Your green newspaper for Norwich

Public Services Special 2014

Green Party

Norwich Green Party: 205 - 206, Sackville Place, 44-48, Magdalen St, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1JU, 01603 611909Promoted by Spinoza Pitman on behalf of Norwich Green Party.Printed by Sharman and Company Limited, Newark Road, Peterborough, PE1 5TD.

Fighting public service cuts

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www.norwichgreenparty.org

Councillors across Norfolk are already discussing next year’s budget. With the Government’s austerity programme slashing Council funding and budgets for front line services, many cuts are being proposed. Green councillors fiercely oppose

the scale of cuts, and will fight to protect public services which children and vulnerable adults across Norfolk rely on for their basic care and good quality of life. We managed to save £1m of funding to personal budgets in 2014/15 that could otherwise have been cut.More needs to be done to ensure

adequate funding in future years too, particularly at the County Council where Council Tax has been frozen in recent years. Greens have always proposed

budget amendments which would increase Council tax in order to protect services. As the option to increase Council

Tax has not been properly worked out in previous years, we are calling for Councillors to be given fully worked out options for both 0% and 2% Council tax. A 2% rise this year would generate £34m of extra services over the next 5 years which could maintain a range of services that would otherwise suffer.

Well-funded public services allow decisions to be made for people, rather than for profit, and by elected councillors rather than companies. Councillor Lesley Grahame says:

“Increasing Council Tax is essential to ensure that vital services can continue, not just next year, but for years to come. ” This issue of Greenview looks at just some of the public services that Greens think are worth protecting from cuts.

Council tax increase? You decideA modest 2% Council Tax increase on the County Council will generate £89m for services over the next 5 years, and £34m a year by 2020. Let the Councils know if you want an increase in Council Tax or not.

Both the City and County Councils are consulting on their annual budgets at http://bit.ly/NorwichConsultations and http://bit.ly/Norfolk2015Budget . Please do give your views on services and council tax.

Parliamentary candidate, Lesley Grahame is pictured here with Green Party leader Natalie Bennett. Both are eager to see front-line services protected in Norwich.

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Norwich South City CouncilResult 2014

2 GreenViewPublic services special

Keep our council housing

Before 2009, Lap Dancing bar licence applications were treated like cafes, as part of the leisure industry. The public was afforded no special protections or say in the setting up of lap dancing bars in their towns. It has taken until now for Norwich City Council to produce and consult on a draft Sexual Entertainment Venues (SEV) policy for Norwich. Legislation allows for setting stricter and safer limits on Lap Dancing activity and number of venues. Norwich South Parliamentary candidate, Councillor Lesley Grahame has been working with residents and the campaign group ‘Norwich Objects’, for over four years. She said: “We will be working together to produce the most equal, fair and effective SEV policy for Norwich; a policy which reflects and protects the rights of all of our citizens, Norwich deserves nothing less.”

The Green Party opposes the Coalition government’s plans to sell off council housing to housing associations and other landlords. The new plans have already seen 30,000 council houses head towards private ownership at a cost of £300 million to the government. That money could build over 2,000 new houses in Norwich.

We believe that council housing should be kept public, as it can then help the maximum number of people for the amount of money spent. Housing for those in need should also be kept within democratic control, so that the people of Norwich, especially tenants, can have a proper say in their housing.

Monitoring lap dancing club applications

Greens believe that Norwich needs high quality public transport to help residents and visitors to get into and around the city. However, only 1 in 10 Norwich residents catches the bus to work. This is poor for a regional city.

The Green Party supports proposals for a Bus Rapid Transit network for Norwich. This remains on the back burner as Norfolk County Council does not have a good enough funding plan. Meanwhile, the County Council is actively promoting major road building around Norwich, valued in excess of £400 million.

Building major roads such as the Norwich Northern Distributor Road, before Bus Rapid Transit, would encourage more people to drive to business parks on green field sites around Norwich.

Councillor Denise Carlo says: “Greens want a transport network fit for the 21st century. A green transport strategy is needed based on public transport, walking, cycling, local rail and travel planning. Such a strategy would also reduce congestion, pollution and carbon emissions; it would improve public health and support the city centre economy.”

Greener, better transport for Norwich

As the local planning authority, Norwich City Council decides on all the planning applications which are submitted to it, and for each application, has to complete a public consultation.

Immediate neighbours of proposed developments get a letter notifying them of an application, and some applications require that a notification is put up on a nearby lamppost. Alternatively, you might hear about an application through the press, from the applicant themselves or through the council’s website.

You can find information about the application online at

planning.norwich.gov.uk or in person at City Hall. You willll need to find the application by address, postcode or reference number, and once you’ve found it can view plans and documentation by clicking on “view associated documents” on the “Documents” tab.

If you have any comments you would like to make, you can use the same website, or you can email planning@norwich.gov.uk (make sure you specify the planning application it is with reference to). You can also write to the planning department by addressing letters to: Planning Services, Norwich City Council, City Hall, Norwich, NR2 1NH.

Greens call for infrastructure spending on schoolsGreens want the city council

and county council to prioritise the spending of a £440m scheme, 12-year scheme, titled the Greater Norwich Infrastructure Plan (GNIP), on social projects like schools and community centres rather than costly road building schemes. Built into the Plan, which includes 37,000 new homes, is up to £406m of road schemes encompassing

the Wensum Valley Link to the Northern Distributor Road and the planned Thickthorn roundabout upgrades.

Greens want to emphasise that many of the schemes are vital for people - new schools; health, community and sports centres; and a good quality public transport system.

