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 County Durham 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 County Durham
• Retain the status quo, with seven zones, two of which are number regulated (Chester-le-Street and Durham City)
• 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: Helen  Johnson, 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.

The overwhelming majority of residents on Aldin Grange Terrace, Bearpark have said they want the one way system to go ahead, however it must still be cleared by the County Council Highways Committee.

Councillor Rev Crooks who as been working on the scheme commented “It was clear that we needed to improve safety on this road and this scheme will make it safer for motorists and pedestrians, and in particular local children.” We have committed the funding for this and must now wait for the Committee decision.

Your lib Dem councillors have been helping local groups in Bearpark through the local fund we get to spend in the area. We have also helped groups in Witton Gilbert, Pity Me, Framwellgate Moor and Brasside over the last twelve months.

In Bearpark we have helped so many community groups:

Funding for kits for mixed football teams at Bearpark Primary school.

Money to help Bearpark Working Men’s Club set up and promote competitions and projects in the local community bringing together young people and adults.

Help for Bearpark Shell Group to provide annual Pantomime and trips out for local youngsters.

Assistance for Transition Durham to carry out environment projects.

Help for Bearpark Cricket Club to continue working with local children and adults and to promote sports and recreational facilities.

Contribution to Bearpark and Esh Colliery Band for equipment, helping to preserve our local history.

Improving habitat for wildlife and litter picking around Bearpark through Kings Church.

Help for Bearpark over 60’s Club for outings to provide leisure activities for older residents in Bearpark.

Money for an over 10’s disco and a trip to the seaside for Bearpark youngsters.

Additional funding is also being made available for local young people to get involved in Fishing.

The government has announced that the pupil premium which the Lib Dems have been pushing for before the election and in our manifesto will come in next year and will help to provide significant additional funding for those children from deprived backgrounds, it will be based around the following principles:

• Free school meal eligibility – which could be current eligibility or a measure of whether the pupil has ever been eligible for FSM

• out-of-work tax credit – pupils in families in receipt of out-of-work tax credit

• commercial classifications such as ACORN or MOSAIC used by some local authorities.

In addition, the Government set out its proposal for the pupil premium to:

• include looked-after children who have consistently low attainment with only 15% achieving five GCSEs or equivalents compared to 70% of all children

• explore extending to cover service children who face unique challenges and need to be supported as they progress through school as armed forces families.

What this means is that in County Durham we will have additional funding to help improve standards so that every child really does have a chance to fulfill their whole potential – has to be a good thing.

I am currently working with the community centre to make sure that their fuel bills come down this year. By renegotiating a new contract we exprect to save hundreds if not thousands of pounds which can be spent on improving the centre and ensuring it is sustainable.

If anyone is interested in joining the community centre committee please get in touch.