Speech at Norfolk County Council re Devolution 27.06.16

Speech at Norfolk County Council as part of the debate on 'Devolution' - 27.06.16

"At the start of this debate the Conservative Leader of our Council said that we should vote in support of these proposals so that we have "a full, comprehensive and meaningful consultation". What we have before us does not fit that criteria. What we have before us is fatally flawed and flawed for two reasons. We are proposing a consultation and leading the public - we are being asked to say we "endorse" these proposals and asking for their approval. We're leading residents down a certain path. Second, we are not even having an open question. We are told by the Government that we have got to have a Mayor and the public will not even be asked for their view of this. So we will set the terms of the consultation in a very narrow way. That's a big shame. It's a big shame because transferring power and responsibility from large and somewhat distant structures that seem un accountable is a very positive concept. Giving power back to the people if you like - we would all like that surely? That for me is devolution but I don't believe that's what we have on offer. Rather than devolving to existing structures, these proposals create a whole new tier of governance, a whole new level of bureaucracy. We seem to be getting devolution by centralisation. The key for me to these proposals was to establish whether the new structure being proposed added value to what we already have. Can more be done through this model than through existing structures? I don't think that case has been made adequately enough. The biggest hindrance to the existing levels of governance making progress and delivering improvements is money - more particularly the lack of. I find it deeply frustrating that money can be magicked up to support the latest fad idea like devolution but cannot be found to support local government. Reading the deal, I find little about how this new process would speed up decision making, reduce red tape - wheres the how? It talks a lot about here's the extra cash if you sign up to it. And whilst the figures proposed may be initially tempting, the costs of setting all this up, costs running it, the costs in officer time across all authorities, and the opportunity costs lost. through pursuing a red herring could far outweigh the benefits.

There's an implied view that local government isn't working if it cannot deliver for its residents - I do not share this view. If adopted, these plans would weaken our county and district councils and further confuse the local government structure, weakening accountability.

What's worse about this whole situation is that the government does not even trust these areas to come up with their own proposals for their own communities - opposite of the principles of devolution - you can have devolution but you must have a Mayor. I'm normally in favour of consultation and engagement - but this whole consultation is flawed as it does not include a choice over whether to have a mayor and I'll be voting against the deal. I feel let down as a member that I won't be able to make my vote knowing if public support a mayor or not.

Speech to Mayors Civic Reception

Mayor of Thetford; Speech to Civic Reception (10.06.16)

Ladies and Gentleman, distinguished guests, may I thank you for taking the time to join us here this evening at our Civic Reception.

I’m delighted to be able to welcome you to the Charles Burrell Centre. As some of you will know, this is where aged 11 I started High School and finished aged 18 after completing A-Levels at the Sixth Form Centre. If you had told me that that I would voluntarily choose to come back here on such a regular basis then I would not have believed you – I seem to be on permanent detention!

But it was beyond comprehension to anyone back then that Charles Burrell High School would close – there’s been a school on this site since the 1950’s but in July 2013 the students left for the last time. Everybody assumed the worst – a site left to become derelict, an eyesore for years to follow. Perhaps most grave of all, a community resource lost and an opportunity not grasped. But… in an example what for me represents the potential of what local Government and the community working together can achieve – this did not materialise. A window of opportunity led to the site being leased to Thetford Town Council for 30 years who now in turn lease the site to the independent charity that now runs what we now know as the Charles Burrell Centre – an organisation who’s board on which I am delighted to serve as Chairman.

I decided to hold my reception here in a change from the norm to highlight what Charles Burrell has become in the hope that we may learn further from its example.

And what an example. A total of 33 permanent tenants on site – ranging from national corporate organisations such as Hertz the car rental business, to West Suffolk College whom we are delighted to have in Thetford providing literally hundreds of courses. Charles Burrell Centre also hosts the local MPs constituency office and there’s a national Portuguese newspaper based here. All sharing space with groups such as Thetford Foodbank, the Toy Library and there’s even room for the local Model Railway Society. 17 of those 33 tenants are brand new organisations – allowed to flourish thanks to the Centre’s existence. In total, there’s 85,000 square feet of building on 12 acres of land.

Seeing an old science classroom with bunsen burners in situ be transformed into a warm and welcoming space for a pre-school nursery was certainly something to behold, so to was seeing Mrs Howards old maths room become a pilates studio – oh how I hated that room but nice that its still being used to make people sweat.

