Local Issues & Casework Update for October/November 2024

Since my most recent monthly local issues and casework update report I’ve raised queries with the authorities on behalf of 58 residents and businesses across the Blackhall ward. I've also made direct contact with more than 65 individual residents. These queries are largely personal and/or confidential so for obvious reasons details will not be disclosed to the public.

In addition, I’ve dealt with a number of general queries raised by members of the public. These include issues raised at ward surgeries, during street walkabouts, at the monthly Blackhall PACT meeting and through other methods, including direct contact with me via telephone, email and my social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky).

These issues range from highways and footpath queries, housing matters and general environmental issues. I’ve selected a few for re-posting, just in case you missed them first time around.

Please follow the links below for full details - and please don't hesitate to get in touch with me direct if you have any queries or comments that require a response: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Crimdon Parking Charges: Crimdon Parking Charges - Minutes of the Highways Committee meeting published

Legal Notices served at Hesleden Pit Heap: Council serves Breach of Condition Notice at Hesleden Pit Heap

Local concerns about Bonfire Night: Vehicle set on fire at East Street as part of Bonfire Night event

Remembrance Sunday in Blackhall Colliery: Remembrance Sunday in Blackhall Colliery

Council must listen to residents' concerns about HMOs: Tackling the impact of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Multi-Agency Street Walkabout in Blackhall Colliery: Multi-Agency Street Walkabout in Blackhall Colliery

Tackling obstructive parking: Authorities respond to residents' concerns about obstructive parking 

Enforcement Notice issued to operators at Hesleden Pit Heap

Stacey and I were notified earlier this month that an enforcement notice has now been issued to the operators of the site of the former pit heap in Hesleden. This follows a Breach of Condition notice issued in October (full details can be found in an article posted on these pages on Wednesday 23 October 2024): Council serves Breach of Condition Notice at Hesleden Pit Heap

I have reproduced below the redacted text of the Enforcement Notice issued on 8 November 2024. As ever, we'll continue to monitor progress and update on any significant issues arising from this latest development:

To whom it may concern. 8th November 2024: 

IMPORTANT THIS COMMUNICATION AFFECTS YOUR PROPERTY. 

Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) ENFORCEMENT NOTICE RELATING TO UNATHORISED Alleged breach of Conditions 3 (submission of details) and 4 (time limit) of Planning Permission DM/19/02315/VOCMW at Former Colliery Spoil Heap Hesleden TS27 4PN. 

Durham County Council has issued an enforcement notice relating to the above land and I now serve on you a copy of that notice as you have an interest in the land.

There is a right of appeal to the Secretary of State (at The Planning Inspectorate) against the notice.

Unless an appeal is made, as described below, the notice will take effect on 12 December 2024 and you must then ensure that the required steps, for which you may be held responsible, are taken within the period(s) specified in the notice.

Please note that the right of appeal may not apply to everyone who has been served with the enforcement notice; clarification of who can appeal is provided in the Planning Inspectorate’s Guidance literature (see below for details). If you are entitled to appeal, due to the limited time in which is available to appeal you are strongly advised to use the online Appeal Casework Portal of the Planning Portal where you can submit your appeal online or download a form rather than waiting for the forms to be sent out to you in the post. If you encounter difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact this office. 

You can also read/download guidance on the Enforcement Appeals Procedures and the use of The Appeal Casework Portal from the website www.gov.uk/appeal-enforcementnotice ‘Enforcement Appeals: procedural guide and ‘Enforcement Notice Appeals: how to complete your enforcement appeal form’. 

If you decide that you want to appeal against the enforcement notice, and you are entitled to do so, you must ensure that you send your appeal soon enough so that normally it will be delivered by post/electronic transmission to the Secretary of State (at The Planning Inspectorate) before 12 December 2024. 

