I will be starting a monthly surgery at Woodbridge Library this Saturday, 22 October – and on every third Saturday of the month thereafter. If you have any concerns or problems about local services, please do drop in, and I will do my best to help you
Probably the most interesting thing to be happening in Suffolk County Council this month is the appointment of a new Chief Executive. Details were announced too late to go into this report,but merely announced that the final interviews would take place whis upcoming week. A shortlist has been published in the EADT, but it is speculative, so I’m not passing it on.
At the last Full Council meeting (22nd of September) a number of constitution amendments, SCC looked at how the Council was to deal with petitions from members of the public , following disgraceful debacles over Libraries, Explore Cards, etc. The Lib Dems are still pushing for far more clearcut and SMART targeted amendments to the petitions process, to improve democratic accountability and allow the people who sign petitions to have their concerns adequately examined and addressed at long last.
The group is examining the difficulties of transport for young people in Suffolk, particularly as a result of the removal of the eXplore card. I am a member of this group, and have asked that the evidence-gathering should be extended to half-term because people were initially asked during the school/college holidays. This means there is still time to give evidence. The on-line survey can be found using the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/transport4yp.
Alternatively, individuals and organisations can send their comments for the attention of the Task and Finish Group on Transport Issues for Young People to Democratic Services, Suffolk County Council, Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk; or by Email to: committee.services@suffolk.gov.uk.
If you feel strongly, please do remember to respond.
This month Cabinet discussedSuffolk’s Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation strategy to reduce off-street prostitution and sexual exploitation across Suffolk. In the briefing I was told that worrying evidence of exploitation was emerging all over Suffolk. I have therefore asked for details of issues and concerns local to Woodbridge and will pass on what information I receive.
You can now nominate for the Stars of Suffolk Awards 2011. These are a joint venture between the Evening Star and Suffolk County Council, with sponsorship from local businesses and organisations. Categories are:
Nominations for the awards will close on the 28th of October at 5pm, and can be made via http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/starsofsuffolk
The deadline for SCC’s Mobile Library Consultation is the 16th of October. The council is consulting on the plans to move from fortnightly to monthly or four-weekly Mobile Library stops and to remove stops in communities that are served by a static library. SCC argues that this would save an estimated £225,000 a year, while maintaining the mobile library service to communities that do not have a static library.http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Consultations/MobileLibraryConsultation.htm
The results of this consultation will be published the Cabinet meeting, 8th of November , where the administration will decide the future structure of Suffolk’s Library Service. This will then be put to Full Council in December. With the current majority, don’t expect an overwhelming vote against. Changes approved will be put in place in April 2012.
This is to remind you again of SCC’s ongoing budget consultation. The Council has announced that it needs to reduce the size of its budget by £50m over the next two years, and wants to know the County’s view before decision are made. ( However, they have already cut £43m from its budget last year, without any sort of consultation.)
The consultation will allow everyone in Suffolk to submit their views on what they feel are the most important parts of the County Council’s budget, as well as make comments about potential future savings that the Council may not have considered yet http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Consultations/WeAreListening.htm
So our libraries are no longer important, no longer relevant, to our modern lifestyle?
Tell that to all the children who turned up at Woodbridge library today to receive their certificate and medal for finishing this summer’s Circus Stars Reading Challenge. And there were lots of them.
The popular library summer reading game was open to children of all ages across Suffolk . It asked them to read and report on five books over the summer holidays. As ever, it relied hugely on the support teams of local volunteers who listened to the children reading and discussed the books with them afterwards. Twenty of these kind and dedicated people gave their services at our library over this summer.
And this year (the year when all but 8 of Suffolk’s libraries were threatened with closure) the library staff at Woodbridge told me that more children had enrolled on – and finished – the challenge than ever before. In fact, I nearly lost my voice when presenting the certificates – I had so many names to read out .
Today we had a special treat, as I was able to use my Locality Budget to fund children’s writer/illustrator Jonathan Allen to come to the event. Between the two ceremonies he told us about how he creates his books, and ran a cartooning class with all the award winners.
Jonathan – who comes from outside Suffolk – told me that he was ‘amazed’ not only that our library was open at a time when everyone could use it, but also that so many people were prepared to come and celebrate and support children’s reading so early on a Sunday morning!
We should be proud of ourselves.
If you’ve forgotten to visit your library recently, why not come along and remind yourself of the excitement and discovery that you once felt, and which you will see on the rapt faces of all the people of all ages you will find reading there!
Let’s never forget that a library is a wonderful institution. It’s wonderful not only because it gives us a doorway into a world full of millions of books of all kinds, written by people from all places and all times. It is also wonderful because it allows us to hold open the door to that world for the next generation.