Citizen – Spring 2022 | Citizen – Spring 2022

Published Friday 25 February 2022

Message from the leader, Alan Waters

Local elections in Norwich are an annual event. So people are used to going to the polls to exercise this vital democratic right. This issue of Citizen looks ahead to the city council elections in May, when a third of the council seats in each of the 13 wards across the city are up for a four-year term.

Today, voting is a right of citizenship and not based, for example, as it once was, in the early 20th Century, on whether or not a person owned property or their gender.

So, the recent history of voting is about breaking down barriers and making it easier to vote; for example, postal and proxy voting.

Running elections is one of the most important functions of the city council because it goes to the heart of our role as a democratic body. Preparing for and running an election involves staff from across the whole council.

Because personal circumstances change, registering people to vote isn’t just a once-a-year activity. It involves year-round work by our elections team.

If you’ve recently moved, never been registered, changed your name, or wish to change the way you vote, the quickest and easiest way to do this is online at www.gov.uk/Register-To-Vote

This is why our elections team works through the year to try and make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote is registered. It’s the only way you can vote in an election.

Running elections is transparent and based on a high degree of trust. Last year, we had possibly the most complex set of elections Norwich has seen – city council, county council and Police & Crime Commissioner ballots on the same day – and during a time of Covid restrictions.

The last 100 years has been a steady progress in extending the right to vote and removing obstacles to doing so. The health of our democracy depends on continuing along that path.

News in brief

Calling all kings and queens

The crown jewel in the city’s event calendar is back! The theme for this year’s Lord Mayor’s Celebration is ‘kings and queens’, and we’re planning a right royal knees up to celebrate all things regal, from our very own Queen of Iceni to Bimini Bon Boulash, and everyone in between.

Interested in running a market stall?

Have you ever considered running a market stall? Well, 2022 may just be the year for you!

Some stalls are currently available at the award-winning Norwich Market, and applications are welcome – especially from non-food businesses.

If you can offer something unique to the market – with low running costs, and a 25 per cent rent reduction for new businesses in the first six months, it’s a great opportunity to start a new venture and see what it can become! Visit www.NorwichMarket.net to find out more.

Celebrating a century of cultural contribution

The city is proud of Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Strangers’ Hall – home to the world’s largest teapot collection, the country’s first museum of rural life and artefacts demonstrating local industrious heritage.

Without the generosity of the Friends of the Norwich Museums, we would not have these treasures.

Established in 1920, founding members Leonard Bolingbroke, rescued Strangers’ Hall from dilapidation and donated it to the city in 1922, and Sir Henry Holmes gifted Bridewell in 1925.

To this day, the Friends work tirelessly to raise funds to help purchase artefacts to enhance the collections.

Visit the museums website.

2022 dates for your diary…

The city’s events calendar is already filling up, here are some highlights:

13 – 18 April Easter Funfair – Chapelfield Gardens
13 – 29 May Norfolk & Norwich Festival – citywide
28 – 29 May Let’s Rock Festival – Earlham Park
2 – 5 June Platinum Jubilee Celebrations – citywide
25 June Simply Red – Earlham Park
1 – 3 July Lord Mayor’s Celebration
17 July Run Norwich – city centre
30 July Norwich Pride – city centre

New events pop up every week, so keep your eye on the council’s Facebook page and website for the latest!

Anglia Square redevelopment plans take shape

A series of public consultations have taken place about the new proposed redevelopment plans for Anglia Square, following refusal of the last application by the Secretary of State.

Run by Weston Homes (the company which is due to submit another planning application for the site this spring), the consultations have included details about the plans and given people the chance to give their feedback.

Weston Homes has also been consulting with stakeholders on the new scheme and set up a community panel to feed in their proposals for the area.

The new plans see a number of changes from the previous proposals, including no multi- storey car park, no hotel or cinema and the height of the buildings has been reduced, with the highest buildings at eight storeys.

The public consultation has now ended and the final plans may be subject to change, to take into account people’s comments before a planning application is submitted.

For more information on the scheme, visit Weston Homes’ site www.AngliaSquare.com

Plan to protect city office space pushes forward

Norwich City Council’s plans to help control the number of offices in the city being turned into residential properties has been progressed to the next stage.

Following a six-week public consultation in July last year, the city council’s cabinet agreed in December that an Article 4 Direction will be brought into effect from 29 July 2022, if no objection is received from the Secretary of State.

