Finchale Training college to be knocked down – planning concessions secured by Lib Dems

Finchale Training College will be knocked down to make way for new housing.

We have secured various concessions to this after finding issues with the proposals.

  1. The Council repeatedly refused to agree to reduce the speed limit past the site. I had to intervene and speak with the Director of Regeneration at the Council over this, otherwise I would not have been minded to support the application. The speed limit is 60mph and there is a difficult bend. This speed limit should have been reduced years ago but the council refused. I’m happy to report they have not only agreed to go out to consultation before development starts but also that the developer will pay for the costs of implementing this. 1-0 Lib Dem councillors.
  2. Development sites require a contribution towards various improvements in the area. Developers always try to get all of this inside the site, leaving nothing to improve the local community. We have been successful in making sure that public art and open spaces funding can be spent in the wider electoral division as well as near the site, and that this money cannot be used to pay for other improvements the developer wants – they’ll have to use their own money. 2-0 Lib Dem councillors.
  3. Whilst most of the site is brownfield/already developed, it is surrounded by greenbelt and it was essential that proper conditions were placed on ensuring trees and landscaping on the site were retained and improved. Following our intervention this has been conditioned and residents will be consulted on the final landscaping plans. 3-0 Lib Dem councillors.

All in all a good day, with 20% affordable housing also included and funding for the charity safeguarded, as well as a cast iron agreement that the charity will have its new headquarters within County Durham!

 

 

Working to cut HGV problems in our area and update on associated important road closure

On Tuesday we met with owners and estate managers of the Arnison Centre as well as senior council managers and traffic experts to discuss problems raised by residents over HGVs using Finchale Road, Old Pit Lane, Front St Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor and Abbey Road.

Residents on these streets are being plagued with vibrations from large HGVs. I have personal experience of the damage from vibrations with cracks in plaster, however other residents have far more serious issues with  damage to properties, sleepless nights as well as concerns about highway safety.

Road Closure

In a few weeks time, the access between Rotary Way Bypass and the Arnison Centre/Lidl roundabout will be closed off for widening of this area. This should result in an improvement in access to and from the Centre and was requested by us as part of the expansion of the Centre. However for 6-8 weeks from around the end of March we are going to find major traffic problems including more vehicles including HGVs coming through the Pity Me, Framwellgate Moor and Newton Hall areas.

We have asked for various options to be considered to reduce the impact of this.

HGVs

So for a while there will be an increase in HGVs, however we have a commitment form the Arnison Centre owners that once this necessary improvement work has taken place, they will work to ensure that all the businesses on the site get the lorries delivering goods to use the A167 Pity Me bypass and Rotary Way as it was originally designed. We will be monitoring this after the roadworks have taken place and will be asking residents to help us identify those business not adhering to the agreement.

Projects which help our senior residents – Your feedback requested

We are keen to hear from you with suggestions of projects and ideas to boost involvement in the community or events for more senior residents. At the moment we do a great deal to assist older residents with council related issues and community programs but we want to do more.

Amanda currently helps to run the Luncheon Club at All Saint’s Church in Newton Hall which provides a meal on Mondays to 40-50 local residents who are retired, with ages ranging from 65 to nearly 100!

We also provided funding to the WI for a senior citizen’s Christmas party in December in Framwellgate Moor.

We have also been campaigning to keep local health services such as podiatry in the area.

We also support all the community buildings in the area which have groups and access for retired residents. And of course we respond to many requests for help each week, ranging from issues which all residents contact us about to concerns with assisted refuse collections, requests for dropped kerbs and social care concerns. Recently we assisted a Durham City Homes resident to improve their mobility access for example. We also helped another resident get access to the Council’s Link2 bus service to get to hospital.

Let us know if there is something missing for older residents in our area or perhaps an idea you feel will help senior members of our community. There may also be funding available for local groups which aim to help older residents.

Council cuts litter picking and bin emptying without any notification – We must not let this continue

The Council cut litter picking and bin emptying a few weeks ago on Fridays and Saturday mornings in Framwellgate Moor and other areas.

The results are clear to see already with overflowing bins and a lot more rubbish lying around. We fought bitterly to get an improved service in the area, particularly in Framwellgate Moor which has such enormous footfall, and we cannot allow the Council to go back to the bad old days.

