On Wednesday I will call for protection of our human rights at Full Council – With unprecedented Labour support

My motion to full council is detailed below. I asked the Labour group if they would agree to second the motion and in an unprecedented move of support they have agreed.

If ever a response illustrated the seriousness of a matter it is this moment of unity.

The Conservative Party manifesto pledged to scrap the Human Rights Act. Tomorrow I will call for a unified response, directing the government to halt these plans. I will place my speech on here tomorrow after full council.

My motion is amended (with permission) from a motion submitted by Cllr Wendy Taylor, Lib Dem Councillor on Newcastle Council, where Labour and Lib Dem councillors also stood together in defiance against Tory proposals.

Councillor M Wilkes to Move:

The Human Rights Act enshrines a number of fundamental rights and freedoms that individuals can access.

Council believes these fundamental rights & freedoms are crucial for a fair, free & democratic society & that everyone in County Durham and across UK is entitled to have these rights respected, even when we disagree with their beliefs or actions.

Council further notes that, at a time when we are honouring those who fought in the Second World War and the purpose for which so many lost their lives defending our liberty and freedoms, we reject the Government’s proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act and withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Council therefore resolves to:-

  1. Reject the intentions of the current Government to repeal the Human Rights Act & replace it with a bill of rights.
  1. To write to the Home Secretary & the Justice Secretary to express opposition to any attempt to repeal this Act.

County Plan Chaos Continues as government freezes Judicial Review and Council Chief Exec to retire

The Department for Communities and Local Government has intervened in the County Plan debacle and ordered a one month stay in proceedings. It appears they are requiring the Council to enter meaningful dialogue with all interested parties.

We have repeatedly said that the council has utterly failed in its duty to have proper discussions and this is now apparently the view of DCLG.

We could be a step closer to a solution.

On Wednesday we will challenge the Council leader over this.

Ps. The Council Chief Exec has announced today, coincidentally the same date as the County Plan news has come out that he is to retire. As I said, absolutely, unequivocally, without any possible doubt, a clear coincidence!

 

Attendance management Council meeting cancelled – with just 15 minutes notice – none of Labour councillors could attend!!!

I arrived at County hall with a bit of spare time this morning to reread some paperwork for a working group which is looking at Attendance Management and Sickness Absence.

15 minutes before the meeting was due to start the Labour councillor chairing the meeting found me and told me it was cancelled because none of the Labour councillors could attend because they were all in a Labour group meeting which had overrun. SO MUCH FOR ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT!!!

Surely the Labour councillors on the working group could have excused themselves? It makes a mockery of attempts to solve the crisis of sickness absence if 90% of the councillors on the committee decide they can’t turn up.

It also surely sends a wider message that ensuring we have a proper system in place for sickness absence and attendance management means less to Labour councillors than their own internal arguing.

Durham County Council has let down its staff for years by failing to address sickness absence. When the average number of sick days days off by staff each year is running at around two and a half weeks, and has done for decades, something must be seriously wrong with how the council is treating its staff.

This is not about cuts because sickness absence was as bad fifteen years ago. This is about mismanagement of the Council by Labour, and quite frankly with Labour in charge at County Hall I can’t see anything changing..

At the last meeting of the working group I suggested that we should find out about what training other organisations carry out in relation to managing sickness absence and attendance issues.

One Labour councillor responded that doing that would be like comparing CAMEMBERT with CHEDDER – a waste of time. What planet are these people on? Clearly the outcome of this working group is a FETA compli! No doubt we will be BRIEfed that it isn’t at the next meeting!

How can comparing how other councils, public sector bodies or private sector organisations manage sickness absence be a waste of time? Totally crackers!

 

Flood risk gulleys only getting cleaned out every 24 months

Despite being on a main road, at the bottom of a dip in a location prone to flooding, the Bek Road traffic light drainage gullies are currently only down for clearing every TWO YEARS. Other drains in the COunty are cleaned out every three months.

I have now asked the Head of Technical Services to look into increasing the frequency of cleaning of these drains to make sure we do not get flooding at this location again.

I am more and more convinced that at least one of these drains hadn’t been touched for donkeys years.

