New business park in north Norwich expected to deliver 1,250 new jobs

Norfolk County - A business park being developed on the edge of Norwich with the support of a loan from Norfolk County Council is expected to result in 1,250 new jobs, plus supply chain and construction. 

Infrastructure works have just been completed

New school places for children with autism open in Thetford

The first specialist resource bases (SRB) to open in Norfolk as part of the County Council’s investment in special educational needs are welcoming their first students.

Redcastle Primary School and Thetford Academy, part of the Inspiration Trust have benefited from newly refurbished accommodation, extra staffing and professional support to enable children with autism and other associated needs to benefit from the extra support the SRBs can provide. Both bases are open for up to 10 children initially.

SRBs are part of mainstream schools and provide places for children and young people who need extra support to access and thrive in a mainstream school environment.

Hundreds of new special school and SRB places are being created across the county under Norfolk County Council’s £120m Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Action Plan Transformation programme, which aims to increase the number of special school places whilst also strengthening support to mainstream schools to ensure children with SEND can thrive in these settings. Work is currently underway to provide a further 90 new places at eight more SRBs in mainstream schools while work is ongoing to create three new schools in Fakenham, Great Yarmouth and Easton.

As well as creating new special school places, free autism support training is being made available to all schools in Norfolk through the Education Psychology and Specialist Support scheme (EPSS).

Norfolk County Council Cabinet member for

First look at new Norwich recycling centre as it takes shape

Construction of one of two new recycling centres for the Greater Norwich area is well underway as pictures taken this week show.

A 300 tonne crane is currently on site at the new £2.75m Norwich North recycling centre as sections of what will be a 500,000 litre tank, an integral part of the comprehensive water management system on site, are manoeuvred into place. This tank is the largest of its kind at any of Norfolk’s recycling centres and will ensure any surface water runoff stays within the site.

Work on the major project started late last year,

Covid testing is key to schools' return

Regular Covid testing, plus vaccination, is the way to ensure Norfolk moves towards a more normal way of life.

That’s the message from Norfolk County Council, as schools prepare to start welcoming pupils back from Monday (8 March).

Director of public health, Dr Louise Smith, said: “The best way to move back to a more normal life is through regular testing and vaccination.

“Even if you’ve been vaccinated, you should still

Budget creates real opportunities for Norfolk

County council leader Andrew Proctor has welcomed the Chancellor's "upbeat budget", believing that it will support Norfolk's recovery from the Covid pandemic.

Cllr Proctor said: "I welcome the upbeat budget unveiled today, to kickstart the UK’s recovery from the pandemic and seek to protect jobs and livelihoods.

"The extension of furlough, help for the self employed and the wide-ranging package of support for businesses – including our hard-hit retail, culture and hospitality sectors – will give them the confidence needed to plan for the future and build back better.

"The new restart grant is just what is needed to give the economy a boost, along with business rates relief, VAT reductions and freezing duties.

"Investment in traineeships and business management support is an investment in our future and fits perfectly with the county council’s drive to improve skills and diversify our jobs market.

"And I particularly welcome the Chancellor's focus on the future economy – including a green industrial revolution and digital innovation. Norfolk, with the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, the John Innes Centre and Lotus Cars, is ideally placed to work with the Government on this."

Cllr Proctor said councils played a leading role in the pandemic response and would do so in the recovery, especially if the Government put their finances on a firm footing.

He said: "Putting local government on a stronger, more financial sustainable footing will definitely boost the government’s recovery efforts and assist the Government's work in levelling up. That way we will be well equipped to work with Government to lead the recovery."

From a £64m road to a £6,000 trod, cabinet set to discuss highway improvements large and small

Highway improvements big and small are on the agenda for the Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet on Monday, 8 March, as members are set to approve a £42m programme of maintenance, 113 small locally important highway schemes costing £715,000 and improvement schemes totalling £85m.

Cllr Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highways,

Norfolk libraries to scrap late fees for children as part of post-pandemic reading push

The Norfolk Libraries and Information service have put forward ambitious plans to improve children and young people's reading skills which have been diminished nationally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The proposals, to be considered at the Council’s cabinet on 8 March, include the removal of overdue charges for everyone under the age of 16, universal membership of the county’s e-library through Norfolk’s schools and the introduction of a new ‘1000 books before school’ reading challenge.

Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet Member for

#WeNeedMore on-call firefighters

Residents of Norfolk looking for a new challenge and a chance to make a real difference are invited to consider a career as an on-call firefighter to help fill vacancies across the county and protect Norfolk and its people.

With more people now based at home, and the last year underlining how communities can really pull together, now is the perfect time to consider if it's for you.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service is supporting

Cabinet considers housing boost for people with disabilities

One hundred and eighty-one supported housing units are set to be developed in Norfolk, to help people with disabilities live more independent lives.

The County Council is proposing to invest £9m-£18m of capital to develop supported, adapted and specialist housing over the next 10 years, to improve people’s lives, reduce hospital admissions and reduce care costs by £1.9m per year.

Councillor Bill Borrett, Cabinet Member for Adult

Case study VIVID: building ambitious new grant-funded homes

With a grant of just over £88m, the housing association committed to delivering an additional 1,408 new home starts by the end of March 2022.

From: Homes England

VIVID and Homes England partnership

VIVID was one of seven strategic partners announced by Homes England in October 2018. With a grant of just over £88m, the housing association committed to delivering an additional 1,408 new home starts by the end of March 2022.

Since then VIVID has upped the ante in its

Surge testing to be deployed to in Diss and Roydon

Extensive surveillance of Covid-19 has identified a very small number of cases of the Covid-19 variant first discovered in South Africa, in localities across England, including in the Diss area, that cannot be traced back to international travel. All cases are now self-isolating and robust contact tracing has taken place to trace their contacts and ask them to self-isolate.

Working in partnership with NHS Test and Trace, every person living in Diss and Roydon over the age of 16 is strongly encouraged to take a PCR Covid-19 test this week, even if they are not showing symptoms. Testing will begin on Friday 19 February. Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) will be deployed offering PCR testing, with local authorities encouraging people to get tested in the area by also providing home test kits for those who can’t get to an MTU.

Letters with details of the testing being