Parish Council

20 November 2024

Advanced notification of road closure - Flowton Road, Elmsett

Suffolk Highways is planning to carry out structural repairs along Flowton Road, Elmsett.

The works are programmed to take place from Wednesday 4 December until Friday 13 December. During this time, the road will be closed at all times to ensure the safety of highway users and operatives.

For the duration of the closure, traffic will be diverted via Flowton Road, Elmsett Road, Ipswich Road, The Street and vice versa.

To enable works to be carried out as planned, local road users are being asked to please move their vehicles from the area highlighted by 'no parking' cones.

As roadworks are planned in advance, extra days are scheduled to allow for bad weather or other delays beyond the control of Suffolk Highways. If major changes are needed to be made to the work dates, the information signs on site will be updated and social media channels accordingly.

A plan showing the diversion route for these works can be viewed here. When roads are closed and a diversion is put in place, the route needs to be accessible to vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Diversions are made as clear as possible by placing appropriate signing along the route. The latest updates on works can be found on the One.Network website.

There may be times that essential emergency works are required to take place on the highway network without advanced notice – you can follow Suffolk Highways on Facebook for the latest emergency roadwork updates.

If you have any queries on the above, please contact us on 0345 606 6171.

Suffolk Highways

www.suffolk.gov.uk/highways

 

11 November 2024

Support for South Suffolk Constituents this winter - 

Communication from James Cartlidge, MP

"In light of the recent increase to the energy price cap and the withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Payment, I am writing to let you know about the help that may be available to support households of both working-ages and those aged over 65 in South Suffolk. 

Support for Pensioners  of statutory and voluntary organisations - such as the local NHS, Citizens Advice, Hourglass and Money Wellness - who can provide constituents with information and advice on the support that is available. The stalls will be a combination of intervention-based providers catering for some health and care needs, as well as community-based groups that help keep people involved in everyday life.

Bring your old slippers to swap for a new pair, for FREE. With fall prevention advice from the NHS.

Household Support Fund (HSF)

The Household Support Fund (HSF) is an allocation of funding that the Government has awarded to Suffolk County Council to support our most vulnerable residents - including families, those of working-age and pensioners. The HSF has recently been confirmed to run until April 2025.

Suffolk County Council allocates HSF money to residents in a number of ways including support for children during school holidays, financial help through the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme and housing support through the District Council local Housing Needs Team.

If you would like to learn about the HSF, please visit Suffolk County Council's website - suffolk.gov.uk/community-and-safety/communities/healthier/cost-of-living-support/household-support-fund

For more information about the Seniors Fair or support that may be available to you this winter, please contact James Cartlidge MP, telephone: 020 7219 4875, email: james.cartlidge.mp@parliament.uk, website: www.jamescartlidge.com/supportforconstituents or www.jamescartlidge.com

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4 November 2024

NSIPs and large-scale energy projects progress.

 

4 November 2024

Communication from East Anglia Three Stakeholder Management Team

"I'm writing in my capacity as Community Liaison Officer for East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm.
 
Siemens Energy have been given permission by the local planning authority to work four additional Sundays. The additional hours are needed to take advantage of the dry period in setting out and placement of electrical equipment. The dates are as follows:
 
Sunday 3 November
Sunday 17 November
Sunday 1 December
Sunday 15 December
 
Work will take place between 0700 and 1600 and includes the use of a 40t crane, a telehandler and a Mobile Elevating Work Platform. Plant will be in intermittent use and the rest of the works are manual labour only. Most of the work will take place within the converter hall building.
 
Please call me on 07818 026934 if you have any questions. You can also email me at eastangliathree@scottishpower.com.
 
More information about the project is available on the Scottish Power Renewables website at www.spreastanglia.co.uk." 

29 October 2024

Suffolk loft insulation offer

Suffolk Climate Change Partnership would like to share this following information: 

According to the Energy Saving Trust, an uninsulated home loses a quarter of its heat through its roof.  For the second year in a row, help to afford eco-friendly loft insulation is now available for Suffolk residents.

