Keswick and Intwood Parish Council

Dear Parishioners,

The following email has been received from Norfolk County Council regarding their Budget Consultation:

“Budget Consultation for 2022/23

Norfolk County Council is committed to making Norfolk a county where businesses, organisations and communities continue to thrive together. Over the past 20 months COVID-19 has presented us all with new and unprecedented challenges, and Norfolk County Council has taken a leading role in the ongoing local response, working in partnership with national government and local partners to meet community needs. Whilst the country moves into a process of recovery, challenges arising from COVID-19 continue, and responding to this effectively and helping individuals, communities, and businesses to recover is critical.

Normally, Norfolk County Council would publish budget proposals to be considered by its cabinet and scrutiny committee in October, before going out to public consultation. However, because of the uncertainties this year over local government funding, support for adult social care and other pressures the council felt it prudent to wait till the Chancellor provided a clearer picture before publishing the budget proposals.

At the core of the budget proposals is our Better Together, For Norfolk strategy. This builds on our previous plan and sharpens our focus for the next four years to support recovery and renewal. It outlines our ambitions for our county, its people, communities, and businesses and provides the platform to drive a whole-system approach, underpinned by a corporate delivery plan.

Despite the challenges facing us all throughout 2020 and 2021, we have continued to provide the services which give children and young people the best start in life, support vulnerable and older people, maintain and develop our highways and transport network, provide library, waste disposal and fire services and work in partnership to grow the economy.

We are delivering all these services in a financial climate of risk and uncertainty, from both service user and provider perspectives. Some of the main challenges we faced before COVID-19 are still present or have been exacerbated, including population changes, social, economic and health inequalities, rising demand for services and support, workforce challenges in key sectors such as the care market, government policy changes, funding reductions and the impact of continued financial constraints. The Council must now plan for the multiple impacts of rising budget pressures, uncertainty over Government funding, and the financial challenges associated with the recovery following COVID-19.

As we work to rebuild and revitalise the County many of the additional costs, lost income and undeliverable savings in the current year will have a significant impact on our 2022-23 finances. It remains critical to develop balanced, sustainable budget proposals which will enable the Council to continue to deliver the essential services which are relied on by all Norfolk’s people, businesses, and visitors.

We now want to hear your views on our council tax and budget approach to help our elected councillors make the right, even if tough, decisions in agreeing a balanced budget for 2022-2023.

I wanted to alert you to the webpage where we published our budget consultation on Thursday 25 November. You can find out more at www.norfolk.gov.uk/budget and have your say using our online feedback form. Using our online feedback ensures we have a clear record of your response and that your views are accurately recorded.

We appreciate that some residents may not have online access and people who are unable to respond online can send us send their views in writing to:

Freepost Plus RTCL-XSTT-JZSK Norfolk County Council, Ground floor – South Wing, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DH.

Residents can request our budget consultation document in other formats, including paper form, by calling 0344 800 8020 or emailing haveyoursay@norfolk.gov.uk.  We will make all materials as accessible as possible.

Our consultation closes at midnight on Thursday 30 December 2021. Please note that if we receive any consultation responses after this date we cannot guarantee that we will be able to take them into account.”

We are pleased to announce the start of our third round of route strategies, following the launch in June. You can read more about our approach in our publication of ‘Vision for Route Strategies – Planning for the future of our roads’.

We are keen to undertake a thorough review of how the strategic road network is currently performing and to understand the needs of our strategic partners, road users and local communities, and inform where our network may need potential investment in the future.

We are now beginning the engagement phase to inform the evidence base so we can develop the route strategies and inform the investment plans from 2025. We would therefore value your views and experiences on the performance and needs of the network.

We would like to invite you to use our online feedback tool which we have created to capture as many views as possible. The link can be found on our Route Strategies webpage. Our online tool is now open until 30 November 2021.

Please do get in touch via routestrategies@highwaysengland.co.uk should you have any queries.

We are looking forward to the first Community Police forum covering the Wymondham, Poringland, Mulbarton, Loddon area.

