The announcement has drawn comment from Claire Stephenson, who is leading the Green Party campaign for the Norwich City Council election next Thursday. Ms Stephenson said:

“I am glad the Climate Change Task Force is encouraging householders to take advantage of the new feed-in tariffs to reduce their energy bills by the use of renewable energy.

“But Greens on Norwich City Council would like to go further and provide a scheme to enable householders to have solar energy systems installed without a big up-front cost.

“This project will be a priority if the Greens become that largest party on the city council after next week’s election.”

The announcement has drawn comment from Claire Stephenson, who is leading the Green Party campaign for the Norwich City Council election next Thursday. Ms Stephenson said:

“I am glad the Climate Change Task Force is encouraging householders to take advantage of the new feed-in tariffs to reduce their energy bills by the use of renewable energy.

“But Greens on Norwich City Council would like to go further and provide a scheme to enable householders to have solar energy systems installed without a big up-front cost.

“This project will be a priority if the Greens become that largest party on the city council after next week’s election.”

If the Green Party does overtake Labour in the city council elections on September 9th, the new administration will be another national first following Dr Lucas’ victory in Brighton at the general election in May.

Members of the media are invited to hear Caroline Lucas MP address local Green Party candidates and supporters at 15:30 on Wednesday (Sept 1st) at the Steiner School, Hospital Lane, Lakenham. There will be an opportunity to ask questions, and for one-to-one interviews. A further picture opportunity will follow when Caroline Lucas goes out canvassing in the Lakenham area.

Its expected that Caroline Lucas will be commenting on the Greens’ manifesto themes for the Norwich election: rolling out a scheme to provide solar energy and insulation to help city households save money, supporting local small businesses and shops and making the council more open about the decisions it takes in order to improve its connection with the people of Norwich.

Also addressing the meeting will be Claire Stephenson, who is leading the campaign locally. Ms Stephenson was until recently the leader of the Green Party City Councillors and is expected to resume that role if re-elected. If the Greens do become the largest party, she would probably become the new Leader of Norwich City Council. On Wednesday she will be reporting on the campaign so far and describing the kind of help still needed from volunteers, especially on polling day.

NOTES:

An ‘election special’ edition of Norwich Green Party’s GreenView newspaper is available online at www.norwichgreenparty.org offering more background to manifesto proposals.

The full manifesto is available at www.norwichgreenparty.org or by calling Norwich 611909.

If the Greens become the largest party on Norwich City Council after the local elections on September 9th, they believe they will be able to introduce the scheme even at a time when the Con-Dem coalition government is cutting funding for local councils.

On Wednesday (August 25th) one of the country’s most prominent Greens will be visiting Norwich to give his backing to the local plan. Darren Johnson was elected to the London Assembly ten years ago and has been chair in 2009/10. He is also Green Party spokesman for Trade and Industry.

Darren Johnson said:

"I am very excited by Norwich Green Party's plans to make life in the city greener and fairer. Practical plans to make the city's homes more energy efficient will help the environment and cut fuel bills for everyone. Its time to turn Norwich Green by voting Green on September 9th "

At 11:00 members of the media are invited to join Mr Johnson when he will visit the home of Robert and Clare Prowse and their two children at 17 Gould Road, Norwich, a house which offers an example of what the Green Party would like to provide.

The three bedroom semi was built three years ago by the Broadland Housing Association. It has modern standards of insulation and its electricity is provided by a solar panel array on the roof. The Prowses have been pleased with bills of £20 a month for all their electricity needs. Surplus electricity from the solar panels is sold to the national grid and the family receives a cheque every six months, typically for £70.

Crucially, Mrs Prowse believes the family would have been unable to afford the cost of fitting the system had it not already been built in.

The Greens’ plan would provide the opportunity for retro-fitting homes where renewable energy and upgraded insulation might not have been affordable. By investing in partnership with energy companies, or by setting up the council’s own Energy Services Company (or ‘ESCO’), the aim would be to make solar panels available for generating domestic electricity and to roll out a programme of providing high-grade home insulation. These services would be provided free to householders where possible.

Something similar has already happened in Kirklees, west Yorkshire. In 2007 Green councillors were instrumental in launching a scheme to offer all households in their area free loft and cavity wall insulation. By October last year, 32,000 households were making an average saving of £200 a year on their fuel bills. The scheme created more than 100 jobs and is estimated to have cut the area’s carbon emissions by 28,000 tonnes a year.

