Next Parish Council Meetings

These will be held as usual in the Memorial Social Centre Pavilion starting at 7.30 pm. Everyone is welcome.  The dates are Thursdays 22nd March, 19th April, 10th May (Annual Parish Council Meeting) and 17th May (Annual Parish Meeting).
The next Estates Meetings will be held on Tuesdays 13th March and 1st May. 
The agenda and minutes are displayed on the village website and on notice boards.
The Annual Parish meeting is a ‘special’ and will include reports of activities carried out over the previous twelve months.

Parish Council Elections

These are held every four years and the next opportunity is May 2007 – this year.  So if you ever think ‘Why doesn’t the council do something about…..?’, this is your chance to become involved.
Who can stand?  Anyone who is 21 years of age and who lives in the Parish.
How can you stand?  You must complete two forms.  One is your nomination paper and the other is your consent to nomination.  These forms will be available from the Elections Office (01284 757131) or through the Parish Clerk.  The nomination paper asks you to state the Parish, the date of the election (May 3rd) and your full name and address.  This paper must be signed by two electors from the parish, a proposer and seconder. The paper asks for the electoral numbers of all three people and these can be obtained from the Elections Office or the Parish Clerk
What then?  If you are successful in being elected you have to complete a form accepting the office of councillor and also a Declaration of Interests (a record of any financial or other interests in the Parish which is available for inspection by the public)
More information?  Contact St Edmundsbury Elections Office on 01284 757131 or speak to the Parish Clerk on 01284 821861 or attend a meeting and see what goes on.
Deadline?  Completed nomination papers must be delivered to the Borough Council by 12 noon on 4th April 2007.  This date and time are fixed by law.  
If the number of candidates does not exceed the number of seats available (7) an election is not contested and the result will be declared before polling day.
If an election is contested, polling will take place on Thursday 3rd May 2007.

Many people have completely the wrong idea about parish councils – they are certainly not like the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ – and are completely separate from the local church. Parish Councils are the smallest units of local government and the closest to their electors.  They will play an ever-increasing role in the future of local government while National government seeks to enhance and modernise local government as a whole. Parish councillors have a long tradition of promoting the well-being of their areas and a sense of pride in their local community.

Members required for local health services

Volunteers are needed to join local Forums help improve the National Health Service. If you have an interest in, and think that you can help improve, the treatment of the elderly, waiting times in Accident and Emergency, hospital food, car parking, MRSA or anything else, read on.

Patient and Public Involvement in Health (PPI) Forums

• PPI Forums are statutory organisations, who have the powers to improve health services of the local community. They are established by the government, via the Commission of Patient and Public Involvement in Health, to represent patients and the public within the NHS.
• PPI Forum members are volunteers drawn from the local community who are enthusiastic about helping patients and members of the public influence the way local healthcare is organised and delivered.
• Each PPI Forum is fully independent and works with a local NHS Trust. Trusts include:

Primary Care Trust, which manage local doctors’ surgeries, NHS dentists, opticians and pharmacists;
Acute Trusts, which manage local hospitals;
Mental Health Trust; and
Ambulance Trusts.

• Each Forum independently monitors the quality of local health services   through visits and inspections, has regular meetings and sits on local NHS committees.

The Forums require additional members to help improve local health services.  Suffolk Primary Care Trust meetings are held once a month at Moreton Hall in Bury St Edmunds or at the Cedars in Stowmarket and last for approximately 2½ hours.

If you would like to join the Forums to help improve the NHS, share your views or find out more information regarding PPI Forums and their current projects, please do not hesitate to contact Shaw Trust Forum Support Organisation on 01473 407341 or abigail.jones@shaw-trust.org.uk

School Organisation Review

The Policy Development Panel leading the review of school organisation has recommended that Suffolk adopts a two-tier system of education. The PDP believes a two-tier system would raise attainment at Key Stages 2, 4 and post-16 and allow more investment in teaching and learning.

This recommendation is based on four key themes, plus the consultation results.
Pupil performance  Standards are not high enough in either system particularly at ages 11 and 16-plus.  Pupils in a two tier system perform better overall. Extra help (money and resources) over a long period has not improved three-tier performance enough.  The difference in performance is linked to the different structures in place, and is not a reflection on school staff.
Resources  The current system does not provide the best value for money. The two-tier system is more cost effective than the three-tier system.  If adopted county-wide, more money would be invested in teaching and learning.
Sustainability  To deal with the population change effectively, we need a clear policy on the future structure of our schools.  If we have different structures in Suffolk to the rest of the country, it will be harder to recruit and retain staff in the future.
14-19 provision  Not enough pupils are staying on at school or college and getting good qualifications after the age of 16.  Larger sixth forms provide more choice, better results and better value for money. Young people need more choices from age 14, including new diplomas in subjects like health care, engineering, construction and hospitality.
Consultation  The public consultation was extensive, but not decisive; views were divided about whether to change or not.  The PDP had to take a view about what was best for the county as a whole.

The full DPD report is available online at www.suffolk.gov.uk/sor. Summary leaflets are available from the Clerk or Cherry Palmer on 01473 264522.