Meeting next week to tackle environmental issues in Blackhall Colliery

I have arranged to meet with the parish clerk, neighbourhood wardens, police and the street cleansing manager next week in an attempt to tackle a number of ongoing environmental issues in Blackhall Colliery.

Regular visitors to this site will be aware from my posts that there has been quite an increase in reports of dog fouling, fly-tipping and accumulations of litter and rubbish in the village recently.

Many incidents of fly-tipping are reported in secluded areas such as garage sites and disused buildings, particularly in the rear yards of empty privately rented houses. I have also received an increased number of complaints about litter in the streets too.

I am already dealing with a number of problem sites in Middle Street and Second Street, amongst others, but if you are aware of any long-term problem areas please let me know before next Monday evening on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or contact Envirocall-Easington@durham.gov.uk and copy me in to your email.

Castle Eden Dene event on Sunday 3 March

National Nature Reserve shows off its spring colours:

Members of the public are invited to join an expert geologist for a walk in Castle Eden Dene on March 3.

The walk, organised by the Limestone Landscape team who are hosted by Durham County Council, will see expert geologist Eric Johnson lead an easy paced four mile walk giving people a background on how the stunning natural beauty of the area was formed. Eric will also explain how Durham used to have a Mediterranean climate with warm waters that built the limestone that can be seen today.

People wishing to attend are asked to meet at Castle Eden Dene’s visitor’s car park off Stanhope Chase, Peterlee, SR8 1NJ. The walk is expected to last around three hours.

For further information for the event, please contact the Heritage Officer, Ken Bradshaw on 03000 267152, ken.bradshaw@durham.gov.uk

Online PACT meeting

Many complaints I receive relate to fly-tipping, dog fouling and litter and I will be using the online PACT to raise these matters further with police, neighbourhood wardens and others who may be able to help in keeping our streets and open spaces clean.

I have reproduced below an email from Inspector Dave Coxon who will be holding an online PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting on Monday evening. 

I will be holding the monthly Online PACT on Monday 25^th February 2013 between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. It’s your opportunity to ask me a question about Policing issues in your area and to put forward suggestions for what our priorities should be.

To take part you can visit the Peterlee Neighbourhood page of Durham Constabulary’s website https://www.durham.police.uk/Your-Neighbourhood/Peterlee/Pages/default.aspx#socialPanel or go to http://peterleenpt.coverpage.coveritlive.com. 

You don’t need to stay online for the full duration and you can play an active role or just watch comments and answers posted by others on the screen.

If you can’t take part at the time there is also the option to visit the web addresses as above in advance and send a question by email to me, or use your mobile phone on Titter and send a message using the #PeterleePACT in the text.

If anyone wants more information on how it works or would like me to post a question on their behalf please get in touch with me.

Closure of Deadman's Lane, Blackhall Rocks

Following a period of consultation with the public I have received confirmation this morning that Deadman's Lane, between the picnic area and the tuning point at the steps at Blackhall Rocks, is to be closed to vehicular traffic (see posts dated 28 March 2012, 12 April 2012, 3 May 2012 and 11 June 2012 for further information).

Further improvements to the area will be carried out by the Limestone Landscapes Project and measures are to be put in place to allow for disabled and emergency vehicle access.

I have reproduced below the confirmation as I received it from the LLP:

The statutory objection period closed on the 21 February and I can confirm there has not been an objection to the making of the prohibition of motor vehicles traffic regulation order on Deadman's Lane

We will implement the order on the 15 March to coincide with the closing of the lane for toad migration, as people are used to the road being closed at this time.

Temporary signage can go up at this point to implement the order, however the formal furniture and improvements to the car park and to Deadman’s Point will go through a procurement process shortly and installed at a later date.

Thank you for your assistance to date with this process.

Without your help and comments I am sure that it would not have run as smoothly as it has.

