Cooper, Mark From: John Matthissen Sent: 13 August 2017 21:08 To: reviews Subject: MSDC Green Group submissions re Mid Suffolk DC Attachments: Boundaries Green Version 2.xlsx; Boundaries Green Version 1.xlsx; Boundaries Green Group.docx; Green Map 2.jpg; Green Map 1.jpg Attached are 2 proposals for re‐warding Mid Suffolk DC, presented as spreadsheets and accompanying maps. (The colours have no significance other than to provide clarity.) The commentary sets out many links between parishes across much of the District, and is intended to inform BCE recommendations generally, as well as justifying groupings contained in one or both of our proposals. It should be made clear that we DO NOT support the proposal put forward by Mid Suffolk DC, which is the preference of the controlling political group only. Regards Councillor John Matthissen www.midsuffolk.greenparty.org.uk ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ This e‐mail has been sent using electricity generated from renewable sources 1 Mid Suffolk Boundary Review – Green Group Submissions General approach We have worked on the assumption of 34 councillors while noting that 36 would allow a far better fit for the town of Stowmarket where the Town Council has 4 existing wards and would merit 8 district councillors out of 36. We are very clear that in our predominantly rural area the identities and links between communities are more important than achieving arithmetic equality of representation. We have sought to minimise the need for 2 member wards in rural areas as seeking to combine villages with no commonality then requires the elected members to split workload. This is bad practice. We recognise that there are 3 communities, Needham Market, Elmswell and Thurston where the electorate significantly exceeds the target quota. Alternatives We are submitting two slightly different proposals for the whole District, one our initial scheme and the second following (unsuccessful) work to achieve consensus with the MSDC administration. Eye Ward The town has strong links to Brome which has a “gateway” into Eye as well as industrial development creating employment for the town. Bacton Ward Bacton has strong links with Wyverstone where the community café is supported by many Bacton residents. The two churches have close links via their “friends” organisations, and this proposed ward is also the route that St Edmund took from Hoxne to Bury St Edmunds. For decades Bacton Middle School was sited in Wyverstone Parish and this has become the site for the new Bacton Primary School. Haughley Ward Depending on the scheme that emerges at the next stage of consultation, we would support the preference of Haughley and Wetherden parish councils to remain in the same ward. There are arguments for Haughley joining Old Newton because of the hamlet of Dagworth, which at present is bisected by the current ward pattern. Representation of Dagworth hamlet would then be reunited under a single member. Mendlesham Ward Mendlesham has very close links with Cotton, and although Cotton sits along the same road as Bacton the two villages have had very separate identities for centuries and are separated by a parliamentary boundary (Broad Road). The links from Cotton to Mendlesham are many including the primary schools; almost equal numbers of Cotton children attend Bacton and Mendlesham primaries. Wickham Skeith sees Mendlesham as its main service centre, and is the location of the local shop etc. Wetheringsett also has numerous links to Mendlesham with Mendlesham Airfield located there, and The Memorial to the 38th bomb group, originally sited in Wetheringsett, has been recently relocated to Mendlesham with the blessings of the Wetheringsett community. Onehouse Ward The existing 5 villages of the Onehouse Ward plus the addition of Combs and Little Finborough, would total an electorate a little higher than the ideal range, but there are compelling community reasons why the five villages should remain within the same ward, and for the other 2 parishes to be added. Great Finborough and Buxhall work closely together across the age ranges, from the joint Pre‐school held in Pettiward Hall, the Women’s Institute with meetings held in Buxhall village hall, and the Candlestick Club for senior citizens also meeting in the Buxhall village hall. Most Buxhall children start school at the Finborough Primary. Onehouse, Harleston and Shelland share a community centre, church room (Trinity Hall), and a joint village newsletter known as OHSmag. Some of Shelland’s homes face onto Harleston Green. These villages together with Combs and Little Finborough form a single benefice currently led by Reverend Chris Childs. The secondary school catchment area covers all seven villages with many of the children attending the primary school in Great Finborough. On an historical note, the Finborough Hall estate embraced much of Great and Little Finborough and Onehouse, and this remains visible through the work of the Victorian estate builder James Pollard; Pollard’s