Under section 174 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) you may appeal on one or more of the following grounds:- 

(a) that, in respect of any breach of planning control which may be constituted by the matters stated in the notice, planning permission ought to be granted or, as the case may be, the condition or limitation concerned ought to be discharged; (b) that those matters have not occurred; (c) that those matters (if they occurred) do not constitute a breach of planning control; (d) that, at the date when the notice was issued, no enforcement action could be taken in respect of any breach of planning control which may be constituted by those matters; (e) that copies of the enforcement notice were not served as required by section 172; (f) that the steps required by the notice to be taken, or the activities required by the notice to cease, exceed what is necessary to remedy any breach of planning control which may be constituted by those matters or, as the case may be, to remedy any injury to amenity which has been caused by any such breach; (g) that any period specified in the notice in accordance with section 173(9) falls short of what should reasonably be allowed. Not all of these grounds may be relevant to you. You do not have to pay a fee to appeal; unless you appeal under Ground (a). 

If you appeal under Ground (a) of Section 174(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 this is the equivalent of applying for planning permission for the development alleged in the notice and you will have to pay a fee to the Council – this is referred to as the deemed application. The amount of the fee is dependent on the type of development undertaken and is double that payable for a normal planning application. In this case the Council has calculated the fee to be £24,648 which must be paid to the Council at the outset when you provide the Council with a copy of your appeal documentation (cheques made payable to Durham County Council). Joint appellants need only pay one set of fees. If you decide to make an appeal, when you initially submit it to the Planning Inspectorate, you should state in writing the ground(s) on which you are appealing against the enforcement notice and you should provide the Planning Inspectorate with a Statement setting out briefly the facts on which you intend to rely in support of each of those grounds. If you do not do this when you make your appeal the Planning Inspectorate will send you a notice requiring you to do so within 14 days. You must also send a copy of your appeal submission to the Council at the same time. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter and enclosures.

Authorities respond to residents' concerns about obstructive parking

Over the past couple of weeks I've been contacted by several residents expressing their frustration and concerns about careless parking on public footpaths in a number of locations. Reports suggest that in some places pedestrians and users of mobility scooters and pushchairs are forced to go onto the highway to get past vehicles that have been parked entirely across the pavement.

I've raised these concerns with the authorities on every occasion I've been contacted by residents. In response I've received a note from the county council (which acts as the highways authority) clarifying responsibility for dealing with parked vehicles causing an obstruction: 

As a highway authority we have a duty to protect and assert the right of all members of the public to use the highway. Therefore provided a vehicle is taxed, tested and insured, it is legally entitled to park on the public highway provided it is not causing any obstruction.

With regards to the obstruction of the Footpath, the legislation that allows the Council to issue notices to vehicles contravening parking restrictions excludes us from being able to enforce offences such as dangerous parking and obstruction. The power to enforce these offences lies with Durham Constabulary and consequently enforcement action may only be undertaken by a Police Officer.

Therefore on this occasion the vehicle that is parked causing an obstruction offence should be reported directly to Durham Constabulary using the non-emergency telephone number ‘101’. Alternatively if the vehicle is a Heavy Goods Vehicle, this should be reported to the traffic commissioner on telephone number 0800 030 4103.

I'll continue to relay residents' concerns to the authorities whenever they get in touch with me, but I'm sure the overwhelming majority of residents would agree that the problem could be resolved in most cases if drivers chose to park their vehicles with more consideration for others.

If you have concerns about obstructive parking in your neighbourhood please get in touch with the police using the contact details shown above. Or if you prefer you could let me know and I'll report it on your behalf: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Multi-Agency Street Walkabout in Blackhall Colliery

Our latest street walkabout took place yesterday morning in Blackhall Colliery. The intention of holding this particular event was to bring all the relevant agencies together in one place to take a look around the streets and back lanes in Blackhall Colliery to register any outstanding fly-tipping issues, and also to monitor how effective ongoing efforts to keep the back yards of private properties clear of rubbish had been.

Alongside the parish clerk, the local PCSO, neighbourhood wardens, clean and green team, the selective licensing team, officers from the PCC and other partner agencies we set off from the parish council office to see which areas had improved since our last walkabout, and also to see which parts of each individual street required more attention.

The main areas we visited yesterday were in along back lanes between First and Eleventh Streets where we reported a number of environmental issues, including fly-tipping in one or two back lanes and also accumulations of rubbish in some of the back yards of private properties. It was noted that compared to our most recent walkabout in this area there had been a significant improvement in the amount of litter and debris cleared from the yards, alongside a reduction in the overall number of yards affected. However there were four back yards that had been targeted again by fly-tippers. In almost all cases there was no gate to the property, leaving the back yard open to repeat incidents of fly-tipping.

