our diverse team, especially someone so deeply rooted in her local community.”

Lorraine added: ” I am looking forward to the new challenge, working alongside friends and colleagues to make Stowmarket an even better town. I would also like to thank everyone who voted for me, and I will be working for everyone in Chilton.”

Full Result

Lorraine Baker (Green) – 589

Steven Runciman (Con) – 375

Will Howman (Lab) – 285

The post Voters endorse Green council as Lorraine wins Mid Suffolk by-election  appeared first on Mid Suffolk Green Party.

With his constituency of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich covering parts of both East Suffolk and Mid Suffolk districts, we hope for a more cooperative relationship and less ill-informed criticism from Dr Poulter going forward – we are always willing to work collaboratively with MPs of any party to improve the lives of our residents. 

Like many of Suffolk’s voters, Dr Poulter has turned away from the Conservative party after finding that it no longer represents his views.  However, many residents are finding that neither Labour nor the Conservatives are providing the vision and leadership they are looking for, and it is the Green Party that Suffolk’s voters are increasingly turning to.

Caroline Topping, Green leader of East Suffolk District Council

Andy Mellen, Green leader of Mid Suffolk District Council

The post Statement on the defection of Dr Dan Poulter MP by Suffolk’s Green council leaders appeared first on Mid Suffolk Green Party.

Mid Suffolk Green Party is delighted to announce that Chilton ward resident Lorraine Baker will be their candidate in the forthcoming by-election to be held on May 2nd.

2024 is Lorraine’s 20th year in Chilton, fundraising and volunteering for local environmental and community initiatives while her two children were educated in local schools.

She is qualified as an Accountant and has worked within senior leadership in finance and business for many years. Now, Lorraine is a local authority officer with experience in education, transport, children and adult services, and public health.

Lorraine, the only candidate who lives within Chilton ward, said: “My love for dogs developed into a side career as a Community Family Dog Trainer, behaviourist, and sports facilitator where I have been fortunate to support many families in and around Stowmarket.”

“I have a shared interest in the local area, public services, and the challenges that our residents experience.  I look forward to supporting all Chilton residents whilst working to enhance, protect and celebrate the Chilton ward.”

The by election is being held due to the resignation of Green Party councillor David Napier, who found that increasing employment commitments out of the area meant he could not fulfil the role.

The Chilton ward elects two representatives, and Cllr Terence Carter will continue to serve residents whilst the election takes place to fill the vacant second seat.

Picture: Emma Buckmaster (left), Green Party candidate for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket constituency, alongside Lorraine Baker, Green Party candidate for Chilton (Stowmarket) ward for Mid Suffolk District Council.

How to apply to vote by post

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