I am a County Councillor on
Northumberland County Council, representing the people of the Ulgham Division. The Division includes the hamlets
and villages of Benridge, Mitford, Tranwell, Hepscott, Shadfen, Fairmoor, Hebron, Cockle Park, Ulgham, Widdrington Station,
Stobswood, Widdrington Village and Druridge.
I am a member of the Northern Area Committee (which is
the committee dealing with the issues affecting our county from the Morpeth area up to Berwick). I am also a Trustee of the
Greater Morpeth Development Trust.
Although I am a Conservative member, I will represent everyone,
no matter of their personal political views.
By visiting this site, I hope you will learn a bit
more about me, my politics and the work I am doing on the Council. I have also included a list of links to other sites visitors
may find of interest.
You can also find details of my events and surgery times. Please feel free to
pop along to future surgeries for a chat or to raise any important issues with me.
On this home page, you'll find links to other pages, together with my latest news and views and a note of my recent
activities as a Councillor. I also manage a Blog, which is available through the link to the top left of this page.
I
am very proud of what I have achieved for the Ulgham Division in the short time I have your County Councillor. I hope that
you are also pleased with my efforts, and I invite you to let me know how you think I am doing as your Councillor.
I
hope you enjoy visiting my site, and that you find it useful.
Expenses
- updated regularly
I am more than
happy to reveal my expenses since being elected to Northumberland County Council on 1 May 2008: £0.00.
Roads - Update The road leading from the A1 to Hebron
(C130) has now been re-surfaced after looking like someone had been using it for target practice for several mortar rounds!
In other good news, defects along the road from Morpeth to Mitford have also been identified for attention - this road has
been particularly affected by the sever winters over the last couple of years
Weeping Willows - Update Excellent news - following pressure from myself and local people, The Willows has now been demolished pending the
re-development of the site. I am very grateful to everyone for their support in this successful campaign
Council
Budget
Myself and other members of the Conservative & Independent
Group have accused the authority’s Liberal Democrat administration of failing to provide details of how it proposes
to make £60m of savings due to funding cuts.
Northumberland County Council must
set its final budget next month. However, we are alarmed that the Liberals have not set out how they plan to make the
savings. If the Liberals don't produce these details by Monday, then I and my Group will not support any of the budget
proposals next month. This is because we feel that they cannot have been properly thought through or consulted upon in such
a short time.
The council must find £110m of savings over the next four years, £60m of which is for the financial year
2011/12. The authority is about to begin consultation on cuts amounting to £36.1m. However,
it is widely known that a further £24m of savings are needed. The Liberals need to explain how they intend to fill
this black hole, and I am afraid that I will not support any budget that fails to address this issue properly, or has failed
to properly consult the public. The Liberals cannot go on hoping that this problem will go just away.
2010 - What a year!
I have been unable to update my website regularly through 2010, due
to my moving house, working on the General Election and also getting married! However, I hope in 2011 to be able to keep you
up to date with my activities and campaigns as we move into very uncertain political territory.
Weeping
Willows
The former Willows Pub
at Widdrington Station has dilapidated into such an eyesore that action must now be taken. The building has suffered extensive
damage by vandals and now poses a threat to health and safety.
With
this is mind, I started a campaign demanding action by the Council, by the commencement of proceedings under s.215
of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990. This basically empowers Councils to require remedial works to or demolition of
unsafe and dilapidated buildings.
I
am pleased to confirm that in response to this request, the Council has issued official notices and the pub is to be demolished
very soon!
Meeting William Hague at Conference 2008
David with the new streetlights at Grange Court, Widdrington Station.
After years of waiting, Widdrington Village finally gets a speed limit