Durham County Council's budget for 2013/14

Yesterday Durham County Council set its budget for 2013 and 2014. From the press release below you will see that the council has been able to freeze council tax once again whilst protecting levels of council tax payments for 65,000 households across the county. This is underpinned by a strong capital programme and increased spending on adult social care to meet the rising demands of an older and healthier population.

All of this has been achieved despite savage cuts of £190m  to the county council's funding by central government, equating to around 36% of its entire budget. This figure is expected to rise even higher if the coalition government continues to focus its programme of public spending cuts on our councils and communities.

Press release: A freeze in council tax for the fourth year running; protection for 65,000 households by retaining the same level of council tax benefit payments for a year; increased investment in projects to kick start the economy and job creation; and higher spend on areas of adult social care. Those are amongst the headlines of Durham County Council’s 2013/14 budget which was approved by Full Council today. (February 20). The budget document also outlines how the council needs to make increased required savings totalling nearly £190m for the period 2011 – 2017.

Members heard that cuts in Government funding mean that initial forecasts of a total reduction of some 28 per cent to the budget are now more likely to equate to 36 per cent between the years highlighted above. In addition, should predicted further central Government funding cuts go ahead, that figure could be more like 40 per cent by 2017/18 representing an overall revised savings target of some £200m across the six-year period.

To meet these unprecedented targets, the council will stick to the plan supported by the public of protecting wherever possible front line services while continuing to reduce management and support service budgets to balance the books.

Leader of the council, Cllr Simon Henig, said: “I am grateful to the public for their feedback during our recent consultation which shows a high level of understanding of how we have managed spending reductions so far. However, there is no doubt there are many more extremely difficult decisions which we will have to make. We will make these while continuing our discussions with residents and businesses in the county and while protecting those who are most vulnerable as best we can.

“This includes our proposal to freeze council tax for the fourth year running, our decision to protect council tax benefit payments for a year and our increased budgets for areas of adult social care as well as capital projects to boost the economy and job creation."

The decision to protect council tax benefits to the most vulnerable households in the county for an initial one year period was approved by the authority’s Full Council on January 9, 2013.

To date Durham County Council has already saved more than £90m of the required overall figure.

However, members will be advised that precise planning continues to be difficult in light of uncertainties surrounding some funding and complexities around the revised formula for public sector grants. The council’s Medium Term Financial Plan balances the budget for 2013/14 and the authority is committed to further widespread consultation this autumn to identify where the remaining savings should be found.

Throughout the process of budget reductions the council has consulted with residents. Most recently public feedback was sought so that the authority could understand how people had been affected by reductions or changes to services so far.

This was done via the council’s 14 Area Action Partnerships, the Citizens’ Panel and targeted questionnaires. 1,500 people responded and the results revealed there is a high level of public understanding of how the authority has managed a very difficult process. Included in the responses received was the fact that some 40 per cent of people felt that the introduction of Alternate Weekly Collections for refuse and recycling had had a positive impact on them, with only 12 per cent reporting a negative impact. The remainder reported no impact at all. This change alone is already saving the council over £2m a year.               

Despite the financial pressures the council has been able to maintain a significant capital investment programme of £159m in 2013/14 in line with the council’s regeneration and job creation priorities.  The programme is fully funded from capital grants, capital receipts from the sale of council assets and some prudential borrowing. 

A full list of new projects plus more information on the savings and budget plan are available at 

http://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=153&MId=5040&Ver=4

Issues from Station Town coffee morning

The Station Town Neighbourhood Group (STNG) held the latest in its monthly series of coffee mornings today at the Milbank chapel in Station Town.

