Lib Dem Durham County Councillor for Framwellgate & Newton Hall Division – Working all year round for local residents with Councillors Mamie Simmons & Amanda Hopgood
Councillor Mark Wilkes is asking everyone to use the new crossing patrol he helped secure at Witton Gilbert Primary School.
He commented “I was so happy when after so long without a patrol, our work to get a new crossing patrol was successful.
“However, I still see some people crossing at different locations near the school and we need to change this urgently.”
“So many people wanted something done here to improve safety, and we will continue to monitor the situation to see if anything else can be done to improve road safety.”
“As the main story in this leaflet shows, there are still problems with speeding in the village, but we must also make sure that at the start of the new school year, the patrol is used by everyone.”
It seems that not a week goes by now without me seeing a sofa, fridge, mattress or other large object sat in someones garden, or someone tells me about one. Ever since the council decided to start charging for the collection of such items at a cost of over £10, I am convinced that flytipping, and a massive increase in such items lying in gardens and garages has started to occur. making our gardens and estates look more and more untidy. The council doesn’t believe this to be the case. This could be in part because their warden service is in such chaos that we have less staff proactively out and about checking on things such as flytipping, but more likely because no one is checking in peoples gardens. Tell me if you have seen a garden with such waste in it for more than a few weeks.
County Council members are currently investigating the bulky waste charges. If you disagree with the charge (which I do), please make sure that your feelings are known – equally, let them know if you agree with it. Details below of how to do this. The council are also interested to know if you feel that the charge should be based on income or ability to pay, and whether you have seen flytipping increase, or more sofas etc in peoples gardens.
I personally think that we pay enough in taxes to the council and that Labour’s Sofa tax is unjust and a waste of money. It would not surprise me if the total cost of collecting these payments is higher than the £10 charge, thus making it one of the most ridiculous taxes of all time.
Your local Lib Dem County Councillors have secured more major improvements to our roads and footpaths.
Councillor Wilkes commented “We pushed for the junction of Front St and Sacriston Road to be resurfaced and this has now been carried out.
“Work will shortly start on repairing and resurfacing a large stretch of the footpath along Sacriston Lane, as well as parts of Front St, West Lea and Tile Shed Cottages in front of the newsagents.
“In some cases the paths are so bad they need rebuilding. In addition, we expect patching work on Findon Avenue to be done and have pushed for work on Rose Lea to improve the road surface which continues to get worse.”
Councillor Crooks added “In total over 2000 square metres of footpath are being repaired and improved this year on top of all the work we have already arranged to be done in the last two years.
“And that is just in Witton Gilbert. More work has been carried out and is being done in Bearpark, Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor.
“For so many years no one paid attention to fixing this. In the last two years since Mark and I were elected, so much more resurfacing work has taken place in Witton Gilbert, turning around years of neglect.”
The length of time it is taking the Labour-run County Council to deal with speeding problems on Sacriston Lane is a disgrace.
Your Lib Dem County Councillors have now been pushing for more than two years for this to be dealt with.
We are continually told that our request for a gateway and 30mph signs into the village is in hand, yet nothing happens.
Your councillors have now elevated this complaint to the highest level and are demanding action.
Councillor Mark Wilkes commented “We know there is a problem from speed tests we have requested in the past, which is why we arranged the Community Speedwatch some months ago.
“This again proved that there is a serious issue with cars speeding coming from Sacriston into the village.
“We also arranged for a post to be installed for the speed visor equipment and feedback from residents is that this speeding really is a big issue in the village.
“But our attempts to get the County Council to install a 30mph gateway into the village from Sacriston are stalled for no apparent reason than the Council not having the time to arrange it.”
Councillor Redvers Crooks added “Our initial confirmation that we wanted this to go ahead was in July 2008 after meetings with officers just a few weeks after being elected.”
“Two years is simply too long to wait for this work to be sorted. It isn’t even that expensive a job. We are now demanding that action is taken immediately.
Councillor Wilkes added “In many other ways we have been able to work with the County to improve our roads and footpaths and arranging the crossing patrol for example, but this delay is unacceptable.”
