I was contacted yesterday by the owner of an ice cream van currently sited at Blackhall Rocks who has concerns about the pressure he's facing from Durham County Council to move his business from the site.
I've been in touch with the owner and I’ve assured him I’ll raise his concerns with the relevant departments at DCC next week and also that Stacey and I will do everything we can to find out more about why Durham County Council is removing businesses from local visitor sites and why it seems to be done in such a heavy-handed way.
From the comments I’ve seen so far on social media, and from the messages I've received directly, it looks as though this current issue is related to a recent decision made by DCC to remove businesses from Crimdon - something that was done without consultation and without even informing me and Stacey as the local county councillors.
As regular followers of this blogsite will know I contacted DCC a few weeks ago to raise my concerns about what’s been going on in this area, where popular and well-respected businesses are being displaced and effectively closed down. It’s having a dreadful impact on the business owners themselves but it’s also taking away visitor attractions from places where they’re needed most. Please see the article on this site dated Friday 30 July 2021 for background details: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2021/07/campaign-to-keep-traders-at-crimdon.html
I’ll update on progress with this latest incident as soon as I have a response from the authorities but in the meantime if you'd like to let us know what you like or dislike about the existing facilites at Crimdon please get in touch with us at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or: stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk
