The Norwich Green
Newsletter of the Norwich Green Party
Wensum
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 (Wensum Ward) the Green Party holds all three City Council seats. Rupert Read and Tom Llewellyn are not up for election this year. Adrian Holmes is standing for re-election in Mancroft Ward. New candidate Ruth Makoff is campaigning to hold the seat for the Green Party (see candidate profile, below).
If you need to contact the Green Party ahead of the election or on election day please call us on (01603) 611909.
Ruth Makoff: candidate profile
Ruth Makoff lives on Dereham Road and is a postgraduate student at UEA. Ruth has been an active member of Wensum Ward Green Party for over a year now, working with Councillors Rupert Read, Tom Llewellyn and Adrian Holmes. She has visited residents across the ward and helped the Wensum Councillors take up local issues of concern. Ruth is a co-chair of Norwich Green Party.
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 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.
September 2007
Councillor Rupert Read conducts a survey of residents living in the Northumberland Street area about plans for the former Wensum Clothing Factory to be turned into flats. Residents are generally positive about the proposals to re-use the existing building. The plans are later approved by the City Council Planning Committee, in April 2008.
November 2007
Following lobbying from Green Councillors, the Norwich Highways Agency Committee agrees that Jex Road and Bowthorpe Road will be high priorities for traffic calming measures in 2008/09. Residents will be consulted on the details of the measures in summer 2008.
January 2008
Ruth Makoff and the Wensum Green Councillors collect over 500 signatures for a petition calling on the City Council and NELM Development Trust to upgrade and regularly maintain the popular footpath that runs from Tollhouse Road to the old Bowthorpe School site. The footpath currently often gets overgrown and muddy.
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.
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 recycling facilities. The Greens highlight that residents in many parts of Mancroft still need local recycling collections or banks.
March 2008
Ruth Makoff, Green Councillors and local residents conduct a litter pick around Knowland Grove and Jamieson Place to help clean the area and highlight the need for the Council to clear litter more frequently.
Green Councillors help residents of Waterworks and Dereham Roads persuade the City Council Planning Committee to keep a proposed development at 349A and 349B Dereham Road to two storeys.
April 2008
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 Ruth Makoff"
"Of the political parties only the Greens have come to see me in person. I would like to thank them for their hard work in supporting the campaign to keep our Post Office open. They also solved a drainage problem for us that was not resolved through official channels for weeks, until I raised it with the Greens who got it done. I know which party I'm supporting in future: the Green Party."
Ian Goulden-Duffy, Postmaster at Bowthorpe Road Post Office
"Only the Greens have genuinely listened to and acted upon the concerns of local people around here. For example, the Green Councillors are the only ones who helped us to campaign successfully to stop a phone mast that was going to be put up in this residential area."
John Clayton, Ivy Road resident, community campaigner
"The Green Party wants to protect the city's natural and historic assets and support local and independent businesses. I'm definitely voting for Ruth Makoff."
Chris Keene, Dell Crescent resident
"The Green Councillors visit residents on a regular basis and keep us informed through their newsletters."
Val Hannam, Earlham Road area resident
Save the Bowthorpe Road Post Office: campaign update
Photo: Councillor Tom Llewellyn (left) and Ruth Makoff
with the Postmaster of the Bowthorpe Road Post Office,
Ian Goulden-Duffy, outside his branch.
Ruth Makoff and your Wensum Green Party Councillors have been actively supporting the campaign to save the Bowthorpe Road Post Office. They have been visiting residents in the area to inform them about how to respond to the consultation on the proposed closure.
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.
Congestion charging ruled out
Norfolk County Council (the authority in charge of transport for the whole county) has recently ruled out bringing in a congestion charge for Norwich after conducting a feasibility study. Green Councillors felt that congestion charging could not be justified as public transport in the city is inadequate.
The Conservative administration at City Hall has, however, stated that it does want to go ahead with the £116 million Northern Distributor Road (NDR). Green Councillors say this money could much better be spent on road safety measures, public transport improvements and cycle lanes.
Councillor Rupert Read commented: "Scrapping the NDR would free up tens of millions of pounds so that necessary investment in sustainable transport could at last take place!"
Marlpit subsidence concerns
Ruth Makoff writes…
We have been looking further into reports of cracks and possible subsidence on blocks of flats in the Knowland Grove area. We now believe it to be a widespread problem across the estate and are concerned that it needs to be officially investigated.
If elected, I will make it a priority to push for a full investigation by the City Council so that the problem is dealt with before it worsens. In the meantime, please contact me on (01603) 446650 with your concerns so that I can compile a list to submit as evidence.
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: Ruth Makoff (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.
Published by Tom Dylan, 123 St Leonard's Road, Norwich, NR1 4JN
on behalf of Ruth Makoff, 152a Dereham Road, Norwich, NR2 3AB