From 6 April 2010 the age of eligibility for concessionary bus travel will increase from 60 to 65 over the next 10 years.

This change, announced by Central Government in December 2009, will bring concessionary travel in-line with the changes that are being made to the state pension age from April 2010.

Currently both men and women become eligible for a free bus pass at 60. As the state pension age for women gradually increases from 60 to 65 over the next 10 years, the age of eligibility for the concessionary bus pass will also increase. These new

plans mean that by 2020 the age of eligibility for both men and women will have increased at the same rate to 65.

Central Government decided the fairest method would be a gradual rise in the earliest age for men and women to get bus passes, rather than introduce a one-off rise which would leave those currently close to retirement age facing a full five-year delay. Therefore eligibility will gradually be rising for both men and women, from the age of 60 on 6th April 2010 to 65 on 5 April 2020.

The age of eligibility for the state pension is scheduled to rise by two months every one month. This means the earliest date on which a person can get a bus pass will depend on which month they were born in and will not fall on their birthday.

The changes will only affect those due to turn 60 on or after 6 April 2010 and will not affect people who already hold a bus pass. The eligibility criteria for a disabled persons pass will remain unchanged.

The attached table sets out when those approaching the age of 60 will become eligible for a concessionary bus pass.

Questions and Answers - Members of the Public

Are you taking my bus pass away from me?

Absolutely not. For people who have already reached the age of 60 or are due to do so before 6 April 2010 there will be no change whatsoever. Even if you have not already taken up your entitlement to a bus pass, you will be unaffected by the changes if your 60th birthday is before 6 April 2010.

Will I have to wait until I'm 65 to get my bus pass?
You will only have to wait until you are 65 to get a bus pass if you were born after 5 April 1955.

Why have working age men been entitled to a bus pass in the past?
The purpose of the concession has always been to provide greater freedom and independence to older people in their retirement. Until 2002, eligibility for the

concessionary bus pass was linked to the state pension age, meaning women became eligible at 60 and men at 65.

However, in 2000 this difference was challenged as discriminatory in the European Court of Human Rights. The Government pre-emptively took the decision to lower the age of entitlement for men and in 2002 new legislation was passed that equalised the age of eligibility for both sexes at 60. However, this meant that, for the first time, concessionary bus travel was made available to older people of working age.

With the difference in state pension age for men and women set to disappear between 2010 and 2020, it is appropriate to re-establish the link with pension age and remove the position of working age citizens receiving free bus passes.

So who is entitled to a bus pass now?

Everyone aged 60 or over and who lives within the borough is entitled to a National Bus Pass that enables them to travel for free on local bus services anywhere in England between 9.30 am and 11pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and bank holidays. For Darlington residents the scheme is enhanced by Darlington Borough Council to enable free travel at any time of day within the borough.

RSS

Keeping Warm this Winter
Why keeping warm matters
To keep well during winter, it's essential to keep warm. As the weather gets colder, we are all more likely to catch colds or flu; and if your body temperature drops then the risks of a heart attack, stroke or breathing difficulties increase. This is especially true for older people, or those who have a serious disease or are vulnerable due to a physical disability.
So the best way to combat winter is to keep warm and follow as healthy a lifestyle as possible. What you eat and drink, and the exercise you take, can make a big difference. And, as part of keeping well, it is vital to keep your home warm and keep yourself warm when you go out.
Tips to keep warm
• Try to keep a constant temperature of 18-21ºC (64-70ºF) in all rooms. If this is not possible or affordable, keep one room warm but pre-heat the bed and bedroom before you go to bed.
• Make sure you have some hot food and drink every day.
• Take a little exercise every day.
• Wrap up warmly before going out, no matter how short the trip.
• Keep warm in bed at night.
Practical and useful common sense suggestions are available on the government's 'Keep warm keep well' website and in the accompanying booklet ‘Keep warm keep well': www.direct.gov.uk/keepwarmkeepwell
HE-AT offers all households in the Borough of Darlington free and confidential advice and assistance on a range of fuel and energy related issues.

For further information or to arrange a free and confidential appointment, please telephone on 357345 or e-mail advice@fiftyplus.org.uk

Call into our office at 9 Clark’s Yard to pick up your free copy of ‘Keep warm keep well’ and our ‘Help with Heating Costs’ Factsheet.

RSS

THREE secondary schools are celebrating today after it was announced that they will share £57.6m of government funding to renew their buildings.

Darlington Council put together a bid earlier this year to the Government’s Building Schools for the Future fund, to transform Hurworth, Longfield and Branksome schools.

The money means that all of the Borough’s secondary schools will have been rebuilt or remodelled in the last four years.

Despite the schools’ success and popularity, all three have older buildings which are increasingly unsuitable for modern education.

Last year all of them made emergency closures as a result of problems with heating systems and electricity or gas supplies.

The money will allow each school to be significantly rebuilt, with some existing buildings retained and modernised.

The work will include providing Longfield, which has Sports College status, with state-of-the-art sports facilities and all three schools will get new facilities available to the community and for teaching Diplomas.

Facilities for children with special education needs will also be improved at the three schools.

Hummersknott, Haughton and Carmel RC schools will also receive some of the funding to update and improve ICT systems.

Plans will now be drawn up with construction work at the schools expected to start in 2011.

They all have sites big enough to take new builds or remodelling work without disrupting the education of pupils, who will continue to attend school on site.

RSS

Would you like a warmer home and lower fuel bills?

We can help!

With winter fast approaching and temperatures beginning to drop too many people begin to worry about their fuel bills and find that they are unable to keep their homes adequately warm at an affordable cost. The rising cost of fuel and low household income both contribute to this problem but trying to heat draughty, poorly insulated homes with inadequate heating systems means that you are burning money in an effort to keep it warm and comfortable.

HE-AT is a new project based at Age Concern Darlington that works in partnership with Darlington Borough Council, NHS Darlington, Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau and the Energy Saving Trust.

HE-AT offers all households in the Borough of Darlington free, confidential quality assured advice and assistance on a range of fuel and energy related issues. We can help you by:-

• negotiating with your fuel company about fuel debt, billing errors or disconnection of energy supply;
• assisting you to access cheaper tariffs and cost effective payment methods;
• helping you access grants available for insulation, central heating and other energy efficiency improvements
• helping you to access funds for other types of home improvements.
• referring you for energy home energy efficiency checks that will enable you to reduce costs
• helping you to maximise your income.

Advice is available to home owners and to private, council and housing association tenants and is not restricted by age.

Don’t get caught out by the cold weather, contact us at the HE-AT project at Age Concern for advice before the winter bites.

For further information or to arrange a free and confidential appointment, please visit our office at 9 Clarks Yard, phone us on 357345 or e-mail advice@fiftyplus.org.uk

RSS

At its meeting this week (Tues Sept 8) members agreed to approve proposals that provide the public with better services and save the Council £47,356 in 2010/11 with more savings in the future.
Cabinet decided in April to approve proposals for eight supported bus services in the Borough, to ensure services were provided in areas where they were not commercially viable. The eight services include the continuation of six existing ones, and two new routes in the Harrowgate Hill area.

The eight services are:
• Service 4 to Minors Crescent, week day early mornings.
• Service 12 Neasham to Durham Tees Valley Airport Monday to Saturday evenings
• Service 12 Darlington to Durham Tees Valley Airport Saturday mornings
• Service 12 Neasham to Durham Tees Valley Airport via Darlington on Sundays
• Services 30a/31a Darlington to Albert Hill, Mowden and Skerne Park Monday to Saturday evenings
• Services 30a/31a Darlington to Albert Hill, Mowden and Skerne Park (when service 14 is not running) on Sundays
• Service 6a/b Darlington to Whinfield via Harrowgate Hill, daily evenings
• Service 6a/b Darlington to Whinfield via Harrowgate Hill and Glebe Road, Monday to Saturday.

The provision of bus service 6a/b in the Glebe Road area will help those who have found bus travel difficult since the withdrawal of the previous commercially operated route. During the day, this means that local residents will have a half hourly service with an hourly one in the evening.
Since Arriva have confirmed that they intend to continue operating service 14 to Skerne Park on Sundays, the Council has been able to save money by not running service 30a/31a to Skerne Park at these times.
New timetables are being prepared and will be available from the Tourist Information Centre before services start on November 1 2009.
New timetables will also be provided at all bus stops, as well as via the Traveline service. Go to www.traveline.info or call 0871 200 22 33.

RSS

We provide technical advice and practical treatment for a range of nuisance pests. Contact us for advice or to book an appointment for pest control treatment by telephoning 01325 388799 or e mailing customerservices@darlington.gov.uk

Residential Properties
The Council provides a free rat and mice control service to all residential properties within the Council boundary. There is a charge of £57.00 + VAT to carry out treatments for the control of other pests for residents living in owner occupied or privately rented properties. There is no charge to Council tenants.

Commercial Properties
Commercial properties are expected to seek assistance from private pest control contractors to deal with pests. We will carry out treatments and charge £66.06 + VAT for rodents and £57.00 + VAT for insects.

The links on the left hand side of the page give further information on common pests.

Simple actions to help prevent problems with rodents
Rats love compost bins. They are warm and full of food. Place wire mesh (1cm x 1cm) under the base of your compost bin or even better put it on a concrete base to stop rats getting in under the bin.
Keep rubbish in sealed bins with well fitting tops, and keep long grass to a minimum to reduce places for them to live.
Ensure that drainage is in good repair. Drains are not broken and that inspection chambers are in good condition.
Inspect your house for any holes or faults in the brickwork. If the hole is not supposed to be there it needs to be repaired.
Don't scatter food for birds in the garden. If you feed the birds, use a feed container or leave food down only for a short time for ground feeding.

RSS

Update on Playbuilders

Since the announcement of Playbuilders coming to Bensham Park, Groundwork has been visiting the site before and over the summer holidays, consulting with children and young people on what improvements in terms of play they feel the park needs.

A visit into Harrowgate Hill Primary School also took place through Groundwork and classes were asked on how they would like to see the money spent. There were many enthusiastic exciting ideas around climbing, swinging and assault courses.

From the initial consultation with the children and young people Darlington Borough Council and Groundwork are looking at possible locations and will be producing sketch plans with examples of the type of equipment suitable to the area.

Groundwork will be on site in Bensham Park on 29th September 2009, 3:00pm – 5:30pm. This will be an opportunity for everyone to come along and give comments on the project and the possible proposals.

If you have any queries about the project please contact Lisa Kwok at Groundwork on 01325 353791 or email lisa.kwok@groundwork.org.uk


Darlington Borough Council received £1.1m of funding through the national ‘Playbuilders’ scheme, which is funded through the Government Department of Children, Schools and Families. Playbuilders is a town wide project which focuses on creating exciting.

play spaces for all ages and abilities but with a particular focus on 8 – 13 years olds, ensuring play is accessible to all and the natural environment and equipment is used to provide challenging, adventurous play opportunities.

Groundwork have been commissioned by Darlington Borough Council to work with them on the project, to consult with local residents and users around Bensham Park gathering ideas on how the £30,000 available for the park can be spent following Playbuilder themes.

Play Rangers End of consultation report
Bensham Park


Children and young people have been being consulted with in Bensham park regarding what they would like to have in the park. Over two sessions a total of 21 children and young people were consulted and gave their opinions on the park and changes they would like to see. Of the 21 people consulted 15 were male and 6 were female. All were aged between 8 and 16.

The main points which arose from the consultation were that the children liked to climb and wanted something challenging to climb. The girls also asked for some kind of shelter for when it rains so they still have somewhere they can hang around as they like to sit on the swings to talk generally.

Other points which came up in the consultation were
• Assault course
• Tyre swing
• Big slide
• Rope swing
• Rock climbing
• Zip wire
• Big jumps for the bikes
• More swings.

RSS

"As this is the second day of the improved kerbside recycling service, I have been asked to provide you with an update as to how the changes are taking effect across the Borough and how the new service is progressing.

Reports from the Street Scene teams are positive, around 75-80% of residents have put out the correct items for recycling, Where residents have put out items such as tins or plastic bottles the collection crews are leaving a 'non collection' card with instructions on how to deal with the items left. For information residents simply need to put these items into their black 'refuse' sacks and they will be collected as part of their weekly refuse collection service. These items will continue to be recycled upon arrival at the new waste treatment plant.

Street Scene Area Leaders reported during Monday's collections several areas where we had a very high percentage of 'correct' collections, with very few incidents of 'contamination' of plastics, cans or other items. Of these that stand out are; Shakespeare Road Area, Bellburn Lane/Ivywood Court Area, Devonshire Road, Mayfair Road Area, Albert Hill, Elmcroft and several parts of Faverdale and High Grange. A huge thank you to the residents of these areas.

We will continue to work with residents to get the correct items into the Green Box and Blue Bag in order to improve their service. Should any residents from your ward contact you following the receipt of a card, all the information is available from our website www.darlington.gov.uk/makingwastework. A copy of the leaflet is available to download should residents need one, details of collection dates for refuse collection and recycling are also available along with information on our various waste minimisation and recycling activities.

Should any resident require a replacement copy of the leaflet sent out in the post this can be arranged by contacting customer services on (01325) 388777 or by e-mailing recycle@darlington.gov.uk"

RSS

There was a Talking Together event about Dog Control on May 13 2009.

A further public meeting is planned:

Date: Wednesday September 30 2009
Time: 6pm - 7:30pm
Location: Central Hall, Dolphin Centre, Darlington
Programme: Introduction 6pm - 6:15pm
Presentation 6:15pm - 6:30pm
Workshops 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Following the last consultation on Dog Control Orders held in May, Darlington Council has now put together a list of proposed areas where these could be enforced.

Dog Control Orders could be used to address issues such as:

Failing to remove dog faeces (to apply across the Borough)
Not keeping a dog on a lead (to apply only in certain locations)
Not putting and keeping a dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer (to apply across the Borough)
Permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded (to apply only in certain locations)
The proposed locations are attached below.

Borough Boundary size-A1 [pdf document, 2.3mb]
North West Rural Heighington size-A3 [pdf document, 503kb]
Dog Control Order Urban Area size-A0 [pdf document, 1.4mb] - Dogs on leads in communal areas of allotments only
South East Rural Middleton St George size-A3 [pdf document, 473kb]
North East Rural Sadberge size-A3 [pdf document, 372kb]
South West Rural Hurworth size-A1 [pdf document,1.3mb]
Hard copies will be made available at the Town Hall from Tuesday 1 September.

The Talking Together event will give residents the opportunity to view the proposed locations for the Dog Control Orders and discuss any issues they may have, in workshop groups.

If you cannot attend and would like to put forward your comments there are other ways to get in touch.

Telephone Connecting With Communities on (01325) 388527

E-mail: connecting@darlington.gov.uk

Join the online debate:

Dog Control Discussion Forum

All comments must be received by Friday October 9.

We have checked the maps and allowing dogs onto school property is under consultation and Longfield school is therefore marked on the map.
Please let us know of your thought on this matter on 382276.

RSS

Every day of the summer holidays there is a range of activities for people to try, from MAD Thursday events in local parks, chill out sessions at the Dolphin Centre, street cheer, a trip to Bradford Film and TV Museum, football sessions and competitions, film editing courses and Harry Potter film screenings.
The events and activities are all part of the Youth Service’s drive to ensure there’s plenty for young people to do during the summer.
Details about these events are available on the Click website at www.clicktodo.co.uk which is a one stop shop for events and activities for young people in the Borough.
This is all part of the Darlington Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership’s (CDRP) Summer Nights campaign, aimed at addressing alcohol-related issues during the summer when incidents of anti-social behaviour can increase.
It is a joint action plan compiled by all of the CDRP agencies, which will see Darlington Council’s youth services, trading standards and Street Scene teams working with the police and health services, to tackle alcohol-related problems during the summer months.
Today Operation StaySafe is in action in the town, when police will make high visibility patrols in areas where young people are known to drink and behave anti-socially.
They will be speaking to any underage drinkers and confiscating alcohol where necessary.
By working together, the agencies involved hope to divert young people away from using alcohol by promoting the other activities available to them.
Bill Dixon, Darlington Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety, said: “The list of activities for young people to take part in this summer is incredible - there is so much to do. I hope as many young people as possible get involved, rather than drinking and causing a nuisance elsewhere in the Borough.”
Inspector Andrea Clayton from Darlington Police said: “Summer Nights isn’t about spoiling anyone’s fun, it’s about encouraging young people to take part in positive activities and reminding grown ups to drink responsibly. We want people to enjoy themselves, but we don’t want their enjoyment to cause misery to others.
“Anyone facing problems with anti-social behaviour, should get in touch so we can address those issues.”
Anyone experiencing problems with anti-social behaviour or who would like more information about the Summer Nights campaign, can contact:
• Anti-social behaviour team (01325) 346831
• Police (non-emergency) 0345 6060 365
• Fire Service (community safety) 0191 332 4222
• Youth Service (01325) 346431
• Street Scene (to report graffiti, fly tipping etc) (01325) 388777

RSS

The following Police priorities have been decided by local people at a PACT (Partnership and Communities Together) meeting.

