When I agreed to write these articles for The MJ, I didn't realise the publication dates I was given would always be at critical stress points. So, again, I am writing this the week before the due date for the announcement of the Parliamentary Order on the Local Government Review. Many of you may have lost interest in the subject, but for those of us in the ‘mixer', it is an all-consuming issue. I won't express any views on the relative merits of any other areas, but I can say that Suffolk CC and Ipswich BC have worked closely together, while respecting our differing views. And this is how it should be. All councils are faced with difficult budget decisions. And, after years of cutting costs, it is difficult to think of new economies. One very positive way forward is to encourage and develop joint working with other local authorities. Ipswich has developed excellent working relationships with a number of local councils. As we approach Christmas, all of us in Ipswich are reminded of the sad events of last year, with the murder of five young women, and we will come back to the trial being held in January at the Crown Court – next to our HQ. The council has excellent working relationships with the police, county council and local media, and we are proud of the way our community faced up to the trauma of the events and piloted a positive improvement programme to reduce prostitution by enforcement, and working to reduce drug dependency. Many years ago, when I first became chief executive, I remember attending a conference on the Lockerbie tragedy. One of the lessons learned was, that in the course of our careers, a major incident might well occur in anyone's local authority area. Unfortunately, this has proved to be very true, with all manner of tragic incidents across the country. The need for emergency planning training is obvious, so don't put it off. James Hehir is chief executive of Ipswich BC