Since changes to the planning system in 2013, which introduced permitted development rights to convert offices to flats, about 30% of office stock in Norwich has been lost, which has significantly impacted on the supply of available office space in the city centre.

A review of office accommodation in Norwich, commissioned by the city council, found the market was in a ‘fragile and vulnerable’ condition, partly due to the significant loss of offices in the last eight years.

If this Article 4 Direction is put in place, it would mean full planning permission would be required to change offices to residential premises within the city centre.

Councillor Mike Stonard, Norwich City Council’s cabinet member for sustainable and inclusive growth said: “It’s important to the city that we can progress with the Article 4 Direction to help Norwich’s economy thrive and enable our businesses to flourish. It’s also important that when conversions to residential are made, we have control over the standard of housing that results.”

While an Article 4 Direction would not prevent all offices being changed into flats, it would give the city council more control over any proposed changes.

Citizen magazine survey

We’d be really grateful if you could take a few minutes to give us your views on Citizen, our residents’ magazine.

Each year, four issues of the magazine are produced by the council’s in-house communications team and delivered to all 67,000 properties within the city council’s boundary.

We’re in the process of gathering feedback about the magazine to help us make some informed decisions on how you’d like us to communicate with you in the future, including how you prefer to find out about the services we provide to residents.

Please tell us what you think by the survey deadline of Friday 29 April 2022.

Start the survey here

The road to cashless car parking

People across the city will soon be able to use our car parks with their phones, thanks to the introduction of cashless parking options.

Car park users have historically only been able to pay by cash. However, following our successful move to introduce cashless car parking at Barn Road, we’re finalising plans to offer the same option at all our city car parks, alongside cash payments.

Later this year users will be able to pay for their visits to any of our car parks by creating an account and adding a payment method through an app and website, as well as via SMS and calling. Full details will be provided on our website as soon as the new system goes live.

Councillor Mike Stonard, cabinet member for parking at Norwich City Council, said: “This is a much needed move for the council and our car park users. This online approach has proved highly successful in other cities across the country so it’s great that we’ve been able to modernise our payment methods and options across our car parks to facilitate that.”

Our car parks by numbers…

Number of car parks: 13
Overall parking spaces: 2973
Blue Badge spaces: 141
Total yearly visitors: 344,174 (multi-storeys only)

City council sets out path ahead for next four years

An important document which acts as the city council’s guiding light over the next four years has recently been given the seal of approval by all 39 elected councillors.

The council’s new high-level strategic document, the 2022-26 Corporate Plan, sets out its vision and most important aims.

Shaped by the Norwich 2040 City Vision work, as well as our response to Covid-19, the new plan outlines the council’s five new aims along with a number of priority activities linked to each one.

The new aims are as follows:

Aim 1: People live independently and well in a diverse and safe city.
Aim 2: Norwich is a sustainable and healthy city.
Aim 3: Norwich has the infrastructure and housing it needs to be a successful city.
Aim 4: The city has an inclusive economy in which residents have equal opportunity to flourish.
Aim 5: Norwich City Council is in good shape to serve the city.

You will be able to read the new corporate plan when it’s published on the council’s website from April.

A balanced budget which includes significant investment

Making sure there’s enough money to deliver the services people need, value and which meet the aims set out in our corporate plan, is never an easy task.

However, the current context – the ongoing impact of Covid, the need to make savings, and uncertainty around future government funding – make this more challenging than ever.

Yet, as we get ready to head into a new financial year (2022- 23) on 1 April, we do so with a balanced budget. Our budget is set at the end of February by council – the entire group of 39 elected councillors – and following consultation where we seek the views of residents and businesses.

At the time of writing, councillors were due to consider proposals for a general fund (capital) budget of £29.3m – this is one of the parts of our budget, the pot we set aside for acquiring, enhancing or improving our assets (the things, buildings and places we own).

Some of the projects proposed for funding include improved IT systems so the digital offer for customers is better and our back-office functions are more efficient; delivery of key Town Deal projects, and refurbishing Carrow House to provide small and start-up businesses with quality office space.

Councillors were also set to consider a council tax rise of 1.99 per cent – a maximum rise of up to the equivalent of £5.47 a year/11p a week for the city council’s element of council tax – to help protect frontline services.

You can see more about the 2022-23 budget.

