The Norwich Green
Newsletter of the Norwich Green Party
Town Close
Edition
Election
Special
In this issue
Your vote could make the difference!
At last year's local elections the Green Party missed out on becoming the second party on the City Council by just one vote in one ward. This year the Green Party has a great chance of gaining seats and increasing the Green influence over important policies that are decided at City Hall. There are currently ten Green City Councillors, forming a large opposition group at City Hall. They are already making an impact but it is clear that with more Green Councillors elected much more could be achieved.
In your area (Town Close Ward) the Green Party holds two of the three City Council seats and the County Council seat. Chris Hull, Janet Bearman and Stephen Little are not up for election this year but Town Close residents have the opportunity to elect another Green Councillor.
If you need to contact the Green Party ahead of the election or on election day please call us on (01603) 611909.
Samir Jeraj: candidate profile
Samir Jeraj lives on Clarendon Road off Unthank Road. Until recently he worked as an Economic Development officer for a local council in Norfolk. Samir now works for a Norwich-based international development campaign group. He has been working in Town Close Ward for the last year, visiting residents, delivering newsletters and supporting the work of the current Green Councillors for the area.
Important election information
- Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday 1st May.
- You don't need to have your polling card with you to vote.
- If you do not know where your polling station is please phone the City Council Elections Office on (01603) 212055 / 212053.
- If you have a postal vote please return your ballot paper and associated form to City Hall before 1st May or hand it in to any polling station on election day. You can't get a new ballot paper.
- If you would like a lift to the polling station on 1st May please call the Green Party on (01603) 611909. This can be arranged in advance.
Green news and action from the last year
Here is a small selection of issues on which the Green Party has been campaigning over the last year. It is clear that, even as an opposition group, Green Councillors are making an impact and with more Greens elected much more can be achieved.
May 2007
Green Councillors support the calls of Mount Pleasant residents for traffic calming in their area. The Council is still stalling on introducing speed restrictions in the area.
Green Councillors influence the new City Council procurement policy requiring the Council to purchase products that are Fair Trade, recycled, light on energy use and not tested on animals.
July 2007
Following lobbying from Green Councillors, flashing lights are installed on zebra crossings on Hall Road and elsewhere in the city to make the crossings more visible to drivers.
October 2007
Green Councillors help set up the new St Stephen's Gate Residents' Association.
November 2007
A pedestrian and cycle pathway through the old hospital site is opened at last, making access to St. Stephen's Street easier for residents in the Union Street area. Green Councillors are still pressing for a more permanent path.
Following lobbying from residents and an 800-signature petition the Norwich Highways Agency Committee agrees to keep the push-button crossing on Unthank Road by Gloucester Street.
December - March 2008
December: The City Council rejects a fourth planning application from Tesco for a store in Unthank Road. At the next Planning Committee meeting LibDem and Conservative Councillors try to re-open the debate but are defeated by a majority vote. After some discussion, the Council decides to rigorously defend its decision at appeal.
January 2008
Green Councillors support local parents' campaign against County Council plans for the number of special educational needs places available in Norwich to be reduced. A decision on the proposals is due in July.
February 2008
The City Council adopts a Green Party proposal for a fund to be established for renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in new housing.
New street trees are planted in the Cecil Road area. Green Councillors call for more replacement trees to be planted in the next planting season.
The Green Party challenges City Council support for 30,000 homes to be built in Greater Norwich over the next twenty years, mainly on greenfield sites. Green Councillors call on the Labour administration to stand up to Government targets and concentrate on smaller-scale building of affordable housing.
The city centre recycling banks now take plastic bottles - but Green Councillors say that many improvements are still needed to local recycling facilities.
April 2008
The County Council rules out bringing in a congestion charge for Norwich but says that it wants to go ahead with the £116 million Northern Distributor Road. Green Councillors say this money could much better be spent on road safety measures, public transport improvements and cycle lanes.
Norwich is named as the greenest city in the country in a survey by Local Life Limited. The survey's authors say that the number of Green Councillors in Norwich is one of the reasons for the city finishing first. Green Councillors welcome the survey results but say that the Council still has a long way to go.
"We're backing Samir Jeraj"
"Green Party Councillors in this area have consistently represented the large number of residents with concerns about the Tesco applications for a store on Unthank Road. They have put across the need to the Council, which lots of people feel, of keeping the distinctive character of the area with its independent shops and avoiding bringing more delivery lorries to the road. I will be voting for Samir Jeraj."
