Update on issues raised at the Blackhall Library ward surgery

Last Friday morning we held one of our regular monthly ward surgeries at Blackhall library where residents separately raised a number of local issues. We can now report on progress with some of those matters:

• Works to widen the pathway across the top of Chicken's Green, between Corry Close and Dene Road, are scheduled by the parish council to be carried out in the spring/summer works programme
• The streetlight at the junction of Tenth Street and Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery is now in full working order. Repairs to this column have been particularly complicated and drawn-out, involving a number of outside agencies including Northern Power Grid.
• We have been informed that the stump of a damaged bollard nearby has also been made safe after we reported it for repair last week.
• Streetlights at the Welfare Crescent garage site have been reported for repair. Again repairs to these columns are proving to be more complex than initially thought and we have published below the latest information we've received:

This work is planned to be done by AK Lighting. As it is a tricky situation I had to seek permission to go into East Durham homes land as its not DCC.

I have to notify ******* as to when I am starting the works, he must then sign a waiver for the period of 2 weeks for me to complete the works. As my contractors are using a directional drilling company, I am just trying to get them on site to do the works.

I have emailed AK Lighting last week and also today requesting as a matter of urgency a day they will be on site and starting the works.

The delay has been with getting permission to do the works, not by street lighting or DCC.

We will continue to report on progress until all works are fully completed.