REPORT TO PARISH, BRANTHAM WARD

Babergh District Councillor Alastair McCraw

A CANDLE IN THE TUNNEL

2020 is not a year we are likely to have many fond memories of. It's pushed us harder than perhaps any generations since the Second World War. Some of us have lost loved ones, whilst others have lost contact, income, jobs, business, or perhaps a little hope.

It's affected us in nearly everything we do. BUT we have discovered a new appreciation of some things. Our NHS and Public Services, not least teachers, the kindness of others in small, unexpected ways come to mind. Suffolk authorities have worked together within the county and outside to help with impacts. New volunteer efforts have emerged and the vast majority of us have acted in the interest of others, which in turn serves us all. Now the announcement of the first vaccine to have tested effective (at 90% approx.) provides evidence that the tunnel has an end. This is a candle on the way. There will be others. Don't relax yet though. Lockdown 2.0 will finish shortly, on December 2nd, but our behaviour after that will still be critical. Hands, Face, Space will still apply.

The support that Babergh and Suffolk brought in during the spring is available now, and will be ready to be brought back when it's needed. By now, I trust that central government support will have been given.

CONTACT POINTS

Gov.uk. / Babergh.gov.uk. / 0300 123 4000 / Suffolk.gov.uk/ tendringdc.gov.uk

HOME, BUT NOT ALONE on 0800 876 6926 is there to find volunteer support for anybody in need.

Nobody is invulnerable, Everybody is responsible. Stick with it Suffolk!

For my own part, I publish, usually daily, updates on the Facebook Group. It's not a forum for sounding off. Those already exist. Here you will find the best information I can give you on all matters relating to this and relevant Council activities. I also do my best to give some honest perspective on each matter. And I can get the information to you much quicker, so please consider it as a potentially useful service.

A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

The Joint Local Plan that I wrote of last month is now ready to go out for a final, technical and legal, 6-week consultation, before it is sent to the Planning Inspectorate for approval. We hope to be able to adopt this plan next year, the earlier the better. The Babergh vote was unanimous, although reservations were expressed. I understand why this is the case.

I stated my reasons for voting in favour at the meeting. It replaces a flawed and out of date previous plan, the Core Strategy. Those flaws made defending decisions at appeal from refused developers much harder. We carried out the most comprehensive public consultation that a 30-year serving member, the Cabinet Member for Planning himself, could recall. A massive number of individual responses were carefully considered by an all-party Working Group and Officers to produce this final draft version.

They have met throughout the last year to provide our decision-making policies with as much flexibility to make locally based decisions as possible. WE have to remember that we are obliged to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework, whatever we may think of it. It IS the law and the Planning Inspector can reject anything we include that does not comply.

So, not everybody is getting everything they would like, but everybody should be getting something. And the policies are far more coherent, well thought out than we have ever had. I know that the Allocations for sites are going to be the biggest bone of contention. That is one area where the communities, through their Parish and Town councils, may make effective responses. It will be up to the Inspector, not the Council, to decide these matters though.

I have sent a presentation on the only identified site in Brantham to the Parish Council for them to consider. This is as District member on BDC, not as Chairman of BPC. I take no part in BPC Planning Committee recommendations as a personal rule, although I'm often grateful for their thoughts as guidance in my own work.

The plan is more than ready, now this is polishing the legal and technical detail. You don't need to respond to this yourself. It really is at a highly detailed level, difficult unless experienced. I myself still shudder, in my 6th year at Babergh.

LOCALITY BUDGET

I still have £1,000 left in this. The minimum grant is £250. I'm inviting bids for community projects. The money must be allocated by Dec 31st. Please contact me on this, or anything else of concern. Next month I'll write of the recently adopted Biodiversity Action Plan and how it fits in with everything else Babergh are trying to achieve. In the meantime, I wish you all as Merry a Christmas as you can make for you and yours. You deserve it.

Alastair McCraw. 07812 564188 OR 07548 154296 [email protected]

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