After some months of problems at the entrance to Smithfield with potholes being reported and repaired our perseverance has paid off. The council has today started work on a full professional patching job to fix these problems. They are also repairing the sunken gulleys farther down Abbey Road outside Northumbrian Water headquarters which I reported. And it looks like they are doing an excellent job too.
I have been informed by the county council that the land next to Priory House off Smithfield in Pity Me (pic above) has been earmarked for sale by the County Council for office development.
Over the last few years we have had continual problems with parking in this area, and despite a new travel plan for Priory House, parking issues continue with the Abbey Business Centre and the nearby car showrooms.
I am writing to all residents on Smithfield to let them know about this potential change and have already told the County Council that if any such sale goes ahead there must be over provision of parking within both this site and the existing Priory House site as the potential for further parking problems with a new development is just too high for residents to cope with and would be dangerous.
There is also the issue of the loss of a green space which must be considered with this sale, as people do use this area for walking their dogs and it helps to break up what is a well developed area as it is. It may be necessary to offer some alternative recreational facility by way of planning gain if the development was permitted.
If anyone has comments about this potential sale of land they can email andrew.rutter@durham.gov.uk or call him on 0191 383 3902. Please copy me in on any correspondance or simply email me directly.
The council is looking for relief neighbourhood wardens. If you are interested in this type of job visit:
Salary scale £17,161 – £19,126 pa.
As councillors we receive updates on certain information in the county. The regular report on Alcohol Harm Reduction makes interesting reading. As a county we have a serious problem with alcohol related issues including health and anti-social behaviour to name just two.
This report gives some information about what is being done. alcohol-sdp-newsletter-2010.pdf
The recent crackdown in the Framwellgate Moor Division on outdoor drinking (aimed particularly at underage drinking) illustrated the seriousness of the problem with the police working with council wardens carrying out an exercise to try and tackle these problems, including specific attention to helping and educating young people and making sure parents were aware of the problems.
I am continuing to work with the police and council to push for more such action which has a very positive impact in reducing anti-social behaviour and helping reduce the knock on problems related to underage drinking.
I have been pushing for more test purchases, and the recent test purchases of alcohol came back with all local outlets selling alcohol passing the test which was good news.
The report shows that a lot is being done across the county to tackle these issues. Come along to the next Police and Communities Meeting on Sept 16th in Framwellgate Moor at the Community Centre on Front St if you are interested in local priorities (Including Pity Me and Brasside).
For Witton Gilbert the next meeting is at Fyndoune Community Centre on 15th Sept, time not set yet, and for Bearpark I will post the date when it is available.
Alternatively you can let me know what you feel needs prioritising and I will feed this through to the police.
If you are interested in working for the County Council, there are nearly always jobs advertised on their website. You can find more information by visiting this link:
I have been pushing to get garden waste bins for Durham Terrace, Garden Avenue, North and Newcastle Terraces in Framwellgate Moor as well as Front St, Pity Me.
The council says it does not have the resources to do this at the moment which I think is unacceptable.
However credit where it is due, if you call the County Council on 0191 383 3000 and ask for a garden waste collection if you don’t currently have a bin, they will collect up to six bags once a month of garden waste.
This applies to any household without garden waste bins across the area. I will continue to chase up on this as I feel anyone in the area who wants a garden waste bin has the right to one, after all we all pay council tax.
The ice rink at Abbey Leisure Centre, Pity Me will continue to be open until the end of the month. We have asked the council to look at either extending this or bringing it back at other times of the year, but while it is here, worth a trip down to see – it’s 20 years since I tried this so I guess it’s time to give it a go!
It is run by the same group which organised the rink in Durham earlier in the year – website is here: http://www.durhamicerink.co.uk/
The Durham Area Action Partnership has a pot of money for small grants to support the voluntary and community sector. If you are part of a group in Bearpark, Witton Gilbert, Framwellgate Moor, Brasside or Pity Me, please get in touch if you would like help in trying to gain a grant. Alternatively if you are confident with filling in applications for funding, I enclose the grant application form as a pdf: durham-aap-small-grants-funding-application-and-guidelines.pdf
Grants from £50 to £1000 will be considered and the scheme is running until March 2011. The scheme is available for any group carrying out activities in the AAP area which includes the villages mentioned but also, Belmont, Gilesgate, Durham City, Shincliffe, Sherburn, Neville’s Cross, Newton Hall and a number of other villages. AAP area map can be seen here: AAP Map
If your group has activities in other parts of the County, some other AAPs may have funding available. Details of other AAPs here on County Council website: http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/Service.aspx?ServiceId=6379
The following groups in Durham AAP area can apply:
• Any local not for profit group working in the Durham AAP area
• Be volunteer led (i.e. with largely volunteer based input)
• Groups can apply on behalf of an individual, but the group should
benefit in some way for doing this
• Faith based groups who operate activities and services which are not
purely for religious benefit
If your group fits any of the above you must also have:
• A constitution or governing document (help can be provided where
these do not exist)
• Have a bank account in the groups name that requires at least two
people to sign each cheque withdrawal
• Produce annual accounts
• Use the grant within 6 months
If you have any problems with the form or need any help please get in touch, and if you are successful please let me know so I can see if there are other possible funding streams for your group in the future.
Work has started to clear out the area to the rear of Folly Terrace and Front St in Pity Me which has been in a terrible state for years. After local residents complained and nothing had been done by the council, i was able to push this on and the first part of this work has been completed. I will be pushing for the rest of the area to be tidied up including clearing out weeds along the back street which look a mess.
Your Lib Dem councillors have been helping local groups in Witton Gilbert.
Councillor Crooks has assisted the Allotment Society with funding to keep competitions and shows going, as well as money to help with youth coaching and equipment for the youth football club at the Glendinning Arms.
Councillor Mark Wilkes has helped out making sure that the Community Centre saved thousands of pounds on a new electric door, making the Centre easier to access for disabled residents, and ensured new boards were provided for the bowling greens.
We have also helped Witton Gilbert Play Group with funding for arts and crafts materials