The new leader of the Liberal Democrats explains they’ve drawn up an alternative plan for saving the city millions.

Here’s a quick guide to when to put your bin out:

Normal collection day                   Christmas/New Year collection day

Monday 26 December                      Wednesday 28 December
Tuesday 27 December                     Thursday 29 December
Wednesday 28 December                   Friday 30 December
Thursday 29 December                    Saturday 31 December
Friday 30 December                      Tuesday 3 January
Monday 2 January                                Wednesday 4 January
Tuesday 3 January                               Thursday 5 January
Wednesday 4 January                     Friday 6 January
Thursday 5 January                              Saturday 7 January
Friday 6 January                                Monday 9 January
Monday 9 January                                Tuesday 10 January
Tuesday 10 January                              Wednesday 11 January
Wednesday 11 January                    Thursday 12 January
Thursday 12 January                             Friday 13 January
Friday 13 January                               Saturday 14 January

Click here to see the map in detail showing which streets are affected by the 5 hour night time switch off.

The policy to switch lights off between midnight and 5am proved controversial when first proposed but Norfolk County Council say it will bring estimated annual savings of £47,000 across the city.

Over 12,000 letters were sent out across south Norwich, asking for comments on turning off the lights in June. The Union of UEA students are among those who object to the plans, raising concerns about student safety late at night. Shift workers, elderly people and people who live alone also raised concerns with their ward councillors about security. Bert Bremner (University, Labour) said: “I believe there will be real problems, but I hope there are not.”

Some roads have been ruled out for reasons such as speed bumps, emergency services routes or high security premises. Remote footpaths, subways and alleys linking residential streets will be exempt. The police have advised on exemptions for areas where crime could be increased as a result of lights going off, or where reducing crime will be affected.

More detail can be found on the council’s website,

A first draft stirred up strong opposition from local people, who warned their roads would be turned into rat runs.

In the first draft, right turns off Dereham Road, into either Old Palace Road or Heigham Road would have been banned, as part of a bigger scheme to bring in a new fast bus route from Bowthorpe to the city centre.

But residents turned out in force, arguing that such plans would turn roads like Gladstone Street and Alexandra Road into rat runs through to Earlham Road.  A 200-strong petition was handed to the City Council in March 2011.

Now the County Council is offering local residents and businesses the chance to find out more about a second option, before they are asked which they prefer.

The Norwich Highways Agency Committee asked engineers to come up with an alternative. The second option retains right turns from Dereham Road by revising the junction layout, including some road widening and a change to the phasing of the traffic lights.

The formal consultation will begin in January 2012. Before then people will be able to view the two options and talk to the project team at two drop-in sessions:

• Tuesday 6 December, 8am – 7pm, Belvedere Centre, Dereham Road.
• Thursday 15 December 2pm – 8pm, City Church, Nelson Street.

The results of the New Year consultation will be reported back to the Norwich Highways Agency Committee for consideration. The Committee will then decide how to proceed with the scheme.

For further information on the proposals the project team can be contacted by emailing norwich.transport@norfolk.gov.uk, or by telephoning 0344 800 8020.

Councillor Judith Lubbock (Lib Dem, Eaton) who put forward the proposal at this week’s council meeting, asked: “In the interests of transparency would the Cabinet Member agree with me that this Council should follow the example of many other local authorities and publish online all expenses claimed by senior managers?”

Following the meeting, Cllr Lubbuck commented: “There is a perception that senior managers of local councils are putting in lavish claims for food at Michelin star restaurants, first class travel, and stays at five-star hotels. Whether there is any truth in these ideas here in Norwich is unclear. To make it clear I have suggested that all expenses claimed by senior managers should be in the public domain. Then the public can judge whether these expenses are justified. After all this is council taxpayers’ money and they deserve to know how every penny of it is spent.”

The ruling Labour administration refused to publish the information.

At a meeting this week, Green councillors pushed to make sure local people have a say in what happens next.

But the ruling Labour party accused the Greens of scaremongering, stating there are no plans to close any community centres at present.

The 16 centres, which include Eaton Park Community Centre and the Belvedere Centre off Dereham Road, offer a range of activities, from art classes to pensioners’ clubs.

Local Green councillors have raised concerns that centre users could be ignored in the rush to save money and sell off assets.

Councillor Lucy Galvin (Green, Wensum) raised the issue at this week’s full council meeting: “In uncertain times such centres could well prove to be a rock of mutual support for young and old. The city council has admitted it is reviewing centres and how they are run, possibly with a view to closing some, but has given users no chance to participate in the review so far. When will users be asked for their ideas on how to make their centres more efficient and guarantee their future?”

In reply, councillor Julie Westmacott (Labour, Catton Grove) refuted the idea that some centres are under threat: “There are no proposals at this time to close any community centres. As Councillor Galvin is aware, the scrutiny committee have identified this topic as an area they wish to look at in more detail. I welcome scrutiny committee’s involvement.  In this context it would seem that the question is both premature and potentially scaremongering. I am therefore at a loss to understand why the question is being asked other than to score cheap political points and create uncertainty in the community centres.”

South Norwich centres under review include Belvedere, Eaton Park, Harford, Wensum, West Earlham and Russell Street.

It’s among the first to test out this new power.

The first step is to ask the village what it wants, which got underway today.

A public exhibition opened today at Cringleford Pavillion on Oakfields Road. The aim is to gauge local opinion on the size and shape of future development in the village. Having already doubled in size in the last 10 years, Cringleford has been earmarked for a further 1200 homes.

