Call for funding to help Norfolk go plastic bag free

12.00.00am GMT Wed 5th Mar 2008

Decision makers at the County Council will make a crucial decision next week about whether or not to offer more support to local campaigns seeking to reduce the use of plastic bags.

A report to be discussed at the next meeting of Norfolk County Council's Cabinet highlights a plastic bag free trial currently being developed in Aylsham and suggests that more resources could be made available in the future to support other local towns and villages to take similar steps.

But concerns have been raised that work will progress too slowly unless hard cash is made available now to help community groups get plastic bag free initiatives underway. The Norfolk Waste Partnership, which takes the lead role in promoting education and awareness campaigns to discourage use of plastic bags locally does not have any specific funds or staffing resource to help and the County Council has only been able so far to make about £1,000 available to help campaigners in Aylsham.

Lib Dem County Councillor, James Joyce, who called for the County Council to do more to reduce plastic bag use in Norfolk more than a year ago, said:

"What a difference a year makes! Exactly one year ago Liberal Democrats were asking for more support for work to reduce packaging and plastic bag waste. At that point in time we were told that there was nothing more the Council could do. I am glad to see one year on that the Council is taking a more proactive stance and is offering some staff and funding support to help Aylsham go plastic bag free but it's still not enough. Liberal Democrats proposed last month to invest £30,000 in helping other communities go plastic bag free. This would have provided a part time post to provide central advice for community initiatives and a fund for pump priming work. It is disappointing that the Cabinet did not choose to set any money aside for this purpose this year but I urge it to take this latest opportunity to give serious consideration to putting some money where its mouth is!"

Fellow Liberal Democrat, David Harrison, who is local councillor for trial plastic bag free town, Aylsham, said:

"Much lip service is paid to the need for us to reduce our use of plastic bags but it is only through the hard work and determination of local people that real change starts to happen.

I am, of course, offering my wholehearted support to this work and will continue to press for more council funding to be made available to support communities who are interested in going plastic bag free. Liberal Democrats at the County Council have been fighting for this for some time. With the provision of a bit more expert support and a little more financial assistance, we believe that Norfolk could be going the whole hog and setting its sights on becoming the first plastic bag free county!"