Norwich City Council has been blasted after claims were made that work it had not even started had been completed.

People living near West End Street have hit out after the latest issue of Citizen magazine claimed works in two parks had been completed.

Campaigners have been calling for works at the West End Street Gardens to help reclaim the area after it was the site of a gang shooting in 2018.

%image(15625296, type="article-full", alt="West End Street residents Ruth Makoff, Nick Stephen and Chris Keeler were all disappointed that the council was claiming credit for the work")

"It has been quite the saga since we started pushing for improvements after the shooting," said Alison Ledington, who led the successful grant application on behalf of Wensum Residents Association.

"We were so pleased to get the Pocket Park funding back in February 2020 but now we are concerned the city council needs to get the money spent by the end of October or risk losing the contribution from the central government.

"Unfortunately, we don't know where the council are up to with this, all that we hear is that the work has been done via Citizen when clearly nothing at all has happened."

The council also said it had completed work on a multi-use games area (MUGA), at West End Street Park but work is still ongoing.

%image(15625303, type="article-full", alt="Nick Stephen said it was "a bit much" for the council to claim the work was complete")

Many residents said they were looking forward to the work being completed, particularly for their children.

Nick Stephen said: "It's a real pity that the park has been closed for such a long time, every time we go past my son asks when it will be finished.

"And now to read that the council are claiming it's been finished is a bit much."

Despite the inaccuracies, a council spokesperson said the magazine is "100pc correct" at the time of writing, "to the best of our knowledge".

She said there is a two-to-three-week lag between going to print and distribution when things can change.

%image(15625304, type="article-full", alt="Citizen magazine claims works completed but some not even started")

“At the time the article was written, improvements to the MUGA should have been completed, based on dates received from the contractor," she said.

"They have since been in touch to let us know that, unfortunately, this piece of work has been delayed. We have been assured the MUGA will be completed in the coming weeks.

“The makeover of the gardens has also been subject to a delay, but a tender process has been completed and we understand a contract is due to be signed very soon."

The spokesperson said they hope to update residents in the winter magazine.