Derek Davis District Councillor Report for Ganges Ward

The Up Side

A question many of us councillors often get asked is: "Why do you do it?" And there are times when people are not as understanding, patient or kind as they could be, we ask ourselves the same question.

The reasons manifest in a variety of ways but fundamentally it is because the rewards are tangible in their own unique way.

A couple of examples underlined my reasons over the past month and I was able to share it with my cabinet colleague Jan Osborne, portfolio for housing, as we took delivery of the eight new social houses in Shotley.

Created from three outdated and virtually derelict bungalows the sets of five and three new homes are a superb example of Babergh working with builders and a housing association in delivering the right homes, in the right place for our residents. Jan and I were able to see first-hand what it meant to a couple of those allocated the new two bedroom homes, and as Jan said: "This is why we do what we do."

Separately, a resident that I had been able to help with another issue wrote a simple note of thanks, always a rewarding experience, and said: 'you have shown to be: Verum in verbo et in facto.' (I have subsequently learned means: True in word and deed).

With that in mind, and as I'm delighted that Erwarton is in my ward, I'm fully backing the bid led by William Wrinch to return the Queens Head to community use.

Tangible support with small grants

Getting community groups, clubs and organisation back to full strength and function again is a priority for the of us who like to offer support in tangible ways.

As part of my Locality Awards fund, I am able to give funding from £250, usually up to £500 for those groups looking for financial support.

Go to the to get full details or contact me directly.

Getting things done is a cornerstone value for me and every now and then things just come together as endeavour, persistence and teamwork from our Communities and Wellbeing portfolio officers pays off.

This has been the case with the introduction of Babergh's Wellbeing Strategy, which I presented to cabinet and was universally approved. The Wellbeing Strategy shows there is much to celebrate in Babergh, with our district benefitting from a high life satisfaction score and regularly being voted as one of the happiest places to live in the UK.

However, there is still room for improvement and we will do all we can to ensure our communities are attractive, successful and connected places for people to live and work.

You will have seen the AJ Bell Women's Tour come through our district in early October, on its way from Haverhill to Felixstowe, and I can tell you Colin Grogan from Shotley was instrumental in making that happen in his role as an activities and leisure officer with Suffolk County Could and Sue Calver, a Babergh communities teams officer who used to live on the peninsula so knows us well.

Sue was also heavily involved in bring the activities workshop to our area, working closely with Shotley Open Spaces and the Holbrook and Shotley surgeries, along with Active Suffolk, which was very well received.

Of course, this is local government and nothing is ever perfect. Two things have got my goat recently, and one has been the wholly inadequate way Historic England and our heritage team have approached planning applications in Ganges ward, which covers Shotley and Erwarton developments.

In my opinion they have presented misleading, inaccurate and sloppy reports to planning officers making vital decisions that affect the ward, and indeed the district. Failing to even bother visiting the sites is just the start of a below the standards we should expect and I seriously have questions if they are fit for purpose. I'm happy to expand and will probably be even more vocal when requested following those recent planning applications.

Sad return of adversarial politics

The other; is councillors who play party politics at the expense of the wider good. They are more interested in the next election than getting things done for the wider good.

More will come out on this but it is fair to say the cabinet put together by John Ward, comprising of four Conservatives, three Independents and a Lib Dem, has made great strides over the past 30 months, showing strong leadership, taking decisive actions and achieving a great deal for the benefit of the whole district.

It would be a shame if a couple of bad apples set any of that terrific work back years by pursuing their own agendas.

One of the consequences of the Tories in-fighting has been the resignation of Environmental portfolio holder Elizabeth Malvisi, who has left the Conservation group and party, to become an Independent and retained her place on the Cabinet.

One piece of work Liz has successfully continued is our Trees For Life initiative, where families on the Shotley peninsula can either grow a tree, provided free by Babergh, in their garden or in Golden Wood, to celebrate the birth a child born in 2021.

A tree will also be provided if a child was stillborn, or passed away during the year.

Full details of our Tree For Life and how to apply can be found here...

To contact me email: [email protected] or call 07548153784

Find me on Facebook -Derek Davis - Independent Councillor