The Green Party candidate for Lakenham ward is Kit Jones, who has worked with the Buildings Research Establishment on sustainable housing. He said:

“The Kirklees scheme has been inspirational for us and the Green Party would like Norwich to follow suit. Money will be very tight at City Hall for the next few years but renewable energy is increasingly seen as a safe haven for investment. In the case of solar panels, electricity can be sold back to the grid with the proceeds used to repay the cost of installation and, in time, generate a profit. The scheme would also fight the recession by creating jobs.”

NOTES:

An ‘election special’ edition of Norwich Green Party’s Greenview newspaper is available online at www.norwichgreenparty.org offering more background to manifesto proposals. The full manifesto is available at www.norwichgreenparty.org or by calling Norwich 611909.

At a time when the Council faces difficult decisions because of budget cuts imposed by the new ConDem coalition government, the Greens believe it is essential that there’s maximum transparency in everything the Council does and that councillors listen more closely than ever before to what local people say about how the money should be spent.

It is especially important for the Greens because with Green Party support in Norwich among the strongest in the country, they could be the largest party on Norwich City Council after the local council election on September 9th. That’s why the issue of openness is a central theme of the manifesto for the council elections, with the Greens’ pledging to do all they can to protect front-line services in the face of what has been described as the government’s “blunderbuss” (1) approach to public spending cuts.

So at 11:30 on Monday (August 9th) Green Party candidates and councillors will be putting themselves in the front line of public opinion by setting up their interview point on the corner of St Peter’s Street between the Forum and City Hall. They’ll be sounding out local people on ideas for more openness:

Should council meetings be taken out to local communities?

Should there be more ‘participatory budgeting’, where citizens have a direct say in the allocation of part of the Council’s financial resources?

Should local people be asked for examples of council wastefulness, where money could be saved?

Should they be able to choose priorities for spending and for cuts?

For those who may not have time to stop and talk, there’ll also be a suggestion box for written ideas that people would like the Greens to consider.

Norwich Green Party’s main spokesperson for the campaign is Claire Stephenson. She has been the leader of the Green group on Norwich City Council and is now seeking re-election. Claire said:

“A few weeks ago I persuaded the Council to make the first move towards more openness. Councillors from all parties agreed to improve the system for scrutinising decisions that the ruling Executive councillors take. Information about the way the council works and the decisions it makes should be made available to far more people who live in the city.

“Now, with the election coming, we want to show we’re serious about moving further towards the Green vision of a City Council fully open to community participation. Part of that is to find out exactly how the people of Norwich want us to handle the difficult choices ahead, so we’re going out to ask them.”

The ‘Open Council’ initiative is one of three main themes of the Green Party local election manifesto to be launched on Monday. The Greens also want to take advantage of new arrangements which make it affordable for more households to opt for renewable energy and high-grade insulation to save money on their fuel bills, which can be done either by investing in partnership with energy companies, or by setting up our own Energy Services Company (or ‘ESCO’). The third strand of the Green manifesto will be a call to support the local economy partly through the ‘Buy Local’ (2) network. This not only encourages Norwich people to seek out locally produced goods and services but also encourages local businesses to sign up others as suppliers.

NOTES:

1. www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk
2. www.buylocalnorfolk.org.uk

The full manifesto will isbe available from Monday at www.norwichgreenparty.org or by calling Norwich 611909.

On Thursday one of the authors will be visiting Norwich to explain how the report, produced for Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, also applies across the country. The report ‘Cornered Shops’, (1) says corner shops are in decline and should get protected status in local, regional and national planning policies. It says the move by major supermarkets into ‘local format’ stores is putting extra pressure on corner shops on high streets. It also calls for more to be done to prevent essential local shops, such as butchers and greengrocers, being turned into outlets like cafes and betting shops.

Campaigning for the Norwich City Council elections next month, the Green Party is calling for more support for the local economy, partly through the ‘Buy Local’ network (2). This not only encourages Norwich people to seek out locally produced goods and services but also encourages local businesses to sign up others as suppliers.

Jenny Jones, a Green Party member of the London Assembly, is deputy chair of its planning and housing committee which produced the report. She said:

“People in residential areas need local shops that provide essential services that they can walk to. The planning system needs to change to empower councils to take back control of their high streets and protect local shops from further decline.”

At 11:00 on Thursday, (August 19th), members of the media are invited to join Jenny as she visits Colman Road in Norwich where a new 400sqm mini-supermarket is being built alongside the exisiting parade of largely independent smaller shops.

She will meet Claire Stephenson, who is leading the Green Party local election campaign in Norwich and Nigel Dowdney, a director of the ‘Buy Local’ network in Norfolk.