Priorities for Harrowgate Hill -

The current priorities for your neighbourhood are:

Anti Social Behaviour-Holmwood Grove
Anti-Social Behaviour North Road bus terminus/Longfield Road
Anti Social Behaviour, Harrowgate Farm Estate Tintagel Play Area
Youths littering/drinking alcohol Drinkfield Marsh
Graffiti in rear lanes off Longfield Road

You can have some influence on future policing priorities by attending the next meeting which is -

Tuesday 4th August at 6pm
Longfield School

How you can get involved?
Your neighbourhood policing team regularly hold PACT meetings and PACT drop in sessions to give you the opportunity to have some influence on the policing of your neighbourhood. The purpose of these meetings is:

To talk to your neighbourhood policing team about issues that concern you.
To receive updates from members of your neighbourhood policing team regarding progress made in resolving issues.
To involve all members of your community in improving quality of life in your neighbourhood.
Your next PACT meeting or PACT drop in session will be attended by members of your neighbourhood policing team.

We decided to set up PACT meetings as a direct result of concerns raised by residents at the change of role of the wardens.
We think it is a great opportunity for local people to have direct involvement with the Police and their local councillors. It has only been running for three months but is proving successful and we receive excellent feedback.

RSS

We have received complaints from residents living close to this that the footpath has been strewn with broken glass, waste paper, drinks cans, bottles and bags of dog faeces.
We have contacted Streetscene and agreed the following plan of action to deal with this matter –

1. The path will checked and cleaned by Streetscene at least weekly and more often if required.
2. A bin will be sited on the lamp post that is situated on the pathway.
3. Another rubbish bin will be sited at the Princess entrance to the pathway.
4. The tree trunk situated at the Princess road entrance will cleared of cans and waste and the viability of removing the stump will be explored.
5. The shrubs and trees to the back of Newlyn Drive and to the front of Ketton Avenue will be maintained in August after the bird nesting season is over.

We feel that these actions should resolve this matter and thank Streetscene for responding so quickly and positively to our requests.

RSS

At the recent Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee held on 29th June, 2009 Members received a report on the Childcare Sufficiency Review 2008/09 and the Chair noted from the report that the take up for Tax Credits within Darlington was low.
As such it was suggested that tax credits leaflets be made available to Members for distribution.
If you require Tax Credits Forms, then please ring us on 01325 382276 and we will arrange for you or you can mail us at -

mike.cartwright@darlington.gov.uk
gill.cartwright@darlington.gov.uk

RSS

Compass is the new choice based lettings scheme (CBL) for the Tees Valley sub region. The scheme is made up of the following partner organisations.

Middlesbrough Council
Erimus Housing
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Coast & Country
Hartlepool Borough Council
Housing Hartlepool
Stockton Borough Council
Tristar Homes
Darlington Borough Council

Our aim is to help you find an affordable home in the Tees Valley and to give you more choice in deciding where you would like to live. We will do this by giving you advice about a range of housing options, such as council and registered social landlord rented accommodation, low cost home ownership options and private rented accommodation.

If you want to be considered for housing in any of the local authority areas in the Tees Valley , you will need to register with the scheme by clicking online application form or by requesting a paper application from the partner organisation operating in the area in which you live.

Available properties are advertised on this website and in the Compass newsletter every week. You can find out more about the advertising cycle by clicking how the scheme works.

The Compass website enables you to

Apply on-line to join the Tees Valley common housing register
Search for available homes
Bid for a property
View results of recent lets

Compass goes live on the 9th July. From this date all properties are advertised each week and applicants are able to bid for the properties that are advertised.

For a copy of the application form or for further information on the Compass Scheme please see http://www.darlington.gov.uk - and look for housing services - finding a home in Darlington - Compass Choice Based Lettings Scheme.

RSS

CHILDREN will be consulted for their ideas towards a £30,000 improvement programme at a park.

Bensham Park, in the Harrowgate Hill area of Darlington, has been awarded the money as part of a government programme.

It is one of 22 parks in the town which has shared £1.1m of funding from Play England to develop natural play spaces.

Environmental regeneration charity Groundwork will help to oversee the project to design an area aimed at eight to 13-year-olds.

The ten design principles set by Play England which Groundwork will follow include enhancing the environment, making use of natural elements and providing a range of facilities for children of different ages. The area will also be accessible for disabled children.

Groundwork will consult local residents and children to draw up a design for Bensham Park.

"This is great news that the park is to receive this funding especially as it is aimed the older age range of youngsters 8-13 years old. There is currently nothing provided for children in this age group in this ward, so the news will be welcomed by children and parents alike. With the updating of the Harrowgate Farm play area due in September of this year we will be able to provide up to date play facilities for children of all ages”

RSS

The Council has agreed to move away from the existing Uniformed Warden Service to a more dedicated team to tackle the more persistent instances of anti social behaviour.

The new service will operate as follows:

ASB Manager
Four ASB Officers, which include two existing staff
Four ASB Assistants.

The role of the new team will be to focus on taking action against individuals and supporting witnesses and victims. This will involve, where appropriate, taking individuals to Court and to put in place appropriate interventions.

The four Anti Social Behaviour Assistants will provide support to the ASB Enforcement Officer as well as patrolling hotspot locations and taking initial complaints, which will be coordinated and tasked through the priorities identified through the CDRP.


A highly visible new mobile unit is currently being purchased through external funding from which officers will operate as and when necessary.


It is not the intention to have either the Anti Social Behaviour Officers or the Anti Social Behaviour Assistants riding around town on evenings chasing young people around. In most cases this should be the role of the Police or PCSOs.


Residents can use the existing number 07816 820048 up until 10 pm to contact the Anti Social Behaviour Team. This will be answered by staff within CCTV. The action then taken will be as follows:



? The member of staff will offer the individual the opportunity of an appointment with an Anti Social Behaviour Officer at a time that is convenient to them, whereby the issues can be discussed and appropriate actions/interventions put in place should they be required.



OR

? Use CCTV, if available, in the area the resident is ringing about to monitor the problem and where appropriate, contact the Police to deal with the situation.

RSS

THERE is still time for residents to have their say about the Council?s plan to take over parking enforcement in the Borough.

The Council is applying to the Department of Transport to take over parking enforcement in the Borough in a bid to cut congestion and the nuisance caused by inconsiderate motorists.
If permission is granted for Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) to be introduced in Darlington, the Council will be able to issue fines (called penalty charge notices) to anyone parking illegally.
As part of the application, the Council needs to get residents? views on the way CPE will be run as well as comments on Darlington?s Parking Strategy - the long term plan for parking provision in the Borough over the next ten years.
Both documents can be read on-line at www.darlington.gov.uk/parkingconsultation or a copy can be viewed at the Town Hall and Customer Contact Centre.
The closing date for comments is May 7. All comments will be considered before the final application is submitted.
A summary of comments will be published in the August edition of the Town Crier and the finalised documents will be published on the Council?s website.
Residents can also:
? Write with their comments to Freepost, RRBK-JYEXEHXR, Darlington Borough Council, CPE Public Consultation, Town Hall, DL1 5QT
? E-mail talkingcpe@darlington.gov.uk
? Call (01325) 388799
? Join in the debate via the on-line forum at www.darlington.gov.uk/talkingtogether
David Lyonette, Darlington Council?s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: ?There is still time for people to have their say about the introduction of CPE in Darlington.
?The transfer of powers to the Council will enable us to fine those drivers who park illegally or dangerously and will benefit all responsible road users.
?We want to hear about parking hotspots in the town as well as specific problems residents face whether driving, as a pedestrian or a bus passenger.?

RSS

Come along to Darlington?s South Park to celebrate the local countryside. Representatives include the council?s countryside and recycling team, Friends Of The Earth, Farmers Market producers, The Energy Savings Trust, Fairtrade, Groundwork and Durham Wildlife Trust and Renewable Energy. There will also be advice and information on how to install sustainable energy equipment such as wind turbines and solar panels and utility providers will be on hand to give advice about cutting bills.

WHAT?S ON:

Children?s Fashion Workshop
Create an outfit from recycled material, then show it off in a
mini fashion show from 1 to 3.30.
Chainsaw Sculpture.
Climbing Walls.
Cycling Techniques from 12.30pm, five 30 minutes sessions available.
Walk in the Park 2-3pm
Birds of Prey
Alternative Therapies & Nutrition Stalls
Recycling, Composting & Growing Your Own Food
Plants & Local Produce
Fair Trade Goods
Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation & Climate Change information

Look out for the launch of Darlington?s new wildspaces and parks leaflet, covering the wide selection of highly accessible and attractive nature reserves, wildlife sites and recreational woodlands and parks located right on your doorstep.

For further information on the Green Fair event contact the Events Team on 01325 383099 or visit www.darlington.gov.uk/events

To find out what?s going on in Darlington?s parks and how to get involved contact the Parks & Countryside Section on 01325 388637 or visit www.darlington.gov.uk/countryside

RSS

Within the Local Transport Plan the Council has three budget headings that assist with the development of sustainable travel and transport infrastructure. Those headings are:

Safer routes to school - for the implementation of schemes that aim to make roads safer and provide the infrastructure to make walking and cycling a more popular choice. Schemes include; safer crossings, cycle routes, traffic calming and footway improvements.
20mph zones - to create 20mph zones including traffic calming and signage on local roads surrounding schools.
School Travel Plans - to assist with the development of infrastructure improvements that support specific actions identified by schools through the School Travel Plan process, for example, cycle parking installations, walking/cycling accesses.

Sustainable travel and transport infrastructure improvements are identified via the School Travel Plan process and are implemented according to priority. This priority order is classified according to the potential of individual schemes to impact upon the following criteria:

Travel Safety
Tackling Congestion
Improving Access
Reducing car driver trips
Improving health through increasing levels of sustainable travel

In terms of Longfield School a scheme was considered for Longfield for this financial year but due to cost implications and the complexity of the scheme (requiring variable speed limits) it was postponed. It will however be considered again for the 2009/10 financial year.

RSS

The Easter Plans for the Play Rangers can be found below -

Easter Holiday plans

Monday 6th April
Am ? West Park - 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Eastbourne Park ? 1.00 ? 2.30


Tuesday 7th April
Am ? Eastbourne Park ? 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Mount Plesant children?s Centre ? 1.30 ? 3.00

Wednesday 8th April
Am ? Green Park ? 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Red Hall ? 1.00 ? 2.30

Thursday 9th April
Am ? Bensham - 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? South Park with Youth service ? 3.00 ? 5.00

Tuesday 14th April
Pm ?McNay street children?s centre ? 1.00 ? 3.00

Wednesday 15th April
Am ? Red Hall ? 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Green Park ? 1.00 ? 2.30

Thursday 16th April
Am ? Bushel Hill Park ? 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Albert Hill ? 1.00 ? 2.30
Friday 17th April
Am ? Cockerbeck ? 10.30 - 12.00
Pm ? Bensham ? 1.00 ? 2.30

Follow up after Easter

Green Park ? Monday 20th April - 4.00 ? 5.30
Green Park - Tuesday 21st April - 4.00 ? 5.30

Redhall ? Monday 20th April - 4.00 ? 5.30
Redhall - Wednesday 22nd April - 4.00 ? 5.30

Eastbourne ? Thursday 23rd April - 4.00 ? 5.30
Eastbourne - Friday 24th April - 4.00 ? 5.30

Bensham ? Friday 24th April - 4.00 ? 5.30
Bensham - Saturday 25th April - 10.30 ? 12.00

RSS

Following complaints from residents that the Shrub beds on Mistral Drive had not been maintained. They were overgrown, full of weeds and rubbish.
We made contact with Streetscene who confirmed after some investigation that these beds did belong to the council.
The beds were cleared yesterday by the Streetscene Team and thanks to them for a job well done.
We have requested that these beds be put onto the regular maintenance schedule.
Do you know of any other areas that need tidying up, we have identified three areas in the past eight months that needed attention through contact with residents

RSS

At the meeting of the Environment Forum on Monday night, I congratulated the Countryside Team for the leaflet they have produced detailing all the Marsh areas in the Borough and I was pleased to note that Drinkfield Marsh was on the front of the literature.
I brought up the issue with the team of lack of access for essential wheelchair users onto the Marsh after this issue was raised by several residents. The team assured me that the Marsh will be made accessible to wheelchairs and prams after April this year to meet current legislation.

RSS

Edward is the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Darlington.

Edward Legard was born in Scarborough, is married to Lucy and has three children. He was brought up in Ripon and, in 1984, at the age of 17, he joined the army at Catterick.

Following University, he then spent a further five and a half years serving in the Light Dragoons, a reconnaissance regiment with strong recruiting ties to the North East.

In 1996 he qualified as a lawyer. Edward practises in the north-east working out of the York and Newcastle offices and specialises in employment law where he represents, amongst others, trade unions.

Edward has been a District Councillor for the past 5 years.

Visit the site at Darlington Conservatives

RSS

After residents raised concerns to us about this roundabout, we asked the council to investigate.

An informal stage 4 Safety Audit and observation of traffic conditions has been completed and below are the results.

"I am not sure of the actual reason for the Trevone Way junction being a roundabout but I would imagine that it was installed as a speed reducing feature possibly to enable the 30mph zone to be extended. Cambourne Drive is well within the 30mph zone and would not therefore require the same treatment.

The safety audit raised the following issues.

1. PROBLEM

Westbound motorists overrun the thermoplastic mini-roundabout central island which could lead to conflict with eastbound traffic approaching the give way markings.

COMMENT

The central island is due to be domed in the very near future to a maximum height of 75mm. A domed white circle marking will deter light vehicles from overrunning and improve conspicuity.

Westbound motorists will be more likely to actually negotiate the roundabout rather than not reducing speed and driving straight over the white spot. Motorists exiting Trevone Way will also have to go around the central island rather than 'cutting the corner'.


2. PROBLEM

The existing road markings on Burtree Lane, on each approach to the mini-roundabout, are in need of renewing.

COMMENT

All the thermoplastic road markings on Burtree Lane, including 'SLOW' markings, warning lines, splitter islands, give way lines and give way triangles will be renewed very shortly.

It is important that a mini-roundabout is conspicuous to approaching drivers at all times and the renewal of all road markings will maximise driver awareness and improve lane discipline.


3. PROBLEM

The mini-roundabout is situated over the crest of a convex hill and westbound motorists are at risk of failing to give way because the vertical carriageway alignment restricts forward visibility of the give way markings and central island.

COMMENT

Forward visibility on the out of town (westbound) approach to the roundabout is below the normal minimum requirement of 70m. This reduces the conspicuity of the roundabout. As the mini-roundabout is over a hill and the minimum forward visibility cannot be achieved, care must be taken to ensure that drivers are made aware of the imminent presence of the mini-roundabout, by good signing and road markings.

The existing signing/lining layout appears to be adequate. On all approaches the mini-roundabout signs are clearly visible and illuminated, in addition the mini-roundabout signs on Burtree Lane have a highly conspicuous yellow backing board. Illuminated roundabout ahead warning signs with 'REDUCE SPEED NOW' plates are also present and they are located at the recommended distance away from the junction. The road marking arrangement isn't complicated and although all the road markings are currently in a poor condition this will be addressed shortly.
Buff coloured anti-skid surfacing on the approach and hazard marker posts in the northern verge also increase awareness of the junction.

