Local Transport Plan for Norfolk

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) was agreed at a meeting of Norfolk County Council’s cabinet on 6 June and will now need to be signed off by the full council.

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) sets out the county council’s overall approach to transport, showing how transport can deliver wider ambitions including a growing economy, strong communities and reducing the impact on the environment.

Transport is now the biggest emitter of carbon of any sector in the UK and this plan is important in setting out the council’s policy framework for achieving carbon reduction of the transport network.

The plan includes the council’s vision for improving transport between now and 2036 and is intended to encourage walking, cycling, bus and rail use as well as deliver major projects like the Western Link and Long Stratton bypass.

As part of the plan, the county council wants to investigate the possibility that the network of abandoned railway lines, many of which were closed in the 1960s, could become ‘greenways’, for use as walking and cycling routes, or even see the return of trains. Parts of several former Norfolk railway lines have already been converted into footpaths and cycle routes, such as the Marriott’s Way, Weavers’ Way and Lakenham Way. However, there are other stretches, particularly in rural areas, that the council believes should be protected from development, to allow them to eventually be revived for transport use.

The LTP does not have the power to stop developers building on the routes, but the council hopes that by including the possibility of greenways and even future rail use in the plan, it could help to deter them and keep the options open.

 Norfolk Access Scheme

 Message from Suzanne Dunwoody, Client Finance Services Manager

 The Norfolk Assistance Scheme which the public may or may not be aware of. The scheme is available to any Norfolk resident who is experiencing financial difficulties and the team can provide information and guidance to contact support organisations, or provide financial support to assist with the cost of food, energy, water or other essentials including white goods and furniture. NCC has also partnered with AgeUK to provide targeted individuals aged 65 and over as this has been a demographic group we have received the least applications from.

If you have any questions about NAS, please do not hesitate to contact Suzanne for further information [email protected]

 

Update: Jubilee Trees for Norfolk – June 2022

The Jubilee Trees for Norfolk scheme is now live. NCC are offering tree packs at 50% cost, subsidised by DEFRA and NCC, and the scheme is open to everyone. This will enable up to 40,000 more trees to be planted across the county.

Community groups in my area can approach me to fund the other 50% of the trees and this is entirely at my discretion. There is an application process for the scheme and tree packs will be ready for collection in the planting season between December 2022-February 2023. If applicants have reached the payment stage, this means that their planting has been approved by the 1 Million Trees Team.

 Please note that the 1 Million Trees team will not be involved in the payment process – applicants must approach me independently and proceed with any agreements and payments directly with me.

 The discretionary Highway Member Fund, from which County Councillors can fund Highway and Environmental works in my area, was recently increased by £4,000 to £10,000 so that I can support tree planting and other biodiversity schemes in my area, but my main focus remains highways.

 Guidance notes for the scheme can be found at www.norfolk.gov.uk/jubileetrees. Please get in touch with any thoughts or suggestions at [email protected]

 

Norfolk’s Carers invited to apply for free Wellbeing Packs

Norfolk County Council is to provide a further 3,000 free Wellbeing Packs to unpaid carers over the coming months, after previous packs were taken up enthusiastically across Norfolk. The packs, which are provided through Covid funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), are designed to support unpaid carers and include Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to support recipients in their role as a carer, as well as a range of pick-me-up items for the carer including chocolates, toiletries, and other treats to bring a little joy in these difficult times. If you are a caring for a friend or loved one, or know somebody that is, you can register your details online to receive a pack. Those who are eligible will have a pack posted directly to their home. To apply for a pack today, please visit: https://forms.norfolk.gov.uk/service/carers_wellbeing_pack So far, Norfolk County Council has provided over 4,000 packs to unpaid carers since February 2021, working with partners Carers Matter Norfolk, Caring Together and Carers Voice to deliver them to carers across Norfolk. The packs have also been made available through Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, James Paget University Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, all of whom are working in partnership with the Council to support the project. Unpaid carers can also find a wide range of support available via Carers Matter Norfolk, a service commissioned by Norfolk County Council. Details of the personalised support available for carers can be found at https://carersmatternorfolk.org.uk/ or by calling 0800 0831 148 (Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm). The wellbeing packs for unpaid carers were funded through the Infection Prevention and Control Fund which is provided to Local Authorities by DHSC. The scope of the funding was limited and used to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections. Norfolk County Council took the decision to use a small proportion of the overall funding towards supporting Carers to keep themselves and their loved ones safe during the pandemic. The majority of the funding was used to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in care homes and other care settings. The Carers Matter Norfolk service is commissioned by Norfolk County Council to offer a range of support for carers of all ages and the people they care for. These include weekly ‘Virtual Cuppas’ during which Carers can share their concerns and successes and support each other, especially in difficult times.     £13 million savings proposals considered Proposals to save £13 million will be considered next month (July), as the first step towards meeting next year’s £60 million target. Norfolk County Council’s cabinet will discuss the first batch of proposals, with a further £47 million due to be considered in October. Councillor Andrew Jamieson, cabinet member for finance, said: “Like all councils, we were facing higher costs and demand for services, even before the recent rise in inflation. Cabinet will consider proposals to save: £6.45 million from adult social services, including use of reserves and more savings from existing programmes £3 million from children’s services, including withdrawing from the Professional Development Centre in Woodside £2.1 million from community and environmental services, including a review of the mobile library service, Wednesday closures of recycling centres and reduction of weedkilling on highways to one treatment per year £200,000 from strategy and transformation, through professional leads £50,000 from governance, by increasing income from the registration service £1 million from finance and commercial services, through annual income from the council’s company, Repton Property Developments Ltd If cabinet supports the proposals, the public will be consulted over the summer to inform a redesign of the mobile library service, to save £200,000 from its £422,000 per year budget. Further consultations on other budget proposals will take place in the autumn. The council will propose a Council Tax level for 2023/24 later this year, once it has received guidance from the Government. Until then, the council’s planning assumption is 2.99 per cent, including a one per cent adult social care precept. Finalised budget proposals will be considered by cabinet, early next year, before the full council takes a final decision in February 2023.

Councillor Jim Moriarty

Division: Gayton and Nar Valley

Jim.Moriarty[email protected]

Mobile: 07879 492400  

Teams Direct Dial: 01603 774790