I was shocked when after carrying out some work for the comunity centre to reduce the gas and electricity bills to discover that the County Council was creaming off part of the bills for schools and community centres.
The council has a contract which allows for schools and community centres to sign up, however the rate is set at the start of the year at an agreed rate, and then at the end of the year, the actually price is calculated and the council gets a reconcilliation or rebate.
Until I investigated this, all of this rebate was being retained by the County Council in its own coffers, in effect subsidising its own budget at the expense of County Durham’s schools and community centres. They used the excuse that this was necessary to pay for fees and charges but the reality is that these charges are pennies compared to the savings being made.
The good news however is that after I stated that this was grossly unfair and wanted to see changes to this policy, it has actually happened, and schools and commnity centres on the county council contract will now see reconcilliations estimated at £40,000 next year, although having checked the usage at one school, I personally believe that this figure will and should be considerably higher.
I will be checking next year that the correct figures are used and finding out the actual savings. It is quite amazing what goes on at County Hall, and to be honest, in so many places, choice questions are needing to be asked by opposition councillors as it appears the leading Labour group have no control over the place.
For those of you who live on Hillside in Witton Gilbert, you will know that for an awfully long time now, the pavement at the top of the estate to get out onto Sacriston lane has been in a disgraceful state. I first raised this last year, and am happy to confirm that this stretch including the drainage channel has now been repaired and looks great.
The proposals for upgrading King George’s Play area in Framwellgate Moor have moved a step closer. I have been working with the Parish Council and Groundworks who are organising the project with St Aidans Girl’s and Lad’s Brigade.
Last week my request for £23,000 of s106 Money to be allocated to this project was agreed by planners. This money is from developers in the area who have to pay a levy towards recreation if they build new homes.
I have also put forward a request for £10,000 of Neighbourhood Funding (The money councillors get to spend in their area each year.) to be allocated to the project.
We must now wait to see if an application to the Lottery for the remaining money required will be successful. If you would like to see the provisional plan of what is being proposed, you can see it here: King George’s Field – Possible layout of new facilities
After Rev and I secured £25,000 of Urban Renaissance Grant Funding last year, I believe we are just a small step away now from fullfilling the dream of upgrading this site – which has been deteriorating for decades.
The entire scheme is costing over £100,000 with the Parish Council also contributing to the funding and agreeing to maintain the site which they own, afterwards.
It will include a newly resurfaced Tennis Court to Sport England Standards, A multi-games area for playing football, netball, basket ball and other sports, a variety of new play equipment including natural play and possibly an outdoor gym for parents and grandparents to enjoy, as well as improvements to the carpark surface and landscaping.
I will update when more information is available. If anyone has any comments they want to feed into the consultation process which is being carried out with youth groups in the area, please let me know.
Your Lib Dem councillors have been successful in helping return one of Bearpark’s Mining Banners to the village. The first to be put on display at the Working Men’s Club.
Councillor Rev Crooks said “I am absolutely delighted that banner has been returned to Bearpark. We provided money from our local County Council budgets towards a new protective case to help this.”
The banner had been stuck in storage for decades at Redhills.
“This is a truely momentous occasion 26 years after the pit closed and as a Bearpark lad I am proud to have helped to achieve this for the village,” Rev
added.
Fellow Lib Dem Councillor Mark Wilkes said “With the help of additional funding from the County Council and hard work and effort from the Twelve Villages network the new case and banner are now on display in Bearpark & District Working Mens Club for all to see.
“Having seen how emotional this was for my fellow councillor, I know how important this is to so many miners and their families in Bearpark. I am so happy to have contributed to this success.”
We will continue to work with the Twelve Villages network, which does a fantastic job of protecting and promoting our heritage.
The banner can be viewed by everyone in the village during the opening hours of the Working Men’s Club. Your Lib Dem councillors will continue to make sure that our mining heritage is protected and remembered.
The celebration event at the Club for the banner return was attended by the Bearpark and Esh Colliery Band who were, as always excellent entertainment.