Please let me know if you are interested in participating in the Forum, which will be an online Teams meeting initially with a view to taking the meetings to face to face in the future.

Meeting: 29th October 2021

Time: 6:30 to 7:30pm

This meeting will be held with South Norfolk Commander Inspector Dave Burke and some other members of the policing team.

Please email if you would like to attend and and Teams Link will be sent to you. Email contact@samanthaengland.com

If you have questions or concerns you would like to raise with your inspector please email me your questions before 20th October, though there will be space for questions and answers on the night.

We will shortly be sending out an agenda for the meeting mid October, please do let me know if you have any particular requests.

NEWS RELEASE

26 August 2021

Flood fund spending to be agreed

Norfolk’s Cabinet will consider the allocation of the council’s £1.5m Flood Reserve Fund to support urgent works, repairs and to enable recommendations from flood investigation reports.
The Reserve Fund was set up in the annual budget for 2021/22 agreed by the County Council in their budget meeting in February.

The Cabinet meeting, due to be held 6 September, will discuss the proposed allocation of the funding, including £695k for additional highway and ditch maintenance and £365k for drainage asset improvements.
This funding will be used for work on the 285,864 metres of drainage grips and 31,037 metres of kerb drains on Norfolk’s highways, as well as operations to clear some of the county’s 145,305 gullies that help drain rain water.
Also included in the allocation are the costs of setting up and maintaining the single phone number set up by the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance (NSFA) to give Norfolk residents one point of contact to report flooding. To report flooding anywhere in the county simply call 0344 800 8013.

Cllr Andrew Proctor, Leader of Norfolk County Council, said: “Flooding is a big risk here in Norfolk, and anyone who has been flooded out of their home can tell you about the huge and devastating impact it can have on their lives. It’s vital that we have a well-funded approach by all our partners in The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance to mitigating the risk of flooding, sharing information and carrying out work to identify the best ways we can prevent flooding and to reduce its impact on our communities.

“I’m proud to say our Members have already agreed to establish the £1.5 million Flood Reserve Fund, and now Cabinet will be discussing the allocation of the funds, ensuring the important work being done across the county receives the support it needs.”

Norfolk’s Cabinet will also be asked to endorse the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance Strategy and action plan, which includes a clear definition of the vision, objectives and principles of the Norfolk-wide partnership, as well as laying out the current action plan of the Alliance. This plan includes previously announced work on finding and costing solutions for 16 flood sites across the county, which is currently ongoing.

The NSFA Board will meet in September to review whether all partners have endorsed the Strategy. Norfolk County Council will make a decision on their endorsement at the Cabinet Meeting of 6 September.

Cabinet will discuss the report when it meets at 10am on Monday, 6th September. You can watch the meeting, live or afterwards and read the reports, at https://norfolkcc.cmis.uk.com/norfolkcc/CalendarofMeetings/tabid/128/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/496/Meeting/1794/Committee/169/SelectedTab/Documents/Default.aspx

ENDS
The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance is a new taskforce, brought together in early 2021, to work so that Norfolk communities and infrastructure are safer and more resilient to the risks of inland and coastal flooding. The Alliance includes, among others, the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, the Association of Drainage Authorities, the Water Management Alliance, Water Resources East, the Norfolk Resilience Forum, the Broads Authority and Norfolk’s County, Borough, City, District and Parish Councils.

For further information on the 16 flood sites previously identified by the NSFA, see https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/news/2021/06/a-new-single-point-of-contact-for-flooding-in-norfolk-has-been-launched

For political comment
For details of cabinet members, committee chairs and agendas, please see: www.norfolk.gov.uk/cabinetandchairs
Group leaders’ and councillors’ contact details are available at: www.norfolk.gov.uk/countycouncillors

For further information please contact:
Communications Team at Norfolk County Council
Tel: 01603 228888
Email: pressoffice@norfolk.gov.uk

The Transport for Norwich Strategy Consultation

The consultation for the proposed Transport for Norwich Strategy has opened, ensuring that it offers people and organisations around Norwich the chance to have their say on current and future priorities for transport provision in Norwich. We would like your views on the Transport for Norwich (TfN) Strategy which will be taken into account and the revised strategy will replace the existing Norwich Area Transportation Strategy (NATS) which was adopted in 2003 and updated in 2010.

