Cliff Waterman
@westsuffolkcliff
Labour councillor and Leader of West Suffolk Council. Residents of West Suffolk can email me on cliff.waterman@westsuffolk.gov.uk
The latest edition of Thriving West Suffolk magazine is being delivered this week and next. Lots for everyone in and around West Suffolk!
Lovely scarecrow display in the Abbey Gardens. The gardens are looking really fabulous at the moment. And this feature and another one about bees, both provided by Crafty Foxes, bring even more to see! Thanks to the West Suffolk Council @westsuffolkcouncil.bsky.social gardening team too.
Went to the Abbey Front to be in a photo with the Town of Culture postcard... but I was distracted by this beauty!
Day 1 of the Local Government Association conference in Bournemouth. I've learnt about Total Place ideas to make council services more adapted to what local people want, the Secretary of State for local government outline his ambitious plans and done a fair bit of networking. Beach looks nice...
Wonderful music in St Edmundsbury Cathedral @stedscath.bsky.social this afternoon as part of the Civic Service for West Suffolk. The Anthem was a setting of the psalm 'Seek him that maketh the seven stars' by Jonathan Dove. Really did make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Down with the kids? Not really. My eldest granddaughter just got back from her third Saturday concert at Wembley listening to Harry Styles. So I'm catching up and listening to his album from 2022, Harry's House. Nice. I can see the attraction. Have a good Sunday!
Golden beer in the heat. Sensibly, it's zero percent alcohol.
Top hot weather tip for drivers: coming into Bury St Edmunds by car? Park in the underground car park under the arc shopping centre. It stays lovely and cool and your car won't feel like a furnace when you return.
35⁰C today on The Cornhill in Bury St Edmunds. Sensibly, the market has packed away early to keep stallholders and customers safe from the heat.
I was delighted to hear two of the young people speak their proclamation on Angel Hill on Sunday. They stand as brilliant ambassadors for their contemporaries, both in Suffolk and across the country.
It's Suffolk Day today, and the host town this year is Bury St Edmunds. There's a real buzz around town, especially in the Abbey Gardens, where I bumped into Andrea from RWS FM. Events are on all day, you still have time to get down there!
Opening of the new Keeping Tenants Cultivating area at Cotton Lane allotments. Brilliant community spirit, and thank you to the National Lottery for the funding!
Ukrainian and Pride flags flying alongside our Union flag after a period of mourning for a previous member of the council. A few people were worried we'd been got at by the dark forces of extremism, but it's just protocol when we have the passing of a member or past member.
With two of my cabinet colleagues at the Apex café to congratulate them on their 5 star hygiene award. Glad to say we brought the catering service in-house. Better for customers, better for staff, better for council tax payers. I can vouch for the coffee (strong and excellent) and the sausage rolls.
Some of the UK media are willing to call out Reform. The rest are enabling ReformUK to gaslight Britain. Well done Daily Mirror!
Lovely to meet Corporal Jones and Mr Godfrey yesterday at the Cars on the Green event in Bardwell. I'm told there's an interesting museum celebrating Dad's Army in Thetford @dadsarmymuseum.bsky.social - I've made a resolution to visit one day!
Lovely to meet our French visitors to Bury St Edmunds. The Friends of Compiègne is hosting this year, next year the visit will be to Compiègne. It's even more important to maintain these links with our European friends in times like these.
I enjoyed my discussion earlier today with Rob Dunger @robdunger.bsky.social from Suffolk Sound. We sat in the Abbey Gardens and chatted about what makes Bury St Edmunds such a wonderful place to visit. All recorded for use later in June on @suffolksound.bsky.social.
Definitely No Mow May in my garden. And lovely wild flowers adding a touch of colour.
Mindless vandalism in Bury St Edmunds. Reported and will be removed asap. This is what happens when a small angry and violent minority feel they have political support.
Pleased to be asked to say a few words at the opening of the Wellbeing Centre in the old Stour View surgery in Haverhill. West Suffolk Council bought the building two years ago, and worked with the town council and local organisations to repurpose it.
Lovely occasion today at the Deanery in Bury St Edmunds' Great Churchyard: a reception to say "thank you" to many of the voluntary groups whose work makes life so rich and varied in the town, and which helps alleviate disadvantage. Many thanks to BSE's mayor, Cllr Donna Higgins for the invitation.
Great to see the finished artwork in Market Thoroughfare highlighting Bury St Edmunds' slogan, "A Jewel in the Crown of Suffolk". Good use of UKSPF funding, courtesy of West Suffolk Council, to spruce up a previously dingy passageway between the arc shopping centre and the traditional town centre.
The Green Party love a dodgy bar chart, but they don't like this perfectly correct one that Labour is using in Bury St Edmunds. The fact is that only a vote for Labour can defeat ReformUK in Bury.
I know what's wrong at Suffolk County Council. And I know how we'll fix it.
Great to be launching our campaign for Suffolk County Council. I'm proud to stand as part of a team which brings practical experience of running a council. We'll put our skills to turning round the troubled county council.
Our PM Keir Starmer standing up to Trump, staying reasonable and measured. That's why he was elected PM.
I'm really pleased that there's so much support for Bury St Edmunds' Town of Culture 2028 bid. And a great logo!