Archived News

A day of Norfolk church history talks
Saturday 22 July 2023 (10.20 to 5.15)
Thomas Paine Lecture Theatre : University of East Anglia

Bressingham Church is having a Coffee Morning on Friday June 23^rd 10.00 – 12.00 at: Burrowood, Wilney Green, Bressingham IP22 2AJ

Everyone is Welcome

Below are the notices for the Broadland and South Norfolk District Council Elections and the Town and Parish Elections taking place on the 4th May 2023. Three documents are presented:

Town and Parish Council Briefing

Notice of Elections for Town/Parish Councillors

Notice of Elections for District Councillors

Overview

Norfolk County Council and the Government have agreed, in principle, a new County Deal, to transfer funding and powers to Norfolk – a process known as devolution. This provides a unique and exciting opportunity to unlock significant funding and for decisions currently made in Whitehall to be made in Norfolk, for Norfolk.

Under a County Deal, Norfolk would benefit from a new Government investment fund including £20m per year over the next 30 years, and an additional £12.9m during the current Spending Review period (2024-25). In addition to the investment fund, Norfolk would also get control of the Adult Education Budget (just over £10m in 2022/23) and an un-ringfenced Transport and Maintenance Budget (approximately £40m per year). There would also be a county council leader, directly elected by the public and with no additional bureaucracy or changes to councils.

This Deal represents a real opportunity to unlock Norfolk’s potential, for the county take control of its own destiny and shape its own future, and to have a stronger voice nationally. If our Deal went ahead, we would have powers and finance to invest in areas such as better transport, skills, job opportunities, housing, and regeneration.

This could be just the start of further powers being devolved to Norfolk. Some examples of additional powers and responsibilities devolved in other areas of the country include greater powers over the NHS and social care and controls over the number of holiday homes in coastal areas.  Therefore, it is important to hear your views about this Deal and your ideas about priorities for Norfolk.

Discussion events are being held around the county from February 16th.

Norfolk County Deal event: Diss Library (Daytime Session)

From 10 Mar 2023 at 10:00 to 10 Mar 2023 at 12:00

Norfolk County Deal event: Diss Library (Evening Session)

From 10 Mar 2023 at 16:00 to 10 Mar 2023 at 18:00

Click here to see more

Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort hope the Coronation Weekend will provide an opportunity to spend time and celebrate with friends, families and communities across the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Their Majesties are looking forward to marking the occasion with the public throughout 2023.

The Coronation Big Lunch – The Eden Project will be making available information packs full of ideas, inspiration, top tips and the practical bits to help get your Coronation celebration started. Further details for event organisers can be found here: https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-lunch. Your Local Authority will be able to advise on the process for requesting road closures.

The National Lottery Community Fund – The fund is supporting communities across the UK to come together to mark the Coronation. Funding of up to £10,000 is available for Coronation related events and activities via the National Lottery Awards for All programme. The programme does not have a deadline, but it can take up to twelve weeks from the date of application submission for successful groups to receive funding. In other words, applications for events around the Coronation weekend would need to be made without delay. The funding criteria terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england

Click here to see the newsletter provided by the Norfolk Lieutenancy.

Please note, the submissions deadline has now been extended by two days. The new deadline for representations is:

5:00pm Wednesday 8th March

(This does not affect the time and date of the meeting below)

Norfolk Libraries Service will be making all 47 of its libraries available as part of the Warm Welcome campaign. The scheme supports free, warm, and welcoming spaces in communities across the UK.

Warm Welcome is a national campaign which will work with community spaces, including churches and faith groups, businesses, and local authorities, to ensure that nobody is left to suffer on their own this winter.

Libraries across Norfolk remain open for all and provide a space for people to sit in comfort and access a variety of services on offer. These include reading, doing a jigsaw, playing a board game, or joining in Just a Cuppa or activities.

Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: “Our libraries have a long history of being welcoming spaces for all, most recently evidenced by the awarding of Library of Sanctuary status for the Millennium Library in Norwich.

“We are proud to be able to join the Warm Welcome campaign, alongside the other support which is on offer from our libraries.”

Other free services available at Norfolk libraries include:

• Tea, coffee, instant soup, and hot chocolate are available during staffed hours
• Library staff and volunteers can provide visitors with trusted information about other support which is available
• A variety of bags are available for free, with no questions asked

Open Library gives people access to libraries for a total of 69 hours a week at most libraries, giving visitors access to the library, its books, computers, and spaces, even when the building is unstaffed.

You can find your nearest library at www.norfolk.gov.uk/findalibrary