The current situation means that from early on Friday before the lunchtime rush, until Monday morning no litter picking is taking place, no bins emptied. It’s completely unacceptable and was done without even consulting with Councillors.

After raising this last week with the Head of Service I have asked for urgent talks to get the service reinstated. I have already had numerous complaints.

What is even more galling is that just a few weeks back the Council to great fanfare announced a major “Spruce Up” of the area which we fully supported, getting a bigger area cleaned up than originally planned.

Some of the gulleys and channels in Framwellgate Moor are already blocked up again due to the cut backs and some are now wondering if the Spruce Up was an excuse to make things look good before secretly slashing the service.

Needless to say, along with the takeaway issue, we will not be letting this drop.

Council surveying all staff after Lib Dems challenged sickness absence levels – but still no compulsory survey

A few years ago as councillors on one of our committees we started a review of sickness absence/attendance management at the Council. Average number of days off for council staff is now 11.48 days a year a slight improvement from 12 days but still way off acceptable levels. I have pushed for serious action for a long time. Sadly I don’t see enough progress when I see the figures.

On some councils sickness levels are 5 days a year in line with the private sector. At DCC things are not good. Much of this I believe was down to not giving managers the necessary tools and backing, the fact that so many had not had the relevant training, and failed processes.

What was truly horrendous though as I have previously reported was that staff with mental health problems – stress, depression etc – all very serious were not being passed to occupational health for months, in one case someone wasn’t referred for a staggering 300 days!! It had to be gross mismanagement by the Labour Party to blame as we had banged on about changes and made suggestions for years.

The Council has just started a survey of staff to get more information on health and wellbeing. This is more extensive than previously thanks in part to the pressure I and other councillors put on.

However it is not compulsory which in my eyes means the results could be skewed. The survey is fully anonymous so I fail to understand why Labour councillors refused to allow this, especially given that identifying problems is of benefit to all staff, and reduced sickness absence makes for better services and shows there are happier, healthier staff.

After 8 years of banging on about sickness absence by opposition councillors, and especially the Lib Dems, and not seeing any real improvement – this year Labour has no more excuses. Sickness absence amongst council staff must come down more quickly. This can only take place by making sure that we properly invest in the necessary background assistance needed, including in occupational health, and by referring staff quickly when they have a particular problem. The fact that we have some of the worst figures in the Country suggests that Durham has a localised problem. A problem which in my view lies with the Labour councillors failing to get a grip.

Carriage lights return to Oatlands Way and cul de sacs after council apologies and Lib Dem action

Over a year ago the Council removed without any consultation the carriage style street lighting from large parts of the Rosemount estate.

Residents complained and we got on the case, repeatedly requesting action. Sure enough they accepted they’d made a mistake, and would rectify it. Months later the lights on the Rosemount street itself were replaced. Unfortunately the ones on the other streets  remained untouched and we had to kick up a fuss. And then kick up a fuss again, and then again,

Finally the Council apologised and agreed to get it sorted and thankfully the lights have now been replaced.

I will be off to check that all the ones which should have been done have been.

New School Sports Hall well underway

The construction of the new sports hall at Framwellgate School Durham is well underway. The old sports hall was in dire need of replacement after years of under investment by successive governments and the Labour-run council in to school buildings.

The school secured a £2m grant for the work and the school is looking to open the facilities to the local community once the site is completed. Your local Lib Dme councillors are working with the school on this and other projects.

 

County Council can’t empty its inbox – incompetent and frustrating and plain daft

In September last year I complained that the council’s main email address help@durham.gov.uk had a full inbox – so no one could email issues. At the time I thought it was laughable that such an email would have a data limit for one of the biggest local authorities in the Country.

I made this clear to officers when on the 19th October it was again full and asked for action.

Today I find groundhog day is upon us.

To some this might not seem so important, but every single bounce back could be an important issue and some people may miss the bounce back or have to wait and telephone to report issues, clogging up phone lines for more important issues. It’s totally unprofessional for such a large public organisation to repeatedly over many months have this problem and fail to address it.

You could understand if an individual had this problem due to the fact that their inboxes are limited in size at the Council, but for the main front facing email address to be full or have a limit is unacceptable.

This time I’ve asked the Chief Exec to take action.