In his 27 years as our local MP, Sir Michael Lord has amassed a wealth of understanding of local problems.
On Friday morning, 4th December, I met and discussed with Sir Michael Lord and his wife Jenny about the important
issues and challenges facing Central Suffolk and North Ipswich.
Among the many aspects we covered Sir Michael highlighted supporting rural communities, looking after our senior citzens, the need to uprate skills,
the need to tackle growing congestion around Ipswich, better rail services, the need to resist hosuing overdevelopment,
risks to local healthcare from the proposed downgrading of Ipswich Hospital, contracting out of after hours care
and the closure of community hospitals and the and strategies for tackling drugs and deprivation in North West Ipswich.
Sir Michael Lord congratulates Kesgrave resident Warner Duff who was among the ten finalists in the ITV Feelgood Factor Award, part of the Daily Mirror
Pride of Britain contribution to support the Department of Health?s change4life campaign. The award recognises outstanding
individuals who have gone the extra mile to support and enable others to change their lives for the better in a health
or activity related way.
The ten from Anglia, Meridian, London, West and West Country, Central, Wales, Tyne Tees and Border, Yorkshire, Granada
and Ulster were among hundreds of individuals nominated by viewers of ITV regional news programmes over the summer.
Viewers had been asked to put forward remarkable people whose commitment to health and activity had brought
transformational results for themselves and others.
To celebrate the achievements of all ten ITV Feelgood Factor regional finalists Sarah Brown hosted a reception at
No.10 Downing Street on the day when the finalists come to London for the Awards ceremony.
Sir Michael Lord, MP for Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, recently held a meeting with senior officials of the National
Grid to discuss the vexed question of pylons across the Suffolk countryside.
Sir Michael met Jim Street, Senior Project Manager, and Sarah Wilcox, the Regional Communications Adviser, who outlined
the 4 possible routes to be taken from Bramford to Twinstead. The upgrading is being made necessary by increased
electricity generation to meet increased demand. It is not expected that the changes will occur for some years.
Most of the network lies outside Sir Michael's constituency. The National Grid representatives explained the extensive
consultation process they are undertaking to explain the situation and to obtain the views of people on the various
routes who may be affected.
Michael has given his support to Ipswich's battle against the recession. Cutting the ribbon at Experiences Connect on the Whitehouse Industrial Estate Michael
praised local firms as crucial in the fightback. "To come to a company like this where they are at this moment recruiting 20 new jobs is heartwarming."
Michael presented an award to outstanding employee of the month Craig Hunt.
Ipswich Borough Councillor Steven Wells - a founder Director of Experiences Connect - commented, "The UK at the moment has far too many organisation and too many people
willing to stick their head in the sand rather than do something positive.
New North Ipswich and Central Suffolk parliamentary hopeful Dr Dan Poulter today pledged to fight the removal of crucial services from the town's hospital.
Gynaecologist Dr Poulter has been chosen by the Tories to defend the seat, currently held by Sir Michael Lord who is stepping down after 27 years.
He comes to Suffolk with the track record of successfully campaigning to save Epsom Hospital in Surrey from closure.
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Dr Daniel Poulter, a hospital consultant in Surrey, is to make Ipswich Hospital services a key plank of his election campaign as he seeks to win the North Ipswich and Central Suffolk seat for the Conservatives in next year's general election.
During his election hustings on Friday, Dr Poulter made the future of the hospital a key issue in his pitch to voters from the constituency.
He said: ?I will fight to ensure the retention of cardiac and cancer care services and to stop their transfer to Norwich, Basildon and Cambridge.?
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A gynaecologist from Surrey has been chosen by Conservatives as their parliamentary candidate for the safe seat of Central Suffolk and Ipswich North.
Dr Daniel Poulter defeated five other candidates in the ballot to succeed Sir Michael Lord, who is standing down after 27 years as an MP.
Mr Poulter, whose fiancée Joanna grew up in mid Suffolk - her parents still live in Great Finborough - pledged to resign his post immediately as a specialist in obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley, and to find health care work in Suffolk in the run-up to the General Election.
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Dan joined Kesgrave's senior citizens at the Bell Inn for their Chrismas Lunch. This annual event is laid on by
District Councillor Debbie McCallum, landlady of the the Bell seen here with Dan wearing santa claus outfit.
Dan toured the Second Stop Shop with shop manager, District Councillor Sally Ogden. The shop which sells second hand
clothes, books, cd's reguoarly raises substantial amounts of money for local charity. Indiviudals and organisations in need
of fund can apply to Sport and Recreation in Kesgrave.
charity.
Dan toured the Centre, the major provider of sport and recreational facilities in the town with General Manager, Alan
Smith and Operations Manager, Mary Bradley. The Kesgrave Community Centre is the major provider of sport and recreational
facilities in Kesgrave.
Whilst visting the Hoxne Christmas Bazaar, Dan was briefed on the work Conservative
led Suffolk County Council is doing to improve transport infrastructure in Suffolk despite a shoe string
budget provided by Labour. Dan met and talked to a lot of people about supporting rural communities, bought a fruit
cake and donated money for the new toilets.
Dan is pictured with Cnty Cllr Guy McGregor, Cabinet Member for Environment, Planning and Transport.
Dan visited Eye with Cnty Cllr Charles Michell to introduce himself to residents and shopkeepers and to discuss ways of supporting Eye, rural communities and shops and the importance of developing a fully functioning community hospital with beds at Hartismere. In the evening he attended the switching on of the Christmas lights, visited the Christmas Fair in the Town Hall and discussed ways of supporting local projects for the Church and a New Roof for Eye Town Hall.
Dan is pictured outside the well know Bloomindales local store with Cnty Cllr Robin Vickery reviewing issues in Whitton and Whitehouse. Later, he attended the Annual Dinner of the North Ipswich Association to discuss the key issues in Ipswich, stopping the Labour cuts at Ipswich Hospital and promoting Ipswich as a regional centre for employment.
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