There are currently 19 job vacancies for the council. View on their website at:
http://nd.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/vacancy.nsf/vrd?openview&count=999

Compass has a petition going with nearly 6000 names fighting to get action against the big six energy companies.

You can sign the petition here: http://action.compassonline.org.uk/page/s/end-the-big-six-energy-fix

The Lib Dems in Govt have managed to get action for the poorest in society with energy companies paying £120 to those pensioners and low income households which are eligible, however for everyone else, we are still paying the Big Six Huge profits.

Lets get the petition up to 10000 before the budget.

Key aims of the petition:

1) Impose a levy on the Big Six, with funds raised ring-fenced to help people with their energy costs, prioritizing those living in fuel poverty, by making homes more energy efficient.

2) Give the regulator new powers to cap prices and eliminate excess profit.

3) Launch an independent public inquiry into the Big Six so that everyone knows the measures needed to create an energy market that serves the people before profit.

Raised a number of issues about the state of litter in Witton Gilbert and the roads to the village following another walk around over the weekend.

Areas I reported in January are still waiting to be tidied up, particularly the road from Sacriston to Witton and Potterhouse Lane. Hopefully this will get sorted soon, but generally there were a number of areas of the village with bad littering. I only hope that Labour listens to us and cuts Directors and Communications budgets instead of the frontline guys who do all the hard work! Also concerned as to whether the council has already cut back on the litter clearances which used to/usually take place after recycling collection days.

NEW REFUSE COLLECTIONS

Got told before the weekend that Witton Gilbert will get the new recycling wheelie bins before other parts of Durham due to having different collection routes. You can find out more information about the changes here: http://www.durham.gov.uk/pages/service.aspx?ServiceId=524

Just been told that the Parking Shop on North Road is moving to a new location: (It is on Pit Lane, opposite St Godrics School just after the Bek Road/Finchale Road junction). This should make it much easier for parking for residents, particularly disabled customers, though it is a bit farther to travel if you live on the East side of Durham.

Email from Parking Shop:

We would like to inform you that the Parking Shop will be moving to a new location on Monday 12 March 2012.

Our new premises at Suite 1, Forster House, Forster Business Centre, Framwellgate Moor, DH1 5HL will not only give us a spacious and modern working environment but will also allow us to provide you with a better service and improved facilities.

We are making every effort to minimise any disruption for our customers and are keeping our current telephone number of 0191 384 6633.

We know parking was difficult in Durham city centre and that is why our new premises will provide free off street parking and dedicated disabled bays.

In addition we will be making the following changes to reduce the number of times you need to visit us:

• Scratchcard Applicants – You will now be able to purchase up to 3 months worth of Resident Visitor Scratchcards in one go (subject to your allowance).  In addition, if you haven’t moved house you can pay for your scratch cards by telephone and take advantage of our free postal service.  This service applies to repeat customers only (new customers will still need to apply in person and provide proof of residence).

• Permit Applicants – As above, if you haven’t moved house (and you haven’t changed your vehicle) you can pay for your permit by telephone and take advantage of our free postal service.  This service applies to repeat customers only – new customers will still need to apply in person and provide proof of residence.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the Parking Shop on 0191 384 6633 or visit us from Monday 12 March at the location shown on the map overleaf

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Following this mornings meeting of Overview and Scrutiny which i attended, it was agreed for the Lib Dem budget proposals to be sent to Cabinet for consideration and comment. I hope that they will listen constructively to these proposals and include them in their budget. Past experience says that they will ignore us.

Our fully costed proposals include:

Reducing the cuts to library opening hours, protecting frontline jobs in neighbourhood services including wardens, enforcement officers and pest control officers and litter collectors. Additional capital funding for improving community centres and extra cash for road and footpath repairs. Also a fund of upto £1m to help schools get students to high tech manufacturing training centres and provide concessions for transport for apprentices and their training.

This is to be funded through for example reducing the number of directors, merging and reducing communications teams, scrapping county news whilst retaining the annual services booklet, higher recycling targets and increased capital spending. All fully passed by officers as plausible options.