In summary, the current mini-roundabout arrangement at Trevone Way appears to be operating reasonably well. Whilst it is acknowledged that the geometry of Burtree Lane reduces forward visibility of the roundabout this is counter balanced by enhanced and conspicuous signage and lining, albeit that the lining is in need of a refresh. It is my view that motorists cannot fail to appreciate that they are approaching a mini-roundabout, with all the road safety messages, if they are paying due care and attention"

RSS

It was brought to our attention by a resident that the brickwork to this boundary wall of the sub station was in a poor condition.
As it was close to public footway, any further detoriation could lead to a collapse which could result in injury.
Inspection of the wall and showed there is significant damage to the brickwork pier. The bottom eight courses of brickwork are missing and the mortar joints to the rest of the adjacent brickwork are in poor condition.
This matter has been passed on NEDL for urgent attention.
Thanks to the resident from us and Highways department for alering us to this issue.

RSS

We have received complaints from residents of Maple Road that the grass verges have been damaged as a result of excessive traffic from the refurbishment of the houses.
We spoke with Highways Department today who confirmed that the necessary remedial work will be carried to make the verges good again.

RSS

There is an ongoing issue with the condition of numerous grass verges within the Borough due to vehicles parking upon them and churning up the grass, causing a maintenance liability and/or at very least a visual eyesore.
To this extent a "Grass Verges Review Group" was setup with the intention of trying to tackle this ever increasing problem.
They have produced a priority list for the whole of the Borough, however the ranking on this list can change.
There are two schemes planned for this finiancial year and one of them is Baytree Road in our ward.
Work is planned to commence on 16th March 2009.
If any residents would like drawings or technical advice, please contact us on 01325 382276. We want to make sure that residents are well informed and happy with the proposed scheme.

RSS

The Borough Council will be undertaking footway and carriageway refurbishment works at the above location, the details of which are as follows:-
The Contractor will be : Darlington Borough Council
Community Services
Duration of Works : Estimated 8 weeks
Commencement : 5 January 2009
Normal Working Week : Monday ? Thursday 07:30 ? 15:30 hours;
Friday 07:30 ? 15:15 hours
DBC Site Inspector : Arthur Howson

RSS

What we have achieved on behalf of residents in Harrowgate Hill ward in 2008.

? Highlighted Dog fouling which prompted the council to launch ?the Dish the Dirt Campaign?
? Spoke at planning to give residents views on the Beaumont Hill site plans.
? Campaigned successfully to restore concessionary travel before 9.30am after it was stopped by the council in May, the council were forced to do a u-turn restoring this service in July.
? Campaigned to save the Post Offices that were eventually closed.
? Tackled anti-social behaviour in the ward, working with the Police, Wardens and Anti-social Behaviour Team.
? Consulted with the council and residents on the Harrowgate Farm play area issue.
? Campaigned successfully to restore the bus service to Harrowgate Farm after it was stopped in July.
? Collected a petition from residents after changes to bus services.
? Delivered letters and bus survey forms to residents in the affected Mayfair Road area of the ward to allow feedback to be given to the council about supported bus services.
? Continue to work with the council, Arriva and residents to try to find a solution to the problem of no bus service to Mayfair Road, Laburnum Road and Glebe Road.
? Dealt with numerous grass cutting issues in the summer.
? Passed concerns of safety onto on several junction and traffic issues, including Burtee Lane, junction Alwyn Road to Longfield Road and the junction Lowson Street to North Road.
? Arranged to have the shrub beds on Harrowgate Farm maintained as they had been maintained since the area was adopted by the council.
? Highlighted an area of Holmwood Grove that was overgrown and after a delay was dealt with by Streetscene.
? Arranged ?No Parking? signs to be painted on the entrances to Scotts Terrace.
? Had a positive meeting with Peter Rowley, the Chief Executive of Darlington Building Society as to the future of the former Harrowgate Hill School.
? Liaised with the Anti-social behaviour team to have the car sales outside the old Shell Garage successfully dealt with.
? Raised Stroke awareness in the ward by delivering cards advising of the symptoms of stroke to local businesses.
? Attended a Rave at Longfield School.
? Gill took part in the ?I?m a Councillor? event to promote democracy to young people.
? Regular tours of the ward reporting littering, fly-tipping, grass cutting, potholes, pathway issues etc.
? Work on our committees; go to www.darlington.gov.uk to be able to see the work schedules and achievements of Health Scrutiny (Gill) and Planning (Mike).
? Asked questions at Cabinet and Full Council relating to issues with our ward, see our web site www. Harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk for more information.
? Have dealt with ward casework, i.e. personal issues on behalf on residents.
? Supported charities such as Cancer Research, Dementia, Guide Dogs, The Hospice and The Refuge.
? Our ward surgery is the first Tuesday at Longfield School at 6-7pm, however you do not have to wait until then, please contact us 01325-382276 and we will be pleased to meet with you at a time and place that is convenient to you.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and a very Happy New Year. We will continue to work hard for you in 2009 and are proud of the acheivements we have msde in the ward and the town in 2008.

RSS

We are please to announce that there will be lighting installed to the link footpath between Washbrook Drive and Newlyn Drive in January 2009.
We first contacted the council at the beginning of June about this issue following a complaint from a resident that the area was that dark and he had walked into someone whilst exercising his dog!
Great news for residents on both of the estates.

RSS

LONGFIELD Comprehensive School will be closed for the rest of the week to all pupils who are not taking mock exams, because of a problem with the heating.

It is hoped the school will reopen for all pupils on Monday December 15, although further announcements will be made if this changes.

Mock exams will still take place as arranged. Pupils should attend school for their exam and then return home.

RSS

The following facts and figures have been collected by a group of residents about the change in bus services to the whole of the town. We would encourage anyone who has been affected by these changes to contact Arriva, the council, their ward councillor and Alan Milburn MP.

The following letter has been sent to Ada Burns,Rt Hon Alan Milburn MP, All DBC Councillors, Transport Officers, Transport Forum, Gold Transport Group by residents.

To Darlington Borough Council.

Prior to your making decisions on subsidising bus routes, residents from Harrowgate Hill, Haughton North and North Road area ask you to gather town-wide knowledge of how Arrivas substantial alterations and reductions of bus routes in July 2008 have adversely changed and limited many residents lives. Their needs have still not been met.

The town has not previously seen bus route losses of this magnitude. More than 30% of residents do not have a car and therefore rely on buses We ask that you consider having had YOUR CAR taken away and think of all the ways it would affect YOU.

Whilst some timings and routes have improved in the main, others have diminished and have caused severe disadvantage. People are feeling aggrieved and unheard despite going to meetings, speaking with Council Officers, Councillors, Arriva, the MP etc, little has been done to restore their previously good bus services.

Council Transport and bus policies and strategies are being ignored e.g. 30 minute frequencies are replacing 10 minute frequencies in places, then Sundays and evening are decreasing to hourly.

Following recent complaints, services to Brinkburn, Baydale and Carmel Roads taken away in July have since been re-instated in October. Small changes were reinstated at Harrowgate Farm but for less than half the week which is unacceptable.

The previous 23, 24 and 26 routes were clearly well used and profitable. Yet Arriva, without our proper consultation chose to replace the three routes with the 6A/6B circular route. [The route is often spasmodic and certainly complex - often disorientating passengers who panic as they are being taken in the opposite direction from where they are needing to be.] This has resulted in:

? Reduction [for most of the route] from 10mins to 30 minute intervals
? North Road, from Thompson St to Harrowgate Hill having NO IN-TOWN BUS SERVICE.
? Residents in that part of North Road needing to get four buses to Doctors or Asda and back on what used to be a five minute journey
? The out of town services often run? four together? then none for 20 minutes
? Out of town services are often near capacity leaving standing room only for IN TOWN residents ? young or elderly
? Salters Lane North have no service at all on Mon Tues Wed or Thurs evenings but an hourly Friday and Saturday has been introduced in October
? Early morning buses have been taken off
? No useful evening service
? A journey which used to take 12 minutes [on the 23] can now take a minimum of 20.
? Mayfair, Laburnum and Glebe Roads lost their bus service completely in July which served many elderly people and young families
? Large parts of the 6A/6B route around Haughton are wasted by duplicating other routes eg Whinbush Way, Barmpton Lane, Stockton Road, Salters Lane South, Springwell Terrace, Hutton Avenue and Wylam Avenue
? Experience shows that the journey to town from H Hill on the 6B, apart from rush hour, has some 5 to 13 minutes spare which are now used by waiting in town but was taken up by the bus waiting at stops on route to keep to timetable. Many complaints have been made to Arriva on this subject.
Many more examples could be made of the need to REVIEW the provision of bus services in this area. Suffice to say that Councillors should be concerned.

The cause is Arriva being allowed by Darlington Borough Council Officers to make these initial adverse changes without truly consulting with the users.

The options now seem to be:

? Immediately commence strong post contractual negotiations with Arriva
? Look to other bus operators again rather than let Arriva cherry pick
? Tender for the old 23 route with the smaller buses which can cope with the ?Hail & Ride? system
? Tender for the 24 and 26 routes to be returned to us
? Ensure Council is adhering to its many policies and strategies for equal
accessibility for everybody and minimum service levels in the Network review criteria. and maximum walking distances to bus stops.

We ask that you also take time to note some other Darlington roads which lost daytime bus services in July ?08 (Monday to Saturday to 7pm) and look into how these losses are having to be adjusted to by residents for work, medical appointments, leisure etc.

? Stooperdale Avenue [Bates Ave sth to Prior St on Newton Lane]
? Bates Avenue [Nickstream Lane to Newton Lane]
? Brinkburn Road [West Auckland Road to Pierremont] Re-instated from Oct 08
? Hospital Outpatients Entrance
? Larchfield Street
? Baydale Road Re-instated from Oct 08
? Leith Road
? Carroll Road
? Carmel Road South Re-instated from Oct 08
? Larchfield Street
? North end Morpeth Ave to Salters Lane South
? Burnside Road across and into Fenby Avenue
? Firthmoor Crescent
? Lanethorpe Road
? North Geneva Road [Yarm Road to Lanethorpe Crescent]
? Mayfair Road
? Laburnum Road
? Glebe Road
? Part Longfield Road [North Road to Alwyn Road]
? Camborne Drive partially reinstated Oct ?08 temporary trial
? Trevone Way ? ? ? ?
? Burtree Lane ? ? ? ?
? North Road [Thompson Street to Harrowgate Hill]
? Carmel Road North Lost again between July and Oct 08
? Staindrop Rd to Mowden Hall Drive [small stretch]
? Clifton Road [small loop]

Extra to this list are the numerous other losses on evening and Sunday routes.


Please RETHINK and REVIEW and REINSTATE


Copies to: Ada Burns, Rt Hon Alan Milburn MP, All DBC Councillors, Transport Officers, Transport Forum, Gold Transport Gro

RSS

We can confirm that at the end of November there will be NO PARKING signs painted on road at the entrances to Scotts Terrace. This was at the request of residents.

Gill had a meeting with Darlington Building Society's chief executive, Peter Rowley, to discuss the future of a site to be developed by its subsidiary company Darlington Homes.
The site, at the former Harrowgate Hill School in Darlington, was bought by Darlington Homes from Darlington Borough Council after a competitive tender and planning permission was granted to develop 32 apartments.
Local councillors from the three main parties accepted Mr Rowley's invitation to brief him on the concerns local residents have expressed about the security of the site.
Following the meeting Peter Rowley said: "This was a very constructive meeting. The councillors told me about the way the site is being abused by local youths trespassing, using the site as a congregation point and creating a litter problem. I explained the problems we are having with theft, trespass and vandalism and the costly prevention measures we have implemented, including regular security patrols.
"The development is a victim of the current downturn in the economy and Darlington Homes intends to work with its architects to look again at how the site might be made more secure in the short term. We will also consult with planning authorities to consider how the scheme might be altered to accelerate the pace of development by providing homes that are more relevant in the new economic circumstances.
"All the councillors engaged positively with Darlington Homes and together we explored the many potential long term solutions. We will now reappraise our plans and work with the local authority to try and solve the problems which have concerned both our subsidiary company and local residents to mutual benefit."

We are pleased that residents of Harrowgate Farm are pleased with the new bus service and thanks for all the mails we have received. We will continue to fight to have a bus service restored to Mayfair Road/Laburnam Road and Glebe Road. The other good news is Town Halls will be able to take control of local bus services.

The Government has agreed councils can:

- Take on London-style powers to set routes and fares, rather than a Government appointed three-person panel;

- Control routes and fares where there is a clear public interest, rather than having to prove it is the "only practicable way" to improve bus services;

- Automatically become the "operator of last resort" if a bus company goes into liquidation ? or walks away from an area where the town hall is trying to take control.

So the coming weeks will demonstrate the effect this is going to have on Darlington bus services.
We will keep residents updated.

RSS

The first event will commence at 4.30pm on Thursday, 6th November 2008 in Central Hall at the Dolphin Centre. The event is being held to provide members of the public with the opportunity to learn more about cycling in Darlington, put questions to a panel of experts and have an input into a code of conduct for cyclists.

The second and third 'Talking Together' events take place on Thursday, 20th November 2008 in the Sports Hall at the Dolphin Centre. The first of these events has been arranged by GOLD, and aims to identify transport issues faced by older people and disabled people. The event will consider all aspects of transport including walking, cycling, taxis, buses and trains. This event will commence at 2pm, and conclude at 5pm.

The second event on Thursday, 20th November 2008 will commence at 5pm, and will be centred around the Supported Bus Services. This event will provide the opportunity to feedback previous consultation, and facilitate discussion to meet the identified needs. This event will close at 6.45pm.

Sadly, our request to provide transport for elderly residents of Mayfair/Laburnam/Glebe Road with transport to the event on 20th November to discuss supported bus services was denied.Seems ironic that a bus service to discuss lack of bus services could not be provided.

RSS

Message from the Ambulance Service
>
> We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its
> memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the
> people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to
> call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the
> contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of
> Emergency) Campaign.
>
> The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact
> during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the
> majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a
> contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under
> the name 'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a
> paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there
> were always mobile phones with patients but they didn't know which
> number to call.
>
> He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a
> nationally recognised name for this purpose.
>
> In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital
> Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply
> dialing the number you have stored as 'ICE'. Please forward this.
> It won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about
> this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.
>
>
> For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and
> ICE3 etc
PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AS THIS CAN HELP IN AN EMERGENCY

RSS

We have received an update from the council -

"A survey of the Lowson Street junction at 5pm has now been undertaken.

During the 20 minute period the following observations were found :-

On numerous occasions motorists blocked the entrance to Lowson St.

Of the six vehicles that turned into Lowson St from North Road, five parked up within five metres of the junction to enter the shop.

Only one of five vehicles turning right from Lowson St into North Road had to wait for a gap to appear before they could complete their manoeuvre.

Clearly, there is an issue with motorists queuing on the A167 and blocking the junction and a 'KEEP CLEAR' marking across the junction should be incorporated in the future scheme I mentioned.

No other safety issues were observed, however, another part of the future scheme could be the inclusion of a build out south of the junction as previously discussed. This will improve visibility for motorists exiting Lowson Street.

I will make Major Projects aware of my comments for inclusion in the final design".

RSS

A resident has expressed concern re road safety and access at the junction of Lowson Street and North Road, particulary during rush hour periods.
Here is the response from the Highways Safety Officer-
"Thank you for raising the issue at Lowson Street and I will survey the junction one night at 5pm as requested.
I had a quick look during the day yesterday and I must admit that the visibility to the right exiting the junction is not good.
Parked vehicles on the A167 south of the junction were affecting the visibility and I feel that something could be introduced to alleviate this problem.
However, there hasn't been a personal injury accident at this junction in the last five years.

I am also aware that Major Projects downstairs have a scheme in the pipeline to improve the junction and to convert the existing pelican crossing to a toucan crossing.
This scheme is still at the initial stages so I am sure that additional safety measures could be included if deemed necessary.

I will contact you again after the survey to let you know the best way forward"

RSS

The Council are reviewing supported bus services in Darlington, supported bus services are paid for by the Council and cater for travel needs not currently being served by the commercial network, for example; early morning and late night services and also some buses serving areas of low demand; collectively these are known as supported services. A list of these services can be found on-line at:

dothelocalmotion@darlington.gov.uk

As part of the review the council have designed a questionnaire, which will enable local people to give us their feedback about which of the supported services are still required and also to allow them to highlight any needs that are not currently being met.

The questionnaires will be available from the Town Hall, the Tourist Information Centre, and also on-line and will be available until 17 October.

