A thank you from Framwellgate Moor Scouts for the donation I have made through the local fund the Council gives us as councillors 

Dear  Mr Mark Wilkes  

Thank you very much for your donation of £250 to 1st Framwellgate Moor Scout Group. We have used the money donated to buy fittings for the new kitchen at the Scout Hut. The kitchen is now almost complete, thanks to your donation and donations from local trades people. 

A kitchen is very important for a scout group, apart from the obvious use of preparing refreshments for functions etc, it is in training that it becomes perhaps even more important. Scouts are taught to look after themselves in all circumstances. An example being that a sixteen year old scout would be expected to be able to cook a meal on an improvised wood fire, in open countryside, when it is blowing gale, raining very heavily andthe only available wood is soaking wet. Not easy, but the training starts with much younger boys in a safe, well organized kitchen at the scout hut. 

Thank you again for your support – which allows the leaders to concentrate on developing our young people rather than worrying about funding the essential extras. 

Many of you may have become aware that Councillor Crooks has left the Liberal  Democrats.

I was elected as a Liberal Democrat and will continue to represent the people of the Framwellgate Moor Division as a Liberal Democrat.

Equally, I will as I have done since the start, work with members of all political parties and none to improve our villages. Our area is more important than individuals of any political persuasion and I am confident that my continued hard work will continue to bring new benefit to our area.

Mark

The rebuilt carpark at the rear of Framwellgate Moor Community Centre is now open for use by local residents. One of the biggest problems in Fram has been the lack of parking. This newly resurfaced carpark with disabled spaces at the rear of the community centre is a major improvement.

Additionally lighting, part paid by the community centre and part out of my councillors neighburhood fund will make the carpark safer and easier to use in the winter months. Please use these new facilities and help us cut the problem of pavement parking.

The funding for the carpark has come out of the neighbourhood budget I get as a councillor to spend in our area. Improved parking was one of the biggest issues highlighted when we stood for election, and i am pleased that we have been able to tackle this problem and also provide better facilities for the community centre too.

Framwellgate Moor Community Centre has availability for groups to use the current available times can be seen below.

If you have a private group, educational group or are looking at setting one up, there are three halls in the Community Centre which can be hired at low cost. if you are thinking of setting something up but need help, get in touch and either the Community Centre or officers from the County Council may be able to help you. For voluntary groups it is possible that some funding could be found, contact me if you need some help with this.

Current times when halls may be available are:

Call 0191 386 3356 to make a booking with the community centre.

The latest update on the County Durham Plan is that I have asked to make sure that another proper consultation and report back which is far better organised, is brought forward very soon. The Council has provisionally told me that they hope to do this in November and i intend to notify as many households as possible and as early as possible before this event, as a short story in the local papers is not enough for such an important issue.

The new footpath I have been working on getting for residents in Framwellgate Moor and Pity Me has now been confirmed. The work will commence in the second week of November and will involve resurfacing and newly building paths from Framwellgate Moor/Pity Me Front St (next to the Electricity Substation), along the old wagonway along the side of Hudspeth Crescent, with new link paths to Hudspeth Crescent and Beaumont Close, carrying on to the A167 and along the back of Bridgemere Drive to link up with the path to New College and the underpass.

This is a great project which will provide improvements which have been needed for decades and is one of the commitments I made to residents to work towards getting when I was elected. The other side of the path was upgraded to run along side The Carrs nature reserve after pressure from your local councillors as part of the new development on the old council depot.

The new parking bay for Findon Avenue can now go ahead after some work to resurface part of the road was completed. I was pushing for the whole area to be resurfaced, however for now at least some of the worst parts have been done. The parking bay should be in before the end of the year possibly as early as November, weather permitting.

It appears that requests for funding from the AAP for adult gyms is to be considered for approval at the next AAP board meeting. The outdoor equipment is great for keeping fit, helping teenagers, parents and grandparents to join in with outdoor fitness activities.

We asked for £5000 for Framwellgate Moor and a further £5000 for Bearpark as part of the current work we are doing with Framwellgate Moor Parish Council and the County Council to improve facilities in these villages and this is being applied for by the relevant groups.

Once these facilities have been finalised, the next step is to start work with the parish councils and residents to upgrade play facilities in Witton Gilbert and Brasside where new equipment is badly needed.

I

Framwellgate Moor Working Men’s Club carpark is now open all the time for any residents to use, please use it to reduce congestion in the parking bays and to cut pavement parking.

One of my colleagues on the County Council, Councillor Ben Ord (Spennymoor), has taken a seat off Labour on the Town council, with an increased percentage of the vote too.

Ben picked up 494 votes, Labour 422, BNP 264 Independent 53

Well done Ben – more Lib Dems to try and sort out the waste at the Labour run Town Council!