from Cllr. Daniel Elmer, Forehoe Division – Mulbarton, South Wymondham, Newton Flotman, Spooner Row, Wreningham, Swardeston, Bracon Ash, Swainsthorpe, East Carleton, Flordon, Ketteringham

Email – daniel.elmer.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk

Fire and Rescue
• New Emergency Medical Service – We are pleased to be able to let you know that, after lengthy regional discussions, we have an agreement across all Eastern fire and rescue services and the East of England Ambulance Service Trust which will enable firefighters to attend to adult cardiac arrest patients in parts of Norfolk. This is a trial scheme, which we agreed to explore as part of our current Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP 2020-23) work, and follows a successful pilot project in 2016.
A memorandum of understanding is in place across all parties and the costs to the service will be recouped from the NHS.
The welfare of our own staff remains a top priority. Our on-call crews in Sheringham and North Walsham have signed up to help and are receiving training and support before they undertake this additional task. While we are not making it mandatory, all those asked have agreed to take part, citing that they joined the service to save lives and this is another way of being able to do so.
Our crews will be called to support medically where there is a patient in need within 10 minutes of their local fire stations. They will attend alongside EEAST ambulance crews. We are also looking at the possibility of extending this pilot scheme at a later date to include further fire stations.
You will remember that, during the pandemic, our crews offered much support to EEAST and the NHS across Norfolk as part of our commitment to collaboration. We remain committed to reducing risk and saving lives across Norfolk.


Transport:
• Have Your Say on Bus Services in Norfolk – Consultation has been launched asking for residents’ views on bus services in Norfolk. Whether you use buses every day, or not at all, Norfolk County Council would like to know what improvements are the most important for you.
With Norfolk set to be awarded almost £50m from the Department for Transport to make the county’s bus services and facilities better, your views will help to decide what the money should be spent on.
In October 2021 the County Council published Norfolk’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which outlines the ambitions for the next 5 years. The plan includes ideas to simplify ticketing and journey information, cut fares for under 25s, bring in cleaner and greener buses, improve accessibility and bus stops, and make better and more frequent links between the places people live, work and shop.

The indicative offer of £49.6m for Norfolk will help to put this plan into action and the County Council is now working alongside bus operators to shape details of what the money will be spent on. A vital part of this is understanding what is important to residents, and what will help to attract more people to choose public transport for their journeys more often.
The Bus Service Improvement Plan consultation is open for seven weeks, from Tuesday 17 May to Tuesday 5 July.

Cost of Living and Care:
• New Cost of Living Scheme Launched – Norfolk County Council unveiled last Friday a £7.7m package of hardship support offering increased flexibility and choice in the way a broader range of households can access help.
The council is topping up £6.7m of Government funding from the Household Support Fund with a further £1m to create a new Norfolk Cost of Living Support Scheme which will help people who are struggling to pay for food, energy and water bills, and other essentials.
To ensure part of the support the council is offering is sustainable for the longer term, in addition to the £7.7 million Cost of Living Support Scheme, the council is investing a further £225,000 of capital into its partnership with the Norfolk Community Foundation Nourishing Norfolk food hub offer, bringing the total investment over the last year to £500,000.
We would always encourage residents who find themselves in hardship to contact the council on 0344 800 8020, so we can offer support either directly or through our partners.
• Adult Services Update – Proposals for a new Board to drive up the quality of privately provided Adult Social Care across Norfolk are due to be discussed by the County Council’s Cabinet.
In the wake of the Covid 19 Pandemic, which placed unprecedented pressures on the care sector, councillors are discussing ways to help providers improve from a position in which only 71.1% of care providers in Norfolk are rated Good or Outstanding. The County Council is looking at how it can help providers improve the quality of care they provide, and what form that support can take.
The new Programme Board will operate within the Interrelated Care System (ICS) framework being put in place in Norfolk.
A new Care Quality Programme Board will work to deliver a Norfolk wide care quality strategic framework. This will enable all partners, including care providers, to work together to coordinate and direct action to improve care quality.




Tom McCabe, Head of Paid Service, NCC, recently wrote about the Budget Consultation currently underway and closing on 30 December 2021. His letter states:

“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 on 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 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.”