Towards the end of the walkabout we visited the site of the recent bonfire on the corner of East Street and First Street where the last of the debris from the fire had been removed earlier in the day. The grass where successive fires had been set was completely burnt away, leaving the ground beneath it a mess of charred soil and ash. This has now been reported to the authorities with a request that every effort is made to re-seed the field and return it as soon as possible to an acceptable condition for public use.

Finally, on the way back to the parish office we stopped to take a look at the site of the vacant, privately-owned land on Middle Street where ivy bushes growing into the perimeter fence are gradually pushing it towards the public footpath. On a number of occasions in the past sections of this fence have been blown into the footpath, presenting a risk of falling onto passers-by. The concern now is that the fence will eventually fall into the pavement if the bushes aren’t cut back and the fence properly repaired. The authorities have been tasked with finding a way to work with the landowner and the local authority to repair or secure the fence and trim back the bushes behind it.

All the issues we covered during yesterday’s street walkabout have now been referred to the relevant authorities for their attention, so hopefully the yards and streets we visited will be tidied up sooner rather than later. I’ll update on progress as and when I have more information from the services involved. In the meantime if you have any similar issues you would like us to know about please get in touch with us at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk

The next street walkabout is likely to take place in Hesleden, and over the next few months there are plans to visit other villages across the ward area too. I’ll post full details as soon as the representatives from all the partner agencies have confirmed their availability and the schedule of visits has been agreed.

Tackling the impact of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Many residents across the county will already be aware that we have been working for some time to find effective ways to address the growing problems associated with Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and the devastating impact they can have in our communities if they’re not properly regulated or kept under control. However, the problem has been largely ignored by the coalition currently in control of Durham County Council and is now in danger of coming to a tipping-point in many of our towns and villages.

By way of background, converting a residential property into an HMO is an initiative used by property owners and some private sector landlords to create additional rental income in one individual home by modifying living space to increase the number of tenancies. However, some of the more unscrupulous landlords have taken the opportunity to maximise their rental income by squeezing more individual tenancies into one property and then calling it an HMO. 

This isn’t anything new. It’s been around for several years but it’s recently come to the fore in some of our communities, and that would explain the increasing number of pressure groups emerging across the county over the past few months - most of them pressing for the same outcome but with some of the more opportunistic ones using it as a device to create division in our communities. 

The practice of converting residential properties into HMOs has picked up pace lately in some of our former industrial communities like those along the East Durham coast where some private sector landlords and their agents are exploiting this opportunity to increase their rental income. This leads to disruption in our otherwise settled communities, especially where there is evidence of an increasing number of HMOs in just one or two streets. To make matters worse once a residential property has been converted into an HMO it is highly unlikely that it would ever be returned to its original purpose, thereby gradually depriving our communities of a much needed rented-sector housing supply.

The impact of HMOs on our communities has been a long time coming. Anyone monitoring changes in the local housing market over the past few years, particularly in the private-rented sector, would have picked up on the opportunity perceived by some landlords to change direction and maximise profit by letting their properties to more tenants than they were ever intended for. 

This was in part the reason why Labour members in county hall introduced a Selective Licensing Scheme (SLS) a few years ago. The primary intention of the SLS was to bring some much-needed regulation to the private-rented sector, but it also gave the council a framework to build up an evidence base and provide a template for dealing with any potential housing issues in the future - such as the proliferation of HMOs in our East Durham communities and others across the county.  

However, apart from deploying the opportunity to further regulate the private-rented sector using the evidence gathered through the SLS, the only way the council can make real progress in tackling local concerns about HMOs is by engaging directly with residents and their communities and then developing policy and modifying the regulatory powers it has to deal with any emerging issues. 

Understandably our residents want to hear about solutions to their problems, but instead of listening to communities the Tory-Reform/Lib Dem/Independent coalition in control of the council has slammed the door in their faces every time. If they want to be seen doing something about this problem the coalition must start listening to residents and then act decisively to seek solutions and address local concerns.

