Norfolk Matters Feb/Mar 02 23/1/02 4:33 Pm Page 1
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Norfolk Matters feb/mar 02 23/1/02 4:33 pm Page 1 Feb / Mar 2002 Norfolk Matters The Newsletter of Norfolk County Council Golden Fire Service Forthcoming Notes Changes Consultations Page 8 Page 5 - Inside Settlement means rises on the Have your say on the way - your views sought Budget proposals Norfolk County Council Leader A package of savings f you have a view about the Alison King is pressing the could see a rise in Ifinancial settlement or the level Government for a better deal on the cost of Meals on of proposed council tax, you can funding after reluctantly conceding Wheels from £2 to make your views known by substantial council tax increases are £2.25 each day and a contacting your local county councillor, writing to Alison King, on the way this year. rise in transport charges for people with learning Leader of the Council, at County Mrs King welcomed the Provisional disabilities wishing to attend day Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, or Revenue Support Grant settlement centres. e-mailing the Communications Unit which would see a 6.7 per cent on [email protected]. increase for Norfolk in its Standard Mrs King said she remains Spending Assessment - (a committed to lower levels of See page 6 for details of the calculation used to distribute council tax increases, but added: Council’s Cabinet. government grant to the County) - "This is deeply depressing to us, as compared to a 6.2 per cent it will be to others. Given what we Tracking the Budget increase for other English shire are likely to receive from the decision making counties for 2002/03. Government, the situation we inherited six months ago from the process through But Mrs King is concerned that previous administration and critical Norfolk County Council Norfolk's need to increase its pressures on some of the principal spending in areas such as Social services we provide - like education he County Council’s review Services is not being properly and social services, this is simply Tpanels have been meeting recognised under the current not possible for next year." throughout January to discuss funding arrangements and is She said the council's own how the settlement could impact pressing the Department of calculations showed that the funding on the particular services they Transport, Local Government and of key services for vulnerable people provide. the Regions (DLTR) for action. now accounted for almost all of the G The County Council’s Cabinet Norfolk is already spending at least possible council tax increase. meets at 10.30am at County 10 per cent more on social services "The latest provisional settlement from Hall on February 11 to debate than the Government's Standard the Government assesses that we need and then recommend a budget Spending Assessment allows for. to spend £131.9 million next year to to the full council meeting provide social services for our It appeared before Christmas that a G The budget could be ‘called in’ council tax rise of at least 10 per residents. But the simple truth is that for discussion by opposition cent was on the way, although the we are already spending £139.4 end of something called the council million on these services now - without councillors at Scrutiny tax benefit subsidy could help to taking into account any of the new Committee on February 18 at reduce this by around 2 per cent. pressures that we know will come our 10am way next year.We also know that even G The Full Council meets at Spending on education, social this is not enough. services, fire, highways and other County Hall on February 25 at services are all set to increase next "This is an issue on which we will 10am, it is here that all 84 year - despite a funding shortfall of continue to lobby the Government members of Norfolk county about £5.5 million. and to help with this, Norfolk County Council will agree the budget Council is leading a piece of work for Savings of £3.3million are being the County Councils Network to Members of the public are found across Norfolk County identify better and fairer funding welcome to attend any of these Council to help meet the shortfall. mechanisms for Social Services meetings and hear the debate. nation-wide". A copy of the Director of Finance’s Report and Mrs King’s recommendations are available on the front page of the County Council’s Internet site - www.norfolk.gov.uk There is free Internet access available to all registered users of Norfolk Libraries. Norfolk Matters feb/mar 02 23/1/02 4:34 pm Page 2 News In Brief taskforce involving Norfolk's Changes Ahead for A key political leaders has been formed to take the case forward for improving road access to the Norfolk County Council Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the growing Norwich Research Park. Changes are in the pipeline that will improve the way in which Norfolk County Council works at a local level across the Its formation follows the clear County. refusal of the Highways Agency to allow access to the hospital direct Until last year, a series of Area Committees based on the from the Southern Bypass. boundaries of Norfolk's district councils, provided a forum in which The group includes the leaders of to discuss local issues. Norfolk County Council, Norwich Now a review of the way the system was working has been carried City Council and South Norfolk out in the light of the need to develop Local Strategic Council and Norfolk MPs. Partnerships (LSP's) across the County. The Government is promoting LSP's as a simple concept - that Publicity code public, private, voluntary and community groups come together to Voluntary organisations funded by set services priorities; bring service providers together and ensure the County Council need to be that agencies know how they fit into the 'bigger picture.' aware that in any publicity they produce, they must have regard to As part of this, a Norfolk County Strategic Partnership will the Code of Recommended need to be set up at some stage in the future. In the meantime, Practice on Local Authority changes are being made to the Area Committee network so that Publicity.Amongst other things, the the new arrangements can feed into LSP's. code is concerned with ensuring Consultation on the future of Area Committees found strong that public money is not used by local authorities for party political support for the retention of a city and borough wide forum in both publicity.This applies to groups Norwich and Great Yarmouth and County Councillors will continue funded by councils, as well as the to meet on a district wide basis in both places. councils themselves.The code also Opinion was equally divided about whether the Area Committees says that "Publicity should not should have decision-making powers or budgets and further attack, nor appear to undermine, consideration will be given to this issue as local working develops. generally accepted moral standards." Further information In the more rural areas of Norfolk, the County will work with the will be published in a future edition district council and other local partners to determine the most of Norfolk Matters, but the full effective structure for local partnership working. code, as recently amended, can be In North Norfolk, the existing two area committees (east and found through this website: west) are likely to be retained with a district wide LSP.In South www.info4local.gov.uk Norfolk, it is likely the three existing Area Forums will be built on, 5 enterprising young people beneath the district wide South Norfolk Alliance. 7from all over Norfolk received In King's Lynn and West Norfolk three area forums may be the highest Duke of Edinburgh established working under the newly created LSP; in Broadland the Award - the Gold Badge presented proposal is for five area forums and in Breckland work is being by the Dean of Norwich Cathedral, the Very Reverend Stephen Platten. done for forums for the five market towns covering the district. Norfolk County Council Local Norfolk County Council leader Alison King said: Education Authority is the major "I believe these new arrangements are better suited to licence holder for the Duke of serve the people of Norfolk than those which they replace. Edinburgh Award Scheme and is We are committed to working locally and responding to supported by local industry and local issues, as best we can, and I look forward to further commerce and by teams of developing our links in the months ahead." volunteers operating in high schools and youth groups across Norfolk. People interested in finding out If you have a question about how the new more about the Duke of Edinburgh arrangements will work, contact Ian Lambert, Head Award Scheme in Norfolk should contact Alan Alderton on 01603 of Democratic Services, on 01603 222620 or email 744888. him at [email protected] 2 Norfolk Matters feb/mar 02 23/1/02 4:34 pm Page 3 ore than 112,000 people Latest on residential review Mvisited the new Norfolk & Norwich Millennium library in The The future of five upgraded care homes will be Forum during the first four weeks considered by Norfolk County Council's Cabinet at its meeting on of opening, compared to 50,000 for March 18th (10.30). an average month at the temporary The five County Council residential homes - Aegel House (Aylsham), sites being used before The Forum Beauchamp House (Chedgrave), Mountfield (Norwich), Mildred Stone opened.The new library is issuing House (Great Yarmouth), and Woodlands (Kings Lynn) - have all been 19,000 items a week and has improved to meet current registration standards.