26th October 2008 Changes

The following services will change from the above date :-

6a/b This service will divert into Harrowgate Farm and restore the link to Camborne Drive and Trevone Way. An evening service will operate on this route on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and they will also operate a Sunday & Bank Holiday daytime service. These changes have been made without subsidy. It is hoped that these services will be used by the customers who have suggested they are needed.
Arriva did not feel that adding a Monday to Thursday evening service would have covered its costs of operation. This will solve the issue of no daytime service to Harrowgate Farm and restore an evening service from Whinbush/Springfield to North Road.

However, the routes to Mayfair and Glebe Roads has not been restored.

We would encourage those affected residents to fill in one of these forms. Please contact us on 01325 382276 if you would like us to deliver a form to you.

RSS

We have been contacted by residents concerned about safety at the above junction due to the number of buses traveling along Alwyn Road (4 every hour since the routes changed). We asked the council to assess the situation and received the following response from the Traffic and Road Safety Officer -

"I have had a look at your concerns regarding the safety of the above junction, and would like to make the following points.

In the last five years there have been two recorded SLIGHT personal injury accidents;
- Car travelling SW ran into rear of car waiting to turn right into Alwyn Road
- Car travelling NE collided with car turning right out of Alwyn Road on nearside

Although two accidents are two too many, realistically these figures and these type of accidents are not deemed enough to warrant remedial measures. For this type of road, low numbers of turning accidents are to be generally expected and are usually nothing to do with the road itself.

At the junction, I didn't note any potential safety issues and I watched a bus use the junction slowly and safely. I am confident that the additional buses using Alwyn Road are not making the junction any unsafer. I can also confirm that the bus drivers themselves have not reported any problems.

I appreciate that I was only there for a short time but I can only judge on what I see and I saw nothing to raise immediate concern. I did notice that the layout of the junction markings, together with the lack of a physical build out on the western side of the junction, was a non-standard design, but I wouldn't say it was unsafe. I also thought the lining on the approach to the junction was satisfactory.

I am satisfied that suitable road safety measures are in place at this location.

However, I can make you aware that the whole length of Longfield Road is to be reviewed shortly as part of a Safer Routes to School scheme, and additional safety measures will be discussed and implemented if required. The Alwyn Road junction will be included in this review and could be altered to accommodate proposed measures.

Many thanks for raising this issue and I can assure you that I will continue to monitor the junction for accident growth"

Many thanks to residents for raising this concern and thanks to the council for a prompt response.

RSS

Up until the end of September 2008, there was a national agreement whereby the old-style concessionary pass (issued prior to April 2008) could be used within the issuing local authority area.

Passengers are being advised to check that they have the new-style, national travel pass, which was introduced in April and is white with a red rose in the top left corner, as soon as possible.

From October 1 bus drivers will no longer accept old-style passes. The pass will be withdrawn and returned to Darlington Borough Council who will then issue the resident with a new style pass. The passenger will need to pay the necessary adult fare for their journeys until they receive their new pass.

People trying to use old-style passes from October will not be refused travel if they can't pay for their journey but drivers will be instructed to take names and addresses so that bus companies can recover the fares.

RSS

Refuse collection days will change for around a third of Darlington residents from Monday October 13th. The changes are being made to improve the efficiency of waste collection by matching collection routes to Street Scene areas. This will mean Street Scene teams, already familiar with a specific area of the Borough, will carry out all the household waste services in their area.

Around 35 per cent of houses will be affected by the changes and will get a new refuse collection day, a further 15 per cent of houses will have their recycling week changed. All residents affected by the changes will receive a leaflet detailing their new collection day and/or new recycling week. Residents who do not get a leaflet should continue to put out their refuse on their normal day.

All refuse should be placed out at 7:30am as some collections, although on the same day, will take place at different times in order to incorporate them in the new rounds.

Every effort has been given to ensure the smooth transition from the old rounds to the new rounds with publicity being sought via the media, website, Town Crier, and radio stations along with those leaflets hand delivered to all affected properties (leaflet distribution is to commence Monday 29 September). Back up facilities will also be in place during the initial settling in period and the Wardens are to issue no fixed penalty notices to households for placing refuse out on the wrong day until the new system is bedded in.

Please contact us if you need further information as we have lists of all the changes that affects our ward.

RSS

Bellway Homes Ltd had prepared scheme proposals and undertaken public consultations in July 2008. However, regrettably due to the downtown in market conditions, the viability of the proposed scheme has altered to such an extent that it is considered no longer in the Council?s best interest to continue with the proposed disposal. Accordingly, Bellway Homes Ltd have been informed and the Council?s position is being reviewed.

RSS

Harrowgate Hill Working Men?s Club claims takings have gone down because changes to bus services have made it so difficult for members to get there and back.

Read the full story here
club blames bus timetable for ?1000 per week losses

RSS

In 2005 a comprehensive rat-run survey was undertaken to establish movements in the Alwyn Road area. People were positioned at 12 locations who recorded number plates passing their station. From this data it was possible to work out where drivers started and finished their journeys and to distinguish local residents movements from out of town people who were using the residential streets as a rat-run rather than take their turn at the signals.

In 2007, a simpler survey was carried out to investigate residents concerns about speeding along Alwyn Road.This survery was requested by us as a result of concerns raised by residents.

We have the results of both of these surveys, should anyone wish to view them. However, at first glance they did look incomprehensible. So we decided to simplify the process and ask the officer involved to summarise the information to address the following questions, raising residents concerns -

Q1. Are vehicles exceeding the speed limit?
Answer. No. The speed surveys observed approx 1550 vehicles each day. The average speed observed by 85% of vehicles was approx 20 mph. The highest speed bracket (29-32 mph) was recorded 18 times in a total of 20,000 vehicles. No speeds above 32 mph were recorded.


2. Is Alwyn Road being used as a rat run?
Answer. No. On the day of the survey, 694 trips were observed. If rat-runners are defined as drivers who leave a major road to pass through a quiet residential street to access another major road rather than us the major road junction, those who go between Burtree Lane and Longfield Road/Bowman Street would fit this description. The survey shows this happening 16 times which represents only 2.3%.

3. Are the vehicles using the road local?
Answer. Yes. This question is the opposite of Q2. 678 trips are made by people either going to or departing from Trevone, Falmouth, Newquay, Marazion, Newlyn, Cambourne, Princess, Kent, Ketton, Marina, Alwyn, Melrose, Kirkfield and Washbrook, together representing 97.7% of all trips.

RSS

In light of today's Northern Echo article concerning the former Harrowgate Hill school building in Thompson Street East, we have today spoken to a representitive of Darlington Building Society Chief Executive, Peter Rowley with a view to setting up a meeting with all three Harrowgate Hill ward councillors to discuss the current situation with the site.

This is clearly an important issue for residents in Harrowgate Hill as we have received comments from many concerned residents. As a result of these comments, we have worked with Darlington Borough Councils anti-social behaviour team and the Police to address issues as they have arisen on the site.

We look forward to a positive meeting with Mr Rowley as we are sure Darlington Building Society is a community-focused organisation, dedicated to looking after the local interests of the people of County Durham, North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley.

RSS

It was brought to our attention at our last ward surgery that the flower and shrub beds on Harrowgate Farm had not been receiving any maintenance since the land was adopted by the council.
We investigated this matter and found them to be overgrown and containing a lot of weeds.
We contacted Streetscene and they have arranged to prune the shrubs as part of their Winter pruning schedule.
They have agreed that within the next two weeks they will arrange to have the weeds in the beds strimmed and poisoned to tidy them up. This process will be repeated at the same time as the shrubs are pruned at the end of the year.

RSS

Bus operator Arriva has agreed to increase services to Harrowgate Hill Ward.
Arriva has agreed to extend the 6A and 6B bus routes.
Between Friday and Sunday, it will run an hourly service on the 6A and 6B routes through the day and in the evening.
Daytime services will take in Burtree Lane, Trevone Way and Camborne Drive.
Mayfair Road and Glebe Road will still be missed by the service, because Arriva has expressed concerns about acccess to the roads.
The changes will come into force on Sunday October 26.
Our response to this is that we feel that it is a move in the right direction but it does not meet the needs of all residents. We will continue to encourage the council to put proposals before the Cabinet to subsidise routes to all the affected areas or provide alternative arrangements.

RSS

Following enquiries from residents living on Harrowgate Farm estate, as to the work that is being carried out in the marsh area. We contacted the council and received the following information.

?The site in question is the subject of a number of permissions dating back to the 1960's for various forms of industrial development including tipping.

More recently about 5 years ago the Owner of the site, approached the council seeking to operate a waste transfer station from the site. It was explained at the time that no permission existed on the site and that planning permission would be required. In addition to this the site would have to be registered for a licence with the Environment Agency. No further development took place as a result of this advice.

Within the last few weeks the council have been approached by a person wishing to implement a planning permission dating back to the late 1960's which related to the levelling of the site to accommodate industrial development.[ A further application would be required to permit any building on the site.] However there is some evidence that a permission to level the site may exist. This person has agreed to supply the council with a plan to enable us to agree the levels throughout the site.

Other related issues at the site involve the protection of wildlife in and adjacent to the local pond and nature reserve. We have contacted the Police [Wildlife protection] unit to make an assessment. They have visited the site and consider that there is no evidence to substantiate that there has been any damage to wildlife or any other protected species that would result in a criminal offence.

Finally the developer is maintaining that he is operating under an Environment Agency exemption licence to undertake the work. They are currently investigating this issue.

As you will appreciate the matter is rather complex. I am satisfied however that in planning terms the matter does not at this stage justify any enforcement action, although we are monitoring the situation. I am in contact with the Environment Agency with regard to their position in terms of their enforcement position regarding the Environment Agency licence?

RSS

Concerns have been raised by residents of Harrowgate Farm as to the traffic flow along Burtree Lane, in particular Heavy Goods Vehicles. Issues raised were the noise and vibrations caused by their weight and it is felt that this is inappropriate for an area that is residential. On occassions lorries have been observed travelling above the 30mph speed limit and fears have been raised that the consequences of a crash would be very serious for a household.

We sent these concerns to our highways department and received a very speedy response to the issue for which we thank those officers involved.

"I appreciate the comments about the traffic flow on Burtree Lane, but I am sure in the coming months there will be a noticeable difference in numbers and the classification of vehicles using the road.

It is our intention to permanently close Burtree Lane crossover in the not to distant future, to address an accident problem, and I am certain that this measure will reduce the traffic flow on Burtree Lane.
Northbound A68 traffic wishing to turn right into Burtree Lane will have to travel north via Swan House Roundabout and this could encourage motorists to seek an alternative route.
As part of a local safety scheme, we have also recently removed destinations on the Burtree Lane leg of the advance signs on the A68 southbound and we have also removed an old 'A66 Teesside' flag direction sign, outside Burtree Caravans, to discourage the use of Burtree Lane as a short cut to non-regular users.

I don't believe a weight restriction on this road is necessary or suitable and if the road were to be 'closed off to all HGV's', this will obviously stop all large servicing vehicles from entering the estate, which is obviously out of the question. I would also need to consult Durham Constabulary on this matter and it is highly unlikely that the Police would support such a proposal here.

Turning now to the speeding issue, I will arrange for a seven day speed survey to be undertaken as soon as possible, and should the speeds be excessive I will contact Durham Constabulary to ask to have the 30mph speed limit enforced. I will forward the results of the survey to you.

Thank you for raising this issue"

We will publish the results of the survey on our web site.

RSS

We have received numerous complaints that the grass in the ward has not been cut for 5-6 weeks. We have investigated this matter on your behalf and have a response from the council.
"extreme inclement weather of late which has led to the cancellation of grass cutting on numerous occasions over the last few weeks. Combined with warm temperatures, this has resulted in grass being longer than usual and, upon those days when we can commence cutting, this long grass exacerbates the problem slowing crews down further. Rest assured, that as soon as the weather breaks, we will have all available resources dedicated to the service and we hope to 'catch up' at the earliest opportunity"
Hope this helps to keep you all informed.

RSS

As reported in todays Northern Echo, Labour Councillor Nick Wallis has once again attacked our efforts to represent the people of Harrowgate Hill.
Via his blog, he accused us of "courting publicity" and blasts us for simply requesting that the council at least investigate alternatives to simply scrapping the bus routes in the ward.

Perhaps Cllr Wallis has a short memory and needs reminding that the report issued to the Labour 'Cabinet' back in April noted that five areas of the town would be adversely affected by the [apparently] commercial decision by Arriva, to change the bus routes. A recommendation was made in the report that the council should consider subsidising routes to service these affected areas. The fact that the 5 wards would be so adversely affected by Arriva?s decision seems to have escaped the hapless Cllr Wallis and indeed his colleagues, otherwise one would assume they would have addressed this issue earlier with council officers, Arriva and indeed our ever absent town Labour MP Alan Milburn.

The biggest question for us, is given that Wallis and his colleagues where aware of Arriva?s plans to change the routes, why did they simply "note" the changes and not challenge the decision. Surely that would have been the sensible, proactive action of a responsible controlling group. But as usual, as with the "free pensioner travel before 9.30am" debacle, they respond with too little too late. Only now do they decide to challenge Arriva and indeed lobby MP (Missing Person?) Alan Milburn, after a public outcry.
In the meantime, whilst the Labour group once again attempt to deflect blame for this bad decision, the residents of Harrowgate Hill and indeed the other 4 wards in the town continue to suffer. We would suggest that Cllr Wallis and his colleagues spend more time helping the residents of Darlington as opposed to trying to cover up bad decisions by attacking opposition Councillors.

Surely this is another excellent example of the "listening council", suffering from deafness.

Related Articles:-
"Bus Service Changes"

RSS

From 20th July Harrowgate Hill will no longer have a 23 or 26 services but will be replaced by the 6a and 6b.

The new service, the 6a+b will operate from the Town Centre to Whinfield via North Road Morrisons, Rise Carr, Harrowgate Farm and Springfield with effect from 20 July 2008 and will operate every 15 minutes during the day.

6A will start in the town centre at Prebend Row, travel up Northgate and turn left into Westmoreland Street, on to Whessoe Road and up Longfield Road - then up Alwyn Road to Burtree Lane and back down North Road from the White Horse - turning off down Salters Lane North, up in to Whinbush Way - down Brampton Lane over the roundabout and on to Stockton Road (Haughton Green) - then on to Hutton Avenue, Springfield Road, on to Thompson Street East and then Back down North Road to the Town centre.

6B will start in the town centre at Prebend Row, travel up Northgate... all the way up North Road and then follow the same route - in reverse to the 6A.

There's no stop along North Road from Thompson Street West/East to Salters Lane North... so if you live at the top of North Road (Premier shop end) travelling from the town centre your best option would be the 6A. And if you live the other end of North Road (within Harrowgate Hill) your best option would be the 6B.

Aditionally; on Evenings and Sundays the 6A will venture into Harrowgate Farm and back out again... in a circular fashion. But will not travel up Mayfair Road, along Laburnum Road, down Glebe Road

We have no need to ask what you think about this we have been inundated with calls, mails and personal visits.

You have told us the problems that is going to cause residents and we agree with all the comments you have made.

Please keep the contact coming, we are currently in discussion with various sources and collating information. We will contact you all again when we have some news.

RSS

Leader of Darlington Borough Council, John Williams has finally given into pressure and decided to reinstate pre-9.30am bus travel for pensioners and other concessionary users.

The original decision by the Labour Leader of Darlington Council, John Williams to scrap pre-9.30am bus travel was reckless and had a significant adverse affect on some of the most vulnerible people in our town.

When petitions were gathered and sent to John Williams back in February, clearly demonstrating the strength of feeling against the scrapping of the free pre-9.30 travel for pensioners, we genuinely thought John might see sense and reconsider the decision. Sadly this was somewhat unrealistically optimistic on our part! (Northern Echo article)

When we wrote to John in March to ask him to reconsider his decision to scrap early morning travel, he categorically stated that "the policy will not be changed" (Northern Echo article). Worse yet, he would not even revisit this important issue in cabinet.

When we contacted John again in April to bring to his attention some of the adverse effects his decision had upon local charities, he once again refused to reconsider the decision (Northern Echo article).

Clearly though, ahead of the protest which had apparently been organised for next week, John finally relented and has decided to do the right thing.

The "listening council"? We think not.

*** Bus Pass Campaign Related links ***

Bus Fares to Rise

Bus Pass U-Turn?

Bus Pass update

Bus Pass scrapping affects charities

Council Leader John Williams says "No"!

Petition to save early bus passes

Gill's Blog regarding Bus Pass fiasco - Email the Prime Minister!

