Holmlands Crescent repairs carried out, more reported

holmlands crescent path repair

Picture of work done.

For some time I have been asking for this path to be fixed. Well perseverance pays off. This and other repairs I reported on Holmlands Crescent have been actioned. many more are still waiting to be done.

I have of course had to report more problems on this and other streets in the last few days including broken paving and kerbs, potholes, trip hazards and requests for resurfacing, including but not exclusive to Hudspeth Crescent, The Avenue, Durham Moor Crescent, Woodbine Road. More will no doubt follow in the coming days.

It’s just a shame the County Council isn’t more proactive. If it spent the money it had more efficiently and listened to Lib Dem councillors, a lot more work would get done, for a much lower price and repeat repairs wouldn’t be necessary. (more…)

Abbey road update – council says its not dangerous to park 15 cars in a row on curve in the road

The traffic order to stop parking and put in yellow lines will take a while to be ordered, so I had asked over the weekend for some emergency measures to be put in place to avoid an accident. Up to 15 cars parked in a line on a curve in the road, in my opinion it is dangerous. The response from our head of technical services is:

“We are content that the situation is not dangerous. Whilst some of the parking is unwelcome it actually helps reduce speeding at this location.”

So now we cross our fingers there isn’t an accident. I am trying to get some cones put down to cut the risk. A couple of cars may be helpful in cutting speeding. Trying to overtake a line of 15 cars on the wrong side of the road on a curve is firmly in my opinion dangerous. Still, its on the public record now so if there is an accident…..

Abbey Road and Smithfield parking problems -Lib Dem intervention gets results – short term problems increase

Over the last year or so I have challenged parking problems on the stretch of road near NWL on Abbey Road, which has caused problems for motorists, including bus drivers and access for NWL vehicles. After trying to get this fixed following a planning application for one of the local garages, I had to assist NWL in their push to make it safe for their vehicles. Thankfully this pressure has paid off.

Yellow lines along the stretch from Smithfield to the Northumbrian Water roundabout will be installed soon, following the pressure. A small area of parking will still be included to help keep traffic speeds down.

Following requests from residents the short stretch at the entrance to Smithfield will also be restricted for parking to make it safer entering and leaving the junction. I personally had a near miss there a while ago and know that this will improve safety.

We don’t currently know the reasons for the massive increase in parking in the last week and a half, however, police are putting notes on cars which are blocking pavements and I will be asking for cones to be placed for safety reasons after the weekend as the sudden increase in parking is quite clearly both dangerous and causing problems for pedestrians.

I will also be emailing the relevant council officers to ask that the new markings and signage which have now been approved are put in place as soon as is practicable.

If there are any other areas you think we should look at to restrict parking or increase provision please let us know.

Pity Me Speeding being tackled

I asked the police to take action in Pity Me after checking speed figures. Whilst the number of vehicles driving at very high speed has fallen, there are still a large number driving too fast.

A few months back we carried out a community speed watch, but unfortunately, having to put up signs and wearing fluorescent yellow and orange jackets kind of gives the game away.

The police can use more mobile cameras and have more ability to enforce than Community Speedwatch. hopefully this action will bring down speeds

£38000 for a glorified tuck shop

Durham Council is spending £38000 on a cafe in county hall, a building it has announced to wants to bulldoze. How on earth can it cost that much.

Full story from Northern Echo:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/13714132.Cost_cutting_council_under_fire_for_spending___38_000_on_new_coffee_shop/

A COST cutting council has come under fire after planning to spend £38,000 on a new coffee shop.

Durham County Council – which just this week announced plans to cut home-to-school transport funding and charge the poorest pensioners for community alarm systems – intends to convert a former security office at County Hall into a shop selling drinks and snacks. (more…)

An article in the Standard from Nick Clegg – Worth Reading whatever your political persuasion

What do you think should be the first duty of government? Maintaining public order? Looking after the vulnerable? Defending the nation? I guess most people would include these and add some preferences of their own. 

So let me add one of mine: it should be a duty of government to provide the best possible incentives to work.

Work is not just an economic necessity. It brings identity and self-reliance. It is a spur to ingenuity and a catalyst for growth. Work demands the learning of new skills. It sustains communities and nourishes families. Without work, society crumbles.

So I take an old-fashioned liberal view that supporting work — rewarding and fairly-rewarded work — should be one of the first duties of government.

That is why seven years ago — shortly after I became leader of the Liberal Democrats — the party started arguing in favour of lifting the income tax personal allowance. It seemed a little technical at the time — harder to explain than headline-grabbing reductions in tax rates — but the aim was simple enough: working taxpayers, especially those on low pay, should keep more of the money they earn as an incentive to work.  (more…)

Lib Dem councillors call for Durham to accept 150 refugee families

We today sent an open, public letter to the leader of Durham County Council asking that he seriously considers offering to accept 150 refugee families.

We feel as a County that e must do more to help with this crisis.

We have heard this evening that Labour will discuss this at their Monday meeting.

Our letter:

SENT ON BEHALF OF THE LIB DEM GROUP ON DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL TO COUNCILLOR SIMON HENIG, LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

Dear Cllr Henig and fellow Durham County Councillors

No doubt you are as distressed as we are at the scenes unfolding on our TV screens in recent weeks.

The Prime Minister has indicated that the UK will accept more refugees.

The question then is what is County Durham willing to do to help in this process?

We are confident that as a council and a county we have the capacity to assist in this crisis.

We have a population of more than 500,000 or around 0.7% of the UK population and depending on how you define them, at least 15 towns and hundreds of villages and settlements.

We have thousands of empty properties across the County, including over 1000 currently advertised to let.

We also note that we have spare capacity for  pupils in both secondary and primary schools in most parts of the County.

We strongly believe we have a moral duty to step up, be pro-active, and agree to accept a fair number of those refugees fleeing horrendous conditions.

Furthermore, there is an obligation on the government to support the Council in the resettling of refugees.

Can we therefore ask Cllr Henig, that you give serious consideration to putting forward an offer to the Government for County Durham to accept 150 refugee families, with Government support?

Kind regards

Durham County Council Liberal Democrat Group

Sign the petition to help refugees

Accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants in the UK.

There is a global refugee crisis. The UK is not offering proportional asylum in comparison with European counterparts. We can’t allow refugees who have risked their lives to escape horrendous conflict and violence to be left living in dire, unsafe and inhumane conditions in Europe. We must help.

 

 

More details

With an estimated 173,100 asylum applications, Germany was the largest recipient of new asylum claims in 2014. The USA was 2nd with 121,200 asylum applications, followed by Turkey (87,800), Sweden (75,100), and Italy (63,700). By comparison, the UK received 31,300 new applications for asylum by the end of 2014.
(Source: UNHCR 2014 Asylum Trends Report)

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/calais-migrants-dangerous-rhetoric
http://tracks.unhcr.org/2014/12/welcome-to-calais/

These people need help.

 

 

 

Please sign the petition here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105991

Vote Early Vote Often – It is Labour-run County Durham after all

In the Shotton and South Hetton By-election, 164 people have had the chance to vote twice after the Council’s printers sent out two postal votes to 164 people.

This is at least the second time there have been problems this year with elections in the County. Clearly it is time for another investigation before someone starts to question the probity of the election process!!

Vote Early Vote Often seems appropriate.

I note from The Times today that Matthew Parris says he has registered his four Llamas to vote in the Labour leadership election. Initially I thought I had misread it and it said you can vote for four Llamas.