There’s a further 11 regular organisations using the site on a weekly basis – so if you over indulge on the food and drink this evening and want to, you could attend Keep Fit on a Tuesday, Kettlebells on a Wednesday or Slimming World on a Thursday – they have it all. There’s been 5 full-time jobs created for by CBC Ltd alone – all people from Thetford and approx. 100 jobs created or safeguarded across the whole Centre, 20 regular volunteers recruited for CBC directly and many, many more across all organisations based here. Training courses completed, qualifications gained, disadvantaged people supported – a community much more enriched by its existence.

If Charles Burrell Centre were a school assignment I think an A* would be in order.

There’s a number of CBC staff and volunteers here this evening so feel free to talk to them about the Centre and I am sure if you ask they’ll show you round if you have time at all.

But there’s another reason why I wanted to hold my reception here; 

What better place than an old school to launch my theme for the year; Inspiring young people.

As many of you will know, I’m believed to be the youngest Mayor of Thetford in its more than 800 years of a Mayoralty. Something I’m incredibly proud of and grateful for the support of colleagues for putting me here.

I intend to use my year as an opportunity to inspire young people locally. Barriers still exist to young people realising their potential – many of them are physical barriers but there are psychological ones as well. Young people locally often do not have confidence in their own abilities. I remember being told as a teenager myself that young people from Thetford don’t excel in life and we’re not meant to do well. I remember as a youth worker seeking to encourage young people to grasp opportunities before them but they were paralysed by fear of failure. Life tends to highlight when things go wrong, when what we need to be doing, particularly for younger people who can be so impressionable, is recognise when things go right and provide those flashes of inspiration when possible.

So, with this in mind, I’m delighted that some people here this evening have agreed to work alongside me in the year ahead, we will be visiting local schools and youth groups, explaining what it was like for them to grow up in Thetford and what they do now in their careers and life generally. There’s some impressive stories to tell.

Now, I’ve asked each of them to provide me with a few words about themselves, what they don’t know however is that as I call their names, I’d like them to join me on stage:

1.   Ricky Bowers; Ricky moved to Thetford aged 12 in 1999 and went to Charles Burrell High School. At 16 he joined the Royal Air Force – during his career he has cooked and served dinner to both Gordon Brown and President Bush. He’s cooked lunch for the Queen and he clearly didn’t do a bad job as we’re celebrating her 90^th birthday here in Thetford tomorrow. He’s travelled across the world including Norway, Germany and Kenya and was deployed for 5 months in Afghanistan. He has helped raise money for local charities and the Make a Wish Foundation

2.   Kimberley Fox; Kimberley was born in Thetford and recently graduated with a Masters in Law following the completion of her undergraduate law degree at the University of Leicester. She’s recently secured an exciting legal role at a top national law firm in Cambridge. She attended Charles Burrell High School and has worked and volunteered at numerous places in Thetford.

3.   Kate Greenaway: Kate attended also went to Charles Burrell High School and later furthered her studies in Bury St Edmunds. Following this, Kate entered the graphic design industry working for a local marketing and design agency called Toolbox Group. Later, Kate started her own design company ‘Frontroom Creative’ and I’m told that ‘frontroom creative is a creative hub to bring your marketing ideas to life.

4.   Andrew Fitchett; Andrew Fitchett is editor of the Thetford and Brandon Times and he’s a senior reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in the Thetford area. Andrew was raised in Thetford, attending Rosemary Musker High School. He went on to study at Anglia Ruskin University, before training as a journalist in London. He has been a journalist since 2010, first covering the Thetford area for the Bury Free Press, before joining the EDP in 2013.

5.   Lindsay Dixon: Lindsey has lived in Thetford her whole life and left school aged 16 in 2001 to have her daughter Abby, now aged 14. She married her husband Jamie in 2008 and they also have a son Michael, now 8. She’s been a mother and a housewife for the last 15 years and she tells me that she has loved it. She’s studying English and Maths courses at the Charles Burrell Centre and will be starting a Diploma in Art and Design come September. After this she hopes to get a degree in Interior Design.

When I first asked Lindsay to become an ‘Ambassador’ she said that I had the wrong person as she had “not achieved anything”. I’m really pleased that Lindsay has agreed to become an ambassador as raising a family is an achievement in itself.

6.   Kate Snowdon: Kate works as a sub editor for Discovery Education; part of the Discovery Communications brand, which also houses the Discovery Channel. She works on news bulletins, video broadcasts, mini documentaries and teacher resources for use in the classroom. Outside of work Kate runs a blog about conservation, which was Highly Commended in the UK Blog Awards 2016.

