UPDATE ON COUNTY DURHAM PLAN

The latest update on the County Durham Plan is that I have asked to make sure that another proper consultation and report back which is far better organised, is brought forward very soon. The Council has provisionally told me that they hope to do this in November and i intend to notify as many households as possible and as early as possible before this event, as a short story in the local papers is not enough for such an important issue.

NEW FOOTPATH WORK BOOKED IN FOR NOVEMBER

The new footpath I have been working on getting for residents in Framwellgate Moor and Pity Me has now been confirmed. The work will commence in the second week of November and will involve resurfacing and newly building paths from Framwellgate Moor/Pity Me Front St (next to the Electricity Substation), along the old wagonway along the side of Hudspeth Crescent, with new link paths to Hudspeth Crescent and Beaumont Close, carrying on to the A167 and along the back of Bridgemere Drive to link up with the path to New College and the underpass.

This is a great project which will provide improvements which have been needed for decades and is one of the commitments I made to residents to work towards getting when I was elected. The other side of the path was upgraded to run along side The Carrs nature reserve after pressure from your local councillors as part of the new development on the old council depot.

FINDON AVENUE PARKING BAY UPDATE

The new parking bay for Findon Avenue can now go ahead after some work to resurface part of the road was completed. I was pushing for the whole area to be resurfaced, however for now at least some of the worst parts have been done. The parking bay should be in before the end of the year possibly as early as November, weather permitting.

FUNDING FOR ADULT GYMS AROUND THE CORNER

It appears that requests for funding from the AAP for adult gyms is to be considered for approval at the next AAP board meeting. The outdoor equipment is great for keeping fit, helping teenagers, parents and grandparents to join in with outdoor fitness activities.

We asked for £5000 for Framwellgate Moor and a further £5000 for Bearpark as part of the current work we are doing with Framwellgate Moor Parish Council and the County Council to improve facilities in these villages and this is being applied for by the relevant groups.

Once these facilities have been finalised, the next step is to start work with the parish councils and residents to upgrade play facilities in Witton Gilbert and Brasside where new equipment is badly needed.

I

COUNTY DURHAM LIB DEM WINS BY-ELECTION

One of my colleagues on the County Council, Councillor Ben Ord (Spennymoor), has taken a seat off Labour on the Town council, with an increased percentage of the vote too.

Ben picked up 494 votes, Labour 422, BNP 264 Independent 53

Well done Ben – more Lib Dems to try and sort out the waste at the Labour run Town Council!

WASPS GOING ON?

Surprising thing wasps are. If you ask the Council to deal with a wasps nest in your eaves or other awkward place, it would appear that health and safety means you need to get scaffolding installed to do the job. If you ask a qualified, professional private contractor, a ladder and a few minutes of work and it’s done. No more to say!

LABOUR PUBLICITY RAG TO BE CUT BACK?

Following on from opposition pressure to cut back on publicity by one of the North East’s largest councils, it looks like Durham County Council is set to do just that.

 

Councillor Nigel Martin, leader of the Lib Dem Group on Durham County Council, which called for issues of Durham County News to be cut back, commented “We have been pushing for some time now for Labour’s publicity magazine to be cut back and I am please to say that it looks like they may be about to reduce the number of copies from 10 to six a year, saving £439,680 over the next three years.

 

“This just goes to show that opposition pressure is paying off in County Durham, for the benefit of local residents. I only wish Durham County Council’s Labour administration would get to grips with our County instead of having to rely on opposition groups to show them the way. Having said that, given the mess their national colleagues have left the country in it’s hardly surprising.”

 

Councillor Mark Wilkes, Lib Dem for Framwellgate Moor, who uncovered the latest proposals commented “With every week that passes it becomes clearer that we can protect frontline services by rooting out Labour’s waste. They refused to listen earlier in the year to proposals to cut costs, but now they have had to admit they were wrong. I would go further and reduce the number of issues of County News to 4 a year, saving a further £219,840 over the next three years.”

 

Each copy of County News currently costs around £36,640 to deliver and print, and as in other councils, Durham County Council has in the past come under criticism for what many consider to be a publicity tool.”