The new store development at Colman Road was approved as being of a size which complies with policy guidelines. But it was at first turned down by local planners, partly on the grounds that it would have a negative impact on the vitality and viability of existing retail stores. Claire Stephenson pointed out to the planners that the fourteen neighbouring shops already include ‘corner’ shops, a bakery, a newsagent and a pharmacy and that some shops in the group are currently vacant. She said:

“Local people have been concerned by the onward march of supermarkets in their neighbourhoods. It is valuable for us to have Jenny Jones’ insights based on the work she’s done in London. Her report warns that if these retail trends continue, we could see the total eradication of small shops as early as 2015. We don’t want that to happen here in Norwich.”

Nigel Dowdney said:

“Independent retailers in the convenience store sector are at the heart of their communities and offer diversity, imagination and choice to their customers. The attempts by the multiples to force us out of the sector should be resisted by all means possible in order to avoid local monopolies - there are sixteen Tesco stores in Norwich and more on the way - to strengthen our communities and support the local economy.”

Norwich councillors tried repeatedly to prevent a Tesco supermarket opening opposite existing smaller shops on Unthank Road, but were ultimately unsuccessful and the store is now trading. Should the Greens become the largest party at City Hall after the election, they will want to do more to ensure that the council considers the impact of new supermarket applications on local shopping centres and that major shopping developments include the right mix of large and small units.

Pradip Depala is the owner of Colman News. He said:

“There should be more help for small businesses from the council and the government, and new shops shouldn't be opened on the same parade as similar shops which already sell the same products.”

After the visit to Colman Road, Jenny Jones will join Norwich Green Party candidates and supporters canvassing nearby in University Ward between 12:00 and 13:00.

NOTES:

1. Cornered Shops: London's small shops and the planning system PDF
2. www.buylocalnorfolk.org.uk

Jenny Jones is a former chair of the Green Party and former Deputy Mayor of London. She has been a member of the London Assembly since 2000 and was elected as the first Green member on Southwark Council in 2006. In the previous mayoral administration Jenny was the chair of ‘London Food’, the Mayor’s road safety ambassador, and the Mayor’s green transport adviser.

An ‘election special’ edition of Norwich Green Party’s Greenview newspaper is available online at www.norwichgreenparty.org offering more background to manifesto proposals.

The full manifesto is also available at http://www.norwichgreenparty.org

Graeme Gee, a former Labour Councillor [1], will be standing as a Green Party candidate in Mancroft ward. He said: “The Green Party is the party with the ideas and the passion to guide Norwich through these tough economic times. I am pleased to be standing for the council again with a party that will really look out for the interests of Norwich residents. I have already been out talking to people about the issues that matter to them and I'm looking forward to being able to work on their behalf if elected.”

Paul McAlenan is a builder and former Liberal Democrat councillor who lives with his family in Norwich [2]. Paul has been a campaigner on key local and environmental issues for over 20 years and is now standing for the Green Party in Crome ward. He said: “I've been impressed by what the Green Party has achieved in Norwich and am pleased to be its candidate in Crome. I look forward to working hard with my Green colleagues to achieve a greener future for Norwich."

Jessica Goldfinch [3], Steven Altman [3] and Claire Stephenson have experience as Green Party councillors. Claire Stephenson, candidate for Nelson ward and the Green Party's main spokesperson for the election [4], said: “It is fantastic that our list of candidates contains so much talent and experience. Across the city people from all walks of life are coming over to the Green Party because they realise that what we offer is a real alternative that has fairness to all people at its heart.”

The Green Party is going into this election buoyed by its success in doubling its share of the vote in Norwich South and achieving the second highest Green vote in the country at the General Election earlier this year [5]. For the last two years the Green Party has been the second largest party on the City Council with 13 councillors, just two behind Labour's 15. This election will be a contest between Labour and the Greens to become the largest party [6]. If the party succeeds, this will be the first time anywhere in the country that the Green Party has become the largest party on a council.

Amongst the other Green Party candidates are Jo Henderson, a successful local businesswoman; Lesley Grahame, who works as a nurse; and Jean Bishop, a horticulturalist who runs her own business [7].

Notes:

[1] Graeme was a Labour councillor on Norwich City Council for eight years ending in 1996. During that time he served on planning, leisure and community services, finance, personnel, and economic development committees. In this time he also chaired planning outer area development and control committee, Bowthorpe Development Group, and was Vice Chair of leisure and community services. He was also involved in licensing sub committee, joint museums committee, and markets, as well as representation for the Council on a number of outside bodies, including East Anglia Tourist Board, Cinema City, Norwich and Norfolk Dance, and a number of community centre committees.

[2] Paul was a Lib Dem councillor on Norwich City Council between 1999 and 2004. During that time Paul was particularly involved with the Planning Committee and worked to promote sustainable building and modern architecture.

