David Ruffley

David Ruffley MP this week announced that the Conservatives will abolish university tuition fees. Conservatives' radical plans will boost higher education funding, scrap tuition fees, reduce student debt and provide for an extra £21 billion investment in universities. Local Conservatives have been pleased by the positive response nationally to this new policy.

David Ruffley will this week be raising the important issue of the travellers camp at Woolpit and the inability of our planning laws to deal with Suffolk concern about the system.

David Ruffley said:

'I am glad that I have been able to use my influence with the Speaker to secure a debate in the House of Commons this Thursday, the 16th September. I promised my concerned constituents that I would raise their views at the very highest level and I will now be challenging the Government in Parliament to look at this situation with some urgency.

The West Suffolk Branch of the Alzheimer's Society, of which David Ruffley is Patron, is holding a 'Memory Walk' at Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds on Sunday, 19 September commencing at 10.00 a.m.

The traveller encampment off Norton Road near Woolpit has now become a national issue. David Ruffley was today reported in The Times expressing his concern. Mr Ruffley already last week asked some specific legal questions of Mid Suffolk District Council.

David Ruffley has acted immediately following calls from constituents in Woolpit, Tostock and Elmswell concerned about the travellers who have set up an encampment in a field on the outskirts of Woolpit.

The text of the letter David has sent today to Councillor Roger Saunders, Leader of Mid Suffolk District Council is below:

I have been contacted this morning by constituents in Woolpit, Elmswell and Tostock concerned about the newly established travellers' encampment on land north of the A14 and west of the A1088 on the edge of Woolpit.

John Prescott's Department has recently published new planning guidelines on countryside development, with small print that weakens existing planning protection against building on Suffolk's rural acres. David Ruffley MP warned that this would weaken local council's ability to protect against unwanted development. By contrast, Conservatives nationally have pledged to make it easier to create new Green Belts across the country, including in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and surrounding areas.

Mr Ruffley explained:

A written parliamentary answer published in the House of Commons has exposed the shocking deal that schools in Suffolk have received from this Government.

The figures released by the Minister of State for Schools, Mr Miliband, show that shire counties such as Suffolk have been dealt with extremely poorly by this urban centred Labour Government. The figures clearly demonstrate that funding increases over the past seven years have favoured urban areas over rural areas, in particular shire counties.

Mr Ruffley said:

David Ruffley MP, today attacked the Chancellor over the extraordinarily high fuel prices in Suffolk and warned the Chancellor may raise tax again. The Chancellor has now bowed to enormous pressure from both the public and the Conservative Party and deferred for two months the latest fuel tax rise. HOWEVER THE CHANCELLOR HAS REFUSED TO RULE OUT THE RISE ALL TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE.

Mr Ruffley said:

Having analysed recently published Home Office crime statistics (for the financial year 2003/04) it is clear more robbers are going unpunished across the Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket areas. The detection rate for robberies has fallen by 8% to just 29% in the last year across the Western sector of Suffolk Constabulary, which covers both Bury and Stowmarket. This now means that two thirds of all robbers are not being caught for the crimes they commit.

Mr Ruffley said:

David Ruffley will be paying a visit to Felsham Street Fair which is being held on Sunday, 5 September in the centre of the village. David will be arriving at 2.30 p.m. and will be escorted round the Fair by Mike Davis, Chairman of Felsham Parish Council.