7.   Ryan Windsor: Ryan is an Entrepreneur and founder of Windsor Properties specialising in property and financial investments. He Lecturers in Business and Enterprise Management, writes for Archant and About Thetford magazine and is a Non-Executive Director and Trustee at Keystone Development Trust, Charles Burrell Centre and Mentor at both Thetford Academy and The Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge University.

Three people who have agreed to be ambassadors but sadly cannot be here this evening. Firstly, Franko Fraize – he’s an independent rapper and recently signed a major label deal with Polydor records. He’s performed at the Radio 1 big weekend, Hyde Park and Wembley Stadium. Secondly, Ian Henderson – he’s a professional footballer playing for Rochdale. He has captained for his club on numerous occasions and started his career with Norwich City. Ian is also somewhat of an entrepreneur and has used his passion for health and fitness to progress rapidly through the ranks with the franchise Herbalife. Lastly, Tony Cornwall – owener of the Hideout – a music studio in Thetford which supports a host of musicians.

Over the year ahead, these ambassadors will be working with me to visit local schools and youth groups. Letting young people in Thetford know what it was like for them growing up in Thetford – experiences which I am sure won’t be too dissimilar to what young people experience now. But I want also for them to explain the careers that they have achieved and the lives that they lead so that all young people in Thetford can appreciate what is possible and what opportunities could lay before them.

Ambassadors invited to leave stage.

Lastly, some thank-you’s from me:

I want to thank those ex pupils that are here tonight enabling this event to happen; You have James Butler, CBHS pupil 1997 – 2001 - he’s providing the bar this evening – James now runs the Old White Bell pub in Southery. Sarah Swift (CBHS (2000 – 2004) – Sarah now runs her own photography business and took the photos for us here this evening. We also have Mark Snowdon (CBHS 1999 – 2003), the Centre Manager here at Charles Burrell who has worked very hard over the past few weeks along with his team to get the Centre ready and we have Roger Stebbings – the Mayors Officer and Sword Bearer (Staniforth Secondary Modern – dates confidential).

Also thanks to my Consort for the year – Corinne Fulford. As somebody said to me recently – if you want a job done, ask Corinne!

Thanks to the volunteers from all three locals museums for being here this evening; the Dads Army Museum, the Charles Burrell Museum and Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life including young people from the Teenage History Club. Thanks to the Thetford Police Cadets for assisting with car parking duties and my own Mayors Cadets for their duties.

And in keeping with the theme, you will have noticed and perhaps wondered where the flowers are tonight and why we have trees. Well, flowers have a short lifespan and as the outgoing Chairman of the Town Council’s Finance Committee I wanted to get the most for our money – so whilst these trees are here to decorate the hall this evening, next week these trees will be planted up in local schools and at youth venues across Thetford as a gift from the Mayor – and forgive the cliché but I hope over the years to come we can watch these trees grow and flourish in the same way that we hope our young people do as well.

Breckland Labour Press Release on Scrutiny Changes

SCRUTINY CHANGES FURTHER WEAKEN ACCOUNTABILITY AT DISTRICT

Changes to procedures at Breckland Councils Overview and Scrutiny Commission will result in the further weakening of democracy and accountability of the authority according to the District's Labour Councillors.

The new Chairman of the Council's Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Elizabeth Gould, whom until recently was a Cabinet member at the authority, has decided to break with tradition and will now not allow an agenda item at each meeting to receive a report back from members of the Cabinet. For many years previously a different member of the Cabinet has been requested to attend the Commission's meeting on an alternating basis to report to members.

Leader of the Breckland Labour Group and former Vice Chairman of the Scrutiny Commission Councillor Terry Jermy objected at today's (Thursday 9th June 2016) meeting and said afterwards: "Cabinet governance rests a lot of power amongst a very select group of Councillors. It is crucial to have checks and balances in place and the role of the scrutiny commission is very important. Members previously heard about the work of each cabinet member and could question them on progress on key matters - this opportunity has now been removed in a further undermining of democracy and accountability in the district".

Last year Breckland's Conservative Councillors appointed both a Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Committee from the Conservative Group breaking the tradition of having the Leader of the Opposition as either the Chairman or Vice Chairman.

