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Food For Thought in Downham Market, meal and a walk in Roydon, devolution and West Norfolk Council wildlife competition




It’s the turn of Pallavi Devulapalli to write this week’s Friday Politics and she has plenty on her agenda…

I was delighted to be able to attend a ‘Food For Thought’ session in Downham in January. These sessions are sponsored and conducted by the borough council with a view to encouraging people to learn to cook and to eat healthy meals. There are experts who actually cook the food from scratch in full view of an audience who are seated and have a chance to interact with them throughout the session; impressively everyone who attends is given a taster of what has been prepared, and judging by the responses the food was very tasty indeed.

One participant told me that she had been desperately waiting for them to come back down to Downham after a gap of a year and that her children had been asking when the next Food for Thought session would be.

Cllr Pallavi Devulapalli at the Food For Thought session
Cllr Pallavi Devulapalli at the Food For Thought session

There were men, women and a few children in the audience of about 20 people, on the day that I went along.

We need more such initiatives to teach people vital life skills that they haven't picked up for one reason or another while growing up.

I went for a pleasant walk in Roydon Common last Saturday- it was a cold, sunny day and I was glad to be well-protected from the chilly wind in my warm coat. It was very enjoyable - we caught a glimpse of a skylark, a muntjac deer and the Konic ponies, which were totally adorable. They trotted over eagerly, as if expecting treats, and seemed very comfortable around us. We ended the walk with a meal at the Three Horseshoes pub – it was warm and hospitable, and the chips were just perfect.

Cllr Pallavi Devulapalli on Roydon Common
Cllr Pallavi Devulapalli on Roydon Common

There's a lot of anxiety as well as anticipation at the council with regards to plans for local government reorganisation which is being prioritised by the government. We should hear the final verdict on the pace and timetable for reorganisation in Norfolk next month. The idea is to disband existing district (including borough) and county councils so that every ward has just one councillor representing them, who would be a member of a unitary authority which would perform the functions of both councils. Rather worryingly, Norfolk County Council has asked to postpone elections this May, ostensibly to enable the creation of these unitary authorities, which many of us think is unnecessary, and undemocratic.

There is also talk of devolution - the creation of a large strategic authority encompassing Norfolk and Suffolk, which will add an extra layer of government above the unitary authorities, and will presumably have the final say on large projects and developments. As with all these ideas, the pros and cons can only be properly understood when the detail is known, and that is simply not forthcoming at this moment in time.

Nationally, I have been rather worried by reports on social media about the widespread prevalence of so-called grooming gangs in the north west and elsewhere in the country, apparently aided and abetted by politicians. If the allegations are true, this is extremely worrying indeed and any government that doesn't act on this will rightly be viewed with suspicion. It is alleged that these gangs have existed for decades with no action being taken by successive governments both central and regional, Conservative and Labour. And in all this time, it was mostly young girls, many from broken families, who paid the price for this evil, sometimes with their lives.

Ultimately voters must decide that enough is enough and demand an inquiry from the government as well as ask for robust action to be taken against perpetrators and abettors of these crimes, regardless of their political clout or social standing. In fact, I would argue that stronger punishment should be served on those who claim to be 'pillars of society', to serve as an example and a deterrent.

Onto happier news, the borough council is launching a new garden wildlife competition this year. It is open to all residents in West Norfolk, there are categories for every size and type of garden, and you only need to meet one or more of the criteria to enter. More details will be forthcoming in March but in the meantime, start planning your wildlife garden now. Will you have insect hotels, bird boxes or hedgehog highways? What plants will you plant to encourage our insect and bird populations?

All entries will be in with a chance to win a lucky prize, and there are prizes for the parish with the most entries, as well as the longest pollinator corridor in the borough. So every entry is worth putting in, and it is my hope that this will showcase what a wonderfully nature-friendly borough we live in, and inspire more of us to do more to save our precious native plants, insects, butterflies and animals.

The council is also making efforts in collaboration with Norfolk Wildlife Trust to get the land formerly known as Parkway East, designated as a county wildlife site. At a time when insect populations are plummeting, and scientists estimate we are losing about 150 species of plants and animals every day, it would be wonderful if we could buck the trend here in West Norfolk and show what can be done with some thoughtfulness and care.



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