David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP has today welcomed the news that Bury St Edmunds businesses have voted to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) covering the town centre.

There was a 32 percent turnout and of those who voted 59 percent supported the introduction of the BID, while 67 percent of the total rateable value of those voting also supported its introduction- a threshold of 50percent had to be passed by both measures for the BID to be introduced.

David Ruffley MP will tour Stowmarket on Friday, 4 December to meet charitable organisations which are expanding into Stowmarket or expanding their existing facilities. In the afternoon he will tour new retailers in Stowmarket town centre. Finally, David will receive a presentation from the young people involved in the XCHANGE project.

Following the second key meeting chaired by David Ruffley MP at which he put pressure on the parties involved to find additional sources of funding to provide the £38,000 needed to alleviate the flooding at Thurston Road, Beyton, the Highways Agency have today announced an additional contribution of £5,000.

In an announcement today, Brian Pitkin of the Highways Agency stated:

David Ruffley MP has today released new House of Commons figures which reveal that Suffolk Primary Care Trust's spending on managers and senior managers has increased by 230 percent over the last six years. Over the same period their spending on administrative and clerical staff increase by 100 percent while spending on nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff increased by 58 percent.

2002-03 spend on Managers and Senior Managers £2,425,000

2008-09 spend on Managers and Senior Managers £8,014,000

Hundreds of serial offenders are being given as many as nine or ten police cautions in a year rather than being taken to court.

Figures obtained by the Conservatives show that the number of criminals receiving more than one caution in a year has increased from 28,256 in 2000 to 43,512 in 2008, an increase of 54 per cent.

The number receiving nine cautions in a single year has increased by 33 per cent, from 45 in 2000 to 60 in 2008, and the number handed ten or more has increased by 74 per cent, from 137 in 2000 to 238 in 2008.

Hundreds of career criminals were handed ten or MORE cautions last year, it was revealed today.

The shock figures expose how hardened offenders are being let off with repeated slaps on the wrist. A total of 1,873 criminals have received ten or more cautions over the last eight years with 238 getting ten-plus in 2008 alone.

This figure has rocketed 74 per cent since 2000.

Another 60 were given nine cautions and 45,000 offenders were given two or more cautions in 2008. The Conservatives said last night that the figures showed cautions were no longer a final warning.

David Ruffley MP will attend the Gala Opening Celebration at the Regal Theatre in Stowmarket on Thursday, 4 March at 7.30 p.m.

The Regal was forced to close last September after a fire destroyed part of the building. It has now been refurbished and re-opens this week.

David said:

David Ruffley MP has welcomed the announcement by Suffolk County Council that work on the Beyton flood relief scheme is to go ahead in March this year. The work will be done in two stages; the first stage commences in March, the second after harvest this year.

David called and chaired meetings in July and November last year to bring all the parties together to find a solution to this longstanding problem.

David Ruffley MP has written to the Chief Executive of Suffolk PCT, Carole Taylor-Brown, challenging her to provide answers on the subject of out of hours GP provision in Suffolk.

David Ruffley today said:

'The Daily Mail alleged today that there are only two out of hours GPs covering 600,000 people in Suffolk, although Suffolk PCT are disputing this.

David Ruffley MP has launched a new survey at www.TellDavidRuffley.com to learn more about broadband connection speeds in his constituency.

Many residents in Suffolk are dissatisfied with the connection speeds their exchange currently offers and, therefore, David has launched a new survey to highlight which areas of the constituency are most in need of attention from BT.