Get ready for the local elections in May

Don’t miss out on having your voice heard at the local election on Thursday 5 May. Norwich City Council holds elections by thirds, which means one of every three seats on each of the 13 city wards will be up for grabs.

Get to know your candidates

A list of candidates standing at May’s elections, known as the ‘statement of persons nominated,’ will be available on our website by Wednesday 6 April (4pm). You may also notice candidate campaign literature being delivered to your door around this time.

Current political make-up

The city council has a total of 39 councillors – 13 electoral wards across the city with three councillors in each. Following the city council elections last year, the political make-up is:

Labour 26 seats
Green 10 seats
Liberal Democrats three seats

Standing for election

Most people who stand for election to be a councillor do this by representing a political party. All the local political parties in Norwich have websites which provide details on how to join and volunteer.

However, you don’t need to be a member of a political party, you can also stand as an independent candidate.

Whether you stand for a political party or as an independent, you will need to have a nomination paper signed by 10 people who are on the electoral register in the ward you wish to stand in.

If you want further advice on standing as an independent candidate, please get in touch with us.

Register to vote

Don’t miss out on having your say by making sure you’re registered to vote in local and national elections or referendums. You can register to vote easily and quickly online – you’ll need your date of birth and National Insurance number to complete your application.

Key dates

Beginning of April: poll cards delivered. Check carefully for location of your polling station
6 April: candidate list published on our website
14 April: deadline to register to vote
19 April (5pm): deadline to apply for a postal vote or amend details to an existing postal vote
5 May: election day!
6 May: counting of the votes (the results for each ward will be available on our website and twitter feed throughout the day

Why vote in local elections

General elections get all the headlines, but we think local elections are just as important!

Here are some top reasons why we think you should get out and vote:

Our local council has an impact on many of the services you see and use every day, including housing, waste and recycling and public spaces. Choices made at City Hall will have visible impacts on your community so make sure you’ve been part of choosing who makes these decisions
You can vote for candidates who have a similar vision for the future of your community as you do
Councillors represent a much smaller group of people than MPs, that means your single vote is more likely to make an impact on the result
Voting can be fun! Our polling station staff are a friendly lot and always pleased to see you, so make their day and get involved!

Have a bit of fun and test your democracy knowledge

1. When were all women given equal voting rights to men in the UK?
A. 1918
B. 1928
C. 1945
D. 1970

2. Who can vote in local elections in Norwich?
A. UK and Irish Citizens
B. UK, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
C. UK, Irish, qualifying Commonwealth and EU citizens
D. Any resident of Norwich

3. When were 18 to 20-year-olds first allowed to vote in the UK? Previously it was only over 21s
A. 1950
B. 1960
C. 1970
D. 1980

4. In which year was Norwich City Council established?
A. 1974
B. 1920
C. 1990

Breaking the cycle of homelessness

Rough sleeping is a complex issue that requires a holistic approach. Our strategy focuses on four key areas which targets the work we do with partners to break the cycle of homelessness. Read on to find out more.

Do you hold the key to somebody’s fresh start?

Have you ever tried to apply for a job, set up a bank account or access financial support without an address? It’s not easy. Finding a home is often the first step needed to get your life on track, and yet it can be the hardest.

The city council is seeking landlords to help provide private rented accommodation at market rent to people facing specific barriers to finding a home. These are people who are looking for a fresh start, have low support needs and are carefully assessed as ready to take on the responsibilities of a tenancy.

Financial incentives are available for providing six-month tenancies as part of this scheme.

To find out more, contact pippajennings@norwich.gov.uk

Meaningful food provision

Food poverty is closely linked to rough sleeping, so it is vital that food provision takes place in a safe and supportive environment. Indoor food provision is now available seven days a week through local social enterprise, The Feed’s, ‘Nourish’ service, initiated by the city council.

Running from the city centre, this service also offers support that can help anyone using it to take steps into accommodation. Nourish has already served 1,500 meals to more 150 people since it began in April. This has been made possible with the help of generous volunteers, some of who have previous experience of homelessness.

A safe place to sleep

The ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay’ service has been commissioned to provide space to sleep to those who need it while their accommodation needs are assessed. Managed by St Martins, this hub is designed for short stays with specialist staff on hand. Since launching in April, more than 60 people who would have otherwise been sleeping outside have made use of this service.