Whether they do that by adopting restrictive planning policies that help to remove permitted development rights on HMOs, or whether they properly engage with residents as part of the forthcoming County Durham Plan review, it's vital that the coalition demonstrates its understanding of local concerns - and then holds out the prospect of hope and real progress by further regulating the private-rented sector and bringing some much needed stability to our communities.

Remembrance Sunday in Blackhall Colliery

As ever there was a magnificent turnout from our residents and local organisations at this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemoration service held at the memorial in Blackhall Colliery Welfare Park.

The service, organised by Monk Hesleden Parish Council and led by council chairman Gaynor Crute and local minister John Kidd, attracted another fantastic attendance from a community committed to paying their respects to those from Blackhall who fought in both World Wars and in other conflicts over the years.

At the commemoration service wreaths were laid at the memorial on behalf of the Royal British Legion, Monk Hesleden Parish Council, Durham County Council, Blackhall Colliery primary school, St Joseph's RC primary school, Wellfield school, Blackhall Labour Party, Blackhall RAFA, Blackhall Women's Institute, St Andrew's church and many other local and regional organisations who make the day so special. There was also an opportunity at the service for individuals to make their own personal representations on behalf of lost loved ones and family members.

As in past years the buffet reception held in Blackhall Cricket Club immediately after the service was again very well attended by residents taking the opportunity to meet up with family members, old friends and visitors to our village.

Stacey and I would like to thank the clerk, members and staff of the parish council for organising the event, the staff and committee of Blackhall Cricket Club who made everyone welcome, Ian Harris for performing the Last Post and Reveille, representatives from the Royal British Legion, Blackhall Women’s Institute, the staff and pupils from Wellfield school, our local primary schools, Brian Drummond who again gave so much of his time and effort in preparing the village ahead of the service and of course the Blackhall community who once again came together to honour those who fought and those who died in the defence of our country and community against fascism, tyranny and oppression.

Vehicle set on fire at East Street as part of Bonfire Night event

I was contacted last night by residents who were angry that once again a vehicle has been set on fire on land at East Street and First Street as part of an unauthorised bonfire night event. This follows a similar incident last year at the same location when an abandoned car was taken to the site and added to the bonfire.

I'd already been in touch with the authorities yesterday morning to alert them to the event and I'd asked them to monitor developments as best they could and manage any risks to health and safety that might occur. This followed concerns raised with me earlier in the day by concerned residents in the village.

I called down to the site early this morning to see for myself the damage left behind after last night's events. I saw a burnt out vehicle abandoned on the green and reported it straight away to the authorities with a request that it is removed as soon as possible and that any debris left behind is cleared.

From the many calls and messages I've received since last night it's clear there is significant anger throughout the village that a relatively small group of people seem quite happy to cause as much damage as they like and ruin the fun for everyone else.

Like a lot of people I think Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night is a great opportunity to get together with friends and family. It's become an established English tradition over the past 400 years and I think it’s important that it should be preserved. However, the security, health and safety of residents must always come first, and none of the residents living in the streets nearby felt particularly safe or secure last night.

No one wants to stamp out what has become a time-honoured tradition, but equally no one wants to see vehicles dragged onto public open spaces and set alight - especially when the fire was so close to residential properties in East Street, First Street and Aspatria Avenue.

I have a scheduled meeting early next week with the community safety team, alongside the police, neighbourhood wardens and other agencies, as part of our regular street walkabouts in and around the villages. When we get together I'll raise with them residents' concerns about the events of last night and I'll ask them to look at ways to prevent a repeat of last night's mayhem. Bearing in mind that the safety of our children and young people is paramount I think all options should be up for consideration. 

If you have any issues you would like me to raise with the community safety team about what happened last night (or anything else for that matter) please contact me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I'll make sure your ideas and comments are taken into consideration.  

Council serves Breach of Condition Notice at Hesleden Pit Heap

Last week I published an update on a number of legal issues ongoing at the site of the former pit heap in Hesleden. Full details can be found in this link: legal-notices-to-be-served-next-week

Further to the information provided in that article we received confirmation from the planning office this morning (Wednesday) that a Breach of Condition Notice has now been served.

