Can you spare a few quid to help Jade Gadd and her family

Jade lives in Newton Hall with her parents and has a genetic condition which causes her joints to spontaneously dislocate at any time.

They need alterations to their house so she has proper access to it.

We all see adverts and news stories asking for help for people across the UK or even overseas. On this occasion we can actually help someone who lives just round the corner.

The Council has so far agreed to fund part of the works through funding provided via the government, however the overall cost is far higher than the maximum grant available. I am currently pushing for further help and to get things moving. However we need to do more.

There’s more information on the funding page about the conditions Jade is living in and the work needed. The have so far raised over £8000 but need to get closer to £30000!

Link to fundraising page: https://gogetfunding.com/disabled-house-renovations-for-jade/

 

Flytipping – cracking down across our area – Can you help?

Do you walk around our area a lot? Please help us spot flytipping and rubbish so we can get it cleared up.

On a  walkabout this week from Pity Me to Framwellgate Moor I found a fair bit of stuff dumped off the old Wagonway between Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor.

This has been reported and we expect the Council will sort it out fairly quickly.

Any potholes out there? Help us get them fixed

In the last week we have requested action at the Arnison Centre roundabout, on Carr House Drive, Bek Road and Rothbury Road in Newton Hall all for pothole repairs, and on Pity Me Front Street where the road is cracking up.

Of course we don’t think these are as bad as some we saw in another area of the County last week. See picture below of some pretty deep holes filled with rainwater. Needless to say the area has Labour councillors!

We think we are pretty proactive in chasing up road and footpath defects, so if you spot anything like this in our area we would be surprised, but please do let us know.

We think the Council needs to invest far more local funding into road and footpath repairs. It is one of the top complaints we get and as Lib Dem councillors we will continue to push for action.

Problem households causing major rubbish and vermin headache

There are a small number of problem households in the area causing real concern to residents.

As this picture shows it is pretty serious. One such property in Pity Me has been an issue for many months, with three residents taken to court and issued fines, yet the problem continues.

The Council is working hard to address problems at this and other properties following repeated requests from local residents and your Lib Dem councillors. This kind of behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated and we are chasing up the Council regularly where an issue is not dealt with.

If you are aware of any properties where there are similar problems please let us know asap. We need to make sure they are dealt with to avoid vermin issues and cost to the council of clearing up wind blown rubbish. Its also unacceptable to us to have any part of the area looking a mess like this.

Another Lib Dem success as Canterbury Road Bus Shelter installed next to Finchale Primary School

A new bus shelter has been installed outside Finchale Primary School in Newton Hall thanks to your local  Lib Dems.

We had to get agreement to use part of the land at the front of the school and also had to address various concerns of local residents about anti-social behaviour, but thankfully our perseverance has paid off.

The request for this work had originally come from local residents when we carried out our survey of residents last year. We hand delivered over 6200 leaflets across the area and got hundreds of responses. A number of people raised concerns about the lack of a bus stop at this location.

Concerns included residents getting wet when waiting for buses, but also the lack of space for people walking past when others were waiting for the bus, especially at school drop off times when it was dangerous with reports of people having to step into the road.

This is the fourth new or replacement bus shelter your Lib Dem councillors have secured in Newton Hall in the last year or so following the work carried out on Rothbury Road and Bek Road.

If there is another location where residents feel there are enough people using a bus stop to warrant a new shelter or if there are access problems to one, please let us know and we will do our best to sort it out.

 

Canterbury Road / Bek Road – new road surface failure – Lib Dem requests for action continue

We have now had to ask three times for the road and pavements to be swept following last years resurfacing by the Council’s contractor. Yet, still we have problems. The pavements especially on the Bek Road stretch are in a dreadful state, just a week or so after they were brushed.

The surface material has failed and the council are monitoring the situation. It is likely the contractor will have to come back on site and redo the work when winter is over, and if we don;t see such action we will of course be chasing up the council. At least one motorist has had to get a new windscreen as a result of the flying gravel from the surface, and in places the road is now rutting.

Road sweepers – help us get our area clean

We have requested road sweepers for many streets in the area over recent weeks, particularly in Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor. The Council appears to only do road sweeping these days when requested rather than proactively. It does seem though that when requests are made, the work gets done, although we do have to ask more than once sometimes.

If you notice any streets with a lot of leaves/dirt on the road or pavement, please let us know and we will request action. the sooner they are cleared the less chance of blocked drains and flooding, or accidents.

Christmas Tree back in Newton Hall for another year and Framwellgate Moor gets new lights

Working with All Saint’s Church we have secured another year of Christmas decorations for Newton Hall. A bigger Christmas tree has been provided and the lights we bought last year will be up again. In Framwellgate Moor we have provided funding to the Parish Council towards the cost of new lights for the tree on Front Street.