The Suffolk Climate Change Partnership has teamed up with an insulation provider to help Suffolk residents make their homes warmer and save money on their energy bills.  

Residents will receive a 50% discount off their purchase of 200mm or 370mm wide insulation rolls (up to £200) with free delivery, from High Loft, the UK's leading eco loft insulation brand.  

The offer is open to anyone in Suffolk and will only close once the allocated funding has been spent. Simply go to www.highloft.co.uk/pages/suffolk-council-200-loft-insulation-contribution and fill in the form to receive your discount code.    

To find out more click on this link to visit the dedicated webpage on insulation

 

29 October 2024

A1071 / The Street Junction

The Parish Council would like to thank Steve Hicks and his 'band of volunteers' who have cleared the mud out of the pit around the culverts, and cut away the surrounding brambles. This should mean that the potential flood hazard to motorists is now virtually eliminated. 

The main cause of the problem was a bucket that had wedged bottom first into the lower culvert and was stopping any water draining away. This led to mud gradually being deposited at this point instead of being washed away.

Following the ditches being cleared by the farmer, it was clear to see that the pipes were blocked; a report was submitted to Suffolk County Council Highways alerting them to the problem. The volunteers stepped in to undertake the investigations and works following the Suffolk Highways response that having visited the site, and assessed the situation against their Highway Maintenance Operational Plan (HMOP), they would not take action as the situation did not meet their intervention criteria.

Once again, we'd all like to thank the volunteers who came together for the benefit of the village.

 

23 October 2024

Communication from Groundwork and Comic Relief

Comic Relief Community Fund - grants of up to £5,000

Groundwork and Comic Relief have announced a new funding programme to support community groups and grass-roots organisations to deliver services and activities that benefit local people across England.

The Comic Relief Community Fund, which launched on Monday 14 October 2024 sees applications open for grants of up to £5,000 for core organisational costs, direct project related costs or a combination of both, on a flexible basis and depending on need.

Voluntary or community organisations including registered charities and not for profit companies which deliver against any of the four thematic areas can apply; tackling immediate impacts of hardship, building resilience to poverty and hardship, working to support equity and inclusion, or working to support climate justice.

Groundwork has worked with Comic Relief since 2019 as an intermediary funder in England with £5.9m invested to over 1,300 projects.

 

 14 October 2024

Communication from Babergh District Council

" We want to take the opportunity to share with you current grant funding opportunities available here in Babergh District Council Babergh District Council Funding - Babergh District Council - babergh.gov.uk / midsuffolk.gov.uk.  

Specifically we have:-

The Living Well in Winter Grants are aimed at supporting people in our communities to thrive over the winter months. The funding is targeted at helping community groups tackle issues prevalent in our communities over the winter months, and exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, such as increased social isolation and decreased physical activity. Up to £2,000 can be applied for towards new and existing activities to be delivered between December 2024 and March 2025, such as lunch clubs, warm spaces or subsidised sports sessions. Living Well in Winter Grants are open for applications until Friday 8 November, at which points applications will be assessed using a scoring matrix. 

Social Enterprise support and funding Support for Social Enterprises - Babergh District Council - babergh.gov.uk / midsuffolk.gov.uk The Social Enterprise Support Fund has been established to provide support to social enterprises within Mid Suffolk in their development.  More information, detailed guidance and the application form can be found on our website.

The Food Security Fund has been established to support small scale, community led, food initiatives such as community pantries, fridges and food pop-ups. Between £250 and £5,000 can be applied for, towards capital costs such as the purchase of equipment to support the preparation and storage of food or project and volunteer administration. 

Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, with applications being accepted within the 2024-25 financial year. Successful applicants will be required to deliver their project within 8 months of an offer being accepted."

 

9 October 2024

Communication from Babergh District Council