We have been advised by the planning department that the notice was served on:

B&S RECYCLING LIMITED

DRS LAND REGENERATION LTD

Haven Power Limited

Mr Robert Surtees

As ever, Stacey and I will continue to track progress on this issue and update on any significant developments. In the meantime, if you have any queries or comments about this matter please contact us direct at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk

Legal notices to be served next week at the Hesleden Pit Heap site

Earlier this week, alongside Stacey and the parish clerk, I met with the county council's planning manager, planning lawyer and principal planning officer to express our frustration at the constant delays in issuing a supplementary enforcement notice on the owners/operators of the former pit heap site in Hesleden.

At the meeting we asked for an appraisal of progress to date and an update on what the council intended to do to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion for the benefit of all the residents of the village. We told officers that our expectation was for the much delayed enforcement notice to be issued without further delay, along with a workable restoration plan that would improve the site from the condition it was in before works began. This was a requirement in the conditions attached to the original planning consent issued some years ago and we’ve insisted there must be compliance. 

Anyone who’s followed this issue from day one will know that I’ve consistently objected to any extraction works on the pit heap site from the very start, mainly because I could see no material benefit for anyone but the company - and one of the concerns I raised at the earliest stage was the risk that at some point the operator or owner could simply walk away whenever they chose to, leaving the site in an unacceptable condition. I do not want to be proved correct on that point.

In response officers insisted that they understood the frustration felt by residents, and they acknowledged that this matter has dragged on for an extended period of time without any perceptible measure of progress. However, they emphasised the complexity of this particular case which has required frequent legal interventions and external legal advice to assess options. The planning officers told us that they are working towards bring this matter to a close as soon as possible, but pointed out that they must do so within the legal constraints faced by the authority.

With this in mind they told us they'd reviewed the case again recently and have now confirmed a series of measures to be implemented from next week. Whilst hoping that this will serve its intended purpose, planning officers again emphasised the complicated nature of this issue and were not prepared to give us the guarantee we'd asked for that works would end immediately and that the site would be restored for the benefit of the community. However, we'll continue to press at every opportunity for this matter to be brought to a satisfactory close without any unnecessary delay. 

I've reproduced the planning manager's summary of those measures here in full:

Breach of Condition Notice: Early next week the Council will issue a Breach of Condition Notice requiring the person responsible for the breach to permanently cease the extraction of mineral from the Land and in accordance with Condition 4 of Planning Permission DM/19/02315/VOCMW.  The Notice will come into effect immediately and will relate to the extraction of combustible material only (because that is what the planning permission permitted).  The Notice will be served on those with an interest in the land. 

Enforcement Notice: An Enforcement Notice will be issued requiring the cessation of all mineral extraction, including sand and limestone, and require the site to be restored in accordance with a restoration scheme to be attached to the Notice.  We are in discussion with the site operator regarding a realistic timescale for implementation and completion of a restoration scheme which they have produced.  It is intended that the Notice will be issued by the end of October 2024.  The Notice will be served on the same parties as the Breach of Condition Notice.

Restoration Bond: Officers are pursuing the provision of the performance guarantee or restoration bond for the site.  If this cannot be provided then a new guarantee will be required and due to indexation a greater amount will be required.

Blackhall DMA Banner at the Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service

Members of the Blackhall Banner Committee were proud to represent our village and its mining heritage at the annual Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service held in Heworth last Saturday morning, 12 October.

Thomas Hepburn (c1795-1864) was active in forming the first miners’ union in County Durham & Northumberland in 1825 and dedicated his entire life to serving his community, being a particularly vocal advocate for children’s education and a reduction in the working hours of child miners. He was also influential in breaking down the ‘Tommy Shop’ system in pit villages, used by unscrupulous mine-owners to manipulate prices and hold mining families to ransom in their own communities.

His example in taking on the establishment and putting the interests of the people and their pit communities first serves as a timely reminder to us all that our struggles in adversity are rooted in the wealth and privilege at the top of society and not from within our own class and communities.

It has been confirmed by the Durham Miners' Association that the annual Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service will now be held on the second Saturday in October. This is to avoid any confusion about the date of the event and brings the timing in line with the Big Meeting which is held on the second Saturday in July.

