David Ruffley

'The fall in the housing market has already resulted in the loss of some of Suffolk's respected Estate Agents. They, and Suffolk's home owners, deserve support from the Government not dithering and political posturing.'

David Ruffley MP has this week called on Gordon Brown to suspend Home Information Packs (HIPs) to help boost Suffolk's beleaguered housing market.

Twelve months on from the introduction of HIPs there is growing evidence that they deter speculative sellers, increase transaction costs and reduce the number of housing transactions.

David Ruffley MP has this week expressed concern at proposals by the Government to scrap vital protection for local taxpayers from wasteful town halls and 'jobs for the boys' corruption.

The proposals were outlined by Government Ministers in a so-called 'Community Empowerment' White Paper.

In the small print of the White Paper, there are a series of controversial proposals which David opposes:

• Electors are to be given 'incentives' to vote in local elections, such as entry into prize draws or free doughnuts.

David Ruffley MP has today released details of the responses he has received so far to his online survey looking into shopping habits in Bury St Edmunds.

The responses so far are as follows:

• 58percent of Bury St Edmunds residents said their shopping visits to the town had decreased over the last 12 months

• 61percent of these gave parking problems as the reason

• The remaining 39 gave reasons including difficulty getting into the town centre, the cost of petrol and the economy generally.

David Ruffley MP has today released details of an online survey he has been running which reveals that 72percent of respondents are opposed to the Boundary Committee's recommendations for unitary councils in Suffolk.

Furthermore, 81percent of residents believe their Council Tax will increase as a result of the proposals and 49percent would rather see the status quo maintained.

The next most popular unitary solution, with support from 14percent of respondents, was the creation of unitary East, West, and Greater Ipswich Councils.

David Ruffley MP has today written to Archie Robinson, Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, regarding the state of the A14 at the former Rookery Crossroads site where the road appears to be sinking.

The Rookery Crossroads improvements were delivered six months late and £2million over budget. This is the second time since the completion of the scheme that the road has had to be repaired in the same location.

SPEEDING fines are costing drivers nearly four times more than when Labour came to power a decade ago.

The Government collected £106.4million in revenue in 2006- up from £28.5million in 1997.

The number of speeding tickets issued has also gone up, from 712,000 to 1.77 million.

The cost of a ticket has risen from £40 to £60 over the last 10 years.

The latest figures were obtained by the Conservatives who called on ministers to show how they are using the money to make Britain's roads safer.

MOTORISTS are paying four times more in speeding fines than when Labour came to power, according to figures obtained by the Conservatives.

Drivers are now paying pounds 200 a minute to the public purse, prompting the Tories to accuse the Government of treating them as "cash cows''.

In 1997, 712,753 speeding tickets were issued as a result of motorists being caught by camera and police patrols.

By 2006, according to figures released by the Home Office in a Commons written reply, this had soared to 1,773,412.

REVENUE from speeding tickets has almost quadrupled to £200 a minute since Labour came to power.

The increase has coincided with a massive expansion in the number of speed cameras.

Home Office figures reveal that 1.8million tickets are being issued each year, or 4,850 a day. In 1997, only 713,000 fixedpenalty notices were handed to drivers.

DISMISSIVELY nicknamed "plastic policemen'' and "Blunkett's bobbies'', Police Community Support Officers were getting a terrible press.

Just 28 per cent of the public had a positive view of the civilian patrol teams, and ministers were desperate to improve their standing.

So when, in 2005, a top media agency advised the Home Office that it could commission its own "fly-on-the-wall'' documentary about the officers and get it shown by ITV, the department leapt at the chance.

SERIOUS offenders are escaping with police cautions because forces are chasing performance targets, it was claimed yesterday.

The rising use of on-the-spot fines and cautions was blamed on pressure to improve crime detection rates.