Councillor Andrew Boswell says: “The councils should freeze their

programmes for hugely expensive road developments. Except for essential improvements for safety, there is no need for new road infrastructure. Funding for social infrastructure like schools and community centres does not get enough priority. With councils under huge financial constraints, we call on the councils to face up to prioritising the services that people need now.”

Rule Your Council: How to comment on a planning application

A new series to help you impact on Norwich City Council

Lesley Grahame is a keen cyclist

3GreenView Public services special

Councillor supports school reading group

It is common to read in the press that Norfolk schools are ‘failing’ their pupils and Norfolk children have ‘low aspirations’. School children are constantly tested (whether we like it or not), and one result is that we know sometimes boys do less well than girls of the same age in reading and writing at primary school. Regardless of the reasons for this, a project at Magdalen Gates Primary school is tackling this issue head on. The club aims to encourage boys’ reading by inviting fathers, uncles, grandads, Governors into school once a week to read with boys who are struggling.

B.E.R.T. (Boys Enjoy Reading Too) club has its own boy-friendly story books and club stamp which the pupils collect each week, leading to awards for good progress. Green councillor Richard Bearman has been helping on Wednesday afternoons with ½ hour sessions to demonstrate the message that reading is a vital life skill for both adult men and women to succeed.

Pictured:Councillor Richard Bearman reads Edwardo, the horriblest boy in the Whole Wide World with a pupil at Magdalen Gates Primary School.

In August President Obama declared the west had ‘no strategy’ for dealing with the advance of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq. He might have added ‘which makes any long term sense’. Weeks later the world saw the USA adopting an old and familiar western strategy by entering into a bombing campaign against IS.

Most reasonable people would agree that IS is a vicious and inhuman regime. However, IS is tapping into deep seated resentment within Syria and Iraq against western meddling for nearly a century. When I worked with Iraqi geologists in the early 1980s the country was locked in a vicious war with Iran, as Saddam

Hussein tried to take advantage of the confusion that followed the Iranian revolution. The west stood by as the war took its toll. I asked my Iraqi colleagues about the war. Naturally they were reticent about criticising the regime and seemed resigned to it. However they were quick to remind me of the betrayal they felt at the hands of Britain following the first world war. The agreement that T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) had brokered, promised the Arab tribes of Mesopotamia self determination, having been encouraged to fight against Turkey by Britain. That agreement was secretly reneged on by the British within a year. When the Arab tribes rose up in protest

they were brutally put down with a carpet bombing campaign by the British. One hundred years on the British Government should be providing aid and safe havens for the millions of refugees, not getting involved in yet another misguided bombing campaign.

Norwich North’s Adrian Holmes on the Middle East

Norfolk County Council’s provision of social care to adults will face some major challenges over the next months and years.

With huge budget cuts already over the previous few years, there will be more to come as Adult Social Care Services must absorb their share of the

reduction in local government funding. In addition to this are the new responsibilities placed on the Council by the Care Act. While the aims of the new legislation are to be applauded – it consolidates existing legislation for adult social care in England into a single framework and introduces reforms to the way

care and support will be accessed and funded; however, there is serious concern that there will be insufficient funding to implement these reforms.

The Green Party will continue to work hard in providing adequate coverage across Norfolk for adult social care in the future.

Maintaining adult social care amid cuts

Three years ago, Norwich City Council cut the tree planting budget by two-thirds. The tiny amount of money left in the budget can only plant trees in Conservation Areas and remove, but not replace, diseased trees. 2161 trees have been removed since 2011, and only 672 were replaced.

The Green Party believes we need trees across our city. Last year, we put forward a budget amendment asking for 5% of the grass-cutting budget to be put into re-planting street trees. It was rejected by the Labour cabinet.

However, thanks to our campaign, Councillor Amy Stammers has secured money from an external

source for trees on Clarkson Road. We also have a commitment from the council that any money remaining after planting trees in Conservation Areas can be used in the rest of the city.

And, thanks to public support for our campaign, the City Council has set up a tree sponsorship scheme. However, as it costs £250 for each

tree, it’s unlikely to be affordable for many people.

We know trees are an important part of our city’s character. They’re also useful, helping protect against flooding and pollution. We’ll keep campaigning for the council to increase funding for trees to show their importance to our communities.

Continued campaign to protect street trees

Cllrs Jones and Bogelein highlight the plight of a street tree on Dereham Rd cut down but not replaced

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Lesley Grahame: Save our NHS from TTIP trade deal

The Green Party has consistently campaigned for services to be kept in public hands, and to remain free when needed, paid for by fair tax.

Services like the NHS are vital to everyone at some time in their lives. It’s been a much loved national institution since 1948, when post-WW2 society agreed that everyone should receive care when needed, regardless of wealth. Putting people first is not compatible with a service run by for-profit companies, and this is clear to the vast majority of people, who oppose privatization of the NHS and other essential services.

Our NHS is threatened by the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade agreement between the USA and the UK. It aims to increase trade between the two countries. This may

sound like a good idea but the agreement includes removing barriers on companies getting involved in our services resulting in a drop in standards.

If it goes ahead, up to 2 million jobs could be lost in the UK. Corporations could sue governments for bringing in policies that help their citizens

but harm company profits. In Slovakia, the government has had to hand over £17 million to a Dutch insurance company, Achmea, just for introducing public healthcare insurance to benefit poorer Slovaks. And it’s all being debated behind closed doors, because the more people know about TTIP, the more they

realize how opaque and harmful it has the potential to be.

The NHS is at risk, as even more of it could be bought by private companies under TTIP. We’ve already seen how, under previous governments, selling it off has resulted in worse care for patients and better profits for private companies. For it to be fair and equal for all the NHS needs to be run by people without an interest in making money, just an interest in making people better.

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