The proposed strategy currently comprises a new high-level strategy depicting longer-term objectives and visions for transport across the Norwich area and a proposed action plan of the further work required to achieve the strategies objectives.

The proposed TfN strategy suggests how transport will contribute towards key themes of the county council’s plans for transport and address new and emerging guidance on decarbonisation, active travel and the changing transport needs of the city, and of those who access the city, taking account of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Transport for Norwich Strategy Consultation will run for 6 weeks from 26th August 2021 to 8th October 2021 and we would be pleased to receive your views.

For further information and to feed back your views go to, please go to www.norfolk.gov.uk/tfnstrategy

Ahead of developing his Police and Crime Plan, the Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a public consultation on his proposed policing and crime priorities for Norfolk and is urging people to share their views by taking a short online survey. 

To find out more and share your views with the PCC, visit www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk

Click here for further information regarding South Norfolk’s community awards 2021.

 

Residents urged to be alert to courier fraud scam

Residents are being warned about a courier fraud scam operating in Norfolk by suspects claiming to be police officers. In the last few weeks, police have seen a rise in incident where cold-callers will make efforts to defraud victims of money, often stating they need to withdraw large sums in connection with an investigation. Officers are investigating an incident which happened on Tuesday (6 July) where a woman in West Winch was conned out of £4,200. Following a cold-call from a man claiming to be a police officer, the victim went to her bank and withdrew the money, believing she was helping an investigation into counterfeit money. After withdrawing money, she returned home where a ‘courier’ collected the cash, and telephoned the victim later on to confirm it was counterfeit. A second attempt that day is also being investigated after a man from Clenchwarton was cold-called by someone claiming to be from Hertforshire Police who said they were investigating a theft from the victim’s bank account. The man was asked to withdraw £9,000 which would be collected following day. The victim managed to withdraw £2,000 and told a family member about the incident who immediately reported it to police. No money was handed over. Detective Inspector Richard Weller, from Swaffham CID, urged people to make elderly or vulnerable relatives and neighbours aware of the scam. He said: “This type of courier fraud is nothing new; suspects will often approach victims under the guise of a police officer, bank or government department, in an effort to win trust and encourage people to go along with the scam. “They will often use a range of techniques and in these most recent incidents, cold callers claim to be police officers investigating bank account thefts and counterfeit money. These scammers can be really convincing, making the caller feel they are helping a genuine police investigation, compelling them to withdraw the money. Suspects will then arrange to collect the money from the victim. “More often than not, we’re talking large sums of cash into the thousands which is ultimately people’s savings and funds they rely on. “Police officers will never ask you to withdraw money, or send someone to collect money. We know scammers target the elderly and I would urge people to make their family members, friends and neighbours aware of this scam and the warning signs.” Further advice includes: Your bank or the police will NEVER ask for your PIN, bank card or bank account details over the phone – never give these details to anybody. Neither the police nor the banks will send a courier to collect money from you. Always request Photo ID and if unsure call the police. If you’re asked to telephone a bank, then always do it on a different phone to the one you were contacted on. Fraudsters will keep the line open and have been known to play ringtones, hold music and a recorded message down the phone so the victim believes they are making a call to a legitimate number. Ensure you can hear a dialling tone before calling police or use a friend or neighbour’s telephone instead. Do not rush into complying to the scammers demands / requests. If you have already given your bank details over the phone or handed your card details to a courier, call you bank straight away to cancel the card If anyone has received a similar type of telephone call or has any information about these incidents. Contact Norfolk Police on 101 quoting Operation Radium. Alternatively, Contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111. If you believe a crime is in progress, always call 999. For further advice, head to the Action Fraud website: www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.