Road works scheduled for August on the A1086, Blackhall to Horden

We have received advance notification of water main replacement works scheduled to take place for four weeks from 16 August on the A1086 between Blackhall Colliery and Horden:

A1086

Coast Road, Horden to Blackhall Colliery

Water main replacement

2 way rolling lights (manual control at peak times)

16 August

14 September

Northumbrian Water

Notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for June

There was a significant drop in the number of residents coming along to the PACT (Police and Communities Together) meeting held last night at Blackhall Community Centre. From past experience this tends to reflect a reduced number of crime and anti-social behaviour incidents reported by residents, accompanied by a general increase in satisfaction levels in the community. This of course is a good sign, but it may simply be a respite and we shouldn’t read too much into it.

To begin the meeting the police gave a report on recorded crime figures for the previous month. These were broadly similar to those recorded for the same period last year but reduced from the previous month’s report. We took the opportunity here to point out that the crime rate for the Blackhall PACT area had reduced gradually over the past six months, from 196 reported incidents in December 2017 to just 106 in May 2018. This has resulted in our area having the second lowest crime rate record of all neighbouring PACT areas within a five mile radius (please see our article on reliable crime rate statistics dated Wednesday 13 June 2018).

Because of the reduced attendance figures last night (there were about 12 residents at the meeting) there was a fairly informal discussion, mainly about environmental issues, particularly those relating to fly-tipping in the streets and in the back yards of some properties. In general it was felt that there had been a much more effective response to these issues when reported, mainly due to the MAP group we established last month to deal with such matters (please see post dated Wednesday 30 May 2018 for more details).

There had been specific reports earlier in the meeting of off-road bikes causing a nuisance in a number of locations in the PACT area, particularly in Hesleden and along the coast. We spoke of the concerns of residents in Hesleden and parts of Blackhall Rocks who had contacted us recently about the danger, noise and nuisance generated by bikes in their area (please see post dated Wednesday 13 June 2018 for background details) and we asked that the police give this priority as an issue to be addressed over the coming period.

At the beginning of this article we noted that there had been a reduction in the number of residents attending this month’s PACT meeting. This in no way implies that we’ve won the battle against crime and anti-social behaviour. It simply means that we’re making good progress as a result of interventions made by the police working together with the community through the PACT process. There will certainly be incidents yet to come, so we mustn’t become complacent.

Beware misleading “crime” statistics!

Once again it would appear that for some reason one or two local individuals have taken to social media to spread misleading “crime” statistics for our area. Unfortunately this has had the effect of unsettling and angering many of our local businesses and residents.

We were contacted recently by a number of residents alarmed at what they’ve been led to believe is a significant increase in crime in our area. We’ve taken a closer look at the figures published on Facebook and they are clearly misleading in that they refer to “crime” statistics at an individual street level when in actual fact they relate merely to police reported and recording figures over an extended period of time within a 500m radius of a particular location. In other words they are not crimes at all, they are simply reports to the police of local incidents. As police officers reported at last month’s PACT meeting these figures can be somewhat misleading, especially when calls are repeatedly made about a single incident or when misdirected calls to the police are still recorded even though no actual crime has been committed.

This has the effect of distorting figures to make it appear that an individual street or neighbourhood has been swamped by crime and disorder when this simply isn’t the case. The image it portrays of our village is misleading and potentially damaging, but perhaps more concerning is the fact that many of our our older and more vulnerable residents have been unnecessarily alarmed and distressed by one or two people out to cause mischief by knowingly promoting distorted information.

A much more accurate picture of crime and anti-social behaviour levels in our villages is represented on a link used by our local PACT and Neighbourhood Policing team. This can be found at:

UKCrimeStats.com

Recorded crime rate statistics on this site give a clear and more accurate picture of a marked decrease in the reported crime rate in our village over the past six months, mainly as a direct result of police and community-led interventions through the PACT process. This has resulted in the Blackhall PACT area having the second lowest crime rate figure of all the other PACTs within a five mile radius.

While we are not suggesting that we are home and dry as far as the fight against crime and disorder is concerned, we do feel that the use of accurate and verifiable crime rate figures is essential if we are to tackle crime effectively and at the same time give reassurance to our residents that we are heading in the right direction. 

In addition we are quite sure that the overwhelming majority of our residents and businesses would agree that this approach is much better than using false and misleading crime statistics to alarm our residents, and at the same time risk damaging the good reputation and positive image of our village and its people.

Off-road bike nuisance in Hesleden

We were contacted over the weekend by residents in Hesleden concerned about the noise and nuisance created in the village by off-road bikes. We have received similar complaints recently about off-road bikes in other locations, particularly along the coast, so we reported these problems to the council to co-ordinate a response and we also contacted the police to ask their advice.

The police response is published below in full:

Thanks for the heads-up Rob.

As you are aware, we are currently working with partners along the coast to build up barriers to prevent off-road vehicles accessing vulnerable areas along the coastal pathway. This appears to be having some success as I have been speaking to the wardens who have noticed a significant fall in the amount of vehicles on their radar, especially around the Little Tern site.

I also regularly attend the area around Harold Wilson, Eden Cottages and Hazel Drive as we receive quite a number of calls from residents in this area and last night attended a call about two youths with balaclavas riding bikes. On arrival, I spoke to a young lad who was riding on the green on a childs electric bike, supervised by his father – words of advice given.