Joe Church, Trix Road resident
"In a hectic, modern world it's important that we have the systems in place to ensure we do everything we can to protect our environment, and that's why we're voting Green."
Emma and Ben Curran-Sebastion, Kingsley Road
"It's good to feel part of the Green movement as it develops from pressure group to effective political party."
David Holmes, Newmarket Road resident
"The Green Party understands the importance of local shops and services to the local community. This is reflected in the party's efforts to help save the Vauxhall Street Post Office and help stop plans for a Tesco on Unthank Road."
Fran Walpole, Unthank Road resident
Save the Vauxhall Street Post Office: campaign update
Earlier this month Green Councillors attended a demonstration against the proposed closure of Vauxhall Street Post Office. They have also been encouraging residents to respond to the consultation. A public meeting has been organised to discuss the proposed closure: Friday 9th May, 5:30-6:30pm at the Vauxhall Centre, Johnson Place (off Vauxhall Street near Chapel Field Road). The Green Councillors will be in attendance.
The Green Councillors have also been highlighting some of the reasons behind the proposed Post Office closures in Norwich:
- The Government plans to close 2500 branches nationally.
- Labour, LibDem and Conservative Euro-MPs have voted for an EU Directive that will prevent Governments subsidising Post Office branches that are not making a profit, even if they are important local facilities. The Labour, LibDem and Conservative Parties are therefore effectively supporting Post Office closures. Green Euro-MPs opposed this Post Offices Directive. The Green Party believes that Post Offices are crucial to local communities and that branches should be empowered to offer a wider range of services.
City College Planning Application
City College is seeking planning permission to rebuild its campus in order to increase its student population from 14,500 to 20,000. The plans would involve demolishing all the current buildings in order to expand the College's teaching capacity.
Samir Jeraj and your Green Councillors recently attended a public meeting about the plans at which residents expressed concern about: new 18m high buildings overlooking neighbouring properties; noise from the new two-storey car park and from building work and new energy centre by Grove Walk; 11 mature trees on the site being lost.
You can comment on the plans by contacting Neil Campbell: neilcampbell@norwich.gov.uk or (01603) 212517. Officially the consultation closed on 23 April 2008 but comments will still be accepted until the Planning Committee meets on 29 May 2008.
Tesco Appeal submitted
Tesco has now formally submitted an appeal against the City Council decision to reject its latest application for a store on Unthank Road. The City Council has confirmed that it will be 'rigorously defending its decision'. It is likely to be several months before the appeal hearing takes place. The Green Party Councillors will monitor the situation and submit evidence to the appeal process. Updates will be included in future newsletters.
Manifesto summary
Green Party Councillors and members launching the party's
local election campaign outside the Forum earlier this month.
Among the policies that the Green Party is putting forward at this City Council election are:
- Pressing for a Quality Bus Contract, so the local councils can ensure reasonably-priced and reliable bus services.
- Preventing development on land with high levels of flood risk and land that is important for wildlife. Protecting and enhancing green spaces.
- Expanding doorstep recycling facilities and support the reuse, repair and recycling of materials through a Resource Recovery Park.
- Setting up area committees with local budgets, where ward councillors have real power to influence what happens in their areas (whether they are from the ruling party or not) and where local people can come along and have their say.
- Establishing more farmers' markets, to support local producers.
- Requiring a higher level of affordable housing in all new developments and ensuring that Council housing remains in public ownership.
- Bringing those services currently run by CityCare back under the control of the City Council so councillors can have more influence over ensuring a good service for residents.
The full Green Party manifesto is available on our election pages.
Strong Green prospects
Photo: Samir Jeraj (right)
with Green MEP Caroline Lucas.
On 3rd April Green Party MEP and Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas visited Norwich to launch the national Green Party campaign for the local elections. Norwich was chosen for the launch because of Norwich Green Party's strong prospects at these elections.
At the launch, Caroline Lucas talked of how all parties now speak green language but that only the Green Party has the policies for delivering green measures on the ground. She outlined some achievements of Green Councillors in different parts of the country, including in Norwich where Green Councillors have secured a commitment to renewable energy for new housing to help tackle fuel poverty and climate change.
Last year the Green Party was just one vote in one ward away from becoming the second party on the City Council. The Greens are hoping to make this breakthrough this year. The election of more Green Councillors would mean more Green influence over key policies decided at City Hall.
Promoted by Tom Dylan on behalf of Samir Jeraj,
both at 27 Clarendon Road, Norwich, NR2 2PN