Political representation

Councillor Cate Oliver, cabinet member with responsibility for rough sleeping, said: “Not all councils have a cabinet member dedicated to rough sleeping. This shows our commitment to tackling the issue, and my role allows me to have insight into specific cases, keep the issue high on the political agenda and identify systems barriers.”

Building for a better future

As part of a county-wide initiative to tackle homelessness, the council has been working closely with Broadland Housing to build quality new homes in the city.

Last November saw a £1.1 million block of flats built at Webster Court in just three days. Most of the building work took place off-site and then modular apartments were craned into place – this innovative approach provides speedy solutions to a pressing problem, and with minimal impact for neighbouring residents.

The six homes provide rough sleepers with short-term tenancies of between six and 24 months to help individuals find long-term solutions to their homelessness and the underlying causes.

Councillor Gail Harris, the city council’s cabinet member for social housing, said: “Our rough sleeping strategy identified that we are in desperate need of homes for people who might be homeless, or who are on the verge of being homeless.

“None of us can do it by ourselves, the problem is too big. But if you can work with organisations who have the same ethos, the results can be tremendous.”

The latest partnership project is also progressing well, with a planning application approved in January to build seven high- quality, affordable homes on a small disused piece of land at Ketts Hill. These are due to complete at the end of this year.

The council gifted the land to Broadland Housing for both projects and following a successful bid for funding they are partly financed by the government’s Rough Sleepers Accommodation Programme (originally named the Next Steps Accommodation Programme).

The funding will also go towards providing the associated support for the tenants and to enable the purchase of another five one-bed flats, to be used as accommodation by the YMCA.

The council is also progressing with other housing projects at the former Kings Arms site on Mile Cross Road and at Threescore in Bowthorpe. These developments will go some way towards meeting the growing need for social housing in the city and help the council continue its proud legacy of building quality homes for its residents.

The properties are designed to be built to the highest environmental standards which will help to provide future protection for tenants against rising energy bills.

Town Deal round up

At the end of 2020, we received £25m of Town Deal funding from government for eight projects aimed at enhancing our city for visitors and residents. Here’s an overview of current work.

Future audiences at The Halls can now sit in comfort when enjoying performances, thanks to the arrival of new chairs and tiered seating, paid for by the Towns Fund and the council’s capital programme.

Next steps will be exploring the best way to develop and use the different spaces within the building. The overall vision for the project is to ensure this beautiful city centre venue is expertly adapted to meet the needs of future audiences, performers and our creative communities. As a council- owned heritage building, we also need to ensure it is financially sustainable, which will be part of forward discussions.

Enhancing people’s experience of the city centre by improving and expanding pedestrian spaces is the focus of the two public realm projects benefiting from the funding. Public consultation has already taken place on plans for St Giles which presents an opportunity to widen footpaths to give more space to pedestrians and increase capacity for outdoor dining, as well as other enhancements. Results and next steps will be shared shortly. Rejuvenating Hay Hill to make it work better as a public space will also be opened up to public comment, with work hoped to begin in the summer.

As the very first Town Deal completed project, City College Norwich’s Digi-Tech Factory received a visit from Neil O’Brien MP Minister in the Department of Levelling up and Communities, who was impressed by the students and staff he met, and state-of-the art-facilities.

The minister was also taken on a tour of east Norwich, a huge opportunity for regeneration and creation of a new urban quarter. The masterplan setting out the vision and guidance for future regeneration will be moving forward this year, including further public consultation.

The restoration and adaption of the Carrow House complex, which is part of the east Norwich site, is well underway and nearing completion. The building will provide much needed office space, so keep a close eye on this one if you are looking to relocate or set up.

The Advanced Construction and Engineering (ACE) centre – also led by City College Norwich is moving forward with the final brief for the project agreed and construction work due to start in the spring. When compete The ACE Centre will create cutting- edge learning environments to support advanced engineering and manufacturing, sustainable transport and advanced construction technologies.

Find out more about Norwich Town Deal.

East Norwich's unique heritage recognised

East Norwich’s unique heritage recognised An important milestone has been reached in the regeneration of east Norwich, as its unique heritage is recognised through a review of its historical buildings.

The review, carried out by Historic England on behalf of the city council and partners, focuses on listing buildings on the Carrow Works and Deal Ground sites, which are key to the regeneration of east Norwich.