NCC contact is Christine Mawson, Stakeholder and Consultation Manager

email: christine.mawson@norfolk.gov.uk or telephone 01603 224485.


Norfolk County Council EXPERIENCE project invites the residents of Wreningham to take part in a survey about tourism in the area. The survey is about Summer  tourism. It will be repeated every six months for the next 2-3 years, focussing on Winter and Summer tourism alternately, you may have seen the previous one issued in April about Winter tourism.

To take part please click here.

More information

The results will be used to tailor the activities of the project and to better understand the benefits and disadvantages of tourism for local people.

Anyone who is over 18 and a resident in Norfolk can take part.

Prize draw for £40 of Jarrold vouchers for participants (excluding employees of Norfolk County Council and their families, and anyone involved in the prize draw).  

The survey closes at midnight on 15th October 2021.

https://twitter.com/NorfolkCC/status/1443184271179587585

https://www.facebook.com/Norfolkcc (posted 29th Sept)


South Norfolk has a policy on the naming of roads, properties, etc. especially when new developments are considered. This policy can be seen here.

The Parish Council has been asked to consider creating a list of such names which would be relevant to Wreningham. Do you have any suggestions which we may retain ready for when we are asked to suggest or consider one? Please read the policy to get a feel for what is acceptable.

Send your suggestion to the Clerk – clerk.wpc@gmail.com


In October 2016 (see here) we reported on a public consultation about the Hornsea Three Wind Farm (here for the company website). Things have moved on and in December 2020 planning approval was given by the Secretary of State for this national infrastructure project (documentation here).

The land based substation will be built on a large site just beyond Swardeston towards Norwich and is bounded by the B1113 to the West and the A47 to the North – see NCC Map here).

In 2018 the company issued a community newsletter which provided some high-level information. In the same year SNC considered the project and reported here.

As yet, there are no detailed designs for the substation. Swardeston PC are very aware of this and have provided this month a commentary about the project here.



Norfolk County Council a wide range of services: for children, young people, vulnerable and older people; for the highways and transport network; library; waste disposal; fire services; etc.

They report a financial climate of unprecedented risk and uncertainty, both for people who use the services, and those providing them. The Council must plan for the impacts of rising budget pressures, uncertainty over Government funding and the financial challenges associated with COVID-19.

Many of the additional costs, lost income and undeliverable savings in the current year will have a significant impact on NCC’s 2021-22 finances. There are statutory services to protect with a limited choice of where savings can be made. Despite savings of £436m between 2011 and 2020, considering an increased council tax and a proposal to increase the Adult Social Care precept, the budget will not balance next year. They must find an additional £26m savings in 2021-22 and possibly more depending on the level of Government support received.

They have to develop balanced and sustainable budget proposals to continue to deliver the services relied on by all Norfolk’s people, businesses and visitors. Hence a budget consultation launched on 26th October – see www.norfolk.gov.uk/budget. They invite residents to comment using the online feedback form (this ensures a clear and accurate record of the comments).

Alternatively, send 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

The consultation closes at midnight on 14th December 2020.

If you have any questions about the process for consultation, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Christine Mawson, Stakeholder and Consultation Manager, Email: christine.mawson@norfolk.gov.uk or telephone 01603 224485.


NCC’s Ash Dieback team will shortly be inspecting roadside trees within the parish. This will cover roads that their data suggest are used most frequently. The primary focus is to identify Ash trees in decline due to Ash Dieback Disease (ADB) and assess the risk to highway users. They may also identify other trees that are in a dead or dangerous condition.

The team remind landowners that ‘their trees are their responsibility’ and try to raise awareness of ADB. Trees in poor condition but not considered imminently dangerous will have notices fixed to them and be marked with yellow paint to alert the owner that action may be required.

The team has advised the Parish Council that they may contact us if they find any particular areas of concern or have a query regarding ownership of an individual tree or tree group.

Further information

The team’s webpage: see www.norfolk.gov.uk/ashdieback

Their contacts: email: ashdieback@norfolk.gov.uk : Tel. 01603 222112

Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/