David Ruffley

David Ruffley is holding urgent talks with Bury St Edmunds firefighters on Friday, 14th January at 2.00 p.m. at Bury Fire Station. He was contacted by Matt Hassey, a firefighter at Bury, when it became clear that there is a serious possibility of Bury Fire Station losing twelve firefighter posts.

This proposed cut in the service was highlighted in Suffolk Fire Authority's Draft Integrated Risk Management Plan 2005/6 which was put out for public consultation by the Public Protection Directorate of Suffolk County Council. The deadline for representations is the end of February.

David Ruffley will be visiting Unilever Bestfoods UK at Needham Market on Friday, 14th January at 11.15 a.m. to hold meetings with Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) officials and management following the announcement by the company that the Needham Market site will close in the second half of 2006. The T&G are campaigning to keep the site open.

David will meet Brian Smith, Regional Industrial Organiser, and Dave Rowland, T&G Shop Steward. He will then have a separate meeting with Alistair Joyce, Unilever Factory Manager.

David Ruffley will see for himself just how much time police officers have to spend filling in forms following an arrest when he is given a personal presentation by Suffolk Constabulary officers on Friday, 21 January at Suffolk Constabulary Western Area Headquarters at Maynewater House, Maynewater Lane, Bury St Edmunds.

We must postpone the introduction of reckless new licensing laws

David Ruffley MP this week added his voice to growing concern over the introduction of new licensing laws, which will allow an explosion in late night drinking. A senior judge has warned that town centres across Britain are becoming 'revolting and dangerous places' and young people are being turned into 'urban savages' because of the rise in alcohol-fuelled violence. David raised this issue when he appeared on Andrew Neill's 'Daily Politics' show on 11 January.

Ruffley calls for independent review of mobile masts

David has this week opposed the erection of a mobile phone mast in Cullum Road, Bury St Edmunds. He has leafleted the local area encouraging the public to have their say during the now closed consultation process.

David Ruffley has been invited to join the 1st Stowmarket Brownies and Guides at their weekly meeting on Friday, 28 January at 6.00 p.m. at the Guide Hall, Marriott's Walk, Stowmarket. Other Brownie and Guide packs in the town and Stowmarket Trefoil Guild members (adult former Guides) have also been invited to the meeting.

Press and photographers are welcome to attend.

David will talk to the Brownies and Guides about his work as a Member of Parliament and will be happy to answer questions on any topic- local or national- that they want to raise with him.

David Ruffley has called a second high level meeting on Bury St Edmunds bus services to be held at St Edmundsbury Borough Council offices in Angel Hill on Friday, 28 January at 11.00a.m. It will be attended by the following:

Dave Kaye, National Operations Director of First Group;

David Marshall, Acting Managing Director of First Eastern Counties;

Jerry Massey, Corporate Director, Economy & Environment at St Edmundsbury Borough Council (SEBC);

Cllr Jeremy Farthing, Portfolio Holder for Environment, SEBC;

The House of Commons Select Committee for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has today published their report on Gypsy and Traveller Sites. They have put forward a series of recommendations, including the introduction of a statutory duty on local authorities to make or facilitate the provision of sites for Gypsies and Travellers. David Ruffley has been campaigning on this issue since the establishment of a traveller's site near Woolpit this summer.

David said:

David Ruffley MP expressed grave concern this week at a new report from the Government admitting that burglars now regard robbing people's homes as a 'virtually risk free' activity.

The new report, compiled by the Home Office, investigated the attitudes of convicted house burglars. Even amongst those who have been caught:

• Only 1 in 10 burglars think there is a 'high likelihood' of being caught during a burglary or while in possession of stolen property.

• Almost two-thirds of burglars returned to a property they had previously burgled.

New proposals to reverse Labour's tax hikes for those on low and middle incomes

Ahead of the Government's annual mini-Budget at the beginning of December, David Ruffley MP this week launched new Conservative policies to cut the level of tax on low and middle income earners and pensioner savers in Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket.

David said: