By Ian Bred, Norfolk Correspondent
The city of Norwich has decided it will now only twin with itself because locals prefer to keep it in the family.
Councillors last night voted unanimously to axe its four international twinning relationships with Rouen, Koblenz, El Viejoa and Novi Sad.
Norwich Mayor Bubba Spuckler, pictured above, who has lived in the city all his life with his sister and their eight children, said twinning Norwich with itself was more in keeping with local tradition.
Speaking ahead of the vote in the city hall, he said: “We like to keep things in the family here in Norwich, and it certainly makes no sense to be twinned with newfangled foreign places in France, wherever that is.
“I have been speaking to many people on the streets, and they all want to keep things more ‘homely’.”
The meeting of the full city council backed the move, even though there will now be a cost of changing all the road signs around the city.
Norwich twins
“We estimate it will cost us £25,000 to change the signs to say ‘Norwich, Twinned with Norwich’,” Mr Spuckler explained.
Residents of Rouen in France were said to be delighted their twinning association had been halted by Norwich.
Jean le Baptiste, a local solicitor said: “We visited Norwich once on an exchange visit and we all came home haunted by what we had seen.
“These people were stuck in the Middle Ages and all lived in very large family groups, leading to some quite strange mental and physical behaviours.
“Our local council is now trying to twin with a town somewhere in Suffolk, where we hear from Alan Tasker that things are far more modern and respectable.”
The ‘keep it in the family’ tradition has got Norfolk into trouble before. Only last year, police had to warn hikers walking alone in the countryside to think twice before entering a rural pub.
* If you have a story for Ian Bred, our Norfolk Correspondent, please do use our Contact Us page to get in touch.
Norfolk mugs support the Suffolk Gazette
Support the Suffolk Gazette’s hard-hitting journalism by buying a Norfolk mug. We get the revenue and you get a talking point to keep in your kitchen. Or buy one for a friend from Norfolk – they will love it. Buy below, or browse all the mugs at DirtyOldGoat.com..