Public consultation carried out as part of the stage 1 masterplan for the east Norwich regeneration showed heritage as a top priority and this review will help the sympathetic redevelopment of these important sites.

One of Norwich’s eight Town Deal funded projects, the masterplan is central to driving forward the regeneration of this part of the city, which has the ambition to become a new urban quarter with the potential to deliver 4,000 new homes and 6,000 new jobs.

Councillor Mike Stonard, the city council’s cabinet member for inclusive and sustainable growth, said: “This review by Historic England has shown just how important this area of the city is to Norwich’s rich heritage.

“It allows us to understand which buildings on these sites are of national importance and which are not – something that will ensure the emerging masterplan fully respects the heritage of the area.

“This should help us to create a genuinely unique, highly distinctive and sustainable quarter of Norwich.”

The Carrow Works site was home to the famous Norwich manufacturer Colman’s for 160 years. It houses some of east Norwich’s most significant historic structures, such as the Grade I listed Carrow Abbey – a former Benedictine priory.

The Deal Ground comprises an extensive area of disused former industrial land and buildings.

The new listings include an upgrade for the ornate Victorian conservatory at Carrow House to Grade II* and Trowse Railway Station being given a Grade II listing. The timber drying bottle kiln at Deal Ground has retained its Grade II listing and the following buildings have been given Grade II listings:

19th century engine house at Trowse Sewage Pumping Station
Early 20th century engine house, boiler house and coal store at Trowse Sewage Pumping Station.

Work continues on stage 2 of the masterplan, with the consultant team led by Avison Young with Allies & Morrison focussing on issues relating to infrastructure, phasing, viability assessment and funding.

For more information, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/EastNorwich

Wonderful waterway improvements

The River Wensum, which runs through the heart of Norwich, is benefitting from local partnership working.

The River Wensum Strategy Partnership has recently produced a comprehensive delivery plan which sets out the projects to be delivered over the next few years. These projects include improving access for users and enhancing biodiversity along the river corridor.

The partnership is led by the city council and includes representation from the Broads Authority, Norfolk County Council, Norwich Society and the Environment Agency, alongside other key stakeholders, including Norwich BID and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

Despite the challenges of the last couple of years, some great projects have been successfully delivered.

These include installing new pontoons for better river access for canoe and paddleboard users and an eel pass to help the species migrate, both at New Mills.

The Barn Road entrance to Marriott’s Way has also seen some changes, including cutting back overgrown shrubbery so the path is more visible for pedestrians and cyclists.

For more information www.norwich.gov.uk/RiverWensum

Perfecting our parks and open spaces

Some of the city’s parks and open spaces have seen some great improvements over the last few months so residents can continue to enjoy them for exercise, play and to help with their wellbeing.

At the beginning of November two refurbished tennis courts were opened at Lakenham Recreation Ground. These are part of Norwich Parks Tennis which provides tennis across the city. To book a tennis court or find out more visit the Norwich Parks Tennis website.

Norwich’s West End Street play area has also had an injection of funding into a newly refurbished multi-use games area (MUGA). The area now has high fencing, specialist surface for sports and new lines and goals. It’s one of 16 free-to-use MUGAs across the city that can be used to play a variety of sports.

In west Earlham Woods, 2,000 new trees were planted following the removal of sycamore trees to improve the structure and biodiversity of the woodland. In November, volunteers planted smaller tree species such as hawthorn, guelder rose, hazel and plum, which are more manageable. These projects have been financed through several sources, including the government’s Towns Fund advance funding, see page 12 for more information about the other Town Deal projects.

This year is set to be another year of investment to protect and enhance our much-loved parks and green spaces across the city so keep an eye out for updates in future issues and on the council’s social media channels and website.

City council set for transfer of key services

In the coming weeks some of our city residents can expect to see a change in provider for a number of important council services.

From 1 April, the building repairs and maintenance work which is routinely carried out across all our council homes, and non-housing properties, will be delivered by the council’s wholly- owned company, Norwich City Services Limited (NCSL).

This signals the end of a number of long-standing arrangements the city council has had with Norse to deliver many council services.

On the same day, 1 April, employees who have provided the council’s property management service for a number of years will transfer directly to the city council when the contract with Norse finishes.

Councillor Alan Waters, leader of the council, said: “We’re now in the final stages of this huge and important piece of work – a journey we’ve been on since 2018 to bring these key services under more direct council control.