The last Labour Government’s budget in 2010 included cutting the cold weather payment from the election bribe £25 down to £8 after the election. The Lib Dems ensured that this reduction was scrapped and the £25 remains. Those eligible for this payment when we have really cold weather are detailed below:

Who can get Cold Weather Payments?

When there has been a period of very cold weather during the winter, you can get a Cold Weather Payment if you receive one of the following benefits:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Visit www.direct.gov.uk for more information

Consumer organisation Which has launched the Big Switch. It needs as many people as possible to register an interest in moving energy suppliers.

There is no obligation to switch suppliers. All national energy suppliers will then be able to bid in a reverse auction to provide energy for all those people who have registered. by having thousands of people included in the deal, the idea is to push down the price of our energy bills. If you chose not to transfer when the price is emailed to you, you simply say no.

To register an interest click below – the more of us do this the more chance of energy market reform.

http://www.whichbigswitch.co.uk/

You have until 31st March to register.

Opposition Lib Dem councillors are putting forward an alternative to the Labour budget to be looked at and discussed at a scrutiny meeting this coming Friday.

Labour cabinet will determine its budget proposals tomorrow, which will also be looked at at Fridays meeting. Following this, if any agreements can be made to make alterations to the budget, those recommendations will be passed to cabinet members for consideration, with a final budget being put to Full Council on 22nd Feb.

It is probable that Labour will not agree to our amendments, or those of other opposition groups as they never have in the past. If this is the case, then we are likely to put forward a motion calling for amendments to the budget on the 22nd, possibly with other opposition group support, if necessary amending our own proposals – as we see it proper democracy and openness.

If past history is anything to go by Labour will simply refuse all the proposals, but we live in hope.

We put out the following press release yesterday, and will finalise the exact figures following meetings with officers  before Friday.

LIB DEM BUDGET PROPOSALS

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

Six to Fix

• Economic Development Fund for training apprentices/students in engineering.
• Fund community centres Labour are consulting on closing.
• Protect frontline jobs in neighbourhood services.
• Funding to reduce Labour’s books and library cuts.
• Additional funding for road and path repairs.
• REMOVED Funding to stop Labour’s recycling centre closures.REMOVED As council can’t provide figures and not in this years budget. Further clarification required.

Liberal Democrat councillors on Durham County Council are to propose alternatives to Labour’s budget. The alternative budget is to be put to the Council’s Scrutiny Committee this Friday where it is hoped there can be wider support for changes to the Labour proposals.

Lib Dem leader Councillor Nigel Martin is keen for cross party support for proposals which include an economic development fund, protection of libraries, and additional road and path maintenance.

He comments “We are currently working with officers to ensure that all aspects of the proposals are affordable. The intention is to get cross party support for proposals which will protect frontline services and provide a boost to the local economy.

“We hope that through open negotiation all opposition groups can feed in the priorities they believe residents want to see. Perhaps, for once we can get the Labour Party onside too in the interests of all residents in County Durham.”

Lib Dems will propose cuts to councillors perks, chopping top heavy management structures including the number of directors, and alternative views on the Council budget to fund their proposals.

Economic Development Fund for training apprentices/students in engineering

One such proposal, spearheaded by Councillor Mark Wilkes, Shadow Regeneration portfolio holder concentrates on apprenticeships.

Cllr Wilkes comments “Recent site visits by councillors have been looking at what can be done to boost engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships. It is essential for this to be at the top of the agenda at County Hall.”

The Lib Dem proposal is for a flexible investment fund to boost engineering apprenticeships. The fund will help local schools with costs to take students to high tech training centres like SW Training in Newton Aycliffe.

It has become clearer in recent months that businesses in the North East are finding it increasingly difficult to get well trained workers.

Cllr Wilkes says “We need to get school age students to see the benefits of working in these professions and also assist over-19s with training and transport costs. This can go a long way to addressing the key skills gap in County Durham and the North East as a whole.”

