I DO KNOW MY TOWN UNLIKE SOME OTHERS.

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From Family

The seventh name down Thomas F Garrett is my grandfather. My mother never remembered him as she was only two when he left with his brothers to go and fight for our country. Their names are on the memorial in Christchuch Park close to where one of the polling stations for St.Margaret's ward will be. Like many thousands they were not conscripted but went as volunteers to give something back to their country. That is my family attitude in that we have always been involved with our town. My wife and I are involved with taking disabled people sailing and of course in saving Public Rights of Way in Ipswich. We seek no reward nor recognition but there are sometime issues where we have to stand up and be counted hence my candidature in this election. I am dismayed by the way our town has deteriorated over the last 30 years and the promises to halt the decline have not materialised. Our leaders do not seem to have made the connect between the increasing numbers of houses and the decreasing number of shops. More houses mean more cars and buses and of course much more congestion and pollution. The council seems to think the answer is to force more people to cycle or walk but it is rather difficult to do the weekly shop on a push bike. Christchurch Street and Bolton Lane have become rat runs with extremely high pollution levels. Cars on Norwich Road wanting to get into town use these routes via Anglesea Road as a rat run and in St Margaret's this is causing massive problems and it will get worse as more houses are built. Carry this on to the logical conclusion and one day there will be very few shops left. Nobody is going to build shops when customers cannot get to them and gradually the centre of the town will become a ghetto, in fact that is happening already. This continuous mad rush to "grow" our town is in fact shrinking it and the tipping point is close now. Vote for me and I will fight all development and I will also offer my ideas on how to decrease the traffic numbers too.