I attended the event as local county councillor, along with residents and other members of the STNG. We talked about a number of issues affecting the village and surrounding area including the following:

• As agreed at a recent STNG meeting I have now secured sufficient funding to erect a low fence at the former community centre to prevent unauthorised access to the field and also to bring the area up to a uniform standard with other fencing schemes nearby
• Concerns were expressed at reports in the local media recently that the county council may identify a public area in East Durham to be used as a temporary stop-over site for travellers. I have already contacted officers at the county council to let them know that there is no suitable site in or around Station Town. I should have more information on this matter by the end of this week and I will report progress on this site.
• Highway flooding problems between Station Town and Hutton Henry are being investigated further by highways engineers. Previous posts on this site refer to long-term problems at Rodridge Hall, caused by broken and damaged drains and gullies in the area. Poor weather since the turn of the year has delayed progress in addressing this problem.
• Pot holes on the road connecting Front Street with the former community centre (adjacent to Townsend Court) have been reported to the highways department at county hall for repair

If you have any issues you would like to raise with me, or if you have any comments to make on the matters I've written about here, please contact me on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or 0191 372 5821.

Taking action on fly-tipping in Blackhall Colliery

Garage site at Welfare Crescent

I have received further complaints about fly-tipping in Blackhall Colliery, this time in the Welfare Crescent area. These incidents follow on from others reported at the Hackworth Road industrial estate last week and have also been passed to the environment section at DCC for their urgent attention.

Only by working together can we tackle this persistent nuisance, so if you have any problems with rubbish, litter or fly-tipping in your area please let me know so that I can arrange collection:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or 0191 372 5821.  

Garage site at Welfare Crescent

Objection to High Hesleden housing development

I posted a report on this site recently about a public meeting I had arranged to help residents better understand the implications of a planning application for a housing development at High Hesleden (see post dated 10 January 2013).

Since then I've had the opportunity to consider the effects of the application in more detail and I have come to the conclusion that the development cannot be supported. I have set out the reasons for my objection in a letter to the planning section at county hall and I have reproduced it in full below:

"I wish to formally register my objection to the planning application PL/5/2012/0437 at High Hesleden. I have registered to speak at the planning committee and I will elaborate there on the reasons for my objection as detailed below:

"I note that the application is for 9 executive houses on the site of the existing haulage business. This type of housing is not suitable for this village nor is it affordable to the vast majority of the people I represent. Further I feel that a development of this scale and nature would compromise the balance and integrity of the village and would have a significantly negative impact on its character.

"The infrastructure in the village is not equipped to cope with further development and I have concerns about increased vehicle use on narrow undulating roads at Fillpoke Lane and Mickle Hill which are wholly unsuitable for such increases in traffic. Further I share residents’ concerns about the drainage system and the increased risk of flooding in an area already susceptible to accumulated surface water on roads around the development site.

"The National Planning Policy Framework suggests that sustainable housing development should normally be approved by the local planning authority. However, I do not accept that this proposed development can be realistically described as sustainable because the village of High Hesleden has no shops, schools, faith buildings, community centres, leisure facilities, health facilities or any significant public transport system – in short, it has nothing to sustain.

"The development proposal is not in accord with either the District Local Plan or the Parish Plan, nor is it identified in the emerging County Durham Plan or the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) for housing development. It should be noted at this point that I have begun the process of establishing a Neighbourhood Plan for this settlement and I am supported in this by the parish council and residents in the village. I believe that if residents want to see any further development in High Hesleden it ought to be identified and agreed through the Neighbourhood Plan process. High Hesleden is a settled community and residents there have the right to collectively decide the future direction of their village.

"In summary, I am convinced that this is the wrong type of development, in the wrong location at the wrong time and I strongly urge the members of the planning committee to recognise my concerns, and those of the residents of High Hesleden, and refuse consent for this application".

Replacement concessionary bus passes

I have reproduced below a press release issued by Durham County Council relating to new bus passes to be issued by post soon:

Durham residents to receive new bus passes

80,000 people in County Durham will shortly receive their new concessionary bus passes from Durham County Council.

Passes which were issued when the scheme was first launched five years ago are about to expire and the new passes will entitle people to another five years of free and concessionary travel. To make the transition as seamless as possible, Durham County Council will automatically send out new passes to all 80,000 eligible residents from February 18.