It raises serious concerns about just how many of our County’s 80,000 gulleys are being cleaned out every two years, or being missed completely.

Please check the drainage guley outside your house or on your street. if it looks blocked please let us know so we can check it out and get action taken.

Any small groups needing funding?

As councillors we have a pot of money each year which we can provide to small community groups. Over the years we have contributed to for example:

Luncheon club for elderly residents, local grass roots football teams, environmental groups, disability charities, schools, community associations,youth groups, sports groups, craft groups, to name a few.

If there is a project your group is looking at or a local group you think may need some help please get in touch. We may be able to assist with grants of £50 to £250 or help find matched funding or help with fund raising if larger amounts are needed.

County Plan and concerns about our planning department

At Cabinet yesterday, a report was agreed which outlines the situation regarding development whilst we are stuck waiting for the outcome of the County Plan debacle. This entire mess is the making of the Labour Party at County Hall for failing to listen to anyone.

I asked yesterday if with hindsight Cabinet should have met to discuss the decision to go to judicial review and once again it was clear they are in denial on this issue. It was simply unacceptable to use the excuse of timing, not to bring such an important decision before Cabinet to allow the public and back bench councillors to question them and to hear their debate and reasoning.

The report it has to be said was very welcoming and can be seen here:

http://democracy.durham.gov.uk/documents/s51626/Assessing%20Development%20Proposals%20ReportPA.pdf

it sets out the weight which should be given to the local plans of the former districts, to the National policy Framework and to the County Plan and does provide some reassurances on most points that planning officers are still able to control development in the County.

However there are still concerns about the march of further unnecessary, inappropriate student developments in and around the City, which Cllr Nigel Martin challenged. it was confirmed that a further document would be brought forward to Cabinet in the coming months, but I am sure it will not be enough.

As always in County Durham, this means we need to keep a keen eye on applications coming forward to make sure not just that they are acceptable, but that afterwards, what was said is actually implemented – over and over again we see promises made at planning committees and in reports failing to match up with what ends up on the ground, and I continue to be concerned as to the way in which our planning department is run.

Bonkers flats plan delayed

An application due to be heard at today’s Durham County Council Central and East planning committee has been pulled at the eleventh hour.
I had requested the development of two flats on Framwellgate Moor Front Street on the site of an old garage workshop go to committee after numerous local residents had objected over the size of the development and its impact on the surrounding area.
The application had provided for bin storage at the rear of the ground floor flat with no access to the road. Any occupants would have had to pull the bins through 18m of house including a sun lounge, kitchen, internal doors, a front door, between parked cars and then do the same after the bins had been emptied.
Council officers had recommended approval for the development.
I provided an explanation to officers as to why the proposal was “bonkers”.
It looks as though someone has finally seen sense at County Hall. Perhaps we will now get a more sustainable development on this site which does not impact as much on surrounding residents. Hopefully it will be in keeping with the area, will not be over development and will provide the necessary bin, parking and access requirements. To recommend for approval an application which would have required a resident to pull a wheelie bin 18m through the house, through four doors, two rooms, and two corridors really was quite bonkers. How anyone thought this was suitable for approval is beyond me.”
The Council will now liaise with the developer to see if a more sustainable development can be provided.

Dryburn House Demolition and New Accident and Emergency

At the Central and East planning committee today, the demolition of Dryburn House, which is a 19th Century Manor House in the grounds of the University Hospital was agreed.

This will allow for the expansion of the Accident and Emergency, which since the closing of Bishop Auckland A and E under Labour, has become busier and busier.

At the end of the meeting I raised with the senior representative from the NHS Trust the critical need for better parking provision at the hospital as part of any plans. There appears to be an acceptance that something needs to be done, and he suggested the possibility of a multi storey car park on the site.

The application for the expansion of the A and E may be upto a year off submission, but you can be sure that I will be pushing hard for a big expansion of parking and a proper travel plan and reconsideration of the current parking charges for staff.

Hospital staff are parking further and further away from the hospital to avoid parking charges and the lack of capacity and it continues to have an adverse affect to the wider community.