For the last however many decades every Chair and Vice Chair of Durham County Council has been Labour. Despite the fact that there are non-Labour councillors and that the position is supposed to be non-political.

Now I’m not asking to be considered for the role, but the £12860 two year clothing allowance does sound quite nice doesn’t it.

No wonder Labour won’t give the Chairman’s position to anyone else.

How on earth can anyone justify paying a councillor £12860 over 2 years in clothing allowances?

If that makes you furious, don’t forget that the chairman also gets £3325 Vice chair allowance the year before becoming chair, and a £6650 Chairman’s allowance as well as being paid the £13300 basic county councillors allowance, and can claim 48.5p a mile travel expenses too.

So if anyone knocks on your door from the Labour Party complaining about government council cuts, ask them where the council’s priorities are. If the council is having to cut is cloth, it should start with the cost of councillors before cutting services.

Anyway I’m off to see what’s in my wardrobe!

I am continuing to put pressure on to sort out problems with empty homes. At a scrutiny meeting today we discussed various issues and discovered that 700 of the empty homes in the County are owned by Banks and Building societies. Up to now they have been able to get away without paying a penny in council tax. Thanks to government rule changes this can now be scrapped and there appears to be cross party support for charging 100% council tax to these Banks.

I have asked that we look at funding additional staff  to get more properties back into use.  It is possible that this could be self funding because the government will provide 6 years of council tax to councils for each property they bring back into use.

I have been dealing with various issues surrounding local housing problems this week, including helping to sort out roofing repair problems in Framwellgate Moor and and Council Tax issues in Brasside. If anyone has any issues which they find are not being dealt with to their satisfaction by officers please do get in touch and I will see what I can do to help.

Don’t forget the petition against the County Council plans to build 3425 houses on greenbelt land around Pity Me, Brasside and Framwellgate Moor.

Please make sure that petition sheets are returned by the 14th November so that we can hand over the signatures to the county council.

Durham Greenbelt Petition – Double Sided

Further updates to follow.

People in County Durham are being offered advice on staying safe, warm and well in winter.

As temperatures start to drop, Durham County Council is issuing the following tips for residents on preparing for bad weather.

Stay Warm

• If you at home all day keep the heating on low to maintain a constant temperature.
• Check if you are eligible for a home insulation grant.
• Contact your energy supplier to check you are on the correct tariff.

Stay healthy

• Get a free flu jab – contact your GP to make an appointment.
• Eat well – have hot meals and drinks regularly throughout the day.
• Stock up on essential items in case you are unable to leave the house.
• Stay active and keep moving – activity keeps you warm.

Who can help?

Think about who can help you, whether a friend, family member or neighbour – and don’t be afraid to ask them.

Out and about

• Only go outside if it is absolutely necessary.
• If you must go outside, wear several layers of loose fitting clothes, including items that are fitted at the wrists.

Useful contact numbers

–        Highways Action Line (HAL): 0191 370 6000 or email HAL@durham.gov.uk – for enquiries about the salting of roads and footpaths.

–        Social Care Direct: 0845 850 5010 – for concerns about someone’s welfare.

Continues…

–        Durham County Council: 0300 026 0000 for all other issues, or visit www.durham.gov.uk

–        NHS 111: if you need medical help but it isn’t an emergency.

Further information on how to be prepared for winter is available via Durham County Council’s website at www.durham.gov.uk/warmandwell

I popped over to Bearpark today for a special occasion. After 4 years of working to get new play facilities for the village with my fellow county councillor it was great today to see the diggers in starting work on the new facilities which will include a new play area, wheeled sports facility/skate park, kickabout area and outdoor gym as well as improvements to a 200m long footpath.

The facility is also going to be great for the school children at Bearpark Primary School who will be able to use the facilities at luchtimes and after school.

It has taken a long time to sort this out with so many attempts to stop us from bringing this project to fruition. I ensured a few weeks ago that £50,000 we had secured from the Council from planning did not disappear down a blackhole after it appeared to “not exist” anymore, so thankfully with all the funding secured we will now have a scheme to be proud of.

The overall work will take several months to complete with the play facilities and gym equipment going in first followed by the wheeled sports facility.

With more new play facilities set to be installed in Witton Gilbert following the outdoor gym being added earlier in the year, and the King george’s field upgrade at Framwellgate Moor now complete, this means that the promise made to improve facilities by the Lib Dems in our area is well on its way despite the economic down turn and various attempts to stop us from achieving our promise.

Newton Hall also had new facilities and I am working on two more schemes in the area to make sure we have the best facilities possible.

If you are experiencing low or no water pressure this is because a mains pipe has been damaged at the Arnison Centre. Northumbrian Water says that normally it can take upto 2-3 hours to repair such issues.

Our system of taxation is both unfair and inefficient. People on modest incomes are paying their fair share of tax while the super rich can too easily avoid paying their share.

Although the litter on Front St is many times better than it used to be, there has been a recent increase particularly around the North Terrace area. The police and neighbourhood wardens are taking positive action after I raised concerns and there will be more presence in the coming weeks. I am confident they will be able to bring this further under control, though as always I will continue to keep an eye on it every week. Any complaints from other areas please let me know. They will also be checking up on Newton Drive/Lund Av areas.

I attended the county plan consultation event at Framwellgate Moor from 4pm to 8pm today. Several hundred people attended. No one I met was in full support of the councils proposals, two people supported parts of it. I think that just about says it all. Please sign the petition against the building of 3425 houses on Durham City greenbelt land and write in to the council with your objections to the proposals. The more I read of the plans, the more unsustainable, environmentally damaging and socially unacceptable I think they are.