RSS

A demonstration took place on Monday (9th July) to raise awareness of the direct negative effect the closure of Post Office's has on local communities.

Pierremont Conservative Councillor Kate Davies was joined by members of the public who will find themselves most affected if the Hopetown Post Office cannot be saved.

The protest march walked from Hopetown Post Office along to the next nearest Post Office branch on Albert Hill, where unfortunately the reception was less than welcoming.

The journey from Hopetown to Albert Hill was also far from easy, particuarly for those less mobile. Drop curbs for the wheel chairs and mobility scooters were few and far between.

Kate said "the overall experience demonstrated the journey from Hopetown to Albert Hill was unreasonable for many residents and would not be an option,clearly the Post Office managers had not done their homework properly."

Congratulations to all involved in this protest. It clearly highlighted some of the direct effects Post Office closures can have on a community and we (as a Council) should do everything within our power to keep Hopetown Post Office open.

Related Articles:-

Hope for Post Office

Hope for our Post Offices

RSS

An agreement has been reached with the three original developers of Harrowgate Farm to provide a financial contribution towards new play equipment on Harrowgate Farm.

This contribution is likely to be in the region of ?45,000 and could be used to re-provide play provision within the vicinity of the existing site.

Obviously we cautiously welcome the news that at last progress is being made regarding the play equipment. After receiving conflicting reports from various sources, I?m sure residents in the area will finally welcome more accurate information.

However, we are still somewhat concerned that to date we have not had sight of any information giving a firm reason as to why the play equipment needs to be removed/relocated in the first place. So far vague suggestions have been made concerning the state of the ground beneath the equipment, but as yet no evidence has been provided, despite this being requested several times.

We shall once again be contacting Council officers in order to obtain a copy of the information used by officers to determine that the play equipment actually needs to be removed. We would assume that an engineers reports or such like would have been commissioned and will presumably be used by officers as evidence to support the case for removing the equipment. We would also expect that this report was in existence prior to the decision being taken to remove the equipment and not generated afterwards as an after thought to support a bad decision.

RSS

As we all know the cost of fuel is continuing to rise and there appears to be no immediate prospect of it reducing significantly in the short term. As a result of this, Arriva has announced that it is increasing the price of it's single tickets from Saturday 14 June.

Darlington Borough will be affected as follows:
Fares currently 90 pence will be 95 pence
Fares currently ?1.20 will be ?1.25 (unless they increased from ?1.10 to ?1.20 under the fares restructuring 30 March 2008)

Mike Cartwright (Harrowgate Hill Ward Councillor) said

"As a motorist I have seen my own fuel costs increase significantly under this Labour Government, so it comes as no surprise that the public transport providers are feeling the pinch"

"Unfortunately though I fear this latest announcement may affect once again some of the most vulnerable people in our society ? the elderly. Having already lost their free early morning bus travel, this is yet another blow for any pensioners"

"Just this morning, we received a telephone call from one of our residents to say that a recent 8.00am GP appointment had cost him ?5 in bus fares from his already stretched pension. With the rising cost of food and this new price increase in bus travel we are likely to witness our elderly residents suffer even more hardship."

"So much for John Williams recent announcement and promise to ?negotiate? with Arriva to try to arrange a discount for our pensioners. Perhaps his time would be better spent contacting his Labour colleague Gordon Brown and ?negotiating? a reduction in fuel duty and funding for free pensioner bus travel"


Gill Cartwright (Harrowgate Hill Ward Councillor) said

"It would be wrong to blame Arriva for this latest increase. With ever increasing costs, they clearly have no choice but to put up the cost of fares. In my opinion the blame should be laid firmly at the door of Number 10 Downing Street and it?s current occupant Gordon Brown for allowing this countries economy to spiral out of control."

"It is also time that the Labour controlled Council in Darlington acknowledges the bad decision it has made in withdrawing free early morning bus travel from pensioners and finally listen to the people of this town as opposed to just paying lip service"

Related links:-

Bus Pass U-Turn?

Bus Pass update

Bus Pass scrapping affects charities

Council Leader John Williams says "No"!

Petition to save early bus passes

Gill's Blog regarding Bus Pass fiasco - Email the Prime Minister!

RSS

As announced in today's Northern Echo, Council Leader John Williams has finally agreed that pensioners should not be expected to pay full price fares to travel on the buses in Darlington before 9.30am.

He has agreed to "talk" to bus company Arriva in an attempt to negotiate a reduced price for early morning concessionary users. Although this is obviously a positive step forward (especially considering Cllr Williams has already said previously he wouldn?t revisit this issue), it is still far from satisfactory.

Pensioners in all of the other Local Authorities in the North East can travel at any time for no charge on the regions buses. Darlington is the only Town in the North East to charge pensioners to use the buses before to 9.30am.

In an attempt to justify the scrapping of free early morning bus travel for pensioners, Cllr Williams has suggested that financial savings can be made by scrapping free pre-9.30am travel for pensioners. In the same Northern Echo article Williams also claims that pensioners affected ?have the option of travelling after 9.30?. You don?t have to be a mathematician to calculate that this situation obviously results in no savings!

Related links:-


Bus Pass update

Bus Pass scrapping affects charities

Council Leader John Williams says "No"!

Petition to save early bus passes

Gill's Blog regarding Bus Pass fiasco - Email the Prime Minister!

RSS

Good news. Princess Road footpath is to be refurbished. We have received complaints from residents as to the condition.

Princess Road, Darlington (Nos 9 ? 31 and 30 ? 54)

The Borough Council will be undertaking footway refurbishment works at the above location, the details of which are as follows:-

The Contractor will be : Darlington Borough Council
Community Services Duration of Works : 3 weeks
Commencement : Week commencing 27 May 2008
Normal Working Week : Monday - Thursday 07:30 ? 15:30 hours;
Friday 07:30 ? 15:15 hours
Residents have received letters from the council detailing the above work.

RSS

Please Note:

An agreement has been made with bus operators that old concessionary passes (pre April 2008) can be used throughout the NORTH EAST (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, Tees Valley, Darlington) until the end of May 2008.

Old Darlington passes can still be used for travel within Darlington Borough until the end of September 2008.

If you have problems using your old pass please contact our Customer Services Department on 01325 388799 giving full details of the journey (time/date/bus service number).

RSS

Leader denies claims that bus pass move will harm charities

Echo story

RSS

RESIDENTS are being encouraged to find out more about the countryside on their doorstep and how they can go green.

The annual Green Fair will take place in South Park on Sunday April 27 from noon until 4pm.

There will be information available on a range of environmental issues and advice on how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

Representatives from the Council?s Countryside and Recycling Team will be there alongside Friends of the Earth, The Ramblers Association, Darlington Wildlife Group and the Energy Savings Trust.

Young visitors to the fair will be invited to take part in arts and crafts activities including making recycled jewellery and mini beasts, as well having the opportunity to plant some seeds.

There will be a chance for parents to join the Council?s real nappy incentive scheme and enter a prize draw to win a real nappy starter park.

Darlington Libraries will also be at the event promoting ?Beyond the Deepwoods? by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell as part of this year?s One Book for Darlington scheme.

RSS

Tesco, the supermarket giant pledged to sell the run-down former Shell filling station at Harrowgate Hill after three bids to open a new store were rejected by planners following complaints from local residents.
They have warned that the land may take time to sell Tesco warning on derelict site

RSS

By Paul Cook from The Northern Echo 8th April.

Two councillors have demanded more play areas be opened in an expanding area of the town.

Husband and wife Mike and Gill Cartwright, who represent the Harrowgate Hill ward in Darlington, have claimed there is not enough provision for youngsters in the area.

They said soon there will be only one play area in the suburb even though planning permission has been given for another 101 homes and 27 apartments on the site of the former Beaumont School.

The couple said plans were being put forward to close a park at Harrowgate Farm because of anti-social behaviour.

The park was fenced off earlier this year following complaints from residents about the anti-social behaviour.

Coun Mike Cartwright said: "We have approached the council to explore the possibility of using CCTV, fencing and lighting to provide extra security for the site, although at the moment residents tell us that anti-social behaviour is not a current problem.

"This would allow the residents with young children to continue to enjoy the play facilities and would provide reassurance to those residents who have previously suffered with anti-social behaviour problems."

Last week plans for the redevelopment of the Beaumont School site were approved by the councils planning committee.

Coun Gill Cartwright told the meeting that residents had called for a play area to be built for local children.

She was also upset that money paid by the developer to provide local services will also go into a central pot rather than the ward.

She said: "If this play equipment is removed then, the whole play provision for the ward of 2,500 houses where a high number of children reside, will be at Bensham Park.

"This does not meet with the council's aspirations for the provision of play equipment as per the open spaces strategy."

The open strategy, which runs from 2006 to 2016 seeks to provide one play site for every 450 children and be within 10 minutes walk for the majority of children.

A council spokesman confirmed the council was considering a proposal to the planning committee to remove the play equipment because of problems with the condition and suitability of the site and not because of anti-social behaviour. Residents would be able to add their input at a planning meeting.

The spokesman added: "We are aiming to fulfil the open spaces strategy and if the opportunity arises for more play equipment in this area we will discuss it with residents."

RSS

Darling will have to undo the damage done by Brown to low-earners

From The Times April 7th

Gordon Brown is rapidly becoming a man haunted by himself. It is increasingly clear that his electoral success or failure as Prime Minister will be determined by his record and actions as Chancellor of the Exchequer. His claim to have left behind an economy of exceptional strength by international standards will be severely tested as the ?credit crunch? ceases to be something complicated happening over there in the American mortgage market and starts hitting would-be first-time buyers over here. In a similar vein, the decisions which he made on taxation and spending are now coming under the spotlight.

In his last Budget 13 months ago, Mr Brown introduced a significant change in the income tax system. He cut the standard rate from 22 pence in the pound to 20 pence, a shift which led him to declare proudly that it had fallen to its lowest level in 70 years. His apparent charity to the country was, though, only possible because he was abolishing a lower 10 pence band of income tax which he himself had created with considerable fanfare a decade earlier. Although the net effect was still a (modest) overall reduction in the income tax burden, Mr Brown had engaged in the classic exercise of robbing Peter in order to pay Paul.

Except in this instance Peter was notably poorer than Paul to start with. As this change starts to register in pay packets, Labour MPs sense an anger among these voters. It is utterly perverse for a Labour Government to have reduced the living standards of the hard-working poor in order to offer a little more comfort to those on higher incomes. Although Mr Brown and his successor, Alistair Darling, insist that there are other means, notably the tax credit process, by which those who have lost out could be compensated, this is not cutting the mustard with their colleagues. Many Labour MPs have the common sense to appreciate that PAYE - and any loss through it - is extremely simple to understand, whereas the tax credit structure which Mr Brown has devised is immensely complicated. In the real world, many taxpayers will not claim the money that they might be due.

The timing of this is awful. It will occur at a moment when the prices of many ordinary goods are accelerating and fears of an increase in unemployment are escalating too. It is exactly the wrong time for the Treasury to be raiding purses and wallets in this manner. But the blunt truth is that, in the short term at least, there is not a lot that Mr Darling can do to make the situation better.

Mr Darling's one chance to tweak income tax again in a way that would have directly assisted those about to be hurt was in his Budget last month, and for inexplicable reasons he did not choose to do so. He will not have another opportunity until the Pre-Budget Report in November or December. The best that Labour MPs can achieve now is vociferous lobbying for belated action at that date.

The broader lesson from this saga is this. If a policy proposal looks like it is too clever by half, then it probably is. If Mr Brown really wanted to cut income tax so that absolutely everyone benefited - which would indeed have been desirable - then he should have sought to balance the cost by new restraints on spending, not by offsetting it with a rise elsewhere. As it stands, having wanted to be seen as some kind of Robin Hood, he is about to be viewed as a new Sheriff of Nottingham.

RSS

Many of you have contacted us as you have read in the Echo that an application has been submitted for the removal of the play equipment and residents were invited to make comments to the planning department

We can confirm that the adoption of the play area land (not the equipment) is anticipated to be completed in approx 2 weeks time,subject to their solicitors responding.

Then, a planning application could be submitted by the council for the removal of the equipment after the adoption. Residents will will then be sent a letter from THE COUNCIL (once an application has been submitted) asking them for their comments

We would welcome comments and suggestions from residents in order that we can represent your views to the council in full as we have done throughout this consultation process.
Our number is 01325 382276.

RSS

Written by Steve Doughty

Pay as you throw: The more waste you put out to be collected, the more you will be charged
The power to raise and collect taxes on household rubbish is to be handed over to unelected waste quangos.

Ministers yesterday set out a scheme for rubbish-collection boards to take over the running of dustcarts, wheelie bins and municipal tips from town halls.

They will be given the right to set pay-as-you-throw rubbish charges, the controversial taxes Labour is introducing as a "financial incentive" to recycle more refuse and throw out less.

They will become the first unelected state bodies in modern times to get direct powers to raise their own taxes.

The Joint Waste Authorities will also take over from councils the armies of bin police who have the power to hand out on-the-spot fines to families who put their rubbish out at the wrong time or leave their wheelie bin lids open.

And they will be given all powers concerned with control of littering.

Plans for the authorities were set out by ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn called on councils that run waste collection and disposal to band together to form the new boards in order to make efficiency savings.

Unlike town halls, the waste authorities will not be answerable to voters.

Instead, they will be run by appointed members chosen by the local councils which have formed the quango.

That means that they will be beyond the reach of voters and immune to electoral reverses, such as those suffered in last year's local council elections by town halls that had introduced deeply unpopular fortnightly rubbish collections.

As many as 30 councils are thought to have changed hands in the voter protests that accompanied the Daily Mail's Great Bin Revolt campaign.

The proposal brought furious complaints from the Tories and taxpayer pressure groups.

Eric Pickles, the Conservatives' local government spokesman,said: "Labour are sidestepping the backlash to bin taxes and bin cuts by stripping the public of any direct say over the issues."

Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said the plans breached the principle that no one should be taxed without representation.

He added: "Giving people the power to raise taxes without accountability leads to only one thing ? taxes running out of control."

Trials of pay-as-you-throw taxes, which are included in the Climate Change Bill, are to start in five districts next year.

Labour says they will mean bills of up to ?50 a year for those who fail to recycle enough of their rubbish. Many analysts think they will be more than ?100.

Ministers have acknowledged that middle-class families, who throw out the most rubbish but do not qualify for benefits, will be hit the hardest.

Although the Government has insisted on calling the charges "financial incentives", Waste Minister Joan Ruddock admitted in December that the Treasury classifies them as taxes.

Pay-as-you-throw taxes have long been expected to be charged according to the weight of rubbish a household puts out.

But last week ministers admitted that they could also be charged to families as payment in return for the restoration of weekly rubbish collections.

Joint Waste Authorities would decide the form of the charges and how much they would be, and would bill householders in much the same way as water and power utilities.

Residents must be consulted by town halls on transferring rubbish collection to a JWA, but will have no vote on the decision.

Government looks to 'green tsar' after failing to meet environmental targets
? A "green tsar" paid up to ?140,000 a year is to be appointed by the Government after it failed to meet its targets for helping the environment.

The Chief Sustainability Officer will help Whitehall departments do better after a watchdog said they had once again failed to meet their own targets for cutting waste, water use and carbon.

The Sustainable Development Commission said carbon emissions from government vehicles rose last year by 1.5 per cent.

The Government, however, was meeting its targets on recycling, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

RSS

Street Scene Spring Clean

18/03/08 - RESIDENTS are being encouraged to help spring clean their neighbourhood with the help of their local Street Scene team.

The Street Scene Spring Clean will run from Friday March 21 to Saturday June 21.

During the initiative, people are being asked to report areas of the Borough that need cleaning up.

Any fly-tipping, graffiti or litter will then be cleared by the local Street Scene teams.

It is hoped that once this work has been carried out, residents will take more pride in the neighbourhood and take particular care of the area in front of their home.

John Williams, Leader of Darlington Council, said: ?We all have a role to play in keeping our town tidy. Hopefully many areas of the town will be targeted and cleaned during the Street Scene Spring Clean and then residents will do their bit in the area near their home to make sure they are looked after in the future.?

