Bryn Hurren sets out the issues for Stour Valley
Environmental and Green economy. This now has to be at the top of everyone's agenda from now on and we will all have to pressure ourselves and elected leaders from the very top down to Parish Council level to see that changes are made to the way we work rest and play.
While miniscule benefits are now coming into force with electric transport, we need carbon free resources to power the nations industry and homes. Having taken the lead to see that over two thousand Baberghmidsuffolk council homes are fitted and powered with solar panels, we now need to ensure that developers are encouraged and even compelled to fit solar enabling energy to every new house built across Suffolk and that industrial sites and premises do their part as well. This can be achieved through meaningful national tax incentives and liabilities.
While achieving this we must not desecrate our landscape, habitat and countryside to do so. Offshore windfarms are quite acceptable but grotesque pylons and 50mtr trenches scaring our precious countryside are not. These with thought and planning can be routed through our seaways to land ashore where needed.
Planning and Infrastructure. Although this is mainly a District Council matter, I will make sure that the bigger picture is taken into account and proper consultation and collaboration is applied for and given. While unitary councils are now an urgent requirement I will see that what we have at the moment work better together. We have to ensure that we have the proper infrastructure is in place before more wholesale massive housebuilding takes place.
We do still need more small affordable homes for our local young and low waged to get a foothold on the housing ladder and for our older established householders to downsize too.
We also first need an expansion of surgeries, schools, and public transport to accommodate people and to enable them to move around for work, education and leisure activities. We must also strengthen our local economy and work opportunities. I will work for all of these.
National and Local Democracy. This is the very rock on which our society is built upon and for this to work we need strong communities and structures that are listened too, not just
consulted and then ignored, as a strong democrat I will make sure that the voices of my electorate are heard loud and clear and not ignored. I think that residents especially in Boxford and Bures who have suffered bad planning decisions will know exactly what I mean and also in the other ten villages that make up this division. We have had a reversal of a very bad decision in Boxford due to local reps standing up and fighting back, we should always be listened to at the outset and our MPs and government must not take local opinion for granted and abuse it.
We need alternative voices at the council to make a strong voice for sensible working changes and that local authorities are working on all our behalf's, not just a small minority.
I have been fighting for local opinion and democracy for over 30 years as a local elected representative and if you elect me as your councillor on May 6th I will do so for all of you. I will be coming around the villages so feel free to accost and meet me in a nice way with distance and have a quick chat.