Fellow Labour Councillor Harry Clark said: "Cabinet members in Breckland are paid considerable sums of money to undertake the role, twice the amount of many other similar sized Districts. At the very least I am sure that they can spare the time to present themselves to the committee every so often to explain what work they have been undertaking as part of their portfolio and take questions. This is an important opportunity for opposition party members but also back-bench members of the ruling Conservative group to question and scrutinise - this has now been removed without even the views of commission members sought".

My 'Mayors' Profile for TTC website

The Mayor of Thetford wears a chain of office when carrying out official engagements. The chain is also worn on ceremonial occasions as part of the official dress.

Profile

Terry Jermy was born in Thetford in 1985 and was first elected to Thetford Town Council at the age of 22 in a by-election in July 2008. Since then he was re-elected in 2011 and 2015. Terry has also served on Breckland District Council since 2011 and on Norfolk County Council since 2013.

Terry is believed to be the youngest Mayor in Thetford’s history, taking over the role at the age of 30.

Terry was educated at Queensway First School and then Queensway Junior School before attending Charles Burrell High School and the adjacent Sixth Form College to complete his A-levels. He originally intended to become a Geography teacher and despite studying Geography, Business Studies and Politics successfully at A Level; he opted to continue a role working locally for the Keystone Development Trust as a Community Development Worker. Terry developed his passion for youth work and supporting the young people of Thetford and stayed with Keystone for 7 years. During this time Terry managed the Abbey Community Centre on the Abbey Estate and supported local groups with fundraising and grant applications. Following this he went on to work for the Benjamin Foundation, overseeing the creation of the Meet Up Cafe on the Redcastle Estate – a support service for children and young people that continues to run today. Following his election to Breckland Council, and subsequent election as the Leader of the Opposition, Terry decided to give up his full-time work and instead works on a self-employed basis supporting local charities.

In September 2014 Terry, along with his brother, purchased the publishing rights to the About Thetford magazine and has served as its Editor ever since.

At Thetford Town Council, Terry has taken an active role in a number of committees and has previously served as the Chairman of several including; Amenities, the Charles Burrell Centre steering committee and the Personnel Committee. During the 2015/16 Mayoral year he served as the Chairman of the Finance Committee.

Terry has continued a ‘community engagement’ theme with his work as a Councillor, attending monthly meetings of the four tenants and residents groups in his division and supporting activities across the town. He is a Trustee of the Thetford Community Association and Chairman of Charles Burrell Centre Ltd. He has also served as Treasurer of Sort It – the group that submitted a proposal to become a Mary Portas Pilot town and successfully acquired £10,000 in funding to support improvements in Thetford Town Centre. Terry is an avid user of social media and as well as his usage of Twitter and Facebook, he keeps an online journal through; www.jermysjournal.blogspot.com

Terry likes to keep active and attends the Park Run activity in Thetford most Saturdays and swims at Thetford Leisure Centre several evenings each week. He has undertaken fundraising runs and completed a half-marathon in 2015 and is hoping to complete an organised run during his Mayoral year.

Terry will be supported in his year as Mayor by his Consort, Corinne Fulford. Corinne is a former Town Councillor herself serving from 2011 to 2015. She is well known locally for her community work including past work with the Dad’s Army Museum, STAG and various local groups. Corinne is a Director of the Leaping Hare Community Interest Company, which provides Thetford’s Great Information Centre. Corinne will be a valuable asset helping to promote the many great things about Thetford at the various places the Mayor gets invited to.

Terry’s theme for the year will be about inspiring young people and will be raising funds throughout his year to support projects that support and inspire young people locally.

The Mayor’s Chaplain is Canon Bob Baker who is a member of Thetford Team Ministry.

Terry and Corinne are keen to support all manner of local  organisations and events. Arrangements should be made through the Civic Secretary civicsecretary@thetfordtowncouncil.gov.uk or on tel: 01842 754247.

My speech to Mayor Making Ceremony - 10th May 2016

For somebody that comes from a humble background – I can’t express enough what an honour it is to be elected Mayor and I thank you sincerely for the opportunity.

As some will know, I began to get involved in community and Council life when aged 12 I wrote a letter to the local paper complaining about the lack of things to do in Thetford for young people. That was 1997. It was from there that I was contacted by then Manager of the old Thetford Partnership – Nigel Boldero and invited to meetings to give my opinions on things from a young person’s perspective. I didn’t really have political beliefs at that time, but what struck me early on was that the same individuals were also at the different meetings that I was going to, most notably Thelma Paines and Colin Armes as County Councillors. Over time I got to know these Councillors and it was Thelma that invited me to my first Labour Party meeting aged about 13 or 14 and the rest they say is history.

