In this issue

Greens win in Thorpe Hamlet Ward
Safer neighbourhoods update
Resident's Associations
20mph plan approved!
Save Rosary Road Post Office: campaign update
Whitlingham walk
Greens propose all-party executive

Greens win in Thorpe Hamlet Ward

In the City Council elections on 1st May Green Party Candidate Peter Offord was elected to represent your area (Thorpe Hamlet Ward). 1360 people voted for Peter: 46 per cent of votes cast. Peter said: "I would like to thank everyone who voted for me. After such a close result last year I was delighted to receive such a convincing level of support."

Across the city, Norwich Green Party gained a total of three additional seats and became the second largest party on the City Council. The Greens are now just two seats behind Labour. The enlarged group of Green Councillors is pushing for Greener policies for the city.

Thorpe Hamlet Ward result 2008

Peter Offord (Green): 1,360 (46%)
Jacky Sutton (LibDem): 859 (29%)
Matthew Davison (Con): 425 (14%)
Eamonn Burgess (Labour): 305 (10%)

New political make-up of Norwich City Council

Labour: 15 seats (no change)
Green Party: 13 seats (up 3)
LibDems: 6 seats (down 5)
Conservatives: 5 seats (up 2)

Number of Councillors by party on Norwich City Council

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Safer neighbourhoods update

Councillor Peter Offord attended the recent meeting of the City Centre Safer Neighbourhoods Action Panel (SNAP). Peter raised the issue of the anti-social use of vehicles in the Rose Lane area: something that residents in and around Parmentergate Court have raised on a number of occasions. This was made one of the priorities for the community police to address.

The City Centre SNAP will next meet on Monday 11 August 2008, 7pm at Friends Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane. The next meeting of the SNAP for Thorpe Hamlet and Heartsease (which covers the Heathgate estate and Thorpe Hamlet itself) is on Monday 16 June 2008, 7pm at the City Gates Centre on Cowgate. SNAP meetings are open for residents to attend and raise community safety concerns.

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Residents' Associations

Peter Offord is always willing to attend meetings of local residents' groups. If you belong to a group and would like Peter to attend a meeting or you have an issue to raise please get in touch.

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20mph plan approved!

Councillor Peter Offord on Rosary Road,
where residents have been calling for a 20mph speed limit.

The Norwich Highways Agency Committee has approved a proposal from Green Party Councillors for a 20mph speed limit to be introduced across residential roads in the city. Parts of the city already have a 20mph speed limit but the local Councils have up until now been taking a piecemeal approach to extending the zone and rejecting most local requests for a 20mph limit in particular areas.

The 20mph speed limit will be mainly based around speed signs, rather than speed bumps. However, Green Councillors have asked Council officers to look at how the new limit can best be enforced. The officers are also drawing up proposals on when and how the limit should be introduced.

Councillor Rupert Read, Norwich Green Party transport spokesperson, said: "A 20mph limit will mean safer streets across the city. Lower speeds will help people feel more confident to walk and cycle. I'm delighted that Norwich is taking this positive step for improved road safety."

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Save Rosary Road Post Office: campaign update

Councillor Peter Offord challenged national representatives of the Post Office in a recent public meeting about their proposed closure of the Rosary Road branch. Peter has also responded to the consultation outlining why the branch is a crucial local service. The consultation has now closed. A decision is expected in late June.

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Whitlingham walk

Green Party Councillors will be leading a walk from Norwich City Football Club to Whitlingham Country Park on Saturday 21st June. The walk is a social event but is also part of the campaign for improved pedestrian and cycle links from the city to Whitlingham. The walk will begin at 12noon, starting by Carrow Road bridge. For more information please call Councillor Bob Gledhill on (01603) 621980.

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Greens propose all-party executive

Following the elections the Green Party proposed that the seats on the City Council's ruling Executive be divided up between the four parties in proportion to the number of seats held on the Council as a whole. This proposal was rejected by the other three parties. Instead Labour, as the largest party, is continuing to run a minority administration.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay, Co-ordinator of the Green Party Group on Norwich City Council, said: "Having won more seats we wanted to secure more influence over the day-to-day running of the Council by taking on Executive posts. We felt that votes and decisions in a shared Executive would better reflect the make-up of the Council than an Executive made up of councillors from a single party. However, we will make the best of the situation. We will work on getting more Green policies adopted by the full Council and other committees. As the official opposition, we will also hold the Labour administration to account."

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Published by Tom Dylan on behalf of Norwich Green Party,
both at 27 Clarendon Road, Norwich, NR2 2PN