[3] Jessica was a Green Party Councillor in Nelson ward between 2003 and 2006. During that time she was the party’s housing spokesperson and a chair of the Licensing Committee. Steven Altman was a Green Party Councillor in Mancroft ward between 2006 and 2007.

[4] Claire Stephenson was until recently the Leader of the Opposition on the City Council. She also chaired the Scrutiny Committee. If re-elected she is expected to become the Leader of the Green Party Councillors on the City Council again and is therefore the Green Party's main spokesperson for the election campaign.

[5] Norwich South produced the second highest Green Party vote anywhere in the country. Party Leader Caroline Lucas had the best result, winning Brighton Pavilion to become the first Green MP at Westminster. http://www.greenparty.org.uk/localsites/norwich/news/Norwich-News.html

[6] Both parties start the election campaign with 9 councillors, while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have only 4 each.

[7] The full list of Green Party candidates is:

Jean Bishop (Bowthorpe)
Rebecca Lewis-Smith (Catton Grove)
Paul McAlenan (Crome)
Nick Clinch (Eaton)
Kit Jones (Lakenham)
Graeme Gee (Mancroft)
Jo Henderson (Mile Cross)
Claire Stephenson (Nelson)
Jessica Goldfinch (Sewell)
Lesley Grahame (Thorpe Hamlet)
Ash Haynes (Town Close)
Sue Carpenter (University)
Steven Altman (Wensum)

Short profiles of each candidate is available on the Norwich Green Party website www.norwichgreenparty.org

A stall will be held at the bottom of Hayhill on Gentleman's Walk from 12 noon until 2pm [PHOTO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: 1PM with Adrian Ramsay]. It incorporates a series of hard-hitting images, all taken in the UK, designed to expose the conditions that animals endure in some factory farms.

As well as being Deputy Leader of the Green Party nationally and a Norwich Councillor, Adrian Ramsay has been a member of the national campaign group Animal Aid for 15 years. He commented:

“This is an issue very close to my heart – Green Party policies on animal protection were one of the things that first attracted me to the party 12 years ago, and they remain just as important now.

“There is clear evidence of a link between factory farming and disease outbreaks like bird flu and BSE. The Green Party is the only party that has pledged to end factory farming in the UK, as well as enforce strict welfare standards. We are widely acknowledged to have the strongest policies on animal protection.

“This campaign will show that ending factory farming is the right ethical decision in terms of animal welfare but also the right decision for human health."

During the 2007/8 bird flu outbreak, hundreds of thousands of chickens and turkeys were slaughtered on East Anglian farms to try to prevent the spread of this virulent disease. During an investigation it was uncovered that Bernard Matthews, the UK’s largest turkey farmer, who farms more than seven million turkeys each year, had been warned several times about hygiene lapses on its farms.

The Green Party would encourage more sustainable forms of food production in place of factory farming. Adrian Ramsay said:

"We need to move away from factory farming and towards farming that is healthier for humans, animals and the environment. This means more localised and less intensive agriculture."

Animal Aid has published a video on its website showing the horrific conditions in which the majority of Britain's farm animals live. The video can be viewed at: http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/f/CAMPAIGNS/blog//4//?be_id=264.

The motion pointed out that the poorest fifth of people pay around twice as much in VAT as the richest fifth [2], as a proportion of their income. 10.5% of households in Norwich have an income below £10,000 a year - far more than the national average at 7.1% [3]. Greens argued that VAT is a blanket tax that is regressive because of the impact it has on poor households.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay spoke on the motion for the Green Party. He referred to a report co-authored by Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP which sets out alternative ways of dealing with the deficit.

Councillor Ramsay, who is Deputy Leader of the Green Party nationally, commented: "The coalition Government's package will not create a fair society or a healthy economy, but as Caroline Lucas' report shows, there are alternatives. Around £100bn per year is lost in tax loopholes exploited by the rich. More effort should be made to recover this money, protecting public sector jobs in tax offices. Increasing income tax for the highest earners would also be a fairer way of bringing money into the public coffers than raising VAT. We could use the taxation system to tackle those problems that caused the financial crisis in the first place by taxing high-risk transactions between banks with the Robin Hood tax, rather than simply hitting the poorest people the hardest with a VAT increase.”

Conservative and Lib Dem councillors voted against the motion, claiming that a VAT increase is necessary, but Adrian Ramsay said that the Green Party would replace VAT with eco-taxes, targeted at the most environmentally damaging consumption.

Notes:

[1] The motion is available in full on the council website: http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/meeting_minutes/Meetings.asp?meeting=specific&mid=2190&id= . It resolves to write to the chancellor of the exchequer raising concerns about the proposed VAT increase and request Norwich's 2 MPs vote against the Finance Bill.