“Our residents and the services we provide them have been our priority throughout and our focus is firmly on ensuring they transfer as smoothly as possible.

“We’re looking well beyond the transfer date and at future delivery of these services. Part of this involves making sure we have people with the skills and expertise we need, across both workforces, to steer us through an improvement plan. The
future vision is for closer and more effective working between colleagues and contractors so our residents get more responsive and better services.

“We very much look forward to officially welcoming everyone to the city council – whether that’s employees transferring directly back to the council or into our wholly owned company.”

After the services transfer, residents will receive correspondence from NCSL, the city council or other sub-contractors appointed, depending on the nature of the work.

The 140 or so colleagues who are transferring into NCSL will join colleagues who began work with the company last April when they successfully transferred from Norwich Norse Environmental.

The council is committed to developing new and robust arrangements for meaningful engagement with residents in the management and monitoring of the new contract with NCSL and the development of the repairs and wider housing service.

100 days of neighbourhood activity

Since January this year, the city council has been working with a range of voluntary sector partners to set up the ‘Norwich 100 Day Challenge’ – and it’s starting now.

Community connectors from the project have been out and about in Mile Cross, Lakenham, Mousehold and Mancroft chatting to local residents about how they want to transform their neighbourhoods, and what resources or training they need to be able to do it.

In response, we have set up various workshops and skill sharing opportunities across 100 days between March and May. The sessions will be running in the four neighbourhoods highlighted above, but are open to all Norwich residents.

Whatever you want to find out about, we probably have a workshop for that, or if not we can find one.

To find out more about these free opportunities, delivered in the community and accessible to all, visit www.lumi.org.uk for the full menu and details on how to sign up.

Don’t see what you’re after? We can commission more workshops until May. Simply email community@norwich.gov.uk and let us know what you’d like to attend.

If you’re a not-for-profit group and have training you’d like to bring to one of our target neighbourhoods, you’ve not missed your chance. Contact Tracey at Business in the Community (Tracey.Drake@bitc.org.uk) to register your interest.

This project has been possible through the city council, along with a number of partners, securing £500,000 from the government’s Community Renewal Fund (CRF), which aims to support people and communities to pilot projects and approaches across key areas.

Councillor Alan Waters, leader of the council, said: “Norwich is a city of communities and this funding has created a number of employment opportunities for passionate and knowledgeable local people, who understand the potential of their own areas.”

Keep an eye on your energy bills

With the energy price cap set to rise significantly in April, it’s important that everyone knows how to limit their bills.

Ofgem, which regulates how much energy companies can charge for electricity and gas usage, recently announced that the maximum price cap would be raised.

This is due to raises in wholesale electricity and gas prices over the past couple of years, meaning energy providers are currently paying more for energy than their customers pay them.

Once the price cap has risen, it will be worth looking around for the best deal. We run a regular energy auction where renewable energy providers compete to make potential customers the cheapest offer. Please visit the Norfolk Energy Switch to see how much you could save. For anyone who doesn’t want to switch frequently but is interested in longer term reliability, the council has its own renewable energy provider, Roar Power, in partnership with award winning Octopus Energy. Visit octopus.energy/roar-power to find out more about it.

Of course, even if you stay with the same provider, there are still lots of ways you can reduce your energy usage.

Turn your thermostat down – reducing your room temperature by only 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and typically saves around £60 a year.
Programme your heating – if you can, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required, rather than all the time.
Close your curtains – do this at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows and check for draughts around windows and doors. Draught excluders and radiator foil can be used to reduce heat loss.
Don’t forget to switch off – turn off the lights when you leave a room and don’t leave appliances on standby, or laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily.
Fill up to save – if possible, fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher: one full load uses less energy than two half loads.
Just use as much as you need – only boil as much water as you need to make a cuppa.

Have you signed up for our garden waste collection?

This pay-in-advance service means you can dispose of grass cuttings, hedge clippings, leaves and shrubs, cut flowers, twigs and small branches using a brown wheelie bin, which is collected fortnightly.

It also discourages the need to light bonfires, which are damaging to the environment and not great for you or your neighbours!

For more information and to subscribe, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/GardenWaste

Planning a spring sort out?

Did you know Norwich City Council runs a bulky waste collection service?

Large, freestanding household items, such as fridges, freezers, mattresses and furniture can be collected from residential properties from £24.50 for one item*.