The council has taken steps to check its records before re-issuing the passes but if residents have moved house or changed their personal details they are asked to call the council’s Bus Pass Hotline on 03000 268 667.

If residents receive a pass which is incorrect or no longer required or, if they are entitled to a pass but haven’t received one by March 18, they should contact the council on the number above.

Under the English National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme, the council issues travel passes to people over 60 or with certain disabilities, which entitles them to free travel or concessions on local bus services. In County Durham, pass holders can also get half price travel on certain local train services.

Further information about the process is available at: www.durham.gov.uk/buspassrenewa

Roads to be adopted at Whindyke, Blackhall.

Following years of pressure from myself and residents, drains on the Whindyke estate in Blackhall Colliery have recently been brought up to an adoptable standard and roads on the estate are expected to be adopted for maintenance by Durham County Council by August, bringing to an end years of uncertainty and inconvenience for residents.

I was at a meeting yesterday of the Central & East planning committee at county hall to speak on a couple of planning applications affecting our area. At that meeting a report was received from an officer within the highways department confirming that the problem of unadopted roads and drains at Whindyke should be resolved by late summer, once the council is satisfied that the infrastructure on the estate is of a sufficient standard to enable them commit to maintaining it in future.

Because of the nature of the estate's development some years ago the roads and drains at Whindyke were effectively private roads, and therefore responsibility for any repairs and maintenance fell to individual residents. However, once the roads are adopted by the council this responsibility will be fulfilled at public expense and the council will maintain damaged roads and drains on behalf of residents.

Litter and Fly-tipping in Blackhall Colliery

I have contacted the neighbourhood wardens and environment section at county hall this afternoon following further reports of litter and rubbish accumulations throughout Blackhall Colliery.

There is a particular and persistent problem with debris and fly-tipping around the public footpath immediately next to the Hackworth Road industrial estate and at the access road to the beach banks.

I have invited officers from the relevant departments to meet me on site to discuss these matters further, with a view to clearing the area and implementing a workable solution to prevent a recurrence of this problem in future.

I will also raise this issue at the next meeting of the Blackhall Community Forum to be held at 6pm on Wednesday 13 February at the Resource Centre, Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery.

In the meantime I would be interested to know of any other areas of similar concern in our villages so contact me please on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Blackhall to Hesleden street lighting

Following my report earlier this week I have discussed the ongoing problems of damaged street lighting in our area today with Brian Buckley, Durham County Council's strategic highways manager (see post dated Monday 4 February).

I told him about the long running problems in and around our villages caused by the theft of overhead cables on the roads connecting Blackhall, Hesleden and High Hesleden. I have impressed on Brian that these are vital links for our residents, and that failure to replace street lighting at the earliest opportunity presents a potential threat to public safety.

In response Brian has told me that the council is preparing to carry out a review of street lighting issues in rural areas across the whole county. This is partly because of the persistent theft of cables, but also to focus lighting provision on areas of greatest need in order to manage huge cuts imposed by central government. Where lighting is to be reinstated the replacement cables will be installed beneath the surface to prevent further theft. Clearly this will incur considerable costs to the council so a matrix has been prepared to consider all factors and to ensure that this consultation is carried out effectively. 

I have asked that I be actively involved in the review in our area, given my long term involvement with this issue. I will update on the review as it progresses.

Campaign to promote responsible dog ownership

Regular followers of this site will be aware of my long-running campaign to tackle the unpleasant effects of irresponsible dog ownership on our streets and open spaces. In accepting that the overwhelming majority of dog owners behave responsibly and clean up after their pets, I have concerns that a tiny minority persist in using our communities as open toilets for their dogs.

