http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Norfolk County Council Liberal Democrats en-GB Norfolk County Council Liberal Democrats http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 Norfolk County Council Liberal Democrats 2010-03-11T17:02+00:00 United Kingdom http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000048/lib_dem_budget_looks_to_young_people_and_first_time_buyers_as_norfolks_way_out_of_the_recession.html A tuition scholarship and an interest free loan for a first home deposit for Norfolk residents were the highlights of the Liberal Democrat County Council Budget. The budget put forth proposals that would see Norfolk residents able to access an interest free loan of up to £7,500 from the County Council to put towards a deposit on a first home. Lib Dem Leader, Paul Morse, said the proposal was innovative step to help Norfolk residents, "First time homes are the lifeblood of the local economy, if we can get this market moving again, we can speed up Norfolk's exit from the recession. It also gives young people and families a chance to get out of the rental trap many are in. The deposit needed to secure a mortgage at present is proving to be a major barrier for many families in getting on the property ladder. Our scheme would see the council use money that is sitting in banks collecting minimal interest be put to much better use as investment in Norfolk residents and the local housing market." 2010-02-15T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000047/leaders_monthly_report__january.html I completely forgot to do the December review - it must have been a quiet month! As I write we await the Secretary of State's announcement on LGR for Norfolk. The strong rumour is a unitary Norwich on existing boundaries with the rest of the County two tier. This would be the worst possible outcome. As well as blatant gerrymandering, it is expensive and Norwich is part of Norfolk, not a separate city. The Tories, with their exclusive focus on preventing a unitary county need to take a massive share of the blame for this - if it happens! I am not sure what many of the Tory County Councillors will now do with their time if the "unitary war" is over. 2010-02-05T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000046/a_full_ndr_is_a_necessary_evil__cllr_tim_east.html Dear Letters Editor, 2009-12-02T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000045/lib_dem_1010_motion_to_norfolk_county_council__read_it_here.html The Liberal Democrats at Norfolk County Council have taken the lead in fighting climate change in Norfolk. Their motion to Council, which will be heard Monday, calls on individual councillors to lead the way in Norfolk and sign up to the 10/10 pledge. 2009-11-19T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000043/james_joyce_open_letter__adult_day_care_centres.html Dear Sir or Madam 2009-11-07T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000042/norfolk_disadvantaged_hit_the_hardest_again.html Young people from poorer families will be denied access to education as a result of new Conservative plans to halve the annual post-16 transport subsidy. Lib Dem Spokesperson for Children's Services, Mervyn Scutter has labeled the policy, 'an illustration of Conservative elitism'; 2009-11-06T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000044/what_price_democracy__an_open_letter_from_paul_morse.html Dear Sir or Madam 2009-11-03T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000041/day_care_centre_closures_not_right_for_norfolks_elderly.html Norfolk's elderly are having their choice limited by the proposed closures of certain adult day care centres in Norfolk according to the Lib Dems at County Hall. 2009-11-02T00:00+00:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000040/lib_dems_sound_out_costs_for_new_norfolk_flood_sirens.html A new replacement state of the art flood siren system for Norfolk would cost around £800,000 according to the Lib Dems at County Hall. 2009-10-22T00:00+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000039/leaders_monthly_report__september.html After a fairly quiet August, political life at County Hall returned to normal in September with a wide range of meetings. At Full Council on 28th September the various factions in the Tory group came together to pass a motion opposing any changes to the structure of Local Government in Norfolk. Whilst there were parts of the motion we could have supported - primarily a clause about rejecting a Norwich Unitary on current boundaries - we voted against it as in principle we support the idea of unitary local governance. 2009-10-08T13:48+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000038/tories_only_out_to_protect_their_fiefdoms.html Lib Dem Group Leader, Paul Morse has attacked the Conservative administration at County Hall after they voted for plans to shelve a Local Government Review, "I wonder what the hoardes of district Tories who only put themselves up for election to the county to protect their local fiefdoms are going to do now. It is clear that this motion has only been put forward to attempt to paper over the very obvious cracks within the Conservative group at County Hall." 2009-09-29T00:00+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000035/incineration_still_not_right_for_norfolks_waste.html The incineration of waste in Norfolk should not be an option according to the Liberal Democrats at County Hall. A recent news release by the County Council has highlighted the short listed bidders for the proposed PFI waste treatment facility at Kings Lynn. Once again the Conservative administration at County Hall is considering using incineration despite the public outcry that occurred when this method was put forward in Costessey. 2009-09-04T00:00+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000032/conservative_manifesto_uturn__a_major_let_down_to_the_people.html Paul Morse, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at County Hall has called the decision by the Conservative Administration to withdraw the Flood Sirens from service, against the policy promoted within their manifesto, a slap in the face of the people. 2009-07-07T00:00+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000034/lib_dem_leader_calls_for_an_end_to_lgr_fiasco.html Paul Morse, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at County Hall has called the cancellation of Monday's special meeting of the Council to discuss LGR a clear indication of the chaos that is consuming the administration at County Hall. 2009-07-03T00:00+01:00 http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000037/liberal_democrats_express_concern_over_childrens_services_missed_targets.html A recent integrated Performance Monitoring report presented to Cabinet at Norfolk County Council has highlighted that the Children's Services department are failing to meet a substantial number of targets for the year. In the recent assessment of the Council's Corporate Objective no 4, "Improve educational attainment and help children and young people achieve their ambitions" it was shown that the Council had missed over 50% of its targets by 5% or more and in many cases performance had dropped from the previous year. 2009-06-25T00:00+01:00