[2] Office for National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9614&Pos=1&ColRank=1&Rank=272

[3] From Norwich City Council web site: http://www.norwich.gov.uk/site_files/pages/City_Council__Key_Statistics.html

[4] View report: http://www.financeforthefuture.com/TaxBriefing.pdf

The meeting was called by the Norfolk branch of the National Union of Teachers and marks the start of a local campaign to defend the principle of free state education and local community schools. On Monday (19th July) local campaigners and teachers will be amongst the campaigners taking part in a lobby of Westminster as MPs consider the Government's proposals for schools.

Education Secretary Michael Gove recently revealed that 15 schools in Norfolk have expressed an interest in becoming academies [2].

Adrian Ramsay argued at the meeting that academies and so called “free” schools represent a threat to the principle of free state education. Councillor Ramsay commented:

“Private sponsors should not be able to buy influence over schools. Under academies, private sponsors can influence the running of the school, the terms and conditions of teachers, the curriculum and the name of the school.

"There is no evidence to suggest that academy status is likely to result in improved exams results - there have been mixed performances from academy schools around the country.

"Academies are run by managers who may have more interest in reflecting the private agendas of their funders than providing an inspiring and balanced education to their pupils."

As well as being Deputy Leader of the Green Party and a Norwich City Councillor, Adrian is well known as a campaigner for free education. When he studied at UEA he clashed with Charles Clarke, the recently defeated Norwich South MP who was responsible for bring in student top up fees as Education Secretary.

The Green Party stands for properly funded state education, all the way from nursery level through to universities. He said:

“Education needs to be free from corporate influence. Rather than setting up new schools we should be investing in the schools we have already. I want every local school to be a good community school and I want teacher to be free to inspire their pupils, just as my teachers inspired me.

"We do need to find ways to involve teachers, parents and students in the running of schools, but free schools could take us in the wrong direction and result in more segregation in society. We need to protect the principle of community, comprehensive schools. Academy schools often lose their local community identity and free schools would be the same."

Notes:

[1] The meeting was held in the City Hall Council Chamber on Tuesday 13th July.

[2] Reported in the EDP 26/06/2010: http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=NOED25%20Jun%202010%2018%3A06%3A24%3A217.

Residents will gather to express their frustration that a Tesco store is opening despite the application being turned down by the City Council and hundreds of people objecting to the plans.

It is the culmination of a six year battle between Tesco and local residents which reached its climax last year when a Planning Inspector ruled that the plans could go ahead. In that six year period the City Council rejected Tesco applications on five occasions, with Green Party Councillors campaigning against the plans throughout.

Adrian Ramsay, a Green Party Councillor for Nelson ward, which starts on Unthank Road, has played an active role in the Residents Against Unthank Tesco campaign since it started in 2004.

Adrian Ramsay, who has pledged that he will not use the new Tesco store, commented: “I will continue to support the local businesses in the area. We cannot allow the opening of this Tesco to be at their expense.

"I know that there is a strong feeling among residents in the area that we need to unite behind the independent businesses. Research shows that a pound spent in a local business is almost twice as beneficial for the community as the equivalent spent in a supermarket like Tesco [1].

“Local campaigners will be monitoring activities at the new store to see if Tesco sticks to the agreements regarding delivery times and frequency. We are concerned that bringing lots of new delivery lorries to the street will add to congestion.

"The biggest frustration is that this store is being opened against the wishes of the local council and the majority of local residents. It should not be possible for supermarkets to submit repeated applications for the same site and then appeal to a remote Planning Inspector to make a decision. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will be challenging the planning laws on this in Parliament."

Notes:

[1] See: http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Plugging_the_Leaks.pdf p.32

Councillor Stephenson proposed the motion because she thought the current process to scrutinise executive decisions was bloated and inefficient. Passing the motion is a first step towards a Green vision of a Council fully open to community participation. In the short term it means that Councillors from all parties will now be working together to improve the system for scrutinising the executive, without creating additional expenditure.

The motion was one element of a very successful night for Norwich Greens, who also achieved unanimous support for another motion calling on the Council to adopt open source software [3] [4] where appropriate; which they said often costs less, is more innovative and is easier to fix and adapt than standard licensed software.

Councillor Stephenson commented “Taken together, these motions demonstrate the kind of direction a Green run Council would take. Open source software is democratic computer programming and opening the Council to greater scrutiny would end the undemocratic practice of working groups making decisions behind closed doors. Having several smaller scrutiny panels would enable councillors to specialise in different areas of the council’s work and effectively hold Council officials and the ruling party to account.”