I want to thank those political people in my life who not only helped shape my beliefs but also provided me with role models demonstrating the importance of public and community service. People like Thelma and Albert, Colin and Sylvia and Gerald Bass. Also people like Pat Balaam, Ray Key and Jack Ramm, who are sadly no longer with us, but I’m really pleased that Diana and Alison have been able to attend. The examples that they set with their own lives and actions have shaped who I am today and I thank them for it.

I thank my parents for their support and the example that they have set – their strong work ethic has always been an example to me and their practical support has enabled me to undertake many of the things that I have done. Thanks also to all my family and friends for their love and support. Being involved in local Government can take up a significant part of your life and whilst it’s something that I and others have chosen to do, it’s not something that those around us have and their forbearance is I am sure appreciated by all.

Whilst we cannot be 100% certain, I’m likely to be THE youngest Mayor in Thetford’s history or if not, one of the youngest. Whilst youth can give me energy and determination it doesn’t always afford me patience and wisdom and I look to fellow Councillors past and present for that guidance in my year ahead.  I’m always prepared to listen and whilst I do have my own opinions, I welcome alternative ideas and recognise that I am not always right.

I am sure that my year as Mayor will be different to what some people are used to. It is no secret that I am someone that is much more confortable in jeans and a t-shirt rather than a shirt and tie. But I will aim to do everything that is required of me in the role, and I recognise that tradition is very important but so too is common sense – I’ll even wear a hat!

My consort for the year will be Corinne Fulford. Like many people I knew many years ago that Corinne was a ‘do-er’ – I didn’t entirely appreciate the breadth of what she did, or understand why she did it – but I knew she did things. It was only when Corinne was elected to the Town Council in 2011 that I really understood what she was all about and I fully appreciated her passion – passion not just for Thetford, but for community engagement and fairness too. Corinne I know will be the perfect advocate for our Town as we travel to events locally and further afield.

I love Thetford, whilst many friends of mine have moved away to pursue careers and to follow a different path, I have never been tempted by the bright lights of elsewhere. Thetford is a beautiful town, we have incredible environmental assets, we have amazing heritage and we have such wonderful community spirit. So often people do not recognise or appreciate what is on their own doorstep – I hope over the next 12 months to do what I can to add to the efforts of others to highlight the many good points about Thetford and work to address those things that may need a bit more effort.

My focus for the year ahead will be to inspire young people in this town to achieve what they want to achieve. As someone that was born and grew up here, I know a bit about the barriers that still exist. Not just the physical ones but the psychological ones too. I’m going to have some help in my year ahead from other people that have grown up in Thetford and have gone on to achieve in their lives. These ‘ambassadors’ will assist with visits to local schools and youth groups – talking about growing up in Thetford and what they do now.

With this in mind, thinking about the Mayor’s Charity - any funds raised over the next year will be earmarked to support projects and organisations in Thetford that work with and support young people.

I look forward to the year ahead with a degree of nervousness and excitement and l hope that I serve you well.

Breckland Budget Setting Meeting - 25.02.16

Busy week for Council meetings! Today was Breckland Council budget setting and Council Tax meeting. Here's the key points raised by myself and fellow Labour Councillor Harry Clarke.

Breckland Council Budget – 25.02.16

Firstly, I feel Breckland has been quite risky but also quite fortunate in relation to Council Tax. Not increasing it previously and taking advantage of the Freeze Grant has resulted in the Government effectively paying a greater extent for services locally than they might otherwise have done so – this is something we would of course welcome. But the Council has been lucky this year that when additional money is needed that they’ve been able to increase by greater than 2% to offset the fact that the baseline figure hasn’t risen over previous years and with the freeze grant not available it makes sense to increase. Even with this increase there are savings that need to be made and the Labour Group has been actively supporting the transformation programme.

Whilst politically it would be easy to criticise a Breckland increase in Council Tax of such a percentage, I won’t do so. Frankly its necessary to do so. My only disappointment however is that residents are going to be hit simultaneously by increases from the County, District, Police Commissioner and in my case the Town Council, all in one go. (Note" Band D households in Thetford will be asked to find an extra approx £60 a year in Council Tax at a time of wage stagnation and decreasing living standards). It is clear that these are very deliberate tactics by the Government to shift the burden of funding services to Councils and to local people.

