We are currently carrying out a local survey to find out what matters to residents. You can complete it online at this link:
Stalled Brasside flood works back on track
The works at Brasside to improve the storm drains is continuing this week after rain delays the previous week. The work, part funded by the home office and part by our local neighbourhood budgets is set to cut flood risk on Beech Close. We have had to fight hard for residents to get this sorted for many years and I am pleased to see action quite literally on the ground thanks to our intervention.
Tindale Avenue Flytipping and rubbish finally sorted after further Lib Dem intervention
I was pretty unimpressed a couple of days ago when revisting South Terrace and Tindale Avenue to discover this:
I had previously asked months ago for some of this to be shifted, then asked again a a month or so later, then two weeks ago on site with council officers I was given a date it would be shifted and it wasn’t. And of course it was even worse this week when I checked.
I am pleased to say that after elevating the issue and kicking up a fuss, the whole lot has now been cleared and in future I will not be so tolerant of such delays by the Council.
If anyone knows of any areas with flytipping and rubbish please let us know immediately so it doesn’t get out of hand, and if it isn’t shifted within a few days let us know again. We need to keep on top of such issues to make sure our area is kept clean and tidy.
Also if anyone knows who might be dumping rubbish anywhere let us know. The council can impose hefty fines on the culprits.
Pity Me Walkabout with Durham City Homes & Police
Yesterday with Councillor Simmons we did a walkabout with Durham City Homes (DCH) and the police. This was part of DCHs estate walkabout program. We identified a number of different issues from residents including some untidy gardens, littering and comments about certain local anti-social behaviour issues which are currently being dealt with.
We also spoke to quite a few residents including about housing and fencing concerns which are being looked into.
We expect to be able to report on some further improvements in Pity Me in the coming months.
Finally – Action on flooded path near Vets for Pets
As your local councillors, over the last nine months or so we have repeatedly asked for action to fix the waterlogging of the main footpath from Newton Hall to Framwellgate Moor near where the cut through to Vets 4 Pets is. Repeatedly I was told it was volume of water from heavy rain, and that it needed to be monitored. We knew it was more than that – a complete lack of proper drainage. Amanda also raised the issue. Finally today on viewing how deep the water was we contacted the Head of Service at the Council. We now have confirmation that they are looking at installing a pavement drain to sort this out once and for all. Which, from what I recall is what I suggested was needed in the first place. Now we just need to keep an eye on how long it is going to take to get the work done.
Arnison Centre Litter
I had to send another email today to the owners and managers of the site. For months now I have been asking for them to clear up the treeline. The response was “yes”, then “we are arranging a new contract”, however with each month that passes it looks even worse. Here’s a pic near Marks and Spencer. Hopefully my latest email will spur them into action.
streetlight removal in Northern Echo
As reported in today’s Northern Echo we are still really concerned about the A167 streetlight removal:
COUNCILLORS say turning out the lights alongside one of a county’s busiest roads would make the area unsafe for pedestrians.
Durham County Council plans to remove 35 street lights from a stretch of the A167 between Pity Me roundabout and Sniperley, on the northern outskirts of Durham City, over the summer.
The move comes amid a wider overhaul of street lights across County Durham, which has seen many lights removed and others dimmed overnight.
Back in 2013, the council said the changes would save £24m over the following 25 years, a total rising to £55m when inflation was taken into account.
But Mark Wilkes and Amanda Hopgood, Liberal Democrat county councillors for Framwellgate Moor and Newton Hall, say removing lights at the section in question would not be safe.
They claim the stretch has a joint cycle-footpath which is no more than 1.5m wide, narrower in places, and rarely maintained and they want safety improvements introduced before the lights go out.
Cllr Wilkes said: “We simply do not believe it is safe to remove all the lighting on this stretch without widening the shared cycle and footpath and providing a central refuge to get to public footpaths.
“I’ve been asking for years for the path to be improved and the council have again and again done nothing. If there are accidents along this stretch they will have themselves to blame.”
John Reed, the council’s head of technical services, said the lights were being removed as part of an ongoing programme to reduce energy costs.
He said the “standard running costs” of the lights was more than £4,000 a year, not including “potential replacement costs going forward”.
In a statement, Mr Reed added: “Removing street lights is only considered where it is safe to do so, following a thorough risk assessment undertaken by an independent road safety auditor.”
Cllr Hopgood said: “Any suggestion that the council can’t afford to widen the path or install a refuge simply does not stack up.
The council can afford six communications departments, spent millions on the stretch from Durham to Spennymoor and have over £200m in reserves.