Samir Jeraj, deputy leader of the Green Party City Councillors [5], seconded the Open Council motion. He said “In these tough economic times we need innovative new ideas like these to show how the Council can continue to improve its service whilst spending less money. You can't make good decisions without good scrutiny, and now more than ever it is important that the Council’s decisions are good and fair.”

The second motion, regarding open source software, will mean that the Council may start using open source alternatives to licensed computer programmes, such as Firefox and Open Office. Councillor Ruth Makoff [6], who proposed the motion, said “There could be significant savings for the Council, and the idea that we could use local IT workers to maintain computer programmes the way we want them rather than writing a big cheque to a distant corporation every year will resonate with a lot of people.”

The Open Council motion specifically called for the scrutiny committee to be broken up into several specialist panels to increase the involvement of Councillors and others in scrutinising decisions that affect Norwich residents. This will enable more people to get involved, but also ensure Councillors can become more specialised and trained in one particular area, making them more effective. This is already how many other Councils including Norfolk County Council operate.

Notes:

[1] Claire Stephenson is a representative for Nelson ward and is leader of the Green Group on Norwich City Council. She has been a Councillor since 2006.

[2] The motion reads:

‘Council,

RESOLVES,

(1) to increase the involvement of councillors in scrutiny by establishing an appropriate number of committees or panels to fully cover the work of the Council;

(2) to ask the Head of Legal, Regulatory and Democratic Services to convene a meeting of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, scrutiny officer, representatives of the Corporate Management Team, and leaders of other political groups to explore ways of embedding scrutiny throughout the City Council.

(3) any changes to be made without additional expenditure.’

[3] The motion reads:

‘The recently published "Open Source, Open Standards and Re-Use: Government Action Plan" builds on existing policy for government departments to use open source software wherever it offers the best value for money and states that "where there is no significant overall cost difference between open and non open source products, open source will be selected on the basis of its additional inherent flexibility.

Council,

RESOLVES to ask the Executive:-

(1) as part of the Strategic ICT Review agreed in this year's budget, to consider whether any of the software currently used within the Council could be replaced with better value for money open source alternatives;

(2) to review policy and options on ICT procurement including:-

• how to ensure that systems procured are able to adapt to unforeseen changes and advances in technology;
• making it a requirement to assess the opportunities to use open source software, including the potential benefits, in a Total Cost of Ownership assessment;
• the opportunities to the local economy that arise from using software that can be modified by local IT workers rather than being restricted to modification by large companies elsewhere;
• whether the upgrade and exit/replacement cost of current proprietary systems could or should be included as a liability on the relevant Council balance sheets.’

[4] Open-source software (OSS) is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software. Some open source software is available within the public domain. Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. (Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software)

[5] Samir Jeraj has been a Green Party representative for Town Close ward since 2008 and is the deputy leader of the Green City Councillors.

[6] Ruth Makoff has been a Green Party representative for Wensum ward since 2008

Hardy, 36, was elected as County Councillor for Thorpe Hamlet ward in Norwich in June 2009 and became the first ever Green member of the Norfolk Police Authority. At the 2009 elections, the Green Party won 7 of the 13 County Council seats in Norwich and became the third largest party on the County Council overall.

Councillor Hardy said: "It is an honour and a privilege to serve the people of Norfolk on the County Council, and to hold the Norfolk Constabulary to account. I'm proud to become Leader of the Green Party Group and strongly believe all parties at County Hall must work together constructively in the interests of the people of Norfolk during these volatile economic times. I bring a professional, business-like approach to my work and seek to develop rapport with all people at all levels."

Outgoing Leader Councillor Andrew Boswell is taking over as Chair of the group. He expressed his delight in the new leadership team, and explained his personal reasons for stepping down as leader. He said: "Phil Hardy as Leader and Marcus Hemsley as his Deputy will be a superb team for leading the Green Party Group at County Hall and providing a strong voice for fairness, social justice and environmental sustainability in Norfolk. I decided to step down this summer some time ago to enable me to spend more time with my family and other interests. However, I'm very pleased to take over as chair of the Group and I will work to support Phil and Marcus in the years ahead."

Notes:

[1] Phil Hardy:

* Hardy has qualifications in project management and process improvement methodology which he earned during his time at Aviva, where he worked since 1993.

* He took voluntary redundancy from Aviva in January 2009 so he could work full time as Personal Assistant and Press Liaison Officer to Councillor Rupert Read during his Euro-election campaign whilst simultaneously running for County Councillor.

* He sits on the Planning Regulatory and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees at Norfolk County Council, and chairs a learning difficulties working group. He will shortly take up a place on the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee now he has taken over as Leader.

