Norfolk is a great place to live and grow-up but all children and young people do not benefit equally from what Norfolk has to offer. We will tackle that inequality of opportunity. Children and young people have had their social lives, family lives and education disrupted during the pandemic and it will need our collective effort to help them thrive and reach their potential. Children and young people have borne the brunt of Tory cuts over the last ten years, and we commit to reversing this damage.
This manifesto is based on the experiences of young people and listening to what they are saying they need. We will keep the voice of children and young people at the heart of every decision that we make. Our promises to the children and young people of Norfolk are underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (here Child rights and why they matter | UNICEF).
Cuts made to social care have made Norfolk people’s lives more difficult. Decisions have been imposed without proper participation by those directly affected. The relationship between people who use social care services and the council is at an all-time low. Trust has eroded and people have not been respected. Norfolk Tories have lined their own pockets with eye-watering allowance rises at the same time as cutting your services and increasing your care charges. People have had enough of ‘one rule for councillors and another rule for the rest of us’.
Caring for others is one of the most privileged jobs we can ask someone to do. We believe that staff working in care should be paid well, have access to training and be treated well at work. Happy and motivated staff working with the resources that they need provide the highest quality care.
These manifesto pledges have been developed through hundreds of conversations with people living with a disability or sensory impairment, family carers and older people and listening to what you want.
Norfolk County Council has made a commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030. The clock is ticking and it will take radical action to achieve this. The Tory approach of concreting over the countryside then planting a few trees elsewhere is a million miles away from where we need to be. As we recover from the pandemic we must ‘build back better’ by creating a more sustainable Norfolk economy. A green and resilient recovery will focus on industry, energy, transport, agriculture and restoring nature. We will ensure that every penny spent by the council is compatible with our climate and environmental targets.
Norfolk is a relatively safe County, but people are not equally safe across the county. Young people and vulnerable adults have been targeted and criminally exploited as the scourge of County Lines drug dealing has impacted many of our communities. Tackling domestic abuse and violence will be our high priority. Our victim services in Norfolk are good, but there is more work to be done on early intervention and with perpetrators. Scammers have used the pandemic as an opportunity to try and rip people off and there has been an increase in text, online and telephone scams. We will work closely with our Labour Police & Crime Commissioner Candidate Michael Rosen to make the urgent changes needed to improve community safety.
Norfolk is a beautiful place to grow up and grow old but so much of what we value is at risk and those things that we so cherish are not equally available to all. The pandemic showed us the importance of community, local services, decent living conditions and open spaces. It’s time to revalue and reprioritise those things that make Norfolk the place we love, to safeguard them for future generations and to ensure that all of Norfolk’s residents have equal opportunity to experience a good quality of life.
Cuts made to social care have made Norfolk people’s lives more difficult. Decisions have been imposed without proper participation by those directly affected. The relationship between people who use social care services and the council is at an all-time low. Trust has eroded and people have not been respected. Norfolk Tories have lined their own pockets with eye-watering allowance rises at the same time as cutting your services and increasing your care charges. People have had enough of ‘one rule for councillors and another rule for the rest of us’.
Caring for others is one of the most privileged jobs we can ask someone to do. We believe that staff working in care should be paid well, have access to training and be treated well at work. Happy and motivated staff working with the resources that they need provide the highest quality care.
These manifesto pledges have been developed through hundreds of conversations with people living with a disability or sensory impairment, family carers and older people and listening to what you want.