David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP has today spoken of his outrage at the Government's bodged handling of the proposed merger of police forces in England and Wales. It is widely expected that John Reid, the Home Secretary, will officially scrap the proposals in a statement tomorrow.

Under the proposals Suffolk Constabulary was due to be merged with forces in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

David Ruffley has been opposed to the merger of police forces from the outset.

Ken Jones, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, has been quoted as telling every chief constable:

David Ruffley MP has today launched a survey, on Suffolk County Council's School Organisation Review, on his interactive website www.tellDavidRuffley.com.

At present Suffolk has a mixture of two types of schooling; two tier and three tier. In the two tier set up children attend Primary School from ages 4- 11 and Secondary School from ages 11- 16 (or 11- 18). In the three tier system children attend Primary School from ages 4- 9, Middle School from ages 9- 14 and Upper School from ages 13- 18.

David Ruffley MP will be attending the sixth annual St John's Street Fair on Saturday 17 June.

The annual Street Fair gives local retailers the opportunity to have stalls outside their shops. A jazz band, fairground rides and other musical acts will provide entertainment.

David will be met by Natalie Rice, the proprietor of the recently opened lifestyle boutique, Candle and Blue, and given a tour of retailers in the area.

David said:

'I am very much looking forward to visiting the annual St John's Street Fair.

David Ruffley MP will be given a tour of the new and ongoing improvements to Stowmarket Leisure Centre on Friday 14 July at 4pm.

Mr Ruffley will be met by Anselm Gurney, Leisure Administration Manager, Bob Halls, Fitness Manager, Cllr Tim Passmore, Leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, and Cllr Diana Kearsley, Mid Suffolk District Council Portfolio Holder for Community and Environment.

David Ruffley will be given a tour of the 'phase one' improvements to the leisure centre and shown the plans and current work for 'phase two'.

David Ruffley MP has today welcomed the news that the Home Secretary, John Reid, has delayed plans for the merger of police forces until the autumn.

A financial forecast drawn up for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recently suggested the merger could cost up to £600 million and, due to a funding shortfall, the equivalent of 25,000 police officers may be lost to pay for the amalgamation.

David Ruffley MP has today expressed his concern at the growing number of home repossessions in Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk county courts.

New House of Commons figures revealed in David Ruffley's written question to Harriet Harman, Minister of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, show that since 1997 the number of mortgage possession orders has shot up by 58 percent in Suffolk and a colossal 77 percent in Bury St Edmunds.

David Ruffley MP has renewed his calls for Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to be abolished on the day of their public board meeting which will discuss an overspend in excess of £100 million.

Based on draft accounts NHS bodies across the area overspent by a net £101 million in 2005/06.

The role of the SHA is to give financial advice, training and support to health trusts in the region.

David Ruffley MP has voiced his support for those protesting yesterday as part of the Alzheimer's Society national day of action.

The protestors were voicing their anger at the decision taken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), following a cost cutting move, to force people with dementia to wait for their condition to deteriorate into a state of confusion and fear before being prescribed drug treatments.

David Ruffley MP will be officially opening Pitman Training Bury St Edmunds on Friday 9 June.

Pitman Training is the oldest and longest running independent training company and has the largest independent UK network of training centres. There are more than 70 Pitman Training Centres all over the UK, Ireland and the Middle East, training 50,000 people every year.

The centre based at 1st Floor, Everards House, 2 Cornhill will give local residents and businesses the opportunity to train in high quality courses offering up-to-date office, IT and business skills.

David Ruffley MP, the Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform and Patron of West Suffolk Voluntary Association for the Blind (WSVAB), will be demonstrating the latest portable video magnifier to local Waitrose Department Managers Simon Dickinson and Clive Pollington on Friday 9 June at 3.30pm.

The device can help those with limited eyesight read product packaging and the important small print found on labels.

While at the store David Ruffley will collect a cheque on behalf of WSVAB for £1000 donated by Waitrose to WSVAB's 70th Anniversary Appeal.

David said: