October 31
Independent panel will decide 'pay' As chairman of St Edmundsbury Borough Council's Members' Allowances Panel (Map), I should like to comment on your story 'big pay increases' (October 24).
The Taxpayers' Alliance is right to say that those who 'foot the bill – the ordinary public' – should be making decisions about councillors' allowances and that is exactly what the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) will shortly be doing.
Map was set up to offer advice to the IRP, a group of local people who actually make the independent recommendations to the council. This was simply to ensure that they have sufficient information about the changing roles of our committee chairmen and others with special responsibility.
Map is politically balanced, including frontline ward members, committee chairman and cabinet members. We spent from March to August this year carefully considering all allowances, always ensuring that our ideas were well publicised to other councillors. Throughout the process they were encouraged to respond and our proposals were amended accordingly.
Not surprisingly, this exercise suggested that some allowances should be dropped, some introduced, some raised, some lowered and some remain the same. Your report cited one member of Map whose allowance was retained while others were 'cut', but failed to mention that he also agreed to the demise of a separate allowance to which he was also entitled. Another Map member also confirmed a reduction in his own allowance, both of them demonstrating our impartiality.
As John Griffiths rightly commented, we'd all be mad to do this for the money and it is a sad fact that at present our 'pay' does not encourage working people to become active local councillors.
Cllr Paul Farmer,
Abbeygate ward member and portfolio holder for resources and efficiency.
I read with interest and some disgust that, the council Members Allowances Panel is proposing eye-popping rises.
The council has shot itself in the foot once again – to say that its timing is a bit off, would be an understatement.
What will the council tell the hard-working council staff?
I thought it was considered unethical to be on any panel or committee dealing with aspects that affect your personal position and finances, or any vested within the council or any such body.
It was stated that the basic allowances for all 45 council members was the same as the head of Suffolk County Council – not a good example as Andrea Hill, CEO of Suffolk County Council, is making 220,000 a year, some 75,000 more than her predecessor.
Tom Murray,
Howard Estate,
Bury St Edmunds.
I read with absolute disgust that council leaders are prepared to give themselves up to 44 per cent pay rises.
Do they not keep in touch with current affairs?
At this time, when household bills are going through the roof, do they really think that the people of this borough will take on huge Council Tax rises or further cuts in services to pay for these increases?
Peter Parsons,
Brackenwood Crescent,
Bury St Edmunds.
How does the borough council think the people of Bury St Edmunds can cough up more money each year in Council Tax, as we are being squeezed in every direction?
What right has the council to have five councillors to propose this increase?
Can I ask for 44 per cent taken off my Council Tax? I think not.
Mark Wallace, of theTaxpayers' Alliance, is correct in saying it is totally wrong for councillors to sit on this panel. Mr Wallace was again right in saying that this panel should be made up of ordinary members of the public – with a bit of savvy, of course.
Michael Guest,
Severn Road,
Bury St Edmunds.
Please try to slow down
I am writing to tell you that every morning and afternoon I cross Cullum Road road and when my brother and sister, who are two and four years old, come with me, I am always worried.
We all have to wait at Cullum Road and nobody stops for us to cross. I get frightened when we are stuck in the middle of the road because my sister and brother are so small and the cars are so tall.
Please can you ask people who drive on Cullum Road to slow down and let children cross safely?
Amy Reid, aged 8,
Bury St Edmunds.
Who's paying for parking?
While visiting the show flat at the Centros development last Sunday, I was very surprised to hear from the estate agent's representative that all 60 flats will be entitled to one of the 200 underground car parking spaces. My impression hitherto was this was not to be the case – nor can I find anything on the council website to confirm it one way or the other.
However, if true, this needs explaining. The flats belong to the developer, but the underground car park belongs to the council – which originally allocated 4.2 million of public money to building it. Assuming it will be built within that budget (and, like the Venue, it may not be) that implies nearly a third of this considerable investment will go to favour the developers' tenants/purchasers and would represent a permanent loss of significant (and inflation-proofed) income to the council.
This may not be correct, but the public has a right to know what is being done with their money. Can we have a clarification please?
Anthony Platt,
Westgate Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
Plans for new homes
I read with interest the article about the proposal to build 3,200 new homes in and around Bury St Edmunds (Bury Free Press, October 24).
I see there is to be a consultation process, which will include feedback from concerned residents, and a public inquiry. I expect all of this will take time and money and a lot of people will be very concerned that their neighbourhood will be damaged by a large number of new homes and all the problems associated with this.