The coalition government has seen apprenticeships rise to their highest level for a generation with additional funding coming on-stream in the coming months which local Lib Dems believe can be supplemented with local action.

Cllr Wilkes adds “Small firms are struggling to find well trained workers and with Hitachi on the way to the County, we must ensure that as many of our young people as possible are at the top of the list when applying for these jobs.

Stop Labour’s community centre closures.

Lib Dem plans also include increasing funding to improve many community buildings which the council wants local residents to take over.

Durham City Lib Dem councillor David Stoker comments “Labour plans will result in the closure of community buildings because of their failure to invest in them. We are proposing additional funding to help these centres to move forwards. Run by the community, for the community with the backing of County Hall.”

The Council budget currently proposes a fund of £2.15m but this will not be sufficient to help many centres to be repaired and maintained. Lib Dem proposals will mean many more centres can be improved.

Protect dozens of frontline jobs in neighbourhood services.

Garry Huntington, Shildon Lib Dem councillor and Shadow Portfolio Holder for Communities believes that the worst part of Labour plans is the cut to the frontline workforce. Lib Dem proposals include the protection of dozens of staff. Fewer cuts to pest control officers, litter collectors, enforcement officers and wardens are proposed with better working practices and efficiencies.

Cllr Huntington comments “County Hall is top heavy with management. Labour want to cut the frontline people our residents rely on week in, week out. The Lib Dem budget will protect these positions  by tackling over management and waste.”

Stop Labour’s books and library cuts.

Durham County Council’s Labour Party budget includes cutting a third off the library book fund and reducing library opening hours in some cases by nearly 50%.

Lib Dem portfolio holder for Libraries and lifelong learning Cllr Amanda Hopgood comments “These Labour proposals go against everything we stand for.”

“Our budget proposals protect these key library services. We know the funding is there. Labour are setting fire to the books budget and will leave some libraries barely open. It is simply not necessary. Their priority is wasting taxpayers money. Our priorities include protecting libraries and education.

Additional funding for road and path repairs.

Lib Dem proposals include an additional investment into road and footpath repairs. Durham County Council has millions of pounds worth of backlog in repairs. Lib Dem councillor Ben Ord has committed local funding this year to repair paths in his area and says more needs to be done by the Council.

The Spennymoor and Middlestone Moor councillor comments “One of the biggest issues in our county is the state of our roads and footpaths. It is essential that we have proper investment in them. The additional funding we are proposing will go some way to address years of Labour under investment.

Councillors will discuss Labour and opposition proposals this Friday at a joint meeting of Corporate Issues and Overview Scrutiny Boards.

Lib Dems believe that residents in County Durham want a cross party consensus of independent, Lib Dem, Conservative and Labour councillors.

In previous years not one single proposal from opposition councillors of any political background hs been accepted leading to complaints that the Labour Party is running Durham’s new Unitary Authority as a dictatorship.

——

Perhaps this week they can show that this isn’t a dictatorship.

Did walkabout with housing officer, neighbourhood warden and got local parish councillor Harry Tidbury along too. Covered The Avenue, Hudspeth Crescent, Hartside, Red Briar Walk, Woodbine Road and Front St.

Had to report bad state of littering in area. Also Hartside/The Av which I have been asking for resurfacing and footpath work for years has deteriorated still further. The turning circle is  a disgrace again, potholes filled and refilled. We need to put more cash into highways dept asap. Various issues are being dealt with by officers.

On Red Briar Walk, pavement trips from utility repairs on the footpath which have been reported more than once over a long period of time still haven’t been fixed – another to chase up.

Any potholes or trips in Brasside, Wiiton Gilbert, Bearpark, Fram Moor and Pity Me, please let me know.

Rumours are spreading that the Labour Party in County Durham is plotting to get rid of Ed Milliband. There may be meetings as early as this week. Pity we can’t get rid of Labour on DCC next week and stop their incompetence before they do any more damage.