Report for Box Vale Ward January 2025

I sincerely hope that this coming year brings hope and security to all residents of my Box Vale ward and across the wider area of BaberghMidSuffolk and all of our great country also.

A time of reflection as well as we leave behind a very chaotic time of government and move into hopefully a more stable time and type of governance with some hope for all our residents and not just those who seem to have priority to the huge money trough of cash and our public assets.

For those of us who are following the Covid enquiry, the mega millions of our taxpayer’s money that went to private individuals for services that were not delivered, or were unfit for purpose is eye watering.

Proper funding of our public services and local government that serves our residents as a whole will be a good place to start and this does seem to be happening very slowly.

Proper, fair and just Tax plans for everyone, including those at the top of the food chain with fancy lawyers and friends in government and high places, can be acceptable to those who work hard just to pay their bills, raise a family and have a decent existence with good public services.

The inheritance tax on those who work hard to provide our food within these shores without massive travel miles, along with looking after our precious countryside and heritage assets for our even bigger tourism industry, is truly an unwanted own goal, even worse than the ones at Portman Rd this season. Not a great move for our region’s two biggest industries and employers. The family farm must be preserved for those that have the expertise to continue to provide the homegrown food security and high welfare standards that this country needs.

This desperate move will drive genuine sons and daughters of our current farmers to leave the industry and let in investors who will just use and rape the land for their own benefit.

A much better system would be to levy realistic taxes on our fuel giants who have made mega billions at the expense of the other 99% of residents and businesses as a whole in recent years.

Even better would be to levy the same fuel duty on aviation fuel as those that drive to work or go about their personal business have to pay. It might also be a good idea to make our major polluters redress at least some of the damage done to our precious climate and environment a sensible governance with sensible communication to the people and the gentle gagging of those who shout the loudest because of ignorance, greed, massive wealth and self-importance.

Hopefully the parliamentary committee recently set up to examine standards (or the lack of them) in recent years, will report with fair justice and appropriate penalties for those that break our trust for their own gain, who hopefully will be suitably punished and barred from future public office. This must be made clear to future wannabees from all political groups as it is my own. It must also be as clear to those at the top tier, as it is at the bottom.

Nearer to home, the realisation that more affordable housing is needed without the stock draining right to buy is refreshing and achievable with the right infrastructure to support it with proper public transport, employment and health facilities. Also, a renewed training project for our future generation and a realisation that it is not a crime to get one’s hands dirty and that we cannot all be celebrities, pop stars or computer wizards, somebody has to do the hard graft to make the society and infrastructure we live in actually work for all of us.

I am thrilled to be able to sponsor the keep the heat project from my locality budget, this is a joint initiative from Suffolk CC and Babergh DC to make our homes more economic to run and to cut down on heat loss and expensive fuel bills. 

Through this scheme, thermal imaging will take place throughout January 25 on any house in the village of Boxford and a little further afield who requests it, please see enclosed info and take part if you can.

This project will be carried out by volunteers within the village and the findings will be given to those residents that take part, and others can learn and benefit as well.

This scheme has already been carried out in another part of Box Vale ward very successfully.

Congratulations to those on the public transport group within the village, who have certainly been listened to, which is reflected in the better service within the village and the increased take-up in passenger numbers. The school and student travel situation is certainly still a big problem and needs urgent attention and reform, providing affordable transportation to the high school for Boxford Primary School children must become a priority for the village and surrounding catchment areas.

At the present time, all local authorities await the next stage in the consultation process from national government regarding having one less tier of local government and possibly more devolution from national jurisdiction. I am very much in favour of this approach but worry about the lack of funds to do it properly and the areas it might represent. Please watch this space and have your say if consulted.

It is getting harder for us all who take on the public mantle of being a local community representative on a higher local authority of local government, especially those with a demanding other significant employment as well but although the financial rewards are minimal at this level, personally I feel that the job satisfaction is huge when I can make a difference to constituents’ lives and wellbeing in the villages I serve in Box Vale and across the whole Babergh/MidSuffolk area.

I hope all who read this will find it of some interest and enjoy it,  to those I offend, well at least you are reading it. I am easily contactable at---

Bryn.hurren@babergh.gov.uk  Tel 01787 210854      Mob  07771 508348

Or just rugby tackle me in the street, limping badly now, so not hard to catch until late February when I hope a second knee replacement will take place.  Have a great New Year. 

Bionic Bryn.