* He sits on the Scrutiny and Audit and Citizens Focus Committees at the Norfolk Police Authority, is a member of their Modernisation and Environment and Sustainability Boards and is the lead member of the Authority for the Business Performance Unit.

* He was a member of the panel that interviewed for the new Chief Constable of Norfolk in January this year, and is on the panel that will interview for a new deputy chief this September.

[2] Marcus Hemsley:

* Marcus Hemsley, 25, runs his own marketing business with his partner Rebecca.

* He sits on the Planning Regulatory and Planning, Transport and Development Committees.

* Hemsley has a passion for renewable energy, and influenced the ruling County Council administration by suggesting they generate their own renewable energy by erecting wind turbines on county farms.

Tom, who has been a City Councillor for Mancroft Ward since 2007, will be the Lord Mayor of the city for the next year and will represent Norwich at ceremonial and community events. As Lord Mayor, Tom Dylan is a figurehead for the city, but the Council is still run by the ruling Labour administration. Tom remains as one of the representatives of Mancroft Ward as well as being Lord Mayor.

In his year in office Tom will be working alongside the new Sheriff, Evening News columnist Derek James, to raise money for the civic charity, Rotary House. The charity provides support to deaf people to help them lead independent lives. Councillor Dylan and Mr James will also be promoting racial harmony as one of the themes of their civic year.

Tom Dylan said: “I am proud to be Lord Mayor of our fine city. There’s lots to look forward to. I’ll be presenting the city’s sports awards. I want to take every opportunity to promote sport, exercise and the city’s green spaces. I’m also looking forward to the Peace Camp and to opportunities to support networks of independent and local businesses in the city, such as the Norwich Lanes.”

There were no local elections in Norwich this year so the political make-up of the City Council remains the same. Labour is the largest party and forms the Council’s ruling Executive. The Green Party is the second largest party and therefore the main opposition group.

Let’s start with the positives.

There are some policies in the coalition agreement which I welcome, particularly the pledge to scrap the ID cards scheme and the proposal to replace the House of Lords with an elected upper chamber.

But there are many aspects of the coalition between the Conservatives and LibDems which worry me. My biggest concern is the proposal for 'savage cuts' to the funding of our public services, starting this year. During the election, the LibDems promised not to make such cuts during the first year to ensure they didn't kick start a spiral of unemployment.

It’s disappointing that the LibDems have gone back on their manifesto pledge and accepted these cuts. Of course they had to make some compromises, but these cuts could affect some of the services we most rely on, such as the Sure Start, schools and universities. I will be keeping a close eye on what spending cuts the Government proposes and will work with you to protect crucial services here in Norwich.

The Green Party’s costed manifesto for the General Election recognised that some spending cuts are needed. For example, we proposed that trident nuclear weapons should not be replaced – and it’s disappointing that the coalition agreement will allow this expensive replacement to happen.

However, our manifesto showed how key funding for public services can be maintained by increasing tax for those who can afford to pay more – such as the big banks and those earning over £100,000 per year.

There are many policies on which the position of the new Government is unclear from the coalition agreement. When will our troops be brought home from Iraq and Afghanistan? Will the fox hunting ban be retained? Will student tuition fees be scrapped? Will there be free personal care for the elderly? Will our schools and hospitals be protected from increased corporate influence?

On all these issues, it is not yet clear which direction the new Government will take us – but I’m pleased we have a Green MP in Parliament to fight for fair and ethical policies.

The full details of the deal will be released later today, but it is clear that the LibDems have agreed to Conservative plans to start making public sector cuts during this financial year and that the LibDems have failed to get an agreement for the introduction of a proportional voting system.

Adrian Ramsay commented: "There are real risks to cutting back on public spending while the economy is still recovering from recession - which is presumably why the LibDems didn't support making cut backs this year in their manifesto. I'm very concerned that the LibDems have signed up to the Conservative cuts and about what this may mean for crucial local services such as Sure Start nurseries and day care centres.

"The Green Party's General Election manifesto showed that there are ways of dealing with the deficit whilst protecting public services. The way forward should have been through green investment to stabilise the economy, not through public service cuts.

"I fear that the new alliance between the Conservatives and LibDems will take us in the wrong direction. I don't think these cuts are what people in Norwich voted for last week. The Green Party will strongly oppose cuts to crucial services.

"Nick Clegg has also failed to use this situation to secure a fair voting system where every vote counts equally. LibDems have been campaigning for this for decades and this was their chance to make it happen. I think many LibDem activists and voters will be feeling betrayed that Nick Clegg has not made more of this opportunity and will be considering their political home for the future."

The candidate, Adrian Ramsay, says he’s obviously disappointed not to have won the seat, but very pleased at the big increase in the Greens’ vote share, which has more than doubled since the previous General Election.