For more information and to nominate an area for cleaning contact Street Scene on (01325) 388777

RSS

Following on from our original article regarding target="_blank"> Post Office closures, it has been reported today that up to 50 local authorities are looking to take over post offices scheduled for closure.

target="_blank">BBC News - 50 councils may run post offices

RSS

The Closure Of The Household Waste And Recycling Centre

12/03/08 - DARLINGTON Council is asking residents to store items for recycling as bad weather keeps closing the Borough?s Household Waste and Recycling Centre.

High winds have meant the centre, off Whessoe Road, has been repeatedly closed for safety and environmental reasons.

The site is next to Drinkfield Marsh Nature Reserve and if there is a danger of rubbish been blown onto the reserve, it has to be closed.

The recent high winds have also made it dangerous for residents to be at the site because of the possibility of large pieces of rubbish being blown around.

A Council spokeswoman said: ?We appreciate how frustrating the closures have been for residents but the recent bad weather has left us no choice.

?As soon as we know the centre is going to close we post information on our website and tell the local press so as many residents as possible can find out.
?We are asking people to hang on to any items for recycling and bring them along when the site is open. Paper and glass items can still be left out for collection as part of the kerbside recycling scheme.?

RSS

This is a bad news Budget. Alistair Darling is kicking Britain?s families when they are down.

- Darling has added ?110 a year to every family?s tax bill. The tax take will be ?2.8bn a year higher by 2010 ? and if benefits are excluded, it will be ?4bn higher.

- The new taxes announced in the budget will add up to ?1.5bn extra on all alcoholic drinks, ?1.6bn on drivers, and ?1.7bn on businesses over the next three years.

Taxes and borrowing are up because Labour failed to use the good years to prepare for the bad years. After 15 years of global growth, Britain has the worst budget deficit in the developed world.

Even with the new taxes introduced in Darling?s budget, borrowing will be up ?20bn over the next four years, including a ?7bn rise next year alone.

The Government has no room for manoeuvre, so they are kicking families when they?re down.

RSS

On Thursday 7th February a pupil from Harrowgate Hill Primary School was knocked down on Longfield Road. Apparently the pupil was crossing Longfield Road near to the telephone box to the North of the Longfield School site. This incident raised concerns for local residents some of whom witnessed the accident.

In response to residents concerns with regards to the traffic situation on the road outside Longfield School we contacted the School Travel Plan Officer.

Longfield School completed their School Travel Plan in March 2007. One of the issues that came out of the consultation for the Travel Plan was the need for better crossing facilities for pupils due to the width of the road and the need to slow down traffic. In addition to this, the section is looking at moving forward with proposals to implement 20mph zones outside of all schools in the Borough. As a result the Transport Policy Team will be putting together a Safer Routes to School brief for Longfield Road requesting traffic calming measures and safer crossings for pupils.

Travel modes have remained fairly constant over the last 3 year period with a slight increase in walking. The figures show that the majority of children walk to school. They are also due to install cycle parking for 102 cycles at the school within the next few months which they anticipate will have even more pupils traveling sustainably.

We obviously share the concerns of residents and childrens safety is of paramount importance to us. We will work with residents, the school and the council to facilitate the necessary action

RSS

The thorny subject of anti-social behavior in Harrowgate Hill was raised again last week, so we decided to investigate further.

Last Friday we accompanied Durham Constabulary Sergeant Dave Kirton and his "Beat Team" as they patrolled in the Harrowgate Hill and North Road area.
Visiting the "hot spot" areas such as Harrowgate Farm, North cemetery, we were not surprised to discover no signs of anti-social behavior. Since being elected last May, we have received few reports of anti-social behavior within Harrowgate Hill. It is worth noting that wardens are allocated into areas where disturbances have been reported, therefore it is important that any incidents are reported. This targets resources into areas where they are needed most.

Given the recent concerns highlighted in the press recently, that Harrowgate Hill did not have a beat officer, we quizzed Sgt Kirton. He advised us that interviews for the position were due to take place very soon. He also emphasised that the lack of a beat officer DOES NOT affect Police cover within the area. Dave was also keen to emphasise that 2 PCSOs are assigned to Harrowgate Hill. The Police are also supported by the Community Wardens who are on duty until 10pm.

Statistics released for Harrowgate Farm from the Anti Social Behaviour Team detailing calls to the uniformed wardens show an improvement. There have only been 7 calls since June 2007 and generally the figures show a decrease in reported incidents compared to 2006. Figures from the Police showing different categories crime on a ward basis suggest that Harrowgate Hill is in the middle of the tables.

As well as touring the Ward on Friday night we accompanied the team on an inspection of licensed premises. There were 3 local pubs inspected by the team of approx 20 officers including the drugs dog and his handler.

Durham Constabulary have a team of specialist dogs including Springer Spaniels and Labradors that are involved in explosives and drugs detection.

Last summer we were invited by the North Road/Harrowgate Hill Police "Beat Team" to accompany them on a Friday evening as they carry out a "blitz" on underage drinking. We have continued to work closely with our beat team, wardens and residents to ensure that anti-social is kept under control.

Residents on Harrowgate Farm have told us that they are pleased with the improvement seen over the past 18 month since we highlighted the problems residents were experiencing on Harrowgate Farm at a public meeting in October 2006.

For more information about Durham Constabulary visit their web site
www.Durham.Police.uk


If you have any concerns regarding anti-social behaviour in Harrowgate Hill, please do not hesitate to contact us.

RSS

The latest update is that the Leader of the Council has defended the decision to scrap early morniing bus travel for the over 60s. Councillor Williams says the policy will not be changed.

The link to the Echo article is below
www.TheNorthernEcho.co.uk

We are disappointed that the Cabinet has chosen not to review this important decision which clearly many residents are unhappy with. What ever happened to the pledge by the council to listen to residents? Residents have spoken and been ignored again. We would like to thank everyone involved in highlighting this issue and collecting signatures. Whilst we welcome the talking together event arranged to help people understand the benefits of the new passes, this does not detract from the fact passholders will have to pay for journies before 9.30am

We feel that the estimated savings are exactly just that, estimates based on current travel patterns. Pass holders that we have spoken to claim that they will, where possible, delay traveling until after 9.30am so that their journey is free. As payment is made to the bus company per trip, the council will not make a saving. As a consequence there may be a demand for travel by passholders after 9.30am leading to capacity problems.

Gill's Blog regarding Bus Pass fiasco - Email the Prime Minister!


Read more about the bus pass fiasco by clicking here

RSS

Having already lost the local Post Office in Harrowgate Hill, both Gill and I feel very strongly that the key services provided by local Post Offices should be maintained and indeed extended....not closed down!

As I am sure you are all aware by now, former soldier Edward Legard is Darlington's prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate and yesterday he met the sub-postmasters from both Hopetown and Millbank Post Office's - both of which are threatened with closure.

During his discussion with both sub-postmasters he heard about the important life line the Post Office supplies to the community, in particular the importance of the service to the more vulnerable members of the community.

Already 4000 Post Offices have closed across the UK under Labour, with another 2,500 expected to close by 2009. As few as 4000 of Britain's 14,300 Post Offices may survive the decade. These truly are shocking statistics.

Please take the time to sign both e-petitions below:-


Campaign to keep our Post Offices open


Petition organised by Sue Allan-Hooks to keep our Post Offices open


*** UPDATE (12 Mar 2008): Hope for our Post Offices

RSS

We have been inundated with residents contacting us, angry that they will not be able to use their consessionary travel passes until after 9.30am.

It was pointed out to us tonight at our ward surgery that how will it save the council money as all that will happen is that those who were going to travel before 9.30am will postpone their travelling until after 9.30am!

We are currently gathering signatures from residents in Harrowgate Hill to show disapproval to the plans

If you can help please ring us 01325 382276 or mail info@harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk and we will drop some forms off for you.

UPDATE: 19 Feb 2007, Gill presented the petition to Cabinet.
Click here to read the Northern Echo article

RSS

We have a set of plans for the proposal for the old school site. We intend to operate a loan system to residents, so if you would like to view the plans please ring or mail us

We have suggested to the planning department that it would be good practice for ward councillors to have a set of plans for large developements in their wards, so they can operate a loan system to residents. This issue was brought to our attention by residents in the ward, that many people who work full time often out of town find it difficult to visit the town hall during working hours

Appointments can be made to view plans out of hours, however you would not have access to a planning officer to answer any questions. Contact the planning department to make arrangements.

How to contact Planning Department

RSS

Dog fouling remains a persistant problem in the ward and we can confirm this to be the case as we now have a 17 week old Labrador pup called Daisy. We are out and about in the ward every day, particularly Drinkfield Marsh and we have been shocked at the amount of dog waste we have encountered on these walks.
We have contacted Streetscene to request another dog waste bin to be sited on the Marsh at a central point near the pier. Also we have reported that there is a lot of rubbish blown over from the tip at the far side of the water
At Full Council Meeting last night we have requested the figures for how many fixed penalty notices have been issued by the uniformed wardens and the dog wardens for dog fouling in the ward. We will also obtain the figures for verbal warnings given.

We know this is an issue that concerns many of you and will report the figures when we have them

If you wish to report a dog fouling offence, please contact the uniformed wardens on (01325) 388799

RSS

From todays Echo -
SUPERMARKET chain Tesco has submitted a third application to build a mini-market on the site of a former garage.

Officials from the store met planning officials before the plans were sent to the council for the proposed Express store in North Road, Darlington.

Two sets of plans for the former Shell garage have previously been rejected by the council's planning committee. An appeal is due to be heard later this year into the second application.

The latest plans were sent to Darlington Borough Council's planning department yesterday.

Please contact us with your views. We will keep you updated.

RSS

Questions asked by residents

Question What is happening to the old Shell garage site on North Road?

Answer Tesco have appox another 2 months in which they can appeal against the refusal of planning permission in May. There have been no further plans submitted. The site has been assessed by the Buildings Control Officer who found the site to be secure and of no danger to members of the public. The Local beat team are also regularly checking the site.

Question Can any measures be taken to clean up the old Shell Garage Site?

Answer Tesco promised to clean up the site in August. However this appears to have not happened. We are currently investigating as to the feasability of The Town and Country Planning Act being be used to encourage some action.

Question Can anything be done about the cars for sale on North Road outside of the Shell garage?

Answer This issue has been passed onto the anti social behaviour team to investigate.

Question There have been concerns about the boarded up house next to Jazzs Fishbar.

Answer The Buildings Control Officer has carried out an inspection of the property and while the building was found not to be in a dangerous condition. Access is possible via the rear garage door into the yard of the premises. This has been passed onto housing renewal to arrange for the door opening to be boarded up.

Question Are there any plans to harden grass verges in any areas in Harrowgate Hill?

The list includes Laburnam, Maple, Birch, Baytree, Middleham, Wayside and Davison. Please contact us if you feel there are any other areas that should be added to the list.

Question Why do the council not take away grass after cutting?

Answer Because the cost would be too prohibitive

Question What are the results of the Harrowgate Farm consultation re play equipment?

Answer We have arranged a meeting with the planning department to discuss the results of the consultation. We have been given views by many residents which we will put forward at the meeting.

Question Will we be getting wheely bins as there is a cost to residents to have to purchase bin bags

In 2000 the Council carried out a Best Value review of waste management that resulted in changes to the refuse collection service, whereby residents place their refuse on the kerbside for collection. At the same time the Council introduced its kerbside recycling service aimed at increasing the range of products and percentage of waste recycled.

At the present time the Council is reviewing its method of waste treatment and disposal, including recycling and composting, with a view to a new contract starting in 2009. Once the contract is procured the Council will be in a position to consider the future of refuse collection and to engage with residents to identify appropriate and suitable systems.



In the meantime the current system of collecting from black bags is cost effective. Whilst it is appreciated that residents have to buy black bags this would not necessarily produce a saving if a wheeled bin system were to be introduced as the vast majority of users of such bins still use bags to contain the waste and keep the bin clean.



On the subject of bags being supplied to residents of some parts of the Borough it is confirmed that this practice is not carried out.

RSS

We are pleased to announce that at our request a dog waste bin has been ordered for Lowson Street. Hopefully this will help to improve the situation in the surrounding back lanes

There have been two lamp post bins ordered for the corner of the Leas and The Gateway. Again we anticipate that this should make an improvement to the litter problem

Do you have a problem with dog fouling or littering?
Please contact us and we will help.

RSS

Following several complaints about the condition of some of the back lanes in the ward we decided to carry out our own inspection.

We found that most of them to be clean and tidy, but unfortunately this was not true throughout the entire ward. Sadly we found dog dirt, rubbish and grafetti in some areas.

Some of the road surfaces were found to unaccepatable and potentially dangerous also. In addition we also found a full rubbish bin.

Most worryingly, we found the Harrowgate Hill school site unsecure and discovered the burglar alarm had been activated. We obviously contacted the Police immediately.

Clearly this is not acceptable so we shall be taking immediate action.

This will include:-
* Contacting our Streetscene Team Leader to report the problem areas.
* Contacting DBC Highways Department to report the poor road surfaces.
* Report the school site to the buildings control officer.
* Request that our excellent beat team to regular check the school site.

RSS

We have received complaints about the grass being overgrown in the cemetary.But after discussions today with Streetscene, we have been reassured that this will no longer be an issue. They have assessed the way that they work and have devised a plan to make sure this does not happen again. But please do keep it touch if any further issues arise.

RSS

Due to an unforseen problem, the Mayoral Awareness Session originally arranged for 21st August has been cancelled.

The session has been re-arranged and will now take place on Wednesday 22nd August, starting at 6pm in Lowson Street Church Hall.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

RSS

Our first Newsletter is finally finished and being delivered across the Ward during the next couple of weeks.

The aim of the Newsletter and our Website is to keep you informed of the work we are carrying out on your behalf and not simply to report on the work being carried out by the Council!

In addition we aim to keep you informed of activities taking place within Harrowgate Hill, so if you are aware of activities which you would like publicised, please get in touch.

We hope you find the Newsletter interesting and useful, but if you have any suggestions for additional content, please let us know!

Click on the Newsletter image opposite to see Newsletter
OR
Click here to download MS Word version of Newsletter.

RSS

There has been a problem with a group of youngsters at the entrance to the cemetary on North Road throwing water bombs at passing cars. We have reported this directly to our local beat team who are going to monitor the site
It is very important to always report any incidents to the Police and Wardens. But if you have any information about any trouble spots then please do contact us as well and we can let the team know so they can do extra patrols. The intelligence led approach working pro-actively often yields good results.

RSS

At the local elections in May the Conservatives polled the largest number of votes with the Liberal Democrats polling half as many as Labour. Through the vagaries of the first past the post system at ward level, Labour won most seats but with a greatly reduced majority. Turnout across the town was an average 40.51% and as low as 30% in some wards.

Politicians of all parties need to be concerned about this level of disengagement from politics. A healthy democracy requires the active participation of its citizens. To achieve this, new and imaginative ways need to be found which allows people to voice their opinions and indeed participate in decision making on the key issues which affect them. People need to feel that their vote counts and that their elected politicians will
work together constructively and consensually. They want to see grown up politics which is accountable and scrutinised in a robust and open way.

To meet these challenges the way we do politics needs to change. Indeed the new Prime Minister in his call for a cross party debate on the constitution said "the need for change cannot be met by the old politics"

A clear message from the May elections was that the people of Darlington want to see changes in the way that local politics is carried out. Many are disengaged and have no faith in the process. They see an excellent council at an executive and operational level but not in the way that its politics works. This is also reflected in the frustrations of many hard working councillors across the political spectrum. One expression of all of this is the campaign for a directly elected mayor.

As a result of these pressures proposals are being made to change the constitution of the Borough Council. Some interesting ideas are emerging to open up the process, to get local people more involved and to have the minority parties attend cabinet meetings. This needs to be taken much further to extend the participation of the public and of the elected members. It is here that we have specific and vital proposals to make.

The prime role of the opposition groups is to scrutinise policies being proposed by the executive and to monitor their development and performance. This role is fundamental in a healthy democracy and provides the checks and balances. Many local authorities see this very clearly and lay the responsibilities out in their constitutions. The chairs and vice chairs of scrutiny committees are seen to be the necessary domain of the opposition parties.

The House of Commons with its select committees provides a good model here. The select committees play a vital role in holding Government to account and many of the chairs are provided by the opposition parties. A notable example is Edward Leigh?s much admired chairmanship of the influential Public Accounts Committee.