Now as members may be aware, the Government changed the way the Council Tax benefits system works in 2013 and gave Local Authorities the ability to implement localised council tax support schemes – I have details of the Breckland scheme here. In short, we provide 100% support to qualifying pensioners, quite rightly so, and do not give discounts for second homes and we do support military personnel, again rightly so. Where we do not support fully however is working age people. Qualifying people are only supported up to 70% of the cost. Given the increases we’re looking at today and what other authorities are increasing by, I feel that should also adopt that 100%. In short, we must do more to support working people who are struggling to get by. As the Foodbank in my ward revealed recently, 50% of their claimants in the last 12 months have been working people. So often dubbed the working poor. So, the Breckland Labour Group would like to propose;

Proposal: Breckland Council to review its localised Council tax support grant scheme and review the financial impact of providing 100% support for ‘working age persons’. Report to be brought forward to a future Full Council meeting.

Without such a proviso, we would be unable to support these proposals as presented.

Specific budget amendments:

1. Budget amendment from Councillor Harry Clarke - Locality budgets: Several other Councils provide members with a locality budget whereby they can support community initiatives in their ward. The amount available varies per area, but in an authority close to me, namely West Suffolk, they make £2,500 for each member to spend in their ward on projects. Breckland is proudly a member led Council. This amendment would give all Councillors the opportunity to support community projects in their areas, assisting their roles as community champions. It would also help ensure every corner of the District receives support from the Council and would no doubt help lever in additional funds from elsewhere. Therefore Mr Chairman, I’d propose earmarking £98,000 from the underspend in this financial year for a one year pilot to establish locality budgets for all 49 Councillors.

Amendment: Propose earmarking £98,000 from the underspend from this current financial year to fund a one year pilot to establish locality budgets for all 49 Councillors.

2. Budget amendment from Councillor Terry Jermy - Fairfields, Thetford: You will note in your report on page 88, there is to be £35,000 received by Breckland Council for the sale of land at Fairfields in Thetford. This has caused considerable concern locally as much used play space will be lost in an area with already limited play opportunities. I’d like to propose that rather than this money going into the general capital fund that it is ring-fenced for this area to be spent on a capital play project in the future to off-set this loss in play space and to help alleviate some of the considerable traffic concerns that exist.

Amendment: Ring-fence £35,000 from sale of land at Fairfields for future play equipment project within the Fairfields vicinity and to help alleviate traffic issues generated by the development being allowed to proceed.

Fly-tipping Letter sent to T&B

Letter regarding fly-tipping sent to Thetford and Brandon Times

Dear Editor,

Further to the letter last week from Jane Bishop, I wanted to write and respond on behalf of the West Thetford Community Fly-tipping project which was referred to. This is a pilot project undertaken diligently by Barbara Bysouth, which has been making important strides forward in recent months. The project was born out of partnership working between the Safer Thetford Action Group, local resident associations, Breckland Council and Flagship Housing Association. Part of the project is indeed about reporting incidents of fly-tips, but more importantly it’s about encouraging others to report them too so that items can be removed promptly and they become less of a common sight and therefore the very presence of fly-tips does not become an acceptable norm. If we as a community are to tackle fly-tipping the solution I feel is about changing hearts and minds and indeed culture. Partly through enforcement and partly through education. For example, work is ongoing to highlight what can and cannot be taken to the waste recycling centre and what can and cannot go in which wheelie bin for example. Rarely in my role as a Councillor do I come across a fly-tip which could not have actually been dealt with through one of those routes which is why I do not agree with the view that fly-tipping is predominantly because of restrictions for legitimate disposal. More often it’s the result of sheer laziness, a lack of pride in ones community and the knowledge that enforcement and therefore repercussions are unlikely. Part of the project has been to engage in regular community walkabouts and identify evidence within fly-tipped material so that follow up action can be taken, and as a result, several residents have been contacted and investigations are ongoing. Further to this, at our most recent Fly-tipping Project Management Group meeting, we heard about some very encouraging work due to take place in local schools whereby children will be investigating the impact on communities because of fly-tipping, what the law says including fines that exist and how to dispose of items responsibility. This mix, together with generally working to improve pride in our communities will hopefully help reduce such incidents occurring, but sadly it will never of course remove the scourge that is fly-tipping but that should not dissuade our efforts. The ‘report it’ function on the Breckland Council website is an easy to use method for reporting a number of common community matters and I’d urge people to give it a try – (www.breckland.gov.uk/content/report-it).

Best wishes

Councillor Terry Jermy (Labour)

Chairman, West Thetford Community Fly-tipping Project Management Group