While these homes will almost certainly be built, by being a front runner, the village can put together a neighbourhood plan, explaining how the development could fit into the area. Anne Barnes, clerk to the parish council said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to shape the future of our village.”

According to the government, these new powers will give local people “unprecedented influence to determine the future of their areas[..]neighbourhood planning will allow communities to shape their own vision for their community, from deciding the locations of shops, offices and schools to setting standards of design for new housing and protecting green spaces of value to the community.”

The community has the final say on whether a neighbourhood plan comes into force. If more than 50 per cent of people voting in a local referendum support the plan, then the local planning authority must bring it into force. Anne Barnes added: “We won’t know if the plan will have any power or not but we’re hopeful.”

Speaking at the launch of the front runner initiative, Planning Minister Greg Clark said: “For too long local people have been shut out of the planning process with no real voice to affect decisions about the places where they live. Unpopular regional strategies left people without the ability to influence the future of their community and this fuelled resentment towards growth. Neighbourhood planning will hand power back to communities to decide the vision for their area as they see fit, encouraging people to plan positively for their future. This is localism in action and the enthusiasm across the country for neighbourhood planning shows how keen communities are to get involved.”

Each front runner’s local council is being given £20,000 to support work on neighbourhood planning and free advice from planning experts will be available for the local community.

The public exhibition continues tomorrow at Cringleford Pavillion on Oakfields Road.

The by-election was called on 20th October 2011 following the resignation of Lib Dem councillor Fiona Williamson.

Sue Whitaker, who has represented the ward for 8 years in the past said she wants to make a difference at ward level: “It’s important the area has someone local to represent  them: I’ve lived in Lakenham for the past 24 years.”

Labour now have 4 seats on Norfolk County Council; Conservatives 62; Liberal Democrats 10; The Green Party 7 and UKIP 1.

The panels were installed at Avenue Junior and Bignold Primary schools last weekend.

But as the government looks to cut feed-in tariffs next month, one nearby renewable firm says they’ll be hit hard.

A handful of local schools are taking part in the pilot which will help contribute towards their own energy bills, through work with the County Council’s Carbon Energy Reduction Fund (CERF). The council aims to save £3 million a year through energy efficiency measures in buildings such as schools and museums.

Debbie Dismore, headteacher at Avenue Junior said: “There will be savings for the school. The panels were fitted on Sunday and started working straight away so we should have savings right from the word go.”

Norfolk County Council plans to work with other schools to widen the scheme, possibly through funding generated by the government’s feed-in tariff.

Meanwhile one of largest renewable energy companies in Norfolk, Cookes, based on the Sweetbriar Industrial estate has spoken out against plans to reduce the feed-in tariff next month.

Cookes currently employs 48 people but will have to scale back when the Government’s planned cut to the feed-in tariff rate is brought in on 12th December 2011. Kevin Cooke, Director of Cookes Renewable Energy, said: “We fully expected the feed-in tariff rate to be reviewed but bringing forward the change date from April to December has made life very difficult for local companies. Local firms want stability but instead we are working seven days per week to meet orders at the moment and business will be a lot quieter after December. The level and nature of the cut in feed-in tariffs has created the perception that solar investments won’t be viable after December. This isn’t true. People will still be able to make back the money they invest in solar installations on their houses over 10 to 12 years.”

Kevin Cooke has met with Simon Wright MP, asking him to press for the Government to stick to its original commitment of changing the rate in April to ease the problems faced by business and customers now.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Deputy Leader, and former local Green councillor said: “Local businesses are clearly feeling the effects of the Government’s cut to feed-in tariffs and especially the very early start date. The Government should stick to its original promise to bring in a new rate in April to help businesses, organisations and households plan their solar installations with confidence and stability. The Government should also review the scale of cut proposed for the feed-in tariff. FITs have helped the UK to start to catch up with other European countries in terms of the development of our renewable energy industries. We need Government incentives to ensure this work continues and we create clean, secure energy and lasting jobs for the future.”

It says all schools should carry out “a full, transparent and balanced consultation, followed by a secret ballot of parents, staff and students, to determine whether a school remains with the local authority.”

The report warns of “chains of academies” which will be outside local authority control, instead run by private companies.

The report comes as Education Secretary, Michael Gove is set to visit a Norfolk academy tomorrow.

Schools are being actively encouraged to become academies by the government, which takes them out of local authority control. One local school, Notre Dame High ended a period of consultation to become an academy last month. Almost 40% of Norfolk High Schools could become academies by the end of this academic year (2011-12) which the local authority says could rise to 80% by the following year.

The report to next week’s cabinet at Norwich City Council warns that: “It is clear that the Department of Education will not want responsibility for thousands of academy schools which is why the Government are interested in the development of Chains of Academies using existing multi-academy sponsors and a number of privately owned companies. To give one example, Babcock Education, formerly Vosper Thornycroft, made £23.6 million out of education in 2009 [..] This, potentially large-scale shift from democratically elected local authorities to chains of providers raises some significant issues about the autonomy and local accountability of primary and secondary schooling across England [...] The implications are profound.”

Norwich City Council has no responsibility for education but the report recommends it writes to all schools, encouraging them to follow a full and transparent consultation process, ahead of becoming academies. It goes on to say: “On the question of educational attainment, national studies show attainment by academy schools and schools in the local authority maintained sector show very little difference. So whilst some Academies have done well, others have not. There is no Academies ‘magic bullet.’