The monthly Blackhall PACT meeting for August took place earlier this week in the Parish Office in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery.
As in recent months it was encouraging to see such a good turnout by residents and businesses who came along to either report their individual concerns or simply listen to what's going on in our villages at the moment and comment on those issues that interest them the most. The issues reported this month ranged from general antisocial behaviour in a couple of the streets in Blackhall Colliery to concerns about off-road bikes and quads in and between our villages and along the coast.
First, the neighbourhood police gave an update on what could be done to address residents' concerns about the persistent problem of off-road bikes speeding through the streets and riding along public footpaths and open spaces. There are options available to physically prevent bikes gaining access to public spaces like children's play areas, the Haswell to Hart Walkway and the Black Path linking Blackhall Colliery and High Hesleden, and the police have confirmed that they're still looking into all the options. If physical measures are required, such as the ones currently in place at Chicken's Green, I've offered the assistance of both me and Stacey in seeking funding for a workable scheme.
The police did however, report that the main problem associated with speeding bikes and quads is actually stopping them in the streets and on the roads. Following recent incidents elsewhere, in which young people have sadly lost their lives, the police are under strict instructions not to pursue any bikes through the streets, especially in built-up areas where there's an additional risk of harm to other road users and pedestrians.
The antisocial behaviour issues reported by residents at the PACT meeting tended to be isolated to a handful of privately rented properties. There were also additional reports of rear yards of properties being used by fly-tippers, with the obvious fire risk if accumulations of rubbish abandoned in back yards is set alight. I've suggested that if particular properties could be identified I would contact the council's private sector housing office with a request that the owners or landlords are traced and urged to clear their yards of rubbish - and critically secure their properties against any further incidents of fly-tipping and trespass.
On a related theme I also gave an update on latest developments with the Selective Licensing Scheme in which private landlords are required to register their properties with the local authority. Although the council's scheme is making only painfully slow progress at the moment (since the scheme was launched 16 months ago fewer than a third of the private sector properties in identified areas have been registered) when it is completed it will bring much-needed regulation to an otherwise unregulated private housing sector. By way of clarity, it was pointed out that the social housing sector (formalised and structured groups such as believe housing) is already regulated by central government. From some of the housing-related incidents and issues reported in the village over the years it's clear that the private sector needs to be brought up to a similar level of regulation as their counterparts in the social sector. Full background details on the Selective Licensing Scheme can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/06/ongoing-private-sector-housing-issues.html
I also gave a very brief update on a proposed drop-in session for residents and businesses to comment on the design of a scheme to restrict parking and eliminate dangerous driving on the public footpath in Middle Street. Background details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/07/parking-safety-measures-on-middle.html
Finally I updated on progress with the meeting I've arranged with a number of local and countywide agencies and organisations to take a closer look at how the causes of crime and antisocial behaviour can be tackled at source by adopting a collective approach built on facts and focused on affected areas most in need of attention. Full background details can be found in an article I published last week on these pages: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/08/next-steps-in-tackling-community.html
I'll update on progress after next weeks meeting, but in the meantime please get in touch with me direct if you have any comments or queries about the issues raised in this article: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk
**For background information notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for July can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/07/update-from-july-pact-meeting.html