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<title> Gill Cartwrights Blog </title>
<description>The Blog of Harrowgate Hill Councillor Gill Cartwright</description>
<link>http://harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/ </link>
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<link>http://www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=76</link>
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<title>Post Office Closures</title>
<description><![CDATA[NOT one of the 37 post office branches in the region fighting closure plans has survived a cost-cutting cull, it has been revealed.

Post Office Limited has this morning announced its final decision on the future of branches in Cleveland, South Durham and Richmond.

All 37 of those earmarked for closure since February are to be shut despite protests in many communities during six weeks of public consultation which ended in March.

During the consultation period, Post Office bosses said they received around 2,590 responses and attended 22 meetings with customers and their representatives to understand their concerns and to ensure that all information provided by them formed part of the final decision regarding each affected branch.

So, all the consultation was simply an exercise in lip service. No surprises there. Do they really think people are pacified because they are allowed to give their opinion.

However, Redcar and Cleveland Council Leader is working with the Chief Executive to mitigate the effect of the closures by utilising mobile One Stop Shop and any proposals via LEGI (Local Enterprise Growth Initiative) if appropriate.

Council Leader George Dunning said "We believe the Post Office's decision fails to recognise the valuable roles these offices play in community life. We are committed to exploring ways in which our services can be delivered from these offices and we will be talking directly to the Post Office to investigate ways of reopening Post Office services with some degree of financial support for the Council."

But Redcar and Cleveland also provide free travel before 9.30am because clearly they care about their pensioners. I noted from todays Echo that Darlington Council has been branded as the most mean in the area.

I hope our council leader in Darlington is going to recognise the valuable role that the Post Offices play in our community and seek to investigate some alternative proposals.

Watch this space....

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<comments>http://harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=76#Comments</comments>
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<link>http://www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=75</link>
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<title>Florries Birthday</title>
<description><![CDATA[National Nurses Week is May 6-12. Not just this year, but every year, regardless of the days of the week upon which those dates fall. May 6 is the official nurse recognition day, with student nurse day on May 8 and school nurse day on May 9 in 2003. (This recognition day was previously observed during january and, unlike the others, is not a fixed date.) The week draws attention to and celebrate the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community. The full week of recognition culminates on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. 

Florence Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820, and named after the city of her birth. Her wealthy parents were in Florence as part of a tour of Europe. In 1837, Nightingale felt that God was calling her to do some work but wasn't sure what that work should be. She began to develop an interest in nursing, but her parents continued it to be a profession inappropriate to a woman of her class and background, and would not allow her to train as a nurse. They expected her to make a good marriage and live a conventional upper class woman's life. 

Nightingale's parents eventually relented and in 1851, she went to Kaiserwerth in Germany for three months nursing training. This enabled her to become superintendent of a hospital for gentlewomen in Harley Street, in 1853. The following year, the Crimean War began and soon reports in the newspapers were describing the desperate lack of proper medical facilities for wounded British soldiers at the front. Sidney Herbert, the war minister, already knew Nightingale, and asked her to oversee a team of nurses in the military hospitals in Turkey. In November 1854, she arrived in Scutari in Turkey. With her nurses, she greatly improved the conditions and substantially reduced the mortality rate

She returned to England in 1856. In 1860 she established the Nightingale Training School for nurses at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Once the nurses were trained, they were sent to hospitals all over]]></description>
<comments>http://harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=75#Comments</comments>
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<link>http://www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=74</link>
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<title>Please Gordon, Stay</title>
<description><![CDATA[Gordon Brown has "tempers of an indescribable nature" according to the rebel backbencher Frank Field, who has become the first Labour MP to predict that the Prime Minister will not be in place at the next election. 

In an astonishingly outspoken attack, Mr Field said that the public could see Mr Brown was unhappy and asserted the election would be held on the last possible date in 2010. 

This prompted immediate denials from Downing Street, who insisted Mr Brown would still be in place at the next election. 

Asked whether Mr Brown was confident that he would lead Labour into the next election, the spokesman added: "Of course he is." 

Thats great news, we dont want you to go Gordon.

Because who better to lead the Conservatives into the next general election success......]]></description>
<comments>http://harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=74#Comments</comments>
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<link>http://www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=73</link>
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<title>Dish the Dirt on Dog Fouling</title>
<description><![CDATA[RESPONSIBLE pet owners are being asked to help stamp out dog fouling in Darlington.

Darlington Council is launching a new campaign called Dish The Dirt, encouraging residents to report people who persistently allow their dogs foul in public places.

The Council’s Uniformed Wardens can only fine dog owners if they see an offence being committed and so they are asking residents to give them tip-offs of where dog fouling is happening.

A hotline and e-mail address have been set up so people can report details, including location, time and a description, of anyone who fails to clean up after their dog.

The Council’s Uniformed Wardens will use the information, which can be given anonymously, to try to catch and fine irresponsible dog owners.

Bill Dixon, Darlington Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety, said: “Dog fouling is not only unattractive, it a real health hazard and can spoil residents’ enjoyment of parts of the Borough.

“Our wardens are committed to catching and fining people but they need help to know where and when persistent offenders are.

“We know there are many responsible dog owners and residents who want to see an end to dog fouling in our streets and parks and I hope they will give us the information we need to catch offenders.”

Posters advertising the hotline and e-mail address are being put on dog bins around the Borough and wardens will hand out information cards to dog walkers and other people they meet.

People failing to clean up after their dog can be given an on-the-spot fine of £50.

This is an issue we have been highlighting for a number of months now.

Clearly, us raising the issue at Full Council has inspired some action and this campaign has been actioned.
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<comments>http://harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=73#Comments</comments>
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<link>http://www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk/gill/article.php?id=72</link>
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<title>Cash Cow</title>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks to the Town Liar for finding this article in the Times.
In the article about "waste crime", Darlington gets a mention as it has issued 285 fines worth £22,410 to people for leaving their bins out on the wrong day. It has also prosecuted 65 people for failing to pay the fines, more than any other council questioned.
However, it was with disappointment that i noted that during the period, January 2007 to December 2007, only one Fixed Penalty Notice was issued for dog fouling within the Harrowgate Hill Ward, which was on 23 November 2007 in Myrtle Gardens.
I know the problems related to issuing penalities for dog fouling as the wardens have to witness the incident. But, playing devils advocate, it has been suggested to us by residents that fining for waste crime seems a quick win way to make money. Enforcing dog fouling issues would be more time intensive and would certainly not bring the same monetary gain.
I am not suggesting that leaving rubbish out at the wrong time should be ignored because it shouldnt, but perhaps a "light touch" approach would be more appropriate?
What causes more nuisance a bin put out too early or the masses and masses of dog waste that resides in our communities?
We have never received compliants about the latter but have in respect to dog fouling. 
Eric Pickles, the shadow local government spokesman, has accused the councils of seeking to turn rubbish collection into a cash cow by creating trivial offences. “It’s testing the public’s patience to the limit,” he said.
Read the full article and you decide.

a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3822641.ece" target="_blank">Thousands fined for bin sins</a> 


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