For more information or to book a collection, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/BulkyWaste

* price at time of going to print

Think before you throw!

Wondering where to dispose of your waste? We’re here to help. Check out all our tips and tricks for what to do and where to go.

Household bins

You can dispose of household rubbish in your black or green wheeled bin and recycling in your blue bin. For a full list of items that can be recycled, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/Recycling

The city council also runs collections for food waste. Find out more and order a food waste caddy for collection at www.norwich.gov.uk/FoodWaste

Textiles, small electricals and batteries

we provide a weekly collection for textiles, small electricals and batteries. These need to be put in separate carrier bags and placed out next to your recycling or rubbish bin by 6am on collection day.

Garden waste bins

Norwich residents can subscribe to the council’s garden waste collection. This pay-in-advance, fortnightly service allows people to dispose of most garden waste without having to take it to the household waste recycling centre.

It also provides an alternative to bonfires, which are harmful to the environment.

For details or to sign up to the service, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/GardenWaste

Bulky waste collection

The city council provides a paid-for collection service for large or bulky household items from people’s homes. Costs start at £24.50 for one item* (* price at time of going to print)

Recycling centres

Norfolk County Council runs two household waste recycling centres that serve the city.

You can dispose of a range of items at these centres, including furniture, large electrical items and some chemicals. For more information about the centres and a full list of what they accept, visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/Recycling

For more about disposing of your waste, as well as reducing, reusing and recycling, visit the Norfolk Recycles website.

Norwich 2040 City Vision continues to build for the future

An ambitious vision for the city continues to play a vital role in its future.

The Norwich 2040 City Vision was developed in 2018, by Norwich City Council in partnership with organisations and individuals across the city, with the ambition of bringing together key themes and goals to make the Norwich of 2040 the best place to be.

Here are some of the key projects and partnerships the city vision has been supporting over past few years:

Norwich Climate Commission

In 2021, a new independent climate commission was formed to support the city’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by providing leadership and advice on climate change and sustainability.
www.NorwichClimate.org

The City Vision partnership will continue to work together to move towards a better future, and will now be strengthened by the creation of a Young Person’s City Vision Board, which will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to its work.

Town Deal Programme

Read more about this on page 12 and by visiting www.norwich.gov.uk/TownDeal

Norwich Good Economy Commission

In 2019 the Norwich Good Economy Commission was formed to address problems in our city’s economy. The commission aims to improve people’s lives by finding out what matters to them and their communities, and supporting them to achieve their goals.

Norwich Creative City Compact

This local partnership was formed in 2020 to support growth in arts, culture and heritage over the longer term. These areas are vitally important for the wellbeing of the city and its residents.

City of Stories

In 2019 Visit Norwich, part of the Norwich Business Improvement District, led an initiative to put Norwich on the map. The city was rebranded as ‘The City of Stories’ to celebrate Norwich’s uniqueness, creativity and literary history. Visit the City of Stories website.

Your council, your account

From checking when your bin is being collected to updating your council tax records, you can save time and simplify your contact with the council by signing up to My Account.

What are the benefits?

Easy access to personalised, real-time information, safely stored in one place.
Sign up to paperless billing and help reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Did you know the city council sends around 900,000 letters a year? Let’s work together to reduce this.
Tell us about a change of circumstances and upload documents.
Track the progress of any issues you have reported.
Reduce the need to enter your personal details – we’ll remember you!

New for 2022

Manage your council tenancy or housing application through our new and improved portal, Housing Online.
Coming soon Benefits Online is a new service enabling residents to access real-time information about their entitlements and payments. Plus, if you sign up for e-notifications, we can let you know when decision notices are available to view on your account.
Signing up for Council Tax Online, gives you instant access to your balance, payments and bills. You can also switch to paperless billing and update your contact details.

Support to sign up

If you need help signing up to online services, whether that’s setting up an email address or getting access to equipment, we can help.

Please get in touch by calling 0344 980 3333 for digital support.

PSSST…

Once you’ve registered for each of these services, you’ll only have to log in once to access all of them.

Making connections across the city

A new £50m full-fibre internet network is set to start its rollout across Norwich. This game-changing network will benefit thousands of residents and businesses by providing faster and more reliable infrastructure for broadband.

The project is being delivered by a company called CityFibre, along with their contractors Telec Networks and in close partnership with the city council, Norfolk County Council and local communities.