work includes school and community buildings and around 3 dozen further dwellings. The 7 villages are bounded by the A14, the Stowmarket town boundary, and the border between Mid Suffolk and Babergh districts; these barriers constrain amalgamation of most of these villages with other communities. The current 5 villages are also well connected by east‐west roads running on either side of the Rattlesden River, the valley of which is designated as a Special Landscape Area. Fressingfield Ward These very rural villages are served by a community shop and some services in the main village, and all look to Harleston (Norfolk) as the local market town. Debenham Ward The villages in this proposed ward are the hinterland of Debenham which is effectively a small market town. Thorndon and Yaxley Ward All these fairly small villages are served by Eye as the market town with most being served by the main A140 road. Palgrave and Wortham Ward A group of villages on the Norfolk border are linked by the A143. Rickinghall Ward 5 villages served by the Rickinghall / Botesdale village centre and linked by the A143. Elmswell Ward (2 members) The existing Elmswell, Norton and Tostock ward can best be enlarged to include Wetherden, while noting this is not the preference of the Wetherden PC. All 4 villages lie to the north of the A14 and smaller villages look towards Elmswell for shops and amenities. When the Wesley Hall in Elmswell was threatened with closure, several Wetherden residents supported the Elmswell parish council to purchase the site so that all the clubs and societies could continue to use the facilities there. Both Tostock and Norton Parish Councils have indicated that they wish to remain in the same ward as Elmswell if possible. Children from Tostock attend Norton Primary School. Woolpit ward. We are opposed to Wetherden being in the same ward as Woolpit which would not really work. The two villages only share a small boundary and to get between the two villages by public right of way one would need to travel along the boundary with Elmswell. Wetherden residents look towards either Elmswell or Haughley for amenities. Woolpit has a very different character to Elmswell and the two villages would not really complement each other if they were combined into a ward. The only thing that combines Woolpit and Elmswell is health provision but the same could be said of the majority of villages in the west of Mid Suffolk District. We understand that Woolpit would like to be in a ward with Drinkstone, but this might prove difficult due to other constraints. Needham/Barking/Bramford wards The villages south from Needham have a variety of links and affiliations, and no scheme can meet all aspirations here. The Green Group number 1 submission logically links Somersham and Little Blakenham which share a community association, and Little Blakenham and Nettlestead which are both members of the Bramford Benefice (along with Baylham and Bramford). Barking, Willisham, Offton are linked with Ringshall and Great Bricett, all of which are connected by the only rural public transport route. However, Baylham is linked with parishes on the other side of the Gipping valley communications corridor. Baylham may have more common cause with Great Blakenham in terms of concerns about development and infrastructure along the B1113 which is the access route for Baylham. The second Green group submission links Baylham with Needham Market where they could have common concerns about the infrastructure around the B1113 as above. Barking has a long association with Needham Market; originally the Barking parish church served Barking cum Darmsden and Needham Market. A bridle way between Barking and Needham Market known as the ‘Causeway' is a corruption of corpse way and was the route taken by funeral processions from Needham. It was last used in 1914……John Fairfax who was Rector of Barking from 1651 until 1663, was removed from his position for refusing to conform with the Act of Uniformity. He served a number of prison sentences and founded the non‐conformist chapel at Needham Market, now the United Reformed Church.’ (http://barking.onesuffolk.net/home/church‐and‐ chapel/ . However, some Barking residents and Barking Parish Council have concerns about growth out from Needham Market changing the rural nature of Barking, and are therefore likely to identify more with other rural parishes than with Needham Market. Both these submissions unfortunately do not embrace the links between Barking, Offton, Willisham and Somersham. Somersham, Offton, Flowton and Willisham are linked in their benefice. Somersham has a community shop used by Somersham and Offton residents. Somersham, Offton, Flowton and Willisham share a community newsletter – ‘The Link’ newsletter. Barking and Somersham both have pre‐schools, Somersham Primary School is linked with Bramford Primary School. Children from Barking attend Somersham Primary School. Stowupland Ward There are strong links between Stowupland, Earl Stonham and Creeting St Peter.