Here in Darlington, apart from a token chair and vice- chair allocation to the two opposition parties, the ruling group holds the overwhelming majority of the chair and vice chair roles to itself. It holds all of the Cabinet portfolios as well - a fundamentally unhealthy arrangement. In practice this leads to a prime focus on after the event scrutinising of performance and rarely the scrutiny of policy and its development. Cabinet portfolio holders do not appear before the scrutiny committees and the Leader of the Council is never scrutinised in this way. This needs to change.

A fundamental right of any council member should be that they can ask questions in the Council Chamber on any subject relating to the portfolio of Cabinet Members. Under the current constitution they cannot do this and must restrict themselves to the specific subject that the Cabinet member chooses to report on. This is an abrogation of democracy and must be corrected.

So along with pressing on to achieve a much more participative involvement of local people, as we called for in May, the Conservative group are calling for changes in the constitution of our Borough Council to make it more democratic and accountable by:

- strengthening the checks and balances in the scrutiny process through all chairs and vice- chairs being made the responsibility of the opposition groups

- directing the work of scrutiny as a matter of course to incorporate policy review and development as well as performance

- making it the practice that the Leader of the Council and Cabinet members appear before the scrutiny committees

- making the Council a place of robust debate where every Councillor as of right can ask questions which are of importance to them and the people they represent.

Finally we believe that it is important to incorporate into the constitution a duty of public involvement which underpins the right of the residents of Darlington to be consulted about and involved in the decision making on the key issues which affect their lives.

Author: Cllr Alan Coultas [ Conservative group summary ]

Endorsed by: Cllr Heather Scott Conservative group leader

Endorsed by : Cllr Charles Johnson South Durham Conservatives Chairman

Taken from the Darlington Conservatives website at
www.DarlingtonFuture.co.uk

RSS

Unfortunately it seems that a mistake has been made in some literature currently circulating in Harrowgate Hill concerning "The Teen Card". A concerned resident brought it to our attention and asked us to publish the correct information.

The Teen card is a must for all young people living in County Durham or Darlington. It allows reduced travel on most services at off-peak times and during most non schooldays. Teen card holders are only charged at half the adult fare up to a maximum of 50p. So no matter where you are going or how far it will only be a maximum of 50p. There are no return tickets available with this card.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CARD CAN ONLY BE USED AFTER 6PM MONDAY TO FRIDAY, AT ANY TIME SATURDAY, SUNDAYS AND BANK HOLIDAYS. THE CARD MAY ALSO BE USED AFTER 9AM DURING MOST SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
There is a one off payment of 5 pounds and can be used up to 18 years old.
For more information visit www.arrivabus.co.uk or ring 0871 200 22 33

RSS

On the evening of Friday 20th July, Gill and I were invited to accompany the North Road/Harrowgate Hill Police "Beat Team" as they carried out another blitz on underage drinkers in our area. The "blitz" involved the Police, The Community Wardens and Police Community Support Officers.

Given that Friday was the start of the summer holidays, we all expected that a significant number of underage drinkers would be wandering/staggering the streets and occupying the young drinker "hot spots".

We were all surprised, but delighted to discover this wasn't actually the case! During the 4 hour blitz between 6pm and 10pm, only a couple of children were picked up and taken to the Mobile Police Station (which was located on the Bus Terminus at the junction of Longfield Road and North Road).

Once the children were delivered to the Mobile Station, parents were contacted and asked to pickup their youngsters. The parents and youngsters were also invited to attend alcohol awareness sessions at a later date.

One possible reason for the small number of instances of anti-social behaviour on Friday, may have been the excellent Longfield Rave which had taken place the night before.

Approx 130 Longfield pupils attended the event and from what I witnessed, thoroughly enjoyed it! The event was organised by Longfield School pupils and staff in collaboration with the North Road Partnership and the Local Police Beat Team. The funding for the event was provided from Darlington Borough Councils Dosh Fund which is administered by Youth Services and bid successfully by Longfield School Pupils.

If anyone has any suggestions for future projects, please let us know.

Since we highlighted the anti-social behaviour issue in Harrowgate Hill back in October 2006, it certainly seems that incidents of anti-social behaviour in our ward have been reduced. This is in no small parts thanks to the dedication of our local Police, PCSO's and Wardens whom have worked together highly effectively. That said, nobody is naieve enough to believe that anti-social behaviour has been eliminated in Harrowgate Hill, but with a continued effort between the community and the Police, PCSO's and Wardens we can help to further improve the situation.

If you are aware of a ?hot spot? area in our area, please contact us.

RSS

We noted that there were not any awareness sessions for the Mayoral Referendum arranged for our ward. We have put forward some suggestions of suitable venues and this is to be pursued by the council. We will let you know when we get a session arranged.

RSS

We have had flooding in the ward this week in Burtree Lane, North Road, Saltersgate Road and Brian Road. We are laising with Highways Department to make sure that gullies are cleaned and maintained. All credit to them, they are having a busy time at the moment with the appalling weather we are experiencing.
If you have any problems with blocked gullies, please contact us and we can report it for you.

RSS

The Council and Groundwork are working in partnership to recruit volunteer local residents to keep an eye on their local neighbourhoods and report any issues with litter, dog fouling, graffiti, broken street furniture, overflowing bins, abandoned cars etc.
As a volunteer we would expect that the role be incorporated into your day to day life and would just ask that you spot issues in your chosen area once a week and report them to a designated council officer on a regular basis. In return you will receive a rapid response to deal with the problem and feedback to you about that issue.
There is no obligation for you to be high profile, you can remain anonymous if you wish and report from the comfort of your home
All volunteers will be offered an induction programme which will cover how Streetscene works and will include meeting with various staff that deliver the service as well as staff such as dog wardens and environmental wardens
For more information contact streetscene@darlington.gov.uk or tel 01325 388777. You can also contact us on 382276.
As we live in the ward we do report any issues we come upon, however it is impossible for us to be everywhere all the time. Taking part in this scheme will help us to make Harrowgate Hill a cleaner place to live and a cleaner environment promotes pride in the local community.

RSS

ALWYN ROAD Overnight June 28th - 29th a parked car has been broken into, a window has been smashed to gain entry.
LONGFIELD ROAD Overnight June 28th - 29th a parked van has been broken into, the inside of the van is described as 'trashed'.
Have you noticed any suspicious activity which may be connected with the following crimes?
If so please do not hesitate to bring this information to the attention of local Police on 0845 60 60 365 stating that you are responding to a Neighbourhood Watch message
Alternatively information can be passed to CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111

RSS

Heavy rainfall this weekend has caused significant issues throughout our town and region, including areas of Harrowgate Hill.

Saturday afternoon saw torrential rain affect areas of Darlington resulting in access to the town centre being virtually impossible (click here for more).

As you can see from the photo's, Harrowgate Hill did not escape the torrents - North Road became somewhat wet during Saturday afternoon.

This flooding near to the White Horse appears to be caused by poor drainage (presumably a partly blocked drain?). Suffice to say the Highways Department at Darlington Borough Council has been contacted.




UPDATE: 28/6/07 - The Highways Department have contacted us and advised that the affected drain will probably just require clearing. If this does not cure the problem, a "drain camera" will be used to diagnose fault.

RSS

From 19th-27th May there was a week of action in North Road and Harrowgate Hill wards involving the Police, Streetscene, VOSA, DVLA and Customs and Excises. Projects tackled were removal of graffiti, tackling untaxed vehicles and those causing annoyance and anti social behaviour.
The results were that approx 105 litres of alchohol were confiscated, 22 cars were clamped for tax evasion. There were a large number of youngsters stopped and has their details taken. They were invited to a drugs and alcohol awareness session, with their parents on Saturday 10th June. Several youths were brought to the mobile Police station and had to be collected by their parents, who were then interviewed by the anti social behaviour team.
Well done to all those agencies involved.

RSS

We can confirm that Mitchells and Butlers Leisure Limited has applied for a licence for the White Horse Hotel for the hours of 10.00-00.00
This is obviously very welcome news and we will keep you informed of progress.

RSS

Our ward surgery will be held on the first Tuesday of every Month 6-7pm at Longfield School. No appointment needed, just come along and have a chat. We can also be contacted on 382276 to deal with ward issues.

RSS

I can confirm that the plans for the Tesco Express on the old Shell Site on North Road have been rejected by the planning committee this afternoon.
There was a unanimous vote by all members against the plans and i will post details later of exactly why the plans were rejected.
I was asked to speak to behalf of residents of Harrowgate Hill to put their case to the committee to give them a voice. My presentation was based on material planning considerations such as the size of the store and transport issues. An excellent presentation by a resident was also given to the committee putting forward residents objections and drawing attention to issues.
At the time of posting Mike is still in the planning commitee meeting.
Gill

RSS

We would like to say thank you to the people of Harrowgate Hill who voted Conservative during the local elections on Thursday. We both really appreciate the opportunity to represent the ward and will work hard during the next 4 years to ensure that Harrowgate Hill is given the representation it deserves.
Mike & Gill

RSS

Thanks to everyone who gave us feedback re anti social behaviour on Harrowgate Farm
We have approached the Police with this information so hopefully some improvement should be seen soon

RSS

Following an enquiry from a local residents in Longfield Road re problems with anti social behaviour and damage to property in the back lane opposite Longfield School, we contacted the council.
The Council does not have written policy on gating of public highways alothough there has been informal discussions ar various times in the recent past.
They will investigate each case that arises and consider all the evidence and then decide on whether any action is required, that includes considering gating or closure of highway.
The Anti Social Behaviour Manager will undertake a survey of residents to get more information than is currently available from the recorded crime and ASB.
The results of the survey will be advised to us in due course.

RSS

Plans for a Tesco Neighbourhood Convenience Store have been submitted to Darlington Borough Councils Planning Office.

The proposed store would occupy 330sqm (3,552sqft) with an 243sqm (2,615sqft) sales area and includes parking for 15 motor vehicles including and 2 disabled bays which are situated on the corner of the site on Bensham Road/North Road.

The building, which would also include a 24hr free cash dispensing machine, is to be constructed in red and brown bricks to match adjacent building with soldier coursing above windows and doors, eternite composite slate tiles and white UPVC self finished fascia.

The plans also show a landscaped buffer zone between resident?s rear gardens on Bensham Road and a new retaining wall with close boarded fencing surrounding the development.

RSS

Congratulations to the Darlington Referendum Group who today announced that they have successfully collected in excess of 4000 signatures - enough to force Darlington Borough Council to hold a referendum. This then allows the people of Darlington to decide whether or not they want a truly democratically elected mayor as Leader of the Council (as opposed to the current Leader who is chosen by Labour Councillors).

A great day for democracy.

For more information, visit
href="http://www.MayorForDarlington.org" target="_blank" class="postlink">www.MayorForDarlington.org

RSS

I was dismayed and angry to learn that the inpatient Leukaemia unit at the Memorial is to close. Given that the unit was first opened as a direct result of fund raising by the people of Darlingon, then the people of Darlington obviously beleive that it is an important facility to have. The managers who make these decisions never see the effect that their decision has on the patients and their families. Whereas as a health professional I do see the effects and begin to wonder what is happening to the patient centred health service we are supposed to have. I am aware that there is not a bottomless pot of money, however there must alternative ways to save money other than axe essential services.
See our FEATURE ARTICLES section to find out how you can sign a petition to "Stop Brown's NHS Cuts".

Gill Cartwright

RSS

With the latest edition of the Town Crier being pushed through our door we can not help but wonder if the ?36,000 it costs the tax payer every month could be better spent. We think it be a better idea to give the money in turn to each of the wards across the town to spend items or services that would be of beneft to the community. For example it might be of benefit in Harrowgate Hill to spend the money on mobile CCTV that could be moved to different locations in the ward where it is needed. The decision on how the money is spent could be in partnership with local councillors and community groups.

RSS

We are please to say that 120 people attended the consultation on Tuesday thanks to our leaflets and the Echo article
Issues raised were timescale, height of buildings, traffic, school places, and where the funds of the sale will go to
Everyone that filled in a questionare will get a summary of the issues raised and this will be included in the marketing literature given to developers as the planning and development brief
This brief gives the developers a guide to the type of development that they can use of the site and it is your comments that are included in this. Please encourage friends and neighbours to send their comments in, the closing date is 13th February
Each site is to sold seperatley so there is the possibilty that there could be as many as three different developers involved
Once the land is sold planning applications will be submitted to be decided by the planning committee.

RSS

Although anti social behaviour has improved in Harrowgate Hill CCTV would ensure that is improvement is maintained, protect the young children playing in the areas and protect the play equipment.

The play equipment in Bensham Park for example cost ?60,000 so it would be worth investing extra money to protect this asset. And surely protecting the younger children that play in these parks must be of top prioity.

The council has promised to make future investment in Firth Moor, Haughton and West Park, but what about Harrowgate Hill. We seem to have missed out yet again. We think that this is because this ward does not have a voice in the Town Hall. What Harrowgate Hill needs is elected members who will make sure that the needs of local residents are put forward to the council and keep up the pressure to get action taken.
The Conservative Manifesto pledges to offer CCTV to areas that have anti social behaviour problems as well as increase the number of uniformed wardens.

RSS

CRIME and anti-social behaviour has fallen in an area of Darlington since residents took their own action.

Harrowgate Hill residents held two meetings in November to stamp out youth nuisance in the area.

Problems have included vandalism, damage to cars and property, under-age drinking, damage to the play park and teenagers wielding imitation guns.

At the meetings, a number of solutions were found, including the formation of a residents' action group, targeted policing and running youth programmes.

This week, residents at a meeting of the action group heard that crime had dropped in the area.

Residents in the Harrowgate Farm area also confirmed it had been quieter.

Gill Cartwright, local campaigner and one of the group's founders, said: "The police and wardens should be congratulated on the effort they have made to tackle this problem.

"Residents were concerned that this problem was escalating and that is why we highlighted the problem by arranging a public meeting. The results are obviously making an improvement to the lives of local people and we are proud to say that we were part of this process."

Residents believed the problem initially became out of control after youths moved on from other nearby areas of the town.

She said: "We don't want to rest on our laurels. We do need to keep on top of it."

Sergeant Dave Kirton, from Darlington police, said his team had adopted a zero tolerance policy and made some arrests.

He also believed people's perceptions of crime had dropped.

He said: "We have been very proactive. Every Friday and Saturday night my team has been out."
Printed in the Echo on Saturday. We are interested to hear from anyone who may still be experiencing problems so that can seek extra help.

RSS

The council have confirmed today that the consultation has been extended until 6.30pm or later if needed. This was requested by us to allow for residents that work.
It has been confirmed that there is 3 sites for sale and these are the 3 old school plots. Development can only take place on the footprint of the 3 previous buildings. The playing pitch between plot 1 and 2 will remain.
The sites will be sold in Febuary.

RSS

A public information and consultation meeting regarding the former Beaumont Hill School site is to take place on 30th January in Harrowgate Hill Working mans club between 3.30pm-6.00pm.

As we have witnessed before in Harrowgate Hill, our Labour controlled Council do have a tendancy to grant planning permission without necessarily considering the views of local residents.

Its interesting that within the Darlington Borough Council "Information and Consultation" leaflet (available for download via link below) a comment is made "Consulting local residents and community groups is an important part of agreeing the Planning and Development Briefs". Given that this was certainly NOT the case prior to granting Planning Permission for The White Horse development, this comment could perhaps be received with sceptecism.

To that end, we would be very interested to hear comments from anyone regarding the proposed development.

Contact us by clicking the "CONTACT US" link at the top of the page.

The Council "Consultation" documents can be found by clicking this
link

RSS

It is of interest to note the latest offering from our Labour opposition in Harrowgate Hill has a picture of the White Horse on the front. Seems ironic given the fact that it is the Labour council that are responsible for the demise of the White Horse. Lets be quite clear about this planning permission was granted soley by the Labour members of the planning committee. The Conservative and Lib Dem members voted against the plans.

We have received several angry phone calls from supporters of the White Horse campaign saying who dare they use the White Horse in their literature when at the time offered no support to the campagin despite many visits to their ward surgeries to beg for support. The answer to that issue is that they are not fooling anyone but making themselves look foolish in the process.

RSS

So it appears that Tesco are making another bid to get their foot in Darlingtons door. Tesco have bought the old Shell garage site at the top of North Road for we can presume a Tesco Express. The plans are yet to be submitted but it will be interesting to see the difference from this set of plans to the ones turned down previously by DBC. They must be pretty certain that they are going to get permission to spend almost ? million to purchase the site. One can only speculate to the notion that this is a sweetner for the spoiled deal in the town centre.

