Leader's Monthly Report

10.55.12am GMT Fri 12th Mar 2010

Two big events this last month. Firstly "Budget Council" on 15 February and you can find details of our proposals and my speech here http://www.norfolkcclibdems.org.uk/news/000048/lib_dem_budget_looks_to_young_people_and_first_time_buyers_as_norfolks_way_out_of_the_recession.html. The Tories just did not respond to our ideas, I guess that was inertia rather than a tactic.

Secondly the Secretary of State's decision to create a unitary council for Norwich on existing boundaries was announced. This is blatant gerrymandering and flies in the face of the independent Boundary Committee which said, amongst other things, that such a council would not be financially viable. The Conservatives in Norfolk must take a large share of the blame for this fiasco by trying to defend the status quo so vehemently and never seriously considering any of the unitary options put forward. We have supported the County Council's decision to go for a Judicial Review, and I have also sent evidence to the Merits Committee of the House of Lords and Liberal Democrat peers.

A victory for backbenchers this month. James Joyce was party to a call in to Cabinet Scrutiny Committee (CSC) seeking a proper consultation process about the street lights being turned off. CSC unanimously referred it back to Cabinet recommending inter alia the involvement of local Members and Community Groups.

The Organisational Review of the Council continues. We have been supportive of the process so far. It has not been the "slash and burn" approach which many Tory backbenchers would like. Thus far though they have been looking at the easier bits, namely the higher tiers of management, and later this year we will be entering more difficult territory.