Newton Hall Post Office NEW INFORMATION – HALF WAY TO SUCCESS

I have been trying to get updates from various places on the plans for Newton Hall Post Office.

The first thing to say is that the consultation process is still running behind the scenes. The national CAB / Consumer Futures who analyse the consultation data have confirmed to me that following our representations they are pushing for “Main” Branch status. They will thrash out their views on the 22nd with PO management at a national level.

The pressure from residents and ourselves as your local councillors appears to be having a positive impact. Whilst the existing site does not look like it will be retained, the services which were due to be lost may well be retained if the branch moves into McColls.

Proposals have been aired which would see McColls run the branch as a “Local Plus”. This means that almost all the services which would have been lost would now be retained – so half a success.

However the BIG issue which remains is capacity. We are still campaigning alongside the CAB for a Main branch model as we do not want to see queues for local residents. Given that it looks increasingly likely that Framwellgate Moor Post Office will move up the road to Nisa, losing some services, the pressure on capacity in the area will be exacerbated.

Clearly there are also concerns about what happens to the existing staff and some concerns about training in a newly located branch.

A planning application has been submitted for a disability ramp at McColls. Whist this may appear to be cart before horse, it takes 8-9 weeks to pass a planning application and if the move goes ahead, disability access is a requirement.

All of this reminds me of a silver lining: Under the last government thousands of post offices closed, under the current government branches are being protected either in their current location or an alternative. Whatever happens we will still have two post offices in the area.

We will continue to push to make sure they have the capacity and the services. Things are looking better than they were and when we know more we will of course update on here and in the community.

 

Out and about in Framwellgate Moor

I was out for several hours yesterday delivering leaflets and talking to residents with our parliamentary campaigner Craig Martin.

We covered a big part of Framwellgate Moor and I was able to pick up on various concerns ranging from housing to footpath repairs.

If anyone has any specific local concerns at the moment please get in touch. I will be out and about today and tomorrow as well so if you spot me, have a chat or give me a call if any problems come to mind.

LIB DEM SUCCESSES A MIRACLE IN A TIME OF AUSTERITY

Some of the speeches at the Lib Dem conference were really inspirational. You can view them on the Lib Dem website www.libdems.org.uk

I am certain after being in Glasgow that with the Tories shifting to the right to try and appeal to UKIP voters and Labour lost without any understanding of how to run the economy, that the only solution in this country is to firmly lock in a government in the centre ground of politics.

Without a fairer society, we cannot ever change our country for the better. Without a stronger economy we can never hope to protect those on the lowest incomes.

UKIP are a party which wants to privatise the NHS. They are run by an ex-banker who has received millions in expenses in the European Parliament but done nothing to promote opportunity. On many issues they are more right wing than the Tories and want to isolate us from the rest of the world. They also want to slash taxes for millionaires whilst our public services take the strain.

The Tories have no direction other than to become even more nasty. They want to sort out the financial problems in the country by taking money away from the poorest. And they propose this with a smile on their faces . After years of the Lib Dems reigning them in, they have reverted to type as the nasty party.

Labour have about as much clue about how to fix our economy as a cuckoo in a cloud. They think that taxing people out of existence is the way to address our problems. A search for “france economy” on Google  today comes up with An ‘atomic bomb’ is hovering over France’s economy France’s socialist government shows you all you need to know about the future disaster with Red Ed Milliband. This is the prospect for the UK –  a return to the bad Labour days when the politics of envy destroyed the economy – back in the 70’s Labour’s highest tax rate was 83%!!!!! Labour whether in County Durham or in any other corner of the country seek to keep the poor poorer whilst destroying entrepreneurship.

Compare all this with the first time the Lib Dems are in government:

State pension up £800

Tax cut of £800 for low and middle income earners

Billions of pounds of extra funding for education of those from the poorest backgrounds

Largest ever number of students from poorer backgrounds attending university

2 million more jobs

Nearly 2 million new apprenticeships

Human rights protected, ID cards scrapped

Doubling of renewable energy production

Equal marriage

Free childcare

Free school meals

Child detention scrapped

Taking millions of low paid workers out of paying tax altogether

Turning around the public finances

If all of his had been achieved in a time of prosperity it would be astonishing. Do do it whilst having to deal with the catastrophic mess left by Labour is incredible. To do it whilst having to challenge the Tories every day, day in, day out is a miracle!

