Green Party

Green Party City Councillors last night won all-party backing for their proposal that the City Council should develop an inclusive plan to tackle child poverty, with the possible involvement of anti-poverty organisations such as Child Poverty Action Group. The motion asked that the Council's ruling Executive develop its existing work in this area and works with partners to achieve the goals set out in the Child Poverty Action Group's Manifesto.

The proposal was put forward in a motion by Green Councillor Stephen Little.

Councillor Stephen Little said: "Under successive Labour and Conservative Governments, child poverty increased, despite periods of so called economic growth. Poverty is not just about lack of money but also about lack of access to services. The current government has made some progress and so has the current Norwich authority but any future unitary Norwich authority must have a strategy to tackle poverty that understands its causes and uses the right indicators to measure it.

"There must be no repeat of the Thatcherite policies which worsened inequality and dramatically increased child poverty, or dependence on more of New Labour 'market liberalisation' to solve problems: 2004-5 saw a significant increase in child poverty despite being in the heart of the boom years."

Also last night, Councillor Adrian Ramsay, Leader of the Green Party City Councillors, challenged Labour Council leaders to explain why empty former council flats in Barrack Street, due for demolition, were still a source of vandalism and anti-social behaviour a year after the last resident moved out.

The council leaders accepted that the property was a blight on the neighbourhood and said that they had learnt from the experience and would have to make certain in future property sales that evacuated property would be dealt with properly and promptly.

Councillor Ramsay said: "This former Council property has been a source of great nuisance. There should have been conditions in its sale that required the new private owners to manage the site properly. Former residents will be frustrated that they were asked to moved out and yet the buildings are still standing. I am glad that the Council accepts that the land should have been better managed and will take action to prevent similar problems with  any future land sales."

NOTES

Motion – Child Poverty

Councillor Stephen Little to move:

 “Council notes that:

·        Save the Children - an organisation better known for helping children in war-torn and famine-struck countries - recently started distributing money to families in the UK for the first time, citing the increase in malnutrition amongst children as a key reason for doing so.

·        Just over ten years ago, when he was Prime Minister, Tony Blair committed the UK to ending child poverty ‘within a generation’.

·        Although child poverty has decreased over the last ten years, it is unlikely that the Government's interim 2010/11 target to halve child poverty levels will be met without at least an additional £3 billion annual investment (according to various independent estimates, such as from the Institute for Fiscal Studies).

·        Norfolk is the 5th most deprived County in England on the Government's child poverty index, and of the 26 SOAs (Super Output Areas) in Norfolk which are - by the index of Multiple Deprivation - in the most deprived 10% in England , 10 are in Norwich .

Council resolves to ask the Executive to consider and agree a plan to set out what the Council intends to do in Norwich - in partnership with other organisations where necessary - in order to achieve the goals as set out in the Child Poverty Action Group's Manifesto "Ending Child Poverty.”

Questions:

7) Councillor Ramsay to ask:

I was concerned to read reports that the empty former council flats on the south side of Barrack Street have reached such a state that council officers have decided to clean up the graffiti and remove items dumped on the site and invoice the new private owners of the land. What action will the Council take to ensure that this problem does not re-occur? The problems also raise the question of why the flats have not yet been demolished given that it's now nearly three years since residents were asked to move out.

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