What concerns us as prospective Conservative councillors for the ward and also as veterans of the White Horse battle is that the people in the area get their say whether they are for or against the plans. Consultation and public involvement should be key in the decision making process not something this council has a great track record on.

RSS

Quote from a "community" site from our Labour opposition candidate:-

"I understand and can appreciate some peoples call for CCTV in some areas, but to me erecting cameras on poles in residential areas just doesn?t seam right. Of course they do have their place monitoring car parks and high street shopping areas - town pubs and clubs etc.
From what I understand just one such device costs a staggering ?30,000. There have been calls for as many as two for Harrowgate Hill. And all to monitor and restrict our already frustrated teenage youth in local parks. I reckon that ?60,000 (not that it exists of course this is purely hypothetical) could be spent a whole lot more wisely, for one thing if you had such a lump and kept it as a community fund and held the odd community event you could add to it every year along with that interest. Then, for instance, you could provide community outings free to all
You could lay-on (?) half a dozen coaches to Scarborough or Blackpool for the day... bring your own egg and cress sandwiches and flask of tea. This in it's self would help bond the community, young and old"

He would rather have trips to Blackpool than invest in CCTV to protect the equipment and children playing in these areas as well as cracking down on anti social behaviour. That?s assuming the council would give us the money in the first place for these ?bus trips?.! What are the chances of that answers on a postcard please

What a bizarre statement to make to suggest that days out are preferable to CCTV

I don?t think he has quite the hang of how politics work yet. But my sandwiches are packed, where is it to be Blackpool or Scarborough?

RSS

If anyone is interested in joining Neighbourhood watch then please give us a ring and can give you a form to sign. All that is expected of you when you register to receive information direct from your local police office as a Tell 2 member is that pass on any information received to 2 friends, neighbours or family members who do not live with you Quite simply TELL 2 The benefits are improving your community and making your neighbourhood a better place Helping you and your neigbours to feel safer Updating you on crime prevention Advising on crime prevention Offering special promotions and discounts on security items Reducing the risk of crime in your area

RSS

We are pleased to see that CCTV cameras have been installed in the Denes, Red Hall and Springfield, i am sure that the local residents will appreciate this to help tackle anti social behaviour. However in Harrowgate Hill Ward we have 2 similar problem areas at Bensham Park and the play area on Harrowgate Farm where there is a high level of youngsters congregating and incidents of anti socail behaviour. In November we arranged a public meeting to tackle these problems and local residents asked about CCTV to be told that it was too expensive. So after reading in the Echo that ?tackling criminals using cameras is as easy as 1-2-3? we were wondering if it so easy then why again it seems that Harrowgate Hill has missed out. The answer we beleive that no one has been campaiging on our behalf. Therefore we intend to take this issue on behalf of local residents and push the council to take steps to make our area safer. Harrowgate has been without a voice for too long.

RSS

Gill, Mike and Tess would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and thank everyone for their continued support. With only 4 months to go to the election we will be continuing to work on your behalf to make improvements.Hopefully we will take control of the council in May and start the task of making this town great again after years of Labour neglect.

RSS

Here are the responses from authorities that we approached to help us.



John Williams DBC. ?The four points you refer to have been previously considered but it is not appropraite for the council to consider revoking the planning permission that was granted to the owners of the White Horse for redevelopment?. He also said ?The Tesco proposed development is being considered against rules that apply to the Council as landowner and not as planning authority? What difference does this make? The fact remains that DBC listened to 75% of people against Tesco but ignored 98% of us the residents of Harrowgate Hill. The fact remains that the decision to grant permission ignored local and national planning guidance as well ignoring the Local Plan. Most importantly against the majority of the people who live is this area, we were ignored despite efforts to campaign against the proposal. We received no support from our local ward Councillors (except a speech at the planning meeting).
Ruth Kelly, Secretary for State would not intervene in a decision made by a local authority.
Tony Blair ?There is nothing i can do to alter the decision?. He chooses not to help us but chose to intervene with the Hurworth School affair.
Government North East ?The planning of specific development and land-use is essentailly a local matter?. So they will not help either.
Local Government Ombusdsman found no case of maladministration against DBC and brought their involvement to an end.
We sent a petition to DBC, Tony Blair and Governement North East demanding a Public Enquiry but again we were ignored.
There was a legal case to be answered to as the Council had failed to put reasons for granting permission of the Decision notice. But with a estimated cost of 25-30K the Barrister recomended not to ahead with the legal challenge.
Parish Referendum was organised where a staggering 98% of local residents voted gainst the demolition of the White Horse but the Council chose to ignore the results of this democratically elected vote organised by themselves. This is a classic example of how much interest this council has in democracy and listening to the people.
We accused them of breach of Human Right and again they denied the accusation.


So to draw a sad conclusion that the White Horse Campaign must come to an end, we have sought the help and support from all the relevent authorities we could think of. We have received no support at all from any of these authorities. It appears that if this Coucil will go ahead with projects despite what the people of this town think. They treat us as the chattering classes if we dare to object to their plans and think that we have no right to challenge their plans and decisions. We can only hope now that there is a change of Council next May and that we unlock Democracy in this town. We urge everyone not forget the White Horse, Hurworth School, Tesco, Pedestrian Heart, the Taxi Drivers and the Staduim.

RSS

It is interesting to note in the Echo (9th DEC) that crime surveys had been delivered in Harrowgate Hill.What we find strange is that there has been a file open for over a year reference the problems with anti social behaviour on Harrowgate farm and our Labour councillors had a meeting 2 years ago. Our MP has not taken an interest until now.
Even stranger was as soon as we arranged a public meeting to discuss anti social behaviour our ward councillors were kick started into action and arranged there own before we had ours. Then at the meeting it was mentioned that they did not know there was a problem? so why arrange the meeting?

We have taken positive action to help resolve this problem by forming a group of local residents to look at strategies to combat anti social behaviour as well make plans to improve youth activities for young people in Harrowgate Hill.

RSS

Everyone has suffered damage to motor vehicle, theft from motor vehicle, damage to house, theft from house and verbal abuse.
Residents feel intimidated whilst out walking in the area on a night and many do not leave their house after dark.
Action that needs to taken to help resolve anti social behaviour
Residents to form action committee to stop youths causing disturbances and drinking alcohol in the parks
To target known offenders
Ban drinking alcohol in public
Closures of access walkways onto park at Harrowgate Farm
Increase activities for youth people
Dispersal order for Harrowgate Farm
Increased Police presence.
Shops to stop serving alcohol
Lighting in the parks
Involve parents

RSS

Many thanks to all who attended our meeting which included the Police and Wardens. It was a very constructive meeting with much interesting debate. Agreed action from the meeting

Forming of a group of local residents to address the issues of anti social behaviour and provision of Youth Activities to work in partnership with the Council, Youth Services, Police and Wardens.

A meeting to be arranged with Community Liason Officer to set a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

A survey was done to ask residents about the level of anti social behaviour they have experienced and what action they thought needed to be taken to help resolve the issue. This information will shortly be available to view at www.harrowgatehillfuture.co.uk and has been fed back to the council.

RSS

Whessoe Village Hall was on Friday (17 Nov) night packed with residents angry about the level of anti social behaviour in Harrowgate Hill. The meeting was attended by Councillors Hart, Vasey-Smith, Dixon, McEwan, Beat Area Sergeant, Anti Socail Behaviour Manager and a Represntative from the Wardens. Although Councilor Vasey arranged the meeting he was not present until the end.

This issue was brought to our attention by local residents and a meeting was arranged by us the Conservatives candidates Gill & Mike Cartwright and Tess Galletley on 22nd November to discuss anti social behaviour and youth facilities in the ward. On discovering this the Labour councillors Liz Hart, John Vasey and Emma Vasey decided to arrange a meeting for 17th November to be chaired by Bill Dixon, deputy chair of the Crime Reduction Partnership.

Mike, Tess and Gill said ?we were astounded that Councillor Dixon called a meeting so quickly, as soon as he heard of the one we have arranged. Let there be no mistake about it, he is using his position as chairman of the Crime Reduction Partnership to support his failing local Labour colleagues. Why have we heard nothing from them for four years and now, as next year's elections approach, there is a flurry of activity? Harrowgate Hill people deserve better than gesture politics. This ward has been neglected for too long.

Councillor Bill Dixon was invited to our meeting on 4th November and did not respond until 13th November, in the meantime setting up his own meeting? His response was ?it is not appropriate for me to attend a Conservative Political party meeting?. This meeting was in fact a public meeting as stated in the literature sent out. Gill, Mike and Tess said ?does this therefore mean that as an elected councillor he can not attend any meeting arranged by anyone other than the Labour party and does this apply to other Labour councillors responsible for the other portfolios.

Councillor Dixon has declined the opportunity to attend our meeting, prefering to attend the meeting arranged by his Labour colleagues. Gill Cartwright said ?This work is being done for the benefit of the community of which we are part; these issues affect us as well as our friends and neighbours. It is a shame that they feel that they feel they could not work with us for the greater good of the community.

The ward councillors had arranged a meeting 2 years ago in the White Horse to discuss issues of anti social behaviour on Harrowgate Farm. There was never a follow up meeting, no feedback and from what residents have told us no action was taken.

It was clear from the meeting that this is a problem across the ward, Harrowgate Farm, Princess/Marina/Alwyn road, Bensham Park and the houses behind there, Longield Road, White Horse, Mayfair Road to name a few.

We believe that is a complex issue that will require many avenues of approach to improve the situation for residents in Harrowgate Hill. We have researched this issue and hope that our meeting on Wednesday will provide the beginnings of a way forward, this however is not a problem that can be solved overnight, and it will require much work and some critical thinking.

We are committed to working with the community which we are part of to find a solution; these issues affect our lives also.

RSS

We have to written to DBC to demand that they revoke the planning permission for the White Horse as a result of the decision to shelve the Tesco plans. If John Williams is prepared to listen to 75% of people as a result of the Tesco Consultation then he should listen to 98% of people who voted against the White Horse plans in a democratic referendum conducted by DBC themselves.

The council have the power under section 97 of the Town and Planning Act 1991to revoke the permission.

If they choose not to use that power then the next step is to involve Ruth Kelly as Secretary of State to force DBC to conduct a public enquiry with a view to revoking the permission. It is interesting to note that recently Ruth Kelly revoked permission for a development at the former ice rink in Durham. Some of the reason given were that there was no negotiation with the developer for affordable housing and commented that the development would have a significant adverse effect on the surrounding buildings.

Tony Blair has also been written to in his capacity as our MP. We contacted his office on Monday to ask when the next surgery is to be held, however as yet there has not been a response, if anyone can us with this information please make contact.

RSS

Residents in Harrowgate Hill ward are concerned that the dispersal order that covers Nightingale Avenue, Rockwell Avenue and the former Springfield School site will simply move the problem to their ward.

Last week the White Horse site had several incidents, a car in the car park was broken into, one of the houses that belong to the hotel had windows broken into and had to be boarded. Several residents whose houses overlook the car park have fences kicked down and youngsters running along the walls. The car park at the back in poorly lit now and gangs of youngsters can be seen hanging around drinking. Gill Cartwright local resident said ?we are concerned that that this dispersal order will simply move the youngsters on to another area, we already have our own problems with anti-social behaviour. We are also concerned that as the White Horse is in the processing of closing down the business more anti-social behaviour will be attracted to the site, perhaps the incidents last week were the beginning and we are concerned that once the hotel shuts for good then we will experience the same problems as seen at the Springfield school site.

A task and finish exercise completed by the council on the 29th August (DBC site Public Protection & Community Partnerships Scrutiny Committee : 10 October 2006, item 10(a) ii) showed that wardens are only at 50% strength due to problems with recruiting and retaining staff. A snap shot of warden staff on duty 29th August showed one supervisor warden and one warden on duty to cover the whole town!

Gill Cartwright said ?on a more positive note we have asked the youth services to arrange a public meeting so that ideas can be discussed to provide more activities for young people in attempt to get them off the streets, we are waiting to hear a date. We have also suggested to them that the old Shell garage site on North Road would make a great site for a community facility for everyone to use as Harrowgate Hill currently does not have any community facilities.

RSS

In a letter from John Saxby, Chief Executive of the Acute Trust to Marion Swift, Chair of Darlington Social Affairs and Health Scrutiny Committee he states that "he does not believe that there any issues resulting from this ward closure and they will not be discharging patients earlier with increased health needs". Therefore as a result of this bold statement I would encourage health professionals, patients and relatives to report any problems directly to Mr Saxby at DMH as we had his assurances that there will be no issues.

They maintain that they have a decreased demand for acute medical beds, where are the figures to support this statement?

As a District nurse this closure disturbs me greatly. In Darlington we have a larger than average elderly population and, according to recent statistics, quite a number are without family support. Who is going to care for these people?

To read the letter go to Darlington Borough web site http://www.darlington.gov.uk/default.htm to Social Affairs and Health Scrutiny Committee 2nd November item 3 (sorry no link)

RSS

Nationally the Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron MP, explained the Party's vision for the NHS and healthcare, Mr Cameron said the Conservatives were committed to improving the Service for everyone, rather than helping a few to opt out. He declared: "We are committed to the NHS idea, ruling out any move towards an insurance-based system. All parties support increased funding for the NHS. We do not differ with the Government over funding for the NHS - only about using those funds to provide the health service we need and deserve."

Explaining the five key components of the Conservative approach to achieving a new direction for the NHS, he said these would include: guaranteeing that the NHS has the money it needs; ending the damage caused by pointless and disruptive reorganisations of the NHS; working with the grain of the Government's reforms where they are doing the right thing; taking the politics out of the management of the NHS, and getting rid of centrally-imposed and politically motivated targets; and bringing fair funding to the NHS.

RSS

It has been brought to our attention that there may be a lack of activities for young people in the ward. We thought a good starting point would to contact organisations in the area and establish exactly what is available. This information will then be published in a leaflet which we will deliver to every house in the ward. This information will help us to identify where there may be a shortfall in certain activities and/or age ranges. We can then put a case to the council to say this is what we need. At the moment our area is waiting for the appointment of a youth worker. At this stage the only facility we have identified is Longfield School as sadly Harrowgate Hill does not have any dedicated community facilities.

RSS

The above is mentioned in the council open space strategy. It states that playing pitches are a very specific element of outdoor sports provision and are subject to a separate related playing pitch strategy. This standard implies the retention of all existing pitches including 2 pitches on the former Beaumont Hill school site. However, under new development strategy it states commitment to new housing developments at the Beaumont Hill site within 10 years..We think it is important to maintain playing fields, parks etc and if the council put forward any plans for this site we will monitor this situation on your behalf and keep you informed.

RSS

We have a copy of Harrowgate Hill and North Road area planned Youth activities October-December 2006 which includes activities for half term next week. The aim of the half term activity in particular is to engage more young people and as a result develop more ongoing activity on the basis of their needs and wants.
A replacement has been recruited for our previous youth worker. In the meantime they are moving to put interim arrangements in place to ensure that there is a full staffing complement for the area. This will take a few weeks to achieve as they will be looking to put staff into 'acting up' roles and have to follow due processes. For the present time one of the managers is providing additional support to the full and part-time staff team.

RSS

We both attended the consultation evening at Longfield School held on Tuesday 10th October. Sadly not many people attended but this could have been because many people had already attended one of these meeting at another venue. The consultation process finishes next week and there will have been a total of 75 presentations across the town. The team involved will then collate all the information both from written and verbal comments made into a document to summarise the points for and against. This document will be available from the DBC website for the public to view approx 1 week before the meeting to make the decision. The decision whether to invite Tesco to submit a formal planning application will be made at a full council meeting on 23rd November. We were interested in how much this consultation process has cost DBC, but were told this figure could not be calculated until after the consultations had ended. We will request this information at the end of next week.

RSS

We can confirm from a freedom of information request to the Town Hall that monies paid to the council from the developer under a 106 agreement has not been paid yet. ?Shall be payable to the council on or before the occupation of the first apartment constructed?. This includes ?14,000 for play equipment and ?13,500 for 2 bus stops.
The Ombudsman has produced a preliminary report on the complaint against DBC re their handling of the White Horse planning application process. Further comments have sent to them and we are expecting their findings to be published approx end of November.

RSS

RSS

RSS

RSS

RSS