Welcome from your
Bungay Labour Party Recent News
The Bungay Rose
Suffolk County Council Labour Group has risen from 4 councillors, prior to May 2013 elections to a healthy 15 councillors now. Waveney District Council held a by-election on 8th August due to the death of Labour Councillor Mike IvesKeeler in June (Oulton Ward). Our candidate Len Jacklin was successful in holding the seat with an increased majority. The Conservatives however continue to retain a slim overall majority.
Sue Collins
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter Bungay branch Labour Party re‑established itself a year ago and we hope that you find this first edition of our newsletter informative. Future editions will carry articles and comments from as wide and diverse a group of local people as possible.
Current Issues
Waveney is a key marginal seat and our Parliamentary candidate is Bob Blizzard. Our office in Lowestoft and our fulltime local organiser will support both the general election campaign and the district council campaign that go to the Polls on the same day, The newly formed National Health watchdog is designed to be the ‘consumer’ voice - where individuals and groups can express their views on how local health services are
delivered. Given the Coalition Government’s hostile attitude to the NHS we need to be vigilant. Jenny Hyams, from Bungay GP Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG) is a member of the steering group for www.healthwatchsuffolk.co.uk.
Upcoming Richard Howitt, the only current Labour MEP for the Eastern Region will be running again in the European elections in June 2014. But now there are 6 other candidates from our region who will also be standing. The Waveney Constituency Labour Party AGM is scheduled for a 10am start on 2nd November at the Aspire Centre. All Party members are invited to attend. For a future branch meeting Julia Quantrill, one of our local Police Community Support Officers has agreed to come to a meeting and give a talk on local policing in Bungay.
Sue Collins
Meet Bob Blizzard
LABOUR CANDIDATE for WAVENEY in the 2015 GENERAL ELECTION SOMETHING WE ALL NEED
It’s a worrying fact that one in three people suffer from mental ill health at some time in their life. So we need to be sure that if we need it, the NHS will provide the mental health care we need. But sadly, the Tory/LibDem government is taking 20% out of our local NHS budget. The impact on mental health services looks to be devastating. Two dementia wards at our local mental health hospital at Carlton Court have already been closed, a community mental health team has been disbanded, and there are proposals to cut adult in-patient beds by more than half (from 42 to 20) and reduce front line clinical staff by 500 across Norfolk and Suffolk. We could lose all these beds from Carlton Court, threatening its whole future.
Bungay medical practice and patient group have voiced concerns. That’s why I’ve been campaigning against this outrage, holding protests outside Carlton Court. When I became Waveney’s MP in 1997, local mental health services were appalling, with no local in-patient beds. I’m proud I got the Labour government to invest in an extension to Carlton Court with new modern wards and expanded community mental health teams. Now we are going backwards. That’s one reason why I want to be your MP again. If you would like to know more about the campaign, email: bob@waveney.co
Bob Blizzard Promoted by Tod Sullivan, Aspire Centre, Yarmouth Road, Lowestoft, NR32 4AH Printed by Bungay Printers, 4b Market Place, Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1AW.
Bob Blizzard
Bob says… “Cameron says the govt has no money, yet in April he gave a huge income tax cut to millionaires while the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet. That can’t be fair! All in it together?”