David Ruffley

David Ruffley has expressed his delight that the Museum of East Anglian Life (MEAL) has been awarded £1.771 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop the Museum.

David said: 'This is absolutely wonderful news. I congratulate everyone at the Museum of East Anglian Life on their hard work to achieve this award. I have supported from the outset MEAL's proposals to develop this great Museum into a flagship institution for Stowmarket.

David Ruffley has strongly criticised the limited proposals for acoustic barrier installation work outlined in the Highways Agency report on noise hotspots along the A14 in Bury St Edmunds as being 'too little, too late'.

David has been sent a copy of the report: Noise Hotspots- A14 Bury St Edmunds Bypass- Review of RPS Report 2001 published by the Highways Agency.

David Ruffley MP, today commenting on Post Office closure plans in his constituency under the government's 'network change programme' said:

'This is a not-work programme, not a network programme. Six of my sub-Post Offices are marked for outright closure, two of them in Stowmarket- at Crown Street and at Combs Ford, which is bad news for Stowmarket. On top of that, skeletal or outreach services will only operate in the Gislingham and Wattisham areas, which are also earmarked for closure.

David Ruffley MP will be meeting with the Chief Executive of Havebury Housing Association, Steve Cook, on Friday 28 March to discuss the provision of affordable homes in Suffolk and the National Housing Policy.

Housing Associations working with St Edmundsbury Borough Council have recently secured £3.5million in funding for 161 new affordable homes over the next three years. Another 74 homes are also in the pipeline.

David said:

'The current state of the housing market can make it incredibly difficult to get on the property ladder.

David Ruffley MP has today congratulated Needham Market FC on their spectacular FA Carlsberg Vase run.

David was at today's semi-final second leg match against Kirkham & Wesham in which Needham Market were attempting to overcome a 3- 2 deficit from the first leg.

Needham Market fought valiantly and ended up losing the second leg 1- 0 to go out of the competition 4- 2 on aggregate.

David said:

David Ruffley visited Gislingham Post Office on Saturday, 29 March and met sub-postmaster, Geoff Lawrence, to discuss the proposals by Post Office Ltd for an outreach service in the village.

The proposal is to close Gislingham Post Office and open an outreach service point at The Six Bells public house in Gislingham High Street.

However, David was informed that the owner of The Six Bells may be moving and therefore there is no certainty about an outreach point at the pub.

David Ruffley MP has today released new House of Commons figures, obtained during his questioning of Angela Eagle, Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury, which reveal that the number of alcohol related deaths in Suffolk has hit a ten year high.

In 1997 there were 37 deaths, in which alcohol was the primary cause, recorded in Suffolk. In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 70 alcohol related deaths.

David Ruffley MP, the Shadow Minister for Police Reform, has this week offset all the carbon emissions caused by his driving over the past 12 months.

By making a payment to www.climatecare.org David has ensured that all emissions his driving has been responsible for have been offset.

Climate Care offset carbon emissions by funding projects around the world. These can be in:

• Renewable energy- this replaces non-renewable fuel such as coal

• Energy efficiency- this reduces the amount of fuel needed

David Ruffley MP has today welcomed the news that Bury St Edmunds will be having Christmas Lights in 2008.

At a special meeting of Bury St Edmunds Town Council last night the motion to sell the lights was officially rescinded and a new committee to run the lights was formed.

Earlier this year, David called a Christmas Lights summit meeting at which it was agreed that the Town Council would rescind its motion to sell the lights to the highest bidder if nobody came forward to take the project on.

David Ruffley's constituency wide 'Save our Post Offices' petition has now exceeded 5,000 signatures. And with more local petitions still to be collected the final total is expected to rise much higher.

On Friday, 29 February at 4.15 pm David will visit Woolpit Post Office where he will meet Jim Peek, the sub-postmaster, and be presented with the petition signatures collected at Woolpit Post Office.

Press and photographers welcome.