Spooner Row Message Board

This a start but make of it what you will. I personally felt it was bit patronising, more especially the leaflet which i will post tommorrow.

I will be sending all the stuff I have but am still short of info for Suton street , so can anyone help please

Good evening

After the heavy, widespread flooding earlier this year the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance was formed with Lord Dannatt as an independent chairman to bring all the parties concerned into one room with the twin purposes of monitoring the remedial works necessary to prevent immediate repetition in the near future and to prepare a strategy to ensure as far as is possible, the prevention or mitigation of the expected increase in such events as the effects of climate change intensify.

I am pleased to tell you that Norfolk ALC is represented in this Alliance (see note 3 below) – indeed it has a place on the steering committee which means the Parish Voice will be heard and taken into account in every decision made by the Alliance.

Also that some immediate decisions have been made.

The decisions taken and announced to all parishes by this email are:

1. A leaflet has been prepared for distribution (hopefully soon) to every household in Norfolk. A copy is attached for you to use in the meanwhile. Please publicise it as much as possible – particularly on your website See note 1 below.

2. A hotline will be set up to take all calls to save people contacting all the different services involved. We will let you know when we have that number

3. The public are being asked to send in their suggestions/ideas as to what should be done see note 2 below.

Parishes and parish councillors have a great depth of knowledge about their area and their ideas and suggestions will be particularly welcome.

4. To seek the support of the press and media in helping to keep the public informed of progress.

There was a short report in Monday’s EDP on an interview with Lord Dannatt but it was not altogether clear on the above. Nor did it give details on how to make contact. So it was agreed that the EDP would publish this letter. Sadly because nothing is really working properly under this lockdown it appears that it will not be published until tomorrow

This is the letter signed by me, which should be published in tomorrow’s EDP. Even if you don’t see or read the EDP you can still see its contents here.

Dear Sir

NORFOLK STRATEGIC FLOODING ALLIANCE

In the report from Lord Dannatt you published yesterday it was perhaps not clear how concerned members of the public could contact the Alliance to put forward their ideas.

Because this is such a critical issue affecting many, if not all, communities in Norfolk, can I clarify that they should send their suggestions directly – by email – to wellbeing@NorfolkALC.gov.uk, Responses will be acknowledged, collated, and put to the whole Alliance for consideration with feedback later.

The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance was formed not only to address the immediate problems caused by the recent heavy rainfall but to ensure that by working together we can mitigate the effects of such events in the future and- needless to say, more such events are expected as the effects of Climate Change bite us all.

Norfolk ALC which represents the interests of Local Councils and therefore, of course, the residents which live in the council areas, is a member of the Strategic Alliance and has agreed to do this.

Yours faithfully

Note 1 : Leaflets haven’t been printed yet and no firm decision made as to how they are to be distributed. If, and I emphasise the if, it were decided to ask volunteers to deliver them it would be handy to know how many you would need for your parish. If I have these details to hand, I can make sure that parishes are first in the queue.

Note 2 : Suggestions/Ideas : This route is for suggestions and ideas and not for detailing the problems you experienced recently. However, I am aware that I am sometimes in a better position to channel these so, don’t hesitate to send these details to me and I will ensure they get to the right part of the NSFA. Please don’t duplicate what has already has already been sent, and spare a thought that I could be deluged with documents and metaphorically flooded out 😊

Note 3 : Norfolk ALC : Many councils think that Norfolk ALC is just for a ‘bit of training and a bit of help’. It is good (very good) at that – true. But a major part of its work and a major part of its subscription goes towards work like this. There is no other organisation doing this for town and parish councils.

This email is going to all parish councils, regardless of whether they are members or not, but if your council is not a member, I do urge you to look at this side of what you are asked to pay by way of subscription and join. With our new co-operative structure and a new and dynamic board in place we will be able to do more of this and regain the places at the tables which bring such huge benefits to our parishes and their residents.

We really are “stronger together” as our new logo shows.

Finally: here is advance notice of a Webinar to be held on 24th March at 7 p.m. on Zoom. There will be speakers from Anglia Water, Water Resources East and probably the Fire Service and there will be plenty of time for questions at the end.

Have a good weekend.

With kind regards

John W Pennell

Director & Chairman of the Well-Being Initiative

Norfolk Association of Local Councils Limited (Trading as Norfolk ALC)

County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2UF

www.norfolkalc.gov.uk

Our Privacy Policy, which outlines personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it, can be viewed here.