In this issue

Save the Puppet Theatre!
Road safety plans
Safer Neighbourhoods update
Greens help cut Council energy bill
News in brief

Save the Puppet Theatre!

The future of Norwich Puppet Theatre has been left uncertain following the withdrawal of the £60,000 annual grant from the Arts Council for England. The theatre, which educated and entertains 10,000 people each year, needs £180,000 annually to run. This is made up of income from shows and grants from the City and County Councils as well as the grant from the Arts Council.

At the last full City Council meeting, Green Councillor Adrian Ramsay asked what action the City Council is taking to help the Puppet Theatre survive. He was told that senior councillors and council officers are in behind-the-scenes discussions with the people running the Puppet Theatre about how to try to put it back on a firm financial footing. The Green Councillors also responded to the Arts Council consultation to support the case that the Puppet Theatre grant should not be cut.

Councillor Stephen Little, Culture Spokesperson for the Green Party City Councillors, said: "The Puppet Theatre is a crucial cultural facility that deserves full support. It is disappointing to say the least that the Arts Council has withdrawn its grant. The County Council has given the theatre extra money to help in the short term and I hope it can use that breathing space to find enough ongoing income to survive in the long-term."

Photo: Green Councillors Stephen Little, Adrian Ramsay and Bob Gledhill at the recent Save the Puppet Theatre march.

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Road safety plans

Green Party Candidate Peter Offord (left) writes…

When visiting residents in Thorpe Hamlet Ward one of the main issues people raise with me is the need for road safety measures in various areas. I am pleased to report that the Council now has plans to tackle road safety problems in three areas of the ward:

• Riverside Road has been made a priority for traffic calming works. The Council will soon consult local residents on the details of the proposals but they are likely to include one or two crossing islands.
• Works are due to start this month to improve pedestrian safety around the crossing on Cattle Market Street. The works will include pavement widening in several locations, widening of the central crossing island and measures to prevent parking on the paved corner near the King Street junction.
• Due to the accident record and speeding problems on Rosary Road Council officers are designing a scheme to improve pedestrian safety in the area. Residents will be consulted over the details of the proposed scheme this summer.

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Safer Neighbourhoods update

The last meeting of the Thorpe Hamlet and Heartsease Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel decided that the community policing priorities for the area should be:

• To secure the re-opening of the Heathgate Community Centre and tackle anti-social behaviour in that area.
• To address soliciting and associated anti-social behaviour in the Rosary Road area.
• To address safety issues in Pilling Park.

The next public meeting of this Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel is on Monday 10 March 2008, 7pm at Heartsease High School, Marryat Road. At the meeting police officers will report on progress in addressing the priorities set last time.

Residents will then be able to suggest community policing priorities for the next three months. Peter Offord (Green Party Candidate for Thorpe Hamlet Ward) will be at the meeting. Please get in touch (details below) if there are any issues you would like him to raise at the meeting on your behalf. Peter said: "Some residents have already contacted us regarding noise in the early hours of the morning on Riverside Road from clubbers on their way home. If you have any experiences of this or similar issues where you feel police patrols could help please let us know."

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Greens help cut Council energy bill

The County Council has agreed to 21 innovative recommendations from a working group looking at ways it can reduce energy usage. Chaired by Nelson Green Party Councillor Andrew Boswell, the group investigated energy saving across buildings and services - both to save money and to help cut the Council's carbon footprint by 25 per cent over five years.

Green Councillors at City Hall have been pushing for over a year for a similar working group to be set up there. A Green Party motion calling for year-on-year reductions in emissions from Council buildings and services was passed in January 2007. However, at the time of writing, it seems the Labour administration is still stalling on setting up a working group to oversee this process.

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News in brief

The next public meeting of the Mousehold Tenants' and Residents' Association is on Monday 3 March 2008, 7pm at Don Pratt Court off Mousehold Street. Peter Offord, Green Party Candidate for Thorpe Hamlet Ward, will be there to hear about the issues that local residents raise.

The County Council is conducting a review of special educational needs (SEN) schools which could result in a reduction in the number of SEN places available in the Norwich area. Green Councillors are working with parents at Parkside School to press for an increase in the number of SEN places and for the successful models of SEN schooling, such as that at Parkside, to be retained.

A new small business support scheme called Invest in Norwich has recently been launched. Under the scheme businesses can apply for a grant towards initiatives that improve the trading environment and help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. The scheme is open to any business, trader or social enterprise in the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative areas - which include Thorpe Hamlet Ward. For more information interested businesses should contact Sarah Coleman at sarahcoleman@norwich.gov.uk or on (01603) 212874.

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Published by Tom Dylan, 123 St Leonard's Road, Norwich, NR1 4JN
on behalf of Norwich Green Party, 27 Clarendon Road, Norwich, NR2 2PN