The Conservative Group was pleased to support the proposed friendship agreement with Nettuno – a resort town in the Rome province of Italy. Nettuno has religious links with Ipswich through the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace in Lady Lane. Henry VIII ordered the shrine to be demolished in 1538 but this did not happen and the shrine was smuggled to Italy and ended up in Nettuno where the statue of Our Lady of Grace is now housed in a sanctuary.A replica statue has been erected in St Mary at the Elms church in Ipswich and annual pilgrimages take place between the two towns.
Cllr John Carnall the Leader of the Conservative Group supported having a friendship agreement with with Nettuno and expressed the hope that this would promote not only religious but also educational business and cultural links between the two towns. He also made it clear that in the current financial climate any expenditure on activities with Nettuno should be met from within the Council’s existing budget and there should be no provision for additional expenditure. Cllr Carnall expressed regret that a full Council meeting – probably costing Council tax payers a four figure sum – had been called to approve the friendship agreement. This was unnecessary as the Council’s Executive Committee which had met the previous week had full power to approve the agreement.
After the meeting Cllr Carnall said “the Labour Administration has already started to spend Council tax payers money unnecessarily. We shall certainly hold them to account for this and let the people know how their money is being misused.”