Increased traffic, pressure on school places and job opportunities – will the local infrastructure stand up to all of this?
To all of these people I say 'Don't worry, it will be fine. You won't notice any change'.
Why?
Because we all know these new homes will all be built on Moreton Hall, that's where all new homes go.
There may be the odd one or two elsewhere, just to make it look like there is a fair allocation, but lets face it, it's Moreton Hall that will get the bulk.
After all, we can take it. The roads during rush hour can easily handle hundreds more cars without causing any more congestion and who wants to live on the edge of the town with easy access to the countryside anyway?
So for everyone in the town worried about all these new homes, please don't concern yourselves. It may look like you may be getting a new estate close by, but in the end they will all end up on Moreton Hall. Soon the geographical centre for Bury St Edmunds won't be Angel Hill, it will be Lawson Place.
Ashley Page,
Sutton Close,
Bury St Edmunds.
Easy answer to problem
Re: Let's have zebras back (Letters, October 24), from Trevor Watkin.
Mr Watkin, as a driver, I know how maddening it is to have to stop at a pedestrian crossing when there is not a pedestrian in sight.
As a pedestrian, I know how maddening it is to press the control light and then wait for ages for the light to change in the pedestrian's favour. Very often the road becomes clear well before the light changes and therefore the pedestrian crosses safely.
An easy solution would be for the reaction of the control light to be speeded up, thereby overcoming the frustration of drivers and pedestrians.
Claire Reid,
Darcy Close,
Bury St Edmunds.
Your correspondent, Trevor Watkin, asks for the return of zebra crossings and the phasing out of traffic lights. This, he argues, would benefit all road users. It makes sense to me.
When a pedestrian wants to cross a road and there are cars about, pressing a button at the traffic light is the only option. After about 30 seconds, the road is sometimes clear, so there isn't much point in standing still. The pedestrian crosses and then the lights turn red forcing cars to stop with no-one in sight. They then have to wait another 30 seconds for the lights to go through their sequence back to green.
None of this matters much except that at peak times a tailback of traffic often occurs as a result. By removing the signals and replacing them with a zebra crossing, most of this unnecessary delay disappears. Pedestrians cross quickly and the traffic flows smoothly.
Additional protection, like Belisha beacons, traffic islands, skid-resident surfaces and zigzag lines to indicate no parking, all improve safety. Crossing the road, however, can still be dangerous; nine people were killed at zebra crossings in 2007 (up from three in 2006) and 31 at traffic lights on British roads. Strict adherence to the Green Cross Code remains vital.
Finally, there is the cost equation. New traffic lights are three times more costly on average than zebra crossings. The best policy is to install zebras from now on, starting in Fornham Road opposite the path leading to Tesco, and use the money saved to remove traffic lights as funds allow.
David Nettleton,
Cannon Street,
Bury St Edmunds.
Thanks for generosity
An event held at British Sugar Social Club on September 6 raised 4,255 in aid of Leukaemia
Research, in memory of my husband Dave Allum. Although the event was publicised in the Bury Free Press, some important information was omitted. The Glambusters played at the event for free and British Sugar Social Club offered the venue free of charge thanks to Adrian. A big thank you should go to Steve Williams, factory manager and employees of British Sugar for the generous donation of 2,336 towards the fund, from money raised through various events held throughout the year at the social club.
Many thanks to all who made the night a great success. The money raised was handed over to Sir Ian Botham during his recent visit to Bury St Edmunds.
Beverly Allum,
School Road.
Thurston.
Well done Bury Town
NOT since the heady days of the late 1950s and 60s, when first Jimmy Duthie, then John Docherty, brought previously untold success to Bury Town Football Club, have we seen such exciting football.
It has taken Richard Wilkins a few years to achieve this, but we now have a team that plays fast, precise football that is a joy to watch.
Perhaps the draw for the first round of the FA Cup is not the attractive fixture we dreamed of but, most importantly, it is a winnable game and I fully expect Town to be in round two of the FA Cup.
Nigel Finch,
Starre Road,
Bury St Edmunds.
A huge message of congratulations to everybody concerned with Bury Town FC on there progress into the first round of the FA Cup. Their comprehensive win over a Basingstoke Town side from two divisions higher in the football pyramid was a credit, not just to the players and management, but also everyone else who worked hard to ensure that the 1,200 fans could enjoy the spectacle.
Given the historical nature of the win I don't suppose I am the only person to appreciate the irony of the announcement of the local authority's plans to Tarmac over the football pitch to allow for more parking, published in last week's Bury Free Press, along with reports on the build-up to the big match.