Our proposals going forward will see further tax cuts for 25 million workers, especially cutting tax further for the poorest, extending childcare, extending free school meals, protecting the NHS, helping end the apartheid faced by mental health patients. Continuing to promote apprenticeships, engineering and a sustainable green future where we do not destroy our environment. Cracking down on tax avoidance and ensuring that the richest help bring down the debts of the country rather than the poorest.

Sensible liberal policies. NOT the policies of hate which UKIP promote. NOT the headless chicken approach of the Tories and Labour pandering to the  “fear agenda”.

The rise of the far right early in the last century should be a warning to all of us. A wake up call. When times are bad it is oh so easy to blame someone else for the problems we face as a country. The Lib Dems will NOT let this country down we will fight against this culture of hate and division.

I was proud to be a Liberal Democrat after our party conference. The only party staying in the middle ground of politics fighting for a stronger economy and a fairer society.

Take a look at some of th things we discussed, debated and agreed at www.libdems.org.uk

 

 

Proud that Lib Dems are prioritising mental healthcare

Today, October 10 marks World Mental Health Day 2014, a global celebration of mental health education and awareness – tackling the stigma surrounding mental health.

Research shows that one in four people will suffer from mental health problems at some point in their lives.

Back our campaign to help us stamp out stigma attached to mental health. 

The Liberal Democrats believe mental health should be taken as seriously as physical health and should never be ignored or stigmatised. That’s why we have enshrined in law the equal status of mental and physical health in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

key_mental_health_day.jpg

Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Glasgow, Nick Clegg announced that treatment for mental health conditions will be brought into line with other NHS services with the introduction of the first ever waiting time standards.

Liberal Democrats want to lead the world in understanding and treating mental illness. We have committed to a new research fund and we are using £400m to help people get the right support early on, such as talking or psychological therapies.

New Council Website Up and running

durhamwebsite

 

Over a number of years as your Lib Dem councillors we have pushed the council for a better website and particularly for more services to be offered online.

The new County Council website is far easier to use and it is hoped that as more people order services, report things and pay for things online, it will free up staff at the council to answer calls more quickly. It should also save the council a lot of money in the longer term as requests go to the right person and will ensure better monitoring of responses.

Please let me know if you find anything not working on the site so that we can feed this back to council officers and get it fixed.

Also, if you do not get a response to something as quickly as it says you will, or as quickly as you would expect let me know that too.

www.durham.gov.uk

 

 

 

Hedgerow Planting Plans

We are currently looking at planting some hedgerows in various areas for a number of reasons. The areas we have looked at include Rotary Way in Pity Me and Finchale Road in Framwellgate Moor.

We would appreciate your comments on these proposals and any other areas you feel would benefit from hedging.

Areas being looked at

1. Rotary Way (Arnison Centre bypass), Pity Me – Two areas, one on the left as you travel from the A167 roundabout, the second on the right to fill in the gap near the Mc Donalds carpark

2. A small area near the Arnison underpass.

3. Extend the hedge running from Bek Road traffic lights up Finchale Road on the left hand side.

4. Possibly plant behind the metal fence farther up Finchale Road on the school side opposite Caterhouse entrance with a view to removing the old metal fencing.

5. We are also looking at whether hedging could be moved, improved or removed on the path behind Hudspeth, to make the area less likely to get overgrown

The reasons for the planting program include:

Helping to fill in gaps in existing hedging

Protecting areas from illegal camping and parking

Helping to cut noise and air pollution from traffic

Creating proper screening on the edge of the built up area

Reinstating areas which used to have hedges

Promoting wildlife and making the area look better

 

Framwellgate Moor Post Office – Consultation on Move

A proposal is being consulted on to move Framwellgate Moor Post Office into the Nisa at the other end of Front Street. This is from the Post Office nationally and is not from the Council. However as your local councillors we are keen to make sure that the views of residents are listened to. Also the proposals do have some knock on effects which could become council issues.