The access in Hesleden appears to be mainly from the SusTrans line between Shotton and Hart, although it is more than likely that some of the issues are closer to home. I have previously spoken to various people in the village about the nuisance caused by off-road bikes and issued warning notices to this effect – at present, there is no intelligence to state that these same people are involved in this latest spate of calls. The SusTrans is a public access and a bridleway which limits the actions which can be taken to prevent these vehicles. An alternative form of action might be to look at the access into the village from this access line – there are limited pathways in – one from the allotment site, one from Station Road, and one from East Terrace. If we can stop the ‘day racers’ who see the football field and the green at East Terrace as a perfect place to stop off, then we can start to work on the issues that may be in the village. 

This may be something that needs to be discussed through DCC and RoW, but I am sure that Gary Ward from Motorcycle section, who has been working with Heritage Coast and Natural England, to advise on the tactics that appear to be successful in their areas if required.

In the meantime, I shall continue to patrol in this area and always encourage residents to contact Police should this problem reoccur.

Many thanks,

Ian

Ian Goodwin

PCSO 6638

Improvement works at the A179/A19 interchange at Sheraton

We have received advance notification of improvement works to the A179/A19 Sheraton interchange. We have reproduced full details below, including contact details for comments and queries:

Hello Cllrs Pounder and Crute,

I am emailing you regarding forthcoming improvements to the above junction.

As you’ll be aware this is currently a road safety risk at the junction, with queueing towards the A19 from the northbound off slip. This is caused by the flow of traffic on the A179 making it difficult for right turners onto the A179 from the northbound off slip. This issue is particularly evident in peak periods, with commuters travelling to and from Hartlepool. The signalisation of the junction will remove this risk, by providing a dedicated green light for movements from the off slip.

The signalisation of the junction will also allow certain gaps to be closed on the central reservation of the A19, subject to Traffic Regulation Orders led by Highways England, with accidents previously recorded relating to right turns across the A19. The proposals will facilitate short term housing growth in Hartlepool, in advance of a proposed new junction on the A19 at Elwick.

Highways England have awarded £800k on Congestion Relief funding to Durham County Council to undertake the development, design and delivery of the project.

Subject to confirmation from the Police it is proposed  to reduce the speed limit on the A179 though the junction to 40mph, which will safely allow right turns onto the on slips.

Subject to ongoing processes it is currently proposed to deliver the project from August to October 2018, largely using off peak lane closures wherever possible.

Please contact me if you have any further queries.

Regards,

03000 267103

Roadworks scheduled for next month on the A19 between Wellfield and Sheraton

Please note below advance notification of major resurfacing works scheduled to take place in July on the A19 southbound between the A181 Wellfield Interchange and Sheraton:

Road No.	Location	Description	Traffic Management	Start Date	End Date	Responsibility
A19	Wellfield to Sheraton	Carriageway resurfacing	Road closure southbound (8:00pm - 6:00am), diversion via B1320, A1086, A179	15 July	27 July	Autolink

 

Universal Credit roll-out: Useful information and key contacts

By the end of this month the government will have completed its roll-out of Universal Credit (UC) across County Durham. From dealing with residents' queries over the past few months we know that there have been a number of difficulties experienced by those caught up in the transition from the usual benefits system and the UC full service.

 

Those difficulties are likely to continue in future for other claimants as they move into the UC regime as and when specific personal circumstances change, so we thought it might be helpful at this point to publish an updated advice note we've received from county hall:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started phasing in Universal Credit (UC) Full Service in County Durham by Jobcentre Plus area from October last year.

The UC Full Service will replace new claims across the county for the following means-tested benefits and tax credits for most working age people:

Income Support

Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Housing Benefit

Working Tax Credit

Child Tax Credit

Existing claimants of means-tested benefits will move onto UC if they have an appropriate change in their circumstances, otherwise they will not be moved over until a later date.

It means big changes for those affected, as UC is claimed online and paid monthly in arrears into a bank account. Claimants receiving help with their rent will receive this as part of their UC and will be responsible for paying their landlord.

We are continuing to work with the DWP, community and voluntary groups, landlords and housing providers to ensure residents are aware of the changes and how this will impact on them.

In addition, Customer Services has appointed digital support assistants to help people who have difficulty making their online claims. They also offer personal budgeting support where needed and when people are referred to us by their DWP work-coach. 

Our Customer Services Teams are also working closely with Welfare Rights and Citizens Advice in relation to debt advice and support.

Further information

You can also find more information on Universal Credit by visiting our web pages at www.durham.gov.uk/universalcredit. 

There is a ‘postcode finder’ tool on these pages which can be used to help customers find local computer facilities and also where they can get support to help them make a claim.

November 2017 Budget – changes to Universal Credit

It is worth noting the changes announced by the Chancellor during last November’s Budget:

·      From April 2018, housing costs for those staying in short-term temporary accommodation are administered from Housing Benefit rather than Universal Credit

·      The seven waiting days was abolished from February 2018

·      Claimants on Housing Benefit moving onto Universal Credit continue to receive Housing Benefit for an additional two weeks from April 2018

·      From January 2018, those receiving advance payments when moving onto Universal Credit have the choice of repaying this over a period of 12 months (it was previously 6 months). It is worth noting that those migrating from HB could already get 12 months

·      The amount of advance payment a claimant can receive increased to 100% of the expected first payment from January 2018

·      From December 2017, claimants in the Private Rented Sector, who have managed payments to landlords for their legacy Housing Benefit, are offered an alternative payment arrangement (direct payment to the landlord) when they join Universal Credit, provided the relevant criteria continue to be met.

·      Live Service ended in December 2017, after which no one can claim UC unless they are in a full service area

Key Contacts:

Universal Credit Helpline: 0800 328 5644

Durham County Council Customer Services Team:   03000 260 000

Durham County Council Welfare Rights Team: 03000 268 968

Citizens Advice County Durham: 0300 323 2000