The first phase of work is due to be complete in the Catton Grove area with an aim to complete the entire fibre to home network within four years.

We’ve all witnessed a huge digital shift take place throughout the pandemic, including an increase in cashless payments, online shopping, and video calling, as well as a major change to home working for so many of us. The advantages of having reliable online connectivity cannot be underestimated.

As work in neighbourhoods nears completion, internet providers will start promoting new broadband deals in the area.

You can find out more information and when it’s due to go live in your area using the postcode checker at CityFibre.com

Helping to create a fairer city for residents

Over the past few months, people involved in projects funded by the Norwich Good Economy Commission (NGEC) have been carrying out key work and research to help create a fairer city.

The NGEC was established in 2020 to address problems in the city’s economy and ultimately help tackle inequalities across Norwich.

In order to better understand what issues need to be addressed, five projects were awarded funding in November to gather more information.

These projects had varying scopes; ranging from how businesses can reduce their carbon emissions, considering why there is a skills gap in Norwich in certain jobs, and looking at how the pandemic has affected women’s finances and employment opportunities.

These research projects are soon coming to a close and all results will be shared on the NGEC website on the Norwich Good Econoy Commission site.

A look back at the civic year

We’re nearing the end of the ‘civic year,’ when the current Lord Mayor, Councillor Dr Kevin Maguire and Sheriff, Caroline Jarrold, will complete their term. Despite their year looking a little different than usual, with Covid impacting some of their activities, our civics have kept a busy schedule spending their time supporting the local community and championing the city in many different ways. A fantastic way to keep up with what the civics are up to is by following the Lord Mayor on Twitter: @LMNorwich. Here are just a few highlights.

Mile Cross Community festival

Great visit to the Mile Cross Community festival on Saturday. There was lots to see and wonderful to see so many organisations there who help the Mile Cross Community.

World War II Memorial

The city of Norwich (@NorwichCC) remembers the sacrifices made by so many young men from the USA. I was proud to welcome into the city distinguished guests for this rededication of the @AmerLibraryIK which is a living memorial to them. #WW2 #AmericanAirmenInBritain

British Legion’s 100th anniversary

Splendid joint service at @Nrw_Cathedral: Yesterday, @RAFAssociation shared their Battle of Britain Celebration with the Royal British Legion’s (@PoppyLegion) 100th Anniversary. Proud to welcome so many wonderful people to the City of Norwich.

There’s still time to donate to this year’s civic charity appeal!

Home-Start Norfolk is an independent charity supporting the health and wellbeing of families with young children. Here’s an extract from one of the many inspiring stories of people who have benefited from its help.

“I was referred to the perinatal mental health team when I was three months pregnant as I was struggling with my mental health and a relationship breakdown. After having my son, I was diagnosed with PTSD and OCD, I couldn’t leave the house due to crippling anxiety.

“Sally was my Home-Start Norfolk volunteer. Due to the pandemic, we initially talked on the phone and texted. I received food vouchers and clothing donations. Sally has given me confidence in my parenting and helped me regain my independence. Home-Start Norfolk has been a lifeline to me.”

How to support Home-Start Norfolk

Text CIVICCHARITY 3 to 70085 to donate £3
Text CIVICCHARITY 5 to 70085 to donate £5
Text CIVICCHARITY 10 to 70085 to donate £10

Join our team!

Currents vacancies with Norwich City Services Limited (NCSL) – all 37 hours per week

Grounds maintenance operatives (multiple positions) – £18,430 per annum
Park operatives – £18,430 per annum
Fitter – £23,067 per annum
Sweeper driver – £18,905 per annum
Climbing arborist – £25,187 to £26,750 per annum, depending on experience and LGV driving license

It’s not often you get a job where you can make a real difference to the lives of more than 135,000 local people. Our employees share a passion for making a difference to local people’s lives and making Norwich a safe and enjoyable place to be.

If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!

About us

NCSL already provides a wide range of services for Norwich City Council, including:

grass cutting
hedge and shrub maintenance
sports pitches and fine turf maintenance
leaf clearance
play area inspections
street cleaning

We will begin delivering a building maintenance and repairs service in April 2022 – keep your eyes peeled for opportunities!

To apply

For full adverts and job descriptions please visit our recruitment website at NCSLJobs.norwich.gov.uk or call 01603 987900.

You can also sign up for job alerts so you can keep up to date with any new vacancies.