The gloomy news about the contraction of Britain’s private sector, has fulled fears that the UK could be lurching into a Brexit-induced recession.   

There is no doubt that we are experiencing a financial crisis and this begs the question of whether Norfolk County Council, or more to the point Council tax payers, can afford to commit the County to signifiant expenditure of up to £30M on a three mile link road.

It was only last year that NCC was identified as one of the Councils  mentioned in the National Audit Office’s report as exhibiting some of the warning signs that concerned auditors at Northamptonshire in the years leading up to its financial collapse in February.

Norfolk’s usable reserves halved during 2018 and analysis of financial records published by the government show the authority spent more than it budgeted for in each of the last three financial years, and it is set to do so again this year. NCC denied it had a history of overspending, adding that its budget strategy was “robust and prudent”.

There is no doubt that NCC currently carries substantial debt and is paying £28M loan interest  each year.

The question we should all be asking is whether £30M of public funds can be justified when NCC has yet to prove the economic case for the Norwich Western Link and is also looking to cause irreversible  damage to a protected area of Norfolk countryside.

The plans for the road should be stopped and please support us by signing and sharing the following petition : http://chng.it/CrHBrT9n