Anyone who has struggled to get a taxi in Durham City or anywhere else in the County should read this.
The County are consulting on a way forward for taxi policy in the County.
As long ago as 2007 I called on the old City Council to deal with the problem of a lack of taxis and the confusion which allows a taxi fron Chester le Street to drop someone off at Durham City train station but not pick someone up.
I cannot begin to understand what a foreign tourist visiting our great City must think when told that a taxi can’t pick them up because they are not allowed to due to being from Easington or Bishop Auckland. The sooner we have a more joined up strategy across this county the better.
There are times when the City centre has resembled the wild west of a weekend, and having to draft in taxi queue “monitors” as well as the extra pressures on the police have made the current system a joke and a waste of money. The queues simply promote anti-social behaviour and extend the time the police need to deal with issues, reducing their availability in our villages. I hope we get full deregulation and would urge residents to make their views known, otherwise, the next time you are looking for a taxi in Durham on a Friday or Saturday night, you will still struggle.
Indeed between 7.30 am and 8.30 am during the week, trying to get a taxi is also impossible as they are all doing the school run. These changes are long overdue.
Here are the consultation details:
Have Your Say on Taxi Services
The future shape of taxi services across CountyDurham is in the spotlight, as part of a consultation process beginning today. (August, 1 2010)
Residents, members of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade and other interested parties are being encouraged to comment on options which include whether the current zoning and limitations on the numbers of vehicles should stay, and also whether a new vehicle colour policy should be adopted.
The council is the licensing authority and the current consultation follows in depth research on the subject. This included establishing working groups, made up of trade professionals, the police and other partners. It also took into account best practice gathered from other unitary authorities launched at the same time as Durham.
All of this information-gathering has culminated in five options which now form the basis for the current consultation: –
Removal of the seven zones (inherited from the seven district councils in place prior to April 1 2010) with the simultaneous removal of all limits on hackney carriage numbers throughout CountyDurham
Retain the status quo, with seven zones, two of which are number regulated (Chester-le-Street and DurhamCity)
Maintain the zones with no limitations on numbers of hackney carriages
Maintain the zones and undertake further demand surveys in all zones
Removal of the seven zones with the simultaneous removal of all limitations on hackney carriage numbers in the Chester-le-Street and Durham City zones; and then to undertake a demand survey for the whole of the County of Durham
Continues…..
The possible advantages and disadvantages of these options form part of the consultation document which is available to view online, along with the survey, under the ‘Have Your Say’ section of the council’s website www.durham.gov.uk
Head of environment, health and consumer protection, Joanne Waller said:” I would encourage anyone who regularly uses taxis or private hire vehicles in the county to make sure they have their say during this consultation process.
“These are complex and sensitive issues and this is an important opportunity for everyone to help shape the way this service is operated in the future.
“The information gathered through this process will play a key role in the drawing up of a final report which will be drafted later this year.”
The consultation runs until September 12.
In addition to giving feedback on these options, the public can also comment on amendments to the council’s 2009 Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. Changes have been made to this policy to clarify certain elements, mainly related to safety. These include additional driver checks and the inclusion of a complaints process.
Hard copies of the survey and briefing note on the issues of zoning, quantity regulation and colour are available from Helen Johnson, licensing team leader by emailing: licensing@durham.gov.uk or telephoning 0191 387 2202. The online survey is available at www.durham.gov.uk/taxi/taxiconsultation
Comments regarding the amendments to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy should be sent to: Helen Johnson at licensing@durham.gov.uk or via post to: HelenJohnson, Licensing Section, Environment, Health & Consumer Protection, Council Offices, Newcastle Road, Chester-le-Street, DH3 3UT
I have now received the maps that those who attended the consultation days requested. Hopefully residents have been sent these. If anyone needs a copy I have a few available. Also if anyone asked anything of me or officers which has not been tended to let me know as it was a chaotic day and some things may have slipped.
I am still pushing to get an extra consultation day and am starting to run out of patience. I am increasingly concerned that the whole process has been deeply flawed since the start.
