Council cabinet to consider budget savings following consultation

Norfolk County Council's cabinet is being asked to consider proposed changes to key services, following recent public consultations.

Earlier this year, the council put forward plans to: 

• Reduce opening hours at recycling centres to deliver a more consistent approach, in line with neighbouring authorities. This would mean that all recycling centres in Norfolk would be closed on Wednesdays. 
• Switch off 2% of streetlights across Norfolk in areas where it is considered safe and appropriate to do so. 
• Introduce pre-booking for visits to the Norfolk Record Office and a new paid services to increase income generation. 

The council's cabinet are being asked to agree to implement each proposal at a meeting on Monday 5 August.

If approved, the changes are expected to save the authority just under half a million pounds each year. The changes would also see annual carbon emissions reduced by an estimated 76 Tonnes. 

Councillor Andrew Jamieson cabinet member for finance at Norfolk County Council  said: "These proposals will reduce our costs while cutting down on our annual carbon emissions. We are facing significant budget pressures, so we need to find ways to provide our services more effectively. I am grateful to everyone who took the time to engage with the consultation process, which will help to inform our decision." 

2% Streetlights to be switched off  

The proposal would see 2% of streetlights switched off across the county, saving £200k per year. 

The council have identified areas that would not be lit under current policy.  The majority of locations are in isolated pockets of lights away from residential areas or on the approach to more urban areas where the impact is expected to be minimal. 

The results of the consultation showed broad support for the proposals - of 452 responses received, 63% either strongly agreed or agreed with the proposals. 

The consultation sought views on the proposal to reduce street lighting in Norfolk by 1.35%, with the intention to achieve an overall 2% reduction. The remaining 0.65% will proceed separately, subject to consultation with Norfolk Police. 

The proposal will also reduce the council's carbon emissions by an estimated 76 Tonnes each year. 

If approved, the proposed locations will be risk assessed in collaboration with the network safety team and Norfolk Police to ensure those areas are suitable for switch-off. 

Closing recycling centres on Wednesday 

The proposal to reduce opening hours at some recycling centres would deliver a more consistent approach, in line with neighbouring authorities. This means that all recycling centres in Norfolk would be closed on Wednesdays. 

There are 19 recycling centres across Norfolk - 13 are open seven days a week and six are part-time. Part-time centres are open from Friday to Monday. 

Closing the full-time recycling centres on a Wednesday would make an estimated saving of £200k per year. 

The consultation on reducing recycling centre operating hours received 956 responses, with 62% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing with the proposals. The cabinet is being asked to approve the implementation of all these proposals given the financial constraints the county council is operating under. 

The most common concern was the potential for increased fly-tipping. However, in Suffolk there was no reported increase in fly tipping incidents due to closing on a Wednesday. This also reflects the experience in Norfolk, which showed no impact on fly tipping following the relocation of Ketteringham and Mayton Wood recycling centres, or when DIY waste policy changes were made. 

In a separate proposal, Norfolk County Council has agreed to implement a booking system which expected to be introduced later this year. 

Records office opening hours and booking system 

These proposals would see changes to the opening hours and the introduction of a booking system at the Norfolk Record Office. These changes are expected to save £57k per year.

The results of the consultation showed broad support for the proposals with 230 responses received and 57% either strongly agreed or agreed with the proposals. The majority of the respondents said that rarely visited the service and the responses showed that those who use the service regularly were more likely to disagree with the proposals. 

The responses to this report also showed that there was a strong appreciation of the role of the Record Office. These included comments on the importance of preserving, conserving, developing and managing an ever-growing collection. 

To counter the risk that someone travelling to the Record Office might make a wasted journey, a booking system would also be introduced. 

Cabinet will consider the report when it meets at 10am on Monday 5 August. You can watch the meeting, live or afterwards, and read the reports online.