This is unfair on our children and other residents and unfair on those responsible dog walkers who are inevitably tarred with the same brush. In response to these issues, Durham County Council is now launching a month long campaign promoting the benefits of responsible dog ownership. I have reproduced below the press announcement issued by the council:

Responsible dog ownership campaign

Residents in County Durham are being encouraged to get behind a month-long campaign aimed at encouraging responsible dog ownership.

Durham County Council is launching the campaign which will focus on 15 target areas where dog fouling has been reported as a particular problem.

In each of the areas, the council will be carrying out a mix of education and enforcement activities to remind people about being a responsible pet owner.

There will be new temporary signs in target areas to highlight awareness of the problem, events offering free dog microchipping, education sessions in schools, promotion of the green dog walkers’ scheme and a golden ticket competition to reward responsible behaviour.

 Neighbourhood wardens and police community support officers will carry out increased patrols and will issue fixed penalty notices to those who fail to pick up after their dog.

The green dog walkers’ scheme, promoted by Durham County Council, aims to change attitudes to dog-fouling in a friendly, non confrontational way. Volunteers will be asked to wear a green dog walkers’ badge and carry waste bags, which can be given out to dog walkers who have forgotten to carry one. 

The badge signifies that a walker has taken the pledge to clean up after their pet, while acting as a reminder for others to do the same.

Ian Hoult, neighbourhood protection manager at Durham County Council, said: “We know that the vast majority of dog owners are responsible and that it is a minority of people who don’t clean up after their pet.

“We are determined to tackle the problem of dog mess and take residents’ concerns over the associated health risks and environmental impact very seriously.

“We would urge residents to report dog fouling to us, providing details such as the time, date and location of the incident as well as a description of the dog and owner if possible.

“This information can help neighbourhood wardens take action against those responsible.” 

Residents should call 03000 26 1000 or go to www.durham.gov.uk/dogfouling  All reports will be treated in confidence.

The campaign runs from Wednesday 6 February to Wednesday 6 March and if you would like to find out more information please go to www.durham.gov.uk/dogfouling  

The dog microchipping sessions will be taking place at the following locations and dates:

6 February: 10.00am – 2.00pm Shield Row Community Rooms, Shield Row, Stanley

9 February: 10.00am – 2.00pm Tesco car park, Delves Lane, Consett

9 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Shildon Sunnydale Leisure Centre, Middridge Lane, Shildon

9 February 11.00am – 2.30pm Prince Bishops Vets, 1 Plantation Street, Crook

12 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Waldridge Parish Rooms, Chester-le-Street

13 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Wood View Community Centre, Langley Park

14 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Peterlee Leisure Centre, Peterlee

15 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Spennymoor Leisure Centre, High Street, Spennymoor

16 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Pets at Home, Auckland Crescent, Bishop Auckland

19 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Belmont Community Centre, Belmont, Durham

20 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Teesdale Leisure Centre, Strathmore Road, Barnard Castle

20 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Annfield Plain Park, Stanley

22 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Glebe Centre, Murton

26 February 10.00am – 2.00pm Blackhall Community Centre, Blackhall

27 February 10am – 2.00pm Eastlea Community Centre, Seaham

Review of Go North East bus services in East Durham

I have reproduced below an update received from Go North East on changes to their bus services in East Durham, due to take effect from next month:

Over the last few months Go North East have been developing plans to improve the services which operate as part of our East Durham network. There were two main aims of this review:

•          To provide simple, easy to understand services for passengers, as some services currently operate with complicated service patterns
•          To ensure that services are operating where the majority of people wish to travel

Go North East staff travelled on board our East Durham services over a number of days to discuss our plans with passengers and get their views. Overall, 84% of the passengers we spoke to said that our plans would make them travel about the same or more than they do at present, which provides strong support for our proposals. We also listened to the views of those who said they would travel less and made some amendments to our plans. 

