I’m delighted to be able to confirm that after many years of battling the frustrating policies at Durham County council around Salt/Grit bins we have secured a change in policy which has allowed us to add ten additional bins in our area.

We had to follow a new criteria but after long discussions we managed to find 10 locations where we have had previous complaints and problems, which met the criteria. A huge thank you to our highways officers for working closely with us on this.

We will be reviewing various additional sites as we get feedback from residents to see if we can add to this number.

In previous years we were able to provide dumpy sacks but this became impossible as the price rocketed, in part due to the additional environmental costs involved with removal at the end of the year.

If there is an area you would like us to consider for a grit bin, please get in touch and we will see what can be done in the next financial year.

For a number of years we pushed for extra funding to clear the backlog of disabled access ramps in the county. I’m delighted that last year we finally secured funding to clear the backlog and work is taking place across the County, including in our area.

Right now six dropped kerbs are being installed along Bek Road.

This will make a big difference for disabled residents as well as anyone with a pram.

When the council replaced the flagged footpaths along Richmond Road last year, including dropping all the driveways and kerbs, for some bizarre reason they missed two of the kerbs outside Richmond Court.

Disabled residents were able to walk the whole length of the road until getting to this point.

I’m delighted that after chasing up on this we can confirm work has started to put the new lowered kerbs in.

It’s quite a few months now since we first raised concerns about the state of the surfaces around the play equipment at the park.

The County Council has to be honest not really done anything to deal with this and most of the equipment now has pooling water and mud. Whilst we appreciate that it has been very wet, Work should have been booked in some time ago to address this.

We have now been given assurances that our concerns are being taken seriously. Some interim work to improve the areas under the equipment are being looked at and we are confident that in the coming months some more permanent improvements will be made.

We are working with the Council to help ensure that the funding is there to get all the surfaces upgraded.

We’ve been asking for a long time for paths to be cut back in some parts of our area. We even cut some back ourselves at one point.

So we are delighted The Councils clean and green team are working in our area to do some more substantial work.

They are currently in the Rosemount/Newton Hall area near the Newton Grange (can’t wait for a pint in there!).

Some of the paths are now double the width they were.

The new path we secured funding for is taking shape around the edge of the Carrs nature reserve.

Work is likely to take a few more weeks.

Over the 7 days to 20th January rates have risen again in our area.

In the Newton Hall / Brasside area the rate per 100k is currently at least 194. In Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor its 315.

That’s 36 more families dealing with someone suffering from Covid and all the knock on effects. Please continue to follow the rules.

We have raised concerns from residents about having closer and easier access to vaccinations and we know that work is underway on this.

We have also been told by the vast majority of more elderly people that they have found the vaccination process to be working well and we applaud everyone working in the NHS and vaccination centres for their continued commitment.

Please stay safe and contact us if you need any help. We have produced a list of some of the contacts you may find of use if you need health or financial assistance at the moment.

Need help with anything not listed in the list or not getting anywhere, call us on the numbers below:

Mark Wilkes 03000 268 788

Amanda Hopgood 03000 268 726

Mamie Simmons 0191 386 9006

We have recently provided funding to carry out works in this area, as the Council did not have available the money needed in its public rights of way and nature reserve budgets.

We feel quite strongly that these budgets are insufficient.

We have therefore provided neighbourhood budget to level out the potholes (ponds) in the car park and put a layer of planings over the top. This work should be carried out in the coming weeks.

The are are many paths through the nature reserve which are completely overgrown and a lot of areas where undergrowth needs removing. Some paths never see sunlight and stay wet all year round.

We have provided a significant amount of funding to carry out this work, however the timing of the work is a problematic and we are currently trying to find a way of bringing forward the project.

MORE CRITICALLY however, right now, the main cycle path from Low Newton Junction Car park in Brasside through towards Frankland Farm has some areas in really bad condition.

Parts are flooded and full of mud and this has readily turned to ice. Some parts can be walked around but a couple of locations are exceptionally bad with foot deep mud and ice.

We have asked for urgent work to be carried out and are working with council officers to find a quick solution and asking for funding.

I spoke with numerous people when out assessing the area today and used a great app called What3Words to identify to the council the location of the worst problems. Every 3m2 area on earth has three unique words given to it. So you can always tell someone pretty much exactly where something is. Very useful!

I can report that we have been dealing with a number of water related issues in our area today and recently:

Lilac Avenue burst water pipe: I have been out onsite with our council highways officer to push for swifter action from NWL to address this issue, particularly given the size of the pavement hole and the water coming up through the pavement three meters away! We are told NWL will be onsite today, but will be chasing this up.

Cocken Lane flooding: There are a number of places on the back road from Pity Me to Leamside which are under water. Please be careful. Council drainage clearance has been requested as well as flood signs.

Newly surfaced cycle path from Pity Me to New College: A stretch of the path is under water right now. I have contacted relevant council departments about this as its the second time since the works were done that the area has been under water.

Abbey Road, Pity Me: Blocked drains have been reported again opposite the car garages, be careful driving at night here as previous heavy rain has resulted in half the road having standing water.

Frankland Road: Pooling water at the top of Frankland Road which has been a problem for a long time has been discussed onsite with the highways officer after I raised concerns that water is not draining away and readily freezes in cold weather. Investigations for a new gulley are to be made.

Fallen tree at Finchale Abbey (Cocken Woods – opposite side of river from Abbey) due to landslip/rainfall: The council is aware of this and when more serious issues have been dealt with they will be carrying out work.

If there are any other flooding or drainage problems you spot in our area please let us know.

We are delighted to be able to report that the Council is working hard on our project to improve access to the Carrs Nature Reserve in Pity Me. The two ponds have now been created and have already filled with water.

Work has started on the paths around the site. Weather and Covid permitting the main part of the project should be completed in the first few weeks of February.