“They should delay removal until they have found the money for this improvement.”
Removing street lights from the A167 further south between Durham and Rushyford was controversial when it was announced last year and there have also been calls for lights to be reinstalled on the A692 between Consett and The Grove, where a 27-year-old motorist died last November.
1000th Post! And still getting things done for our area
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. This is my 1000th post. A few things we have done in the last few weeks.
Over the last few days we have arranged for a litter pick at Mere Drive and Bishops Way to clear in front and behind the hedgerow on the Front Road.
Also got two concrete blocks removed from the grass near the entrance to The Avenue.
And reported a number of damaged kerbs, potholes and footpath defects in Pity Me.
We are also taking up the issue of overgrown trees in the Parish Council run Pity Me Park on The Avenue where the conifers are huge and causing problems for householders.
Up in Framwellgate Moor we are working to get the paths near the Fire Station development cleared of mud and dirt from the site, having spoken to Avant homes and council officers about the mess.
Down in Brasside, the work to repair the main floodwater drain through Beech Close is starting after our intervention finally secured funding from the Home Office along with matched funding we have provided.
And across the area we are still delivering our survey to find out what residents think is important in our area. Please click the link here to have your say:
http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9VNSSW8
At Abbey Leisure Centre we can report that all the extra investment we secured, and the hard work of staff has helped user numbers get back to the highest levels seen for years. Its a great time to join up. Call in to get shown around and to get details of the latest courses and activities.
On Newton Hall, two new bus shelters have been installed following our discussion with officers, meaning that on Bek Road three shelters are now replaced and a new one has been installed following our intervention.
Eden Road is now on the maps after we got street signs for the road, and numerous other signs along Bek Road have been replaced or installed at our request. We continue to report broken paving and footpath defects across the estate and the wider area we represent.
400 new trees have been planted in the grassed area between Caterhouse Road and Bek Road running from Vets 4 Pets towards Aykley Heads after we were successful in getting them from the Woodland Trust. The Eddy project we helped set up at Framwellgate School arranged the planting with students from the school.
On Wednesday we will be supporting council plans to introduce restrictions on the spread of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in Durham City after securing the extension of the plans to our area – this will start shortly in Durham City and in our area next year thanks to our intervention.
Also on Wednesday we will be putting a motion to Full Council illustrating the benefits to County Durham of European Union membership which brings huge amounts of additional funding to the County and the wider North East.
And we are also working on much more at the moment to improve the area.
Appalling treatment of teaching assistants by our Labour-run Council: TA: “I have never in my whole working life ever felt so undervalued, unsupported and unappreciated”
Durham Council has decided it wants to cut the pay of teaching assistants by thousands of pounds a year as well as increase work hours.
Over recent months councillors have received dozens of emails about this. I find myself wondering how it can be possible for Durham Council to be run by the Labour Party and for them to seek to slash the pay of some of the lowest paid members of the teaching profession.
We recently tried to get the plans thrown out at full council but Labour councillors first timed out the debate so they didn’t have to vote, and then when it came back a month later, changed the motion to render it unacceptable. The consultation on new terms has now concluded and we wait to see what our Labour Cabinet comes up with next. If it is anything like that recommended in the proposals, I for one will not be supporting it. It cannot be right to cut someone’s pay by thousands of pounds and increase their hours. It is simply unacceptable.
Across County Durham there are over 2700 teaching assistants. I imagine that the way this Labour-run council has been over this issue is going to have a huge impact on how TAs vote in next years local elections. When you take into account their partners, friends and relatives and all the other residents who will be looking at how TAs are being treated, this one issue alone has the potential to see Labour lose many seats in the May 2017 elections perhaps over 100 votes in every single Electoral Division.
I picked out some emails from TAs to give a feel for just how serious the impact of Labour’s proposals are. If I were a TA I would be very worried, very angry and very upset. We are currently waiting to see when this issue will come back to full council.
Just imagine if tomorrow your pension or salary was cut by 20%, your working ours increased. Then think – and most of this is because of the Labour Party! add in hikes in National Insurance/Pension contributions from the Tories, and other general price increases and these hard working people are really going to suffer…….. Utterly shameful.
Emails below from Tas.
Flytipping and bin storage issues being worked on
We are currently working to get Flytipping behind Tindale Av removed which I have repeatedly asked to be dealt with. I am assured it will be gone by Tuesday.
We are also working on addressing various bin issues on South Terrace, Victoria Court, Middleham Road and Hamsterley Crescent (flats).
In addition, at our request, use of resident bins by takeaways is set to be tackled with possible enforcement action.