The details of the service changes, which are registered to commence from 24^th March 2013, are provided below:

• 65 – the main connections on this service between Seaham, Murton and Durham will be maintained by new service 265. Service 265 also partially replaces some connections on services 202 and 261.
• 201 – unchanged
• 202 – will be diverted via Dawdon to maintain connections to Peterlee currently provided by service 203. Westlea, Northlea and Station Road will be served by new services 238 and 265, with the connections to Sunderland being provided on service 238.
• 203 – the section of route between Seaham and Houghton le Spring will now be served by new service 238, which will extend to Sunderland to maintain connections from the Northlea area of Seaham. The section of route between Seaham, Dawdon and Dalton Park will now be served by service 202. A new service X7 will also be introduced, providing new faster links from Seaham to Sunderland and Peterlee.
• 206 – the route of this service will be unchanged, however due to low passenger numbers the frequency of this service has had to be reduced. This ensures that connections are still available for the unique communities which this bus serves. The new X7 will operate via Wingate, providing new connections for this area. Two journeys (one in each direction) on service X35 will now serve Castle Eden and Hesledon, providing a direct bus to Sunderland.
• 207/208 – this service currently operates once an hour as a clockwise loop and once an hour as an anticlockwise loop, which can be confusing for passengers. The service will be revised to operate a simple, half hourly service between Easington Village and Peterlee via Paradise Estate, Holme Hill, Easington Colliery and Horden, effectively increasing the frequency on this section of the route.
• 209/210 – this service also currently operates once per hour as a clockwise loop and once per hour as an anticlockwise loop. The service will be revised to operate a simple, hourly service providing connections to Horden Hall Estate, Horden, Cotsford Lane, Thorntree Gill, Peterlee, Crawford Avenue, Lowhills Road and York Road.
• 238 – a new service operating between Sunderland and Houghton le Spring via Dene House Road, Seaham, Northlea and Seaton, replacing parts of services 202 and 203.
• 259/262 – this service will be revised to a simple, hourly 259 between Durham and High Pittington via Sherburn Village and Littletown, providing an easier to understand service and higher frequency.
• 260/261 – this service will be revised to a simple, hourly 260 between Durham and Peterlee via Cheveley Park, High Pittington, Easington Lane, South Hetton and Easington Village. This provides a simpler, easier to understand service (as the current service is a mixture of different numbers and routes), and provides a more regular link between Peterlee and Durham
• 265 – this is a new service, which replaces parts of services 65, 202 and 261. The route will operate between Durham and Seaham via High Grange Estate, Low Pittington, Hetton le Hole, Murton, East Moor Estate, Dalton Park, Westlea and Station Road.
• X7 – this is a new express service between Sunderland, Seaham, Peterlee, Wingate, Norton, Stockton and Middlesbrough. This service offers a number of new, fast connections for residents of Durham, as well as speeding up existing links, such as between Seaham and Peterlee.

Any comments on reviewed services should be forwarded to:

Graham Hill, Service Design Manager, Go North East on: 0191 422 9216 or graham.hill@gonortheast.co.uk.

Petition for the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign

The Durham Miners Association has joined a campaign to petition for a House of Commons debate on police violence at Orgreave during the 1984-85 Miners Strike and to establish a public inquiry to determine what exactly happened on that day in June 1984.

Follow the links below and add your voice to the campaign for truth and justice:

Durham Miners Back Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign

A CAMPAIGN for a public inquiry into one of the 20th century’s most savage acts of police brutality against miners is under way in Yorkshire.

Armoured police and cavalry attacked lightly-clad peaceful pickets battering many senseless at British Steel’s Orgreave cokeworks in South Yorkshire in June, 1984, during the strike against pit closures.

Sheffield-based Orgeave Truth and Justice campaign is demanding a public inquiry into what happened at the so-called “Battle of Orgreave.”

The campaign was launched on November 8 last year. Within a week South Yorkshire Police referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over its role at Orgreave.

The campaign was prompted by the success of Liverpool families who for 23 years fought to discover the truth about the police role and cover-up at the infamous Hillsborough disaster, when 95 Liverpool football fans died at Sheffield Wednesday FC’s stadium.

