Cornhill – The Verdict

We have all eagerly awaited the unveiling of the work to transform the Cornhill, a vital cog in the fortunes of our Town Centre.

Early opinions have been mixed and to add to the debate I think it is wonderful and could be a real boost to the fortunes of our Town. It gives us a focal point to be proud of and it’s modern look should serve us well in the coming years.

Let’s not forget this project was started after the Cornhill was described by Lord (Stuart) Rose (who knows a thing or two about the viability of Town Centres), as ‘depressing’.

As wonderful as it does look Conservative Councillors have the responsibilty of holding the Labour Council to account as we are all aware the project hasn’t been without its problems.

Did it come in on budget?  The answer we got was; No, all costs are not yet in and we are already £50k over budget.

Were the Contractors fined for not completing it on time?   NO, despite us checking before the work started that penalty clauses WOULD be paid if the Contractor was late

How many accidents so far?   We were told of 3, we asked if this was because the Contractor rushed the work to finish on time or was it because we had to cut costs to save money?

Why weren’t the plinths finished (the concrete is yet to be ‘polished’) after they were installed?    Because they were late being delivered on site – again, NO penalties were paid.

This is our job, to ensure residents get the answers they deserve after so much of your money was spent on the project.

We must remain a strong opposition and hold the Council to account, if you want questions asked on your behalf get in contact and we will find the answers for you.

 

 

The Hold will transform people’s ability to engage with Suffolk’s history.

Work has started on the £20m project to transform Suffolk’s Record Office service. The Hold project is a partnership between Suffolk County Council and the University and will see a new flagship heritage facility located close to the Ipswich Waterfront. Cllr Paul West, Cabinet Member at Suffolk County Council with responsibility for Heritage said      “the transformed Record Office Service will be more than just a new building. Plans to actively engage a greater number of Suffolk residents in the county’s rich past will be at the heart of the new service”.
The service will be audience focussed and reach out to all parts of Suffolk through activity and digital programmes. Young people and those people living with dementia will be two groups that the service will aim to engage with.
The new building which will be open to the public in 2020 will hold 86% of the county’s vulnerable archive material. The current Ipswich Record Office in Gatacre Road will close and move its service to the new building. The new service will maintain a record office service in a building in both Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft.

Above is SRO’s oldest exhibit: Henry I’s charter to the monks of Eye Priory.