Norwich Green Party | Mancroft Ward Newsletter

The Norwich Green
Newsletter of the Norwich Green Party

MANCROFT EDITION		FEBRUARY 2005
Empty Properties Success! Trial closure of Orchard Street Latest on (late) licensing policy Norfolk Schools Let Down by PFI Deal Collapse Surgery Times Contacting Mancroft Greens

EMPTY PROPERTIES SUCCESS!

Norwich City Council has at last abolished the 50% council tax discount for owners of long-term empty properties. Until now, owners of properties that have been empty for more than six months have only been charged half the normal council tax rate. Green Councillors first challenged this discount a year ago, arguing that scrapping it would provide an incentive to owners of such properties to carry out any necessary maintenance work and make them available for renting or sale as soon as possible.

Councillor Jessica Goldfinch, Green Party housing spokesperson, said: "I'm delighted this Green policy has now been adopted with cross-party support. Bringing empty properties back into use is important to help ensure local housing needs are met.

"However, the Green Party continues to believe that the Council should insist on a higher level of low-cost housing in new developments. This measure - which the other parties have so far rejected - is needed in order to significantly increase the amount of affordable housing available locally."

Trial closure of Orchard Street

A recent meeting of the Joint Highways Committee of the City and County Councils considered two requests from Mancroft residents. The requests were for a pedestrian crossing at the busy St Augustine's Gate junction and a trial closure of Orchard Street.

The trial closure was approved, which is wonderful news for Orchard Street residents. But Council officers said that there are currently insufficient funds in the relevant budget for initiatives like the St Augustine's scheme to be fully funded.

Green Party Councillor Rupert Read argued that pedestrian safety projects such as these should be a priority over expensive road-building such as the planned Northern Distributor Road and the proposed dualling of the B1108.

Dr Read said: "Ensuring our streets are safe for pedestrians must be the number one priority. That is why, unlike the other parties, we would switch money from road-building to road-safety schemes. Just a fraction of the Ł140m Northern Distributor Road price tag would enormously improve pedestrian safety, bus services and provisions for cyclists.

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Latest on (late) licensing policy

Responsibility for issuing licenses to pubs will this month transfer from magistrates to local councils. The Government's new legislation also means that pubs can apply to have a late license throughout the year.

The Green Party believes that this legislation could help tackle the anti-social behaviour problems that result from several pubs in one area closing at the same time. However, a worrying weakness of the legislation is that councils must grant licenses where there have been no objections to the application. The Green Party is therefore pushing the the Council to conduct thorough consultation on license applications.

Green Party member Andrew Boswell - who was just 300 votes short of winning in last year's Mancroft election - said: "It is vital that local residents are fully consulted on these applications and I would urge people to send in their views. Green Party Councillors argued that the Council's new licensing policy should include environmental sustainability as a key factor to be taken into account when considering applications. This would have enabled Councillors to ask potential licensees about their provision for locally-brewed ale and recycling of glass bottles. It was extremely disappointing when LibDem and Labour Councillors voted down these latter proposals."

Norfolk Schools Let Down by PFI Deal Collapse

The recent collapse of the proposed Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal means that planned maintenance work for schools across Norfolk has been halted. Plans for new buildings have also fallen through until alternative funding is arranged. The PFI scheme was drawn up by Norfolk County Council and Norwich South MP Charles Clarke.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich South, said: "The collapse of this PFI scheme has let down residents across the county. PFI schemes are in any case a dreadful way of funding public services. They result in debt being owed to private companies from the Government and Councils for decades to come - and the taxpayer picking up the bill.

"Green MPs and County Councillors would push for straight-forward public funding for these services and an end to the short-sighted PFI schemes which generate short-term cash but long-term debt."

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Surgery Times

Your Green Party Councillors hold the following surgeries. Just turn up to meet us:

Last Friday of each month
Cadge Road Community Centre
10-11am

Second Monday of each month
Belvedere Community Centre
Belvoir Street
6-7pm

Contacting Norwich Greens

Your Green Party Councillors continue to take up local issues of concern with the Council. If you have anything you would like us to investigate or any questions please contact us:

Norwich Greens
15 Connaught Road
Norwich
NR2 3BP

T (01603) 503607
E Norwich Greens

We would be pleased to hear from you

The Norwich Green is published by Adrian Ramsay, 98 George Borrow Road, Norwich, NR4 7HU on behalf of Norwich Green Party, 15 Connaught Road, Norwich, NR2 3BP.