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Recent Council Activities Include:-
- 6 November - Attending Executive Meeting at Castle Morpeth Borough Council
- 5 November - Attending full meeting of County Council
- Attending Hebron Parish Council meeting
- Attending Mitford Parish Council meeting
- Attending full meeting of Castle Morpeth Borough Council and raising issue of "preventable flooding"
- 15 October - Surveying Hepscott's culverts, drains and ditches with County Council Officers and members of the Flood Action
Group
- 14 October - Attending Hepscott Flood Action Group meeting
- 3 October - Arranging a meeting between County Council Officers and members of the Hepscott Flood Action Group
- Attending Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham
- Attending Ulgham Parish Council meeting
- Attending Hepscott Parish Council meeting to discuss setting up a local Flood Action Group
- 11 September - Attending Full Council meeting at County Hall and demanding assurances that ongoing efforts to clear highways
drains and culverts are sped up to ensure blockages don't cause flooding again
- 8/9 September - Assisting flood victims in my areas, including flood advice and arranging temporary flood defences
- 6 September - Visit to Stobswood Welfares
- 6 September - Surgery at Widdrington Station
- 5 September - Rights of Way Committee meeting
- 3 September - Attending full Council meeting at County Hall
- 26 August 2008 - Raising various issues with CMBC Officers following concerns expressed to me by a resident of Stobswood
- Advising residents of Hepscott on planning issues relating to proposed developments
- 11 August 2008 - Attending Widdrington Station & Stobswood Parish Council meeting
- 7 August 2008 - Requesting enforcement of environmental laws against the dumping of builder's rubble in the lane to the
rear of Liddell Terrace, Widdrington Station
- 5 August 2008 - Raising the issue of the unwired illuminated safety signs at Grangemoor Road, Widdrington Station, with
County Highways, and securing repairs as required
- 29 July 2008 - I launched the Village Green Initiative, in order to take a proactive approach to village green registrations
within the Division
- 25 July 2008 - Ensuring that the full repair of the path between Mitford and Morpeth is submitted as a "capital scheme",
with urgent temporary repairs to be undertaken as soon as possible
- Combatting fly-tipping in Widdrington Station
- 22 July 2008 - Attending Mitford Parish Council meeting and announcing £4,500 funding to enable the commencement of part
of the refurbishment works to Mitford Community Centre
- 21 July 2008 - Attending Ulgham Parish Council meeting and announcing £5,000 funding to enable commencement of the new
Ulgham playground
- 17 July 2008 - Attending the North East Exporters' Awards 2008, representing Castle Morpeth Borough Council
- Raising concerns about Post Office plans to close branches at Mitford and St Mary's Field
- Ensuring County Council Highways investigate surface flooding at East Acres, Widdrington Station. I will be asking for
information on this and working with the Council to address the problem
- Helping local residents to request Council help to repair a broken fence at The Grange, Widdrington Station
- Negotiating funding for the resurfacing of Hepscott Village Hall car park
- Assisting Ulgham Parish Council to achieve funding goals for the new playground at Ulgham
- Securing funding for improvements to the community centres at Widdrington Station and Mitford
- Supporting the introduction of 30mph zones in Tranwell village and Widdrington Village
- Finalising plans for interactive speed signs for Hepscott, Hebron, Mitford, Ulgham and Widdrington Village
- Visit to the ATAC Centre, Widdrington Station
Area Training and Activity Centre ("ATAC")
The ATAC centre at Widdrington Station is a superb example of what can be achieved when a community coming together to
provide local facilities for local people.
The centre, which is located adjacent to the redundant Willows Pub, is constantly in need of volunteers and financial
support.
Recently, I was shown around ATAC by local Parish Councillors Richard and Carolynn Lillico. Richard and Carolynn
are inspiring, as are all the other people involved with ATAC. For no personal gain, these volunteers run the centre
on a shoe-string budget; providing IT and internet facilities for young and old alike, a regular get together over a bacon
buttie and a regular youth club.
The ATAC centre is a wonderful community asset, and I have promised Richard and Carolynn that I will do everything
I can to ensure that the centre receives all the support available to it.
Save Our Post Offices!
Local Conservatives, lead by David Towns,
have called upon the Labour Government to call a halt to their planned Post Office closures.
David said, “The Labour Government already holds the record for closing Post Offices faster than
any other, they are now going to shut at least a further 2,500 branches over the next two years. This will be a hammer blow
to community life. By the time of the next election, Labour will have closed over one third of the entire Post Office network.
“I
fear local communities across Northumberland will lose their only shop and vulnerable people will lose a service they depended
upon. Labour Ministers have taken no account of the needs of the elderly, of disabled people or of the most disadvantaged
- the very ones who will lose out most as this cuts programme rolls out."
The
Post Office has confirmed that Mitford post office is earmarked for permanent closure, and no outreach service will be provided
to the village. David has raised the issue of poor public transport and problems for the elderly within the consultation.
David has also called for Sub-Post
Offices to be given greater freedoms to offer a wider range of commercial products, and is pushing for more Post Offices to
be ‘one stop shops’ for local and central government services.
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