Report a Pothole!

The County Highways department like members of the public to report potholes etc.   They haven’t the manpower to be looking at all the roads all of the time, so please follow this link to get the the e-enquiry report form.

Move over Mr. Brown!

Am I bovvered?

There must surely be someone more capable than Mr. Brown within the Labour Government?  No?!  Then I suggest that together with the 30,500+ signatures already received, you add yours to the No.10 Downing Street e-petition seeking his removal from office.

THE BEST VIEW IN DISS

View from Denmark Street

Developers may remove public access to this wonderful view of Diss.  If you wish to comment on the planning application, email or write to South Norfolk Council.

LABOUR’S 2009 BUDGET

This must called the “empty briefcase” budget………
£175bn deficit THIS YEAR ALONE, and estimated £1.4 trillion debt altogether (how many noughts IS that?)
It seems that anyone earning £19,000 or more p.a. is going to get a tax hike of £1,000 p.a. and anyone born this year (particularly bad for young people, Mr. Darling says!) will inherit debt equivalent of £22,500 each, and this presumably has been tarted up for the occasion,…………..so what’s it really like?

Diss Carnival 2009

Make a note in your diaries now ……… Diss  Carnival  is to be held on Sunday 21st June.  Floats, children’s entertainment, Prize Draw etc etc.  Should be a brilliant day out for all the family.

Draw tickets are already on sale, -  a list of current sellers are advertised on the Carnival Website.

If you would like to donate a prize or help with the carnival in any way,  send amessage via me or the official website.  Thanks.

The previous evening will be the Diss Rotary’s Proms in the Park concert, too.  Clear your diary for the whole week-end!

Voting at local elections

If you are not on the Electoral Register, you need to contact your District Council and sign up. In South Norfolk the contact details are easily found on the SN Council website.

Norfolk Youth Fund

The objective of the fund is to provide additional resources over and above those provided through mainstream statutory, specific programmes and through the specific earmarked funding streams.  It aims to engage and support voluntary and community organisations in playing an active part and should enable the full range of services to work together to help children overcome poverty and disadvantage.

The Children’s Fund sits between Sure Start which works with very young children and Connexions which supports 13 – 19 year olds.  The initiative provides funding to be invested in preventive services outside the remit of mainstream statutory delivery.

Practically, the Fund is available for Youth Groups in Norfolk and is accessible only for youth projects – applications should be made direct to the fund.

Anti Dog-Mess sign – YUK!

Derbyshire sign

Just come back from a few days in the Derbyshire Dales!  Couldn’t have picked a better time. Great weather for walking and a really lovely time of year.  Friendly B&B’s and super views. Couldn’t help but notice the street furniture etc which is what happens after a while when you’ve become a Councillor (please note new candidates)………….however, did spot this Doggie Plaque and thought that looks like a good idea!  Will pass it on to those that decide these things and who knows………..maybe we’ll get some in Diss & Roydon.

Have to say though, I haven’t noticed here the heaps of blue plastic bags littering the footways……….what is that all about dog-walkers in Derbyshire ?  If you are going to pick up the mess, at least take it home with you and dispose of it there.  Whatever is the point of putting dog mess in a little plastic bag, then dumping the bag on the edge of the path?!

One for the Diss Express!

The pond on Roydon Green

Many of you will no doubt read the Diss Express.  Well, you will have noticed the “Spot The Missing Duck” competitions over the years………..well here’s an idea for Spring – spot the missing duckling!  Walking through Roydon today I noticed the pond on the green and 13 ducklings swimming around with their Mum. 

even more ducklings!

Another busy week…………

As a Councillor it seems that some weeks you find yourself buried under mountains of paperwork, – other times you are busy out and about doing things.  This week was one of the latter.  There was the round-about opening of course, on Friday, but earlier in the week I’d helped out with another school visit to County Hall – this time from the Alderman Peel HS in Wells.
We spent an hour or so in the Council Chamber discussing the budget-setting process and then gave them the challenge of making some savings………..and really well they did too.  Deciding in the end to make the £30m saving proportionally from the 2 largest budgets, on the basis that they would be affected least.  Excellent result.
Then lunch.  The young man I was seated next to only wanted a plate of chips and despite being offered a whole range of other things………..that was really only all he wished to eat.  His friends said “That’s why we call him Chips”!!!
After lunch, we visited the Emergency Planning Unit at County Hall.  If a major catastrophe occurs in Norfolk – these rooms become the HQ for all services.  Really comforting to know that we are equipped in this way. There are 3 degrees of emergency, Amber, Silver and Gold.  There is even a fully equipped radio studio within the unit. 

Should anyone like more information on the Emergency Planning service go to the NORMIT website.  They are running a Business Continuity Seminar on 14th May entitled “Helping you prepare” – costs £25.  (Personal wish is for whomever it is who is responsible for keeping the local trains running to attend! – please!!)

On Thursday evening I attended a “Pitching” competition at the EPIC building on Magdalen Street.  Organised with TV Eden (the Producers Group for the East of England), it invited short-listed producers to pitch their proposals for new shows and formats.  Good fun and really interesting.  One pitch I thought would make a good radio programme – for that half hour slot that R4 have at 6.30 pm, but only TV goes in this show! Never Mind.
Really pleasing was to have two guys come from Sweden as part of the e-clic programme.  The Blogging Councillor programme had the same origins.

Then, last evening I found myself at the Assembly House in Norwich (a beautiful building for those that don’t know it, to listen to young performers at one of the Norfolk County Music Festival concerts.  Outstanding!

The Festival is open to anyone of amateur status.  It is solely there to promote, to encourage and to support amateur performers, many of whom go on to a professional music career.

It is not a competitive festival nor is it an exam where marks, or places, are given.  It is purely an opportunity to perform in public in a prestigious venue.

The first Festival took place in May 1925 and the ethos has been the same all these years.  As the Festival covers all amateur music together with the spoken word, the number of “classes” of entry is enormous – 30 different band classes for instance, and 36 piano classes.  The number of entries is also vast, 69 school choirs this year! 114 string players and 168 solo singers.

For this concert all the entrants were taken from the “Recital Class” and included a Brass Ensemble, solo voice, solo violin, solo oboe and another solo voice – mostly accompanied by an amazingly proficient young pianist Charlie Caine.

Both The Lord Mayor of Norwich  councillor Jeremy Hooke and the Sheriff of Norwich Roy Waller attended too.  A really satisfying evenings entertainment.