Stuart Shepherd,
Bury St Edmunds.
No need to close road
I welcome the 1.5 million boost St Edmundsbury Borough Council is to invest in the local economy, however, despite its good intentions, it continues to make life difficult for local traders who pay their rent, rates, vat and taxes.
The annual example of this is the so called Christmas Fair, on Angel Hill. The majority of stalls are taken by traders, while shopkeepers, particularly in Abbeygate Street, suffer because of the four days of gridlock due to the closure of traffic on Angel Hill.
But for the funfair in the middle of the road opposite the council offices, it could be kept open with barriers along the roadside.
At least this year we have ample notice and no doubt many shoppers in the area will have pencilled in their diaries a shopping trip to Cambridge or Norwich
David Bedford,
Bury St Edmunds.
Keep town's school open
A lively meeting took place at Breckland Middle School where Suffolk County Council (SCC) education officials presented the plans for the future of the school.
The people did not want their children bussed to Mildenhall and certainly wanted Breckland to remain open.
Many people are used to SCC carrying out its schemes, regardless of local opinion. In Brandon, many people have protested about parking on Market Hill, but SCC has not sorted out the situation.
It would be very unwise for the council to ignore local feeling on the issue of the school.
W A Priest,
Pinewood Drive,
Brandon.
I attended the meeting held at Breckland Middle School and was impressed by the number of Brandon residents who attended.
I was under the impression that it was an open public meeting for all residents to attend. Did this mean all residents, as long as you are not a young adult? I am saying this because of the obvious disapproval coming from one of the Suffolk County Council representatives who was presenting the meeting each time the microphone was handed to a young person in the audience.
The way these youngsters conducted themselves throughout the meeting was a credit to everyone there. These young people had every right to voice their feelings and opinions about the proposed changes and I found it disrespectful of this county councillor to behave in this way towards them. After all, they are the future of our town and, as such, should be allowed to voice their opinions. They have all been taught at Breckland Middle School and all of them, with no exceptions, had nothing but praise for the staff and the school as a whole. Surely they can't all be wrong.
To constantly have the point made that the changes in Haverhill have worked meant absolutely nothing to the people of Brandon. It is what they are proposing to do to our town that matters to us. We have a very strong community here and none of us want to see our school closed. It is extremely frustrating for us all to have to listen to proposals being put forward by representatives who knew little, or in some cases, absolutely nothing about the town.
The young gentleman who was in charge of the transport side of things obviously had no idea of any of the problems, not just encountered by our children who travel daily on these buses back and forth to Mildenhall, but indeed the problems encountered by the traffic, particularly on a Friday evening. Yet it seems SCC is still quite prepared to let 11-year-old children suffer the same fate as the children who are already experiencing these very problems.
Although the changes from a three-tier system to a two-tier have been accepted, though not welcomed, by the community here in Brandon, I would strongly urge SCC to reconsider plans to totally close Breckland Middle School.
Kenneth Buckfield,
Manor Road,
Brandon.
Please give generously
On behalf of Suffolk County Council and mayors and chairmen of the borough and district councils throughout the county, I write to urge everyone in Suffolk to support the 2008 Poppy Appeal of the Royal British Legion.
Each year that passes makes us more aware of the debt we owe to those who served in the two great wars.
Let us not forget that conflict still goes on and that many more are prepared to make the sacrifice to enable us and other nations to live in freedom.
This year, as in every year, we reflect on this and remember with sincere gratitude those to whom we owe our freedom. I would especially ask our younger generation, who have no living memory of these events, to reflect on this. I am aware that many of the younger generation are themselves involved in the armed forces and are currently serving our country. Our thoughts are with them and their families.
The Royal British Legion, as a result of the ongoing conflicts, will continue its work for many years to come. I would urge everyone to show their gratitude with generosity to the Poppy Appeal for 2008.
Cllr Poppy Robinson,
Chairman, Mid Suffolk District Council.
Thank you
As a St Dunstaner, I would like to express my warmest thanks to the many people who attended Her Majesty's Royal Marine Band concert held in aid of St Dunstan's, a charity for blind and partially-sighted ex-servicemen and women, and the West Suffolk Voluntary Association for the Blind.
The concert, which took place on Sepetmber 27, in St Mary's Church, Bury St Edmunds, raised approximately 5,000, which will be shared between both associations.
Tony Lee,
Mildenhall.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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