An official investigation into Hillsborough is now under way.

South Yorkshire National Coal Board clerical worker Barbara Jackson, who was out for the duration of the 1984-5 strike, organised the Orgeave campaign launch meeting.

Support has poured in from across the former coalfields, where other activists are demanding investigations into police violence during the strike in their own communities.

The Orgreave group won a breakthrough when a policeman who was at Orgreave, now retired in the North-East, contacted his MP, former NUM President Ian Lavery, confirming police violence.

Orgreave campaigners need 100,000 signatures on a petition to trigger a Commons debate. Visit: 

http:/epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/41844

or go to:

www.durhamminers.org 

The grass-roots campaign has no political affiliations.

For further information contact: rgreavejustice@hotmail.com 

To download shocking images of the Battle of Orgreave click here

Update on parking issues at St Joseph's RC Primary

Last week I arranged a site meeting to address reported traffic related concerns at St Joseph’s RC school and adjacent areas in Blackhall Colliery (see post dated 19 December 2012). I invited school staff, parents and representatives from the police, county council highway's section and neighbourhood wardens, along with the clerk and chair of Monk Hesleden Parish Council. I have summarised below the outcome of the meeting, along with an outline of proposed next steps:

The main problem in the area around the school appears to be associated with congestion and parking in the street between the school and the Aged Miners’ Homes. This is reported to be particularly bad at peak times (for example the start and end of the school day) but tends to persist through the working day. There are related parking issues to the north of the school in the street behind the Co-op store. Problems at both sites are long-term and are causing concern for residents, businesses, visitors and school staff, parents and pupils.

Those in attendance at the meeting on Wednesday 30 January agreed that the most appropriate solution(s) would be focused on enabling easier and safer parking, rather than on enforcement. It was also recommended that the involvement of school pupils in reaching a solution and promoting its benefits would be invaluable.

Initial suggestions to alleviate parking problems included:

• The use of St Joseph's RC church car park. It was agreed that an access point linking the car park to the school perimeter fence would be helpful to ensure the safety of the children
• The use of Blackhall Community Centre car park. A pathway linking the car park and the school already exists although a gateway would be needed if this option were to be pursued further
• The use of nearby unused land for car parking. There are two DCC owned plots of land near to the school and at the library site which could be better used to ensure traffic and pedestrian safety in the area. I have asked officers in the DCC estates section to consider the use or sale of these two plots for these purposes

It was agreed that these initial findings be tabled at the next meeting of the Blackhall Youth & Community Group (to be held on Thursday 7 February 2013) to ensure that all parties were engaged and were able to contribute to any agreed solution.

Please note that the points raised above are simply initial ideas and do not comprise a list of recommendations at this stage. Points raised at the Youth & Community Group will be reported on this site in due course. In the meantime, if you have any ideas or suggestions please contact me through this site or at:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Street Lights: High Hesleden - Hesleden - Blackhall

I have been contacted again recently by members of the public understandably concerned at the length of time the street lights have been out on the roads connecting Blackhall Colliery, Hesleden and High Hesleden (see blog dated 19 December 2012). The blackout has been caused by thieves stealing connecting cables in this area and this is having a serious impact on pedestrians and other road users.

I have been assured that DCC is about to begin a review of street lighting across the county to identify ways of tackling problems like this within the programme of government imposed cuts. In our particular case there is a considerable cost implication because the stolen cables will have to be replaced before lighting can be restored. 

I have argued persistently that lighting is essential in and around our villages on public safety grounds. I have arranged a meeting with the head of the county council's highways department later this week and I will continue to press for whatever measures are needed to reinstate street lighting where it is most needed. 

It is unfortunate that some individuals think that it's acceptable to steal for personal gain, leaving our people and communities at risk of harm. However, I believe that if the safety of road users is considered a public priority the council must make funding available to restore full street lighting in our area.