While the vote share of the Conservatives and the winning Lib-Dems shifted very little, it was the Labour vote share which fell back while the Green Party share increased.

Norwich South produced the second highest Green Party vote anywhere in the country. Party leader Caroline Lucas had the best result, winning Brighton Pavilion to become the first Green MP at Westminster. But Norwich South is still seen as the constituency most likely to produce the next Green MP.

Adrian Ramsay, who is deputy party leader and still a city councillor, recognises that it is for the Party itself to make a decision on future candidacy. He said:

“It’s a fantastic national breakthrough to see Caroline Lucas elected as the first Green MP. It is important to have an ethical voice in a hung Parliament to press for a fairer society, to oppose privatisation and cuts in public services and to challenge the growing gap between rich and poor.

“Now that the Green Party has its first seat, and the credibility which goes with it, we’ll be campaigning hard to build on that next time and Norwich South is clearly our next best seat.”

The Green Party Deputy Leader and candidate for Norwich South, Adrian Ramsay, will be at Theatre Street in the city centre at 09:30 to meet the team of volunteers who’ll be travelling with the bus to hand out leaflets and speak to passers-by, before setting it on its way.

As part of its national tour in support of the Green Party General Election campaign, the bus will be visiting shopping centres around the city including West Earlham, Vauxhall Street, and the Tuckswood Centre. There’ll also be a visit to the UEA.

On Wednesday the bus will be in Cambridge in support of Green Party candidate and former Friends of the Earth director, Tony Juniper.

Adrian Ramsay believes that being an MP is a full-time job, that it is paid accordingly and that it is inappropriate for MPs to pursue paid directorships and consultancies at the same time. He has promised that, if elected, he will be a full-time MP for Norwich South.

Mr Clarke makes no secret of the fact that he has other jobs, and what he does is entirely within current rules. On his own website he explains his position thus:

“When I left Government in 2006 I decided that I was ready to take on other roles which were offered to me, both to broaden my experience and to earn roughly the same total income as I had had whilst in Government.

“This is what has happened and I have received fees for a range of additional activities, including writing, broadcasting and making speeches and films, a non-executive directorship in Norwich and some consultancies for specific projects. The total amount of time which I have spent on these activities has been vastly less than I spent as a Minister, totalling on average about 20 to 30 hours a month. I have declared my activities in the Register of Members' Interest and (of course) paid tax on all income.”

Mr Clarke is a non-executive director of LJ Create, a company supplying educational IT equipment, a consultant to the law firm Beachcroft and to the investment house Charles Street Securities. He has also worked on a project for the international accountants KPMG.

It has been reported that Mr Clarke has earned in excess of £145,000 from his outside activities on top of his salary has an MP. From April 1st this year an MP’s salary is £65,738. Other Parliamentary jobs, such as being a government minister, attract extra salary.

Adrian Ramsay said:

“Being an MP is a full-time job. Representing over 70,000 people in Parliament and helping them with their local issues is a serious and time-consuming role. MPs who are not Government ministers also have a crucial role to play in scrutinising legislation and Government proposals. MPs who pursue consultancies or directorships often have a conflict of interest between influencing public opinion on behalf of a lobby group and influencing public opinion as an elected politician. I would argue, for example, that it is inappropriate for a former Education Secretary to write a report on behalf of a private company arguing that there should be more charges for people to use parts of the education system in the future. If an MP wants to contribute to public debate on Government policy, they can and should do it as part of their role as an MP – not on behalf of a private company that may have a vested interest.

“If I am elected as MP for Norwich South on Thursday I commit to not pursuing another career, or paid directorships or consultancies, at the same time. Today I am asking Charles Clarke whether he will make the same commitment.”

Members of the NUT, the biggest teachers union in the country, and the NAHT, will be taking industrial action to protest against the testing of 11 year olds. The unions believe that SATs in their current form disrupt the learning process for 10 and 11 year olds, and are misused to compile misleading league tables.

Adrian Ramsay said:

"The Green Party supports the decision of the National Union of Teachers to boycott SATS for 11 year olds. Testing in primary schools should not be so formalised. Teachers should be freed up from paperwork and a rigid curriculum so they can use their skills to inspire children. We need to ensure better funding for primary schools so that class sizes can be reduced, to help teachers give pupils more individual attention”.

The Greens envisage an education system in which teachers are free to inspire their pupils and not get bogged down in endless paperwork. That’s why their costed manifesto promises to abolish SATs exams for primary school children and to reduce class sizes by spending more on teachers.

SATs are scheduled to take place in schools from 10 – 13 May. Members who are taking industrial action will refuse to follow the test opening, checking and administrative procedures.