Here's the press statement that we have just put out on this. This confirms the prediction that I made this morning, and it is exciting news! It will mean that on important issues such as the pedestrianisation Westlegate, where distant County Tories have firmly stood in the City's way (because of their desire to keep driving through the city centre), the City will finally be able to decide its own destiny...:
Norwich Green Party
For immediate release
UNITARY NORWICH STRENGTHENS LOCAL DEMOCRACY SAY GREENS
Today’s announcement that Norwich City Council is to become a unitary authority, responsible for all local services, has been welcomed by the Green Party.
A unitary council for Norwich will strengthen local democracy, ensuring that decisions for Norwich are taken by councillors elected by Norwich residents, rather than councillors from rural areas. A unitary council is only justified when it brings power closer to the people - that is why a unitary Norfolk would have been disastrous, and why the Green Party Councillors fought hard to avoid such a decision.
-- Rupert Read Green Party Councillor, Norwich. http://rupertread.net [If you have an urgent email for me while I am away from a regular computer, you may wish to try contacting me instead on rupertread+mob@gmail.com]
Comments
I also note that you declare the important issues to be Westlegate and pedestrainisation. So are social services & education unimportant under the green agenda?
Plus of course the unitary go-ahead will be reversed under the next Conservative governement and is subject to legal challenge by the County Council as the proposal does not meet the governments own affordibility criteria.
Gav..glad to be in Broadland!
Seems likely to be a colossal waste of money.
No, I don't support the way that the government has done this at all. As you would know if you had followed what I and other Greens have said during the process. We supported having 5 unitaries across Norfolk, including a Norwich on slightly extended boundaries, to encompass the actual urban area. But faced with a choice now between a unitary Norfolk and a unitary Norwich on existing boundaries, there is absolutely no contest - a unitary Norwich will have some very good effects, a unitary Norfolk would be a centralising disaster.
I emphasised Westlegate because I am our Party's Transport spokesman and because it is a concrete example of how unitary will change things, and give us in Norwich power over our own destiny. It is ludicrous to infer from that what you do, 'Anonymous'. If you read my blog you would/will know that I am / we are passionately concerned about reducing inequality, about improving education (I am a teacher by profession), etc.
p.s. The unitary plans should save us money - that is built into them.
I understand that you are the transport spokesman for the greens but really, closing Westlegate so those horrible tory county councillors can't drive through your city centre is really quite juvenile and is that the best you can do? Morphew put you to shame in selling transport in the EEN today and i think he should be in the rspb guide book..bearded t..!
Gav...loves 4* norfolk county council
But I am concerned about what implications this decision will have for the people in the rest of Norfolk, who will be left in a doughnut-shaped county with a big hole in the middle where their main city used to be!
Norwich and the surrounding area of Norfolk are essentially linked.
What will happen to the rest of Norfolk now? Or do those in the city not need to worry about that as they're all right Jack.
This may be good for Norwich but is it good for anyone else?
I'd be interested to hear your view on this Rupert.