Where to comment

I have yet to be contacted by anyone with views either way on this issue and would appreciate any comments from residents. You can find out more about this proposal at www.postofficeviews.co.uk by entering the branch code 17331399.

Newton Hall Post Office

My initial thoughts are that with the Newton Hall Post Office consultation not yet finalised, it is possible that we could lose services which are currently available at both these branches and be left with a seriously diminished service for the area.

The Pedestrian Crossing

Also, there is no pedestrian crossing at the Nisa end of Front Street, unlike near the existing post office. I have been asked in the past for a crossing farther up the front street, and cost and space have been an issue. However if the post office moves, then the case becomes even more overwhelming for a solution, which is why I have contacted council officers in relation to this particular issue in advance of public comments.

Service Losses

Some of the services which would be lost by the changes include parcel force worldwide, transcash, on demand travel insurance, premium bonds and payment by cheque. However, given that the Newton Hall consultation failed to full explain the losses of service, can we be sure that what we are being told this time is correct?

Will the capacity of the proposed newly located store be sufficient or, like the proposals in Newton Hall, will we find a huge queue, and will people be forced to go elsewhere including into town, particularly if Newton Hall is downgraded as well.

I have once again contacted senior post office management to ask to discuss yet another change for which we have only a few weeks to offer our concerns or support.

The consultation runs until 6th November, and the current proposed month of change is January/Feb 2015, so not too far off.

CRACKING DOWN ON IRRESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS

Your local councillors have started a campaign to crack down on dog fouling . We have started the campaign in the Pity Me area with wardens out patrolling, but it is local residents who can help us the most.

The Carrs Nature Reserve, the path from Pity Me to New college and various estate roads will be targetted. But if there is anywhere in Brasside, Framwellgate Moor, Newton Hall or Pity Me where you spot a problem let us know.

Wardens will give £80 on the spot fines. It taken to court, this fine could rise to £1000.

If you have details of when someone is allowing their dog to foul and not cleaning it up, please contact the council on 03000 261 000. The more details you can provide, the more chance we have to stop this.The name of the offender, their address, when they walk the dog, the type of dog and any other relevant information will greatly increase our chances of stamping out the fouling so residents aren’t standing in it.

Dog waste is dangerous. It can cause blindness and other serious illnesses. Please help us to crack down on it.

Household Waste Recycling opening hours

NEW winter opening times for County Durham’s household waste recycling centres will come into effect next week.

Revised opening hours for sites operated by Durham County Council will begin on October 1st and stay in force until the end of March.

The Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) at Potterhouse Lane in Pity Me will be open seven days a week from 9am until 3.30pm.

The centre will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Protecting the environment in our area – Your views

Over the last few years as your local Lib Dem councillors we have done a great deal to help protect the environment and help promote a sustainable future. This has included:

  • Funding for solar panels on the Parish pavilion.
  • Planting of trees and plants in various areas, and most recently a wildflower meadow between Framwellgate Moor and Newton Hall.
  • Fighting to improve bus services and promoting sustainable transport.
  • Securing funding for energy efficiency improvements to community buildings including Framwellgate Moor Community Centre, Durham Indoor Bowling Club.
  • Fighting to make sure the Council becomes more environmentally friendly and saves money through installing millions of pounds of energy saving measures across the County which are now saving hundreds of thousands of pounds each year in energy bills and cutting CO2.
  • Stood up for residents in trying to protect our Greenbelt from Labour’s building plans.
  • Funding to improve The Carrs nature reserve in Pity Me.
  • Secured £300,000 of flood prevention works and helped with other flood issues in the area.
  • Pushed to make sure that planning applications for housing and community buildings include the highest sustainable standards.
  • Provided details through our leaflets to residents about ways to cut your water usage and energy bills, and to promote energy efficiency schemes.
  • Challenged plans to charge for garden waste collections and promoted home composting.
  • Actively assisted in arranging and joining in litter picking to help tidy the area and reduce the impact of rubbish on wildlife.
  • Pushed to secure cycle and footpath improvements across the County to promote sustainable travel.

These are just the ones I can think of of the top of my head. We are always keen to hear about other proposals from residents about ways we can do our bit to protect and improve the environment, including measures which save money.

Please let us know about any ideas you think could help our area.