Crimdon Parking Charges - Minutes of the Highways Committee meeting published

Last month I published an article on these pages reporting on the outcome of a Highways Committee meeting at which Coalition members in county hall gave the go-ahead for the council to introduce parking charges at Crimdon. The full article can be found in this link: Coalition members give the green light to parking charges at Crimdon

The decision to impose parking charges on visitors coming to Crimdon was made at a meeting of the council's Highways Committee held on Tuesday 17 September 2024 in county hall where I represented the views of the many local residents and businesses who had contacted me to express their concerns about the charges and how they would deter people from visiting the East Durham coast.

The main concern I raised was about how the charges would affect businesses at Crimdon and how they would have a negative impact on the wider local economy in nearby villages like Blackhall Rocks and Blackhall Colliery. However my words fell on deaf ears and the charges were given the green light to proceed despite my objections - and despite the support I received from Labour members of the committee.

The comments I made when addressing committee members, along with details of how the decision was reached, have now been published for public information. The relevant minutes can be found at Agenda Item 3, from pages 3-6 in the report pack in the link attached: https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=311&MId=15736

Local Issues & Casework Update for September 2024

Since my most recent monthly local issues and casework update report I’ve raised additional queries with the authorities on behalf of 73 residents and businesses across the Blackhall ward. I've also made direct contact with over 85 individual residents covering a wide range of issues. Many of these queries are personal and/or confidential so for obvious reasons details will not be disclosed to the public.

In addition, I’ve dealt with a number of general queries raised by members of the public. These include issues raised at ward surgeries, during street walkabouts, at the monthly Blackhall PACT meeting and through other methods, including direct contact with me via email and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

These issues range from highways and footpath queries to housing matters and general environmental issues. There’s also an article about how vulnerable families are being abandoned in our communities by unscrupulous private sector landlords in collusion with local authorities in London. I’ve selected a few articles from the past month for re-posting, just in case you missed them first time around.

Please follow the links below for full details - and get in touch with me direct if you have any queries or comments that require a response: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

London Boroughs in Housing Relocation Scandal: Absent private sector landlords and London Borough councils caught up in relocation scandal

Updates on General Highways & Footpath Queries: Update on reported highways issues

Local Pass Wide & Slow Campaign: PW&S 2024 - Supporting our local horse riders in their road safety campaign

Tory-Lib Dem Coalition Imposes Parking Charges at Crimdon: Coalition members give the green light to parking charges at Crimdon

Coalition Rejects Opportunity to join Winter Fuel Payments Campaign: Coalition rejects opportunity to join Labour’s Winter Fuel Payments campaign

Blackhall PACT Meeting for September: Notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for September 2024

Notes from the Blackhall PACT meeting for September 2024

The PACT meeting for September was held last week in the Parish Offices (formerly the Resource Centre) on Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery. 

As usual the PACT (Police & Communities Together) was preceded by a meeting of the parish council’s monthly environment committee where I’m invited to come along and update on any local issues I’m dealing with that coincide with the work of the parish council. As you would expect some of the issues raised at the environment committee meeting are also covered at the PACT meeting. Consequently there’s likely to be some overlap between the issues covered in this report.

Despite the damp and dreary weather conditions there was another strong and positive turnout from residents who came along to talk about their local concerns, get updates on issues raised at previous PACT meetings and those who came along for the craic or to just to see what was going on. 

Issues raised by residents on Wednesday evening ranged from reports of abandoned vehicles and parking concerns to highways defects and an update on the bollards at Park Avenue that were removed on a temporary basis a few weeks ago.

Safe Parking Scheme: I gave an update on plans to install bollards outside the shops along Middle Street to prevent vehicles from driving along the public footpath. This follows several reports from pedestrians of 'near-misses' as drivers pull onto the pavement to park.

The plans were finalised earlier this year and we had already made sure the funding was in place to enable the scheme to go ahead. I reported that a works order had now been raised with the county council last week, meaning that the bollards should be installed soon. 

Once the scheme is completed the parking enforcement team at DCC has confirmed they’ll take additional measures to prevent illegal parking at this location. There are sufficient parking facilities nearby but some motorists are taking up parking spaces that are meant to be limited to legitimate users such as delivery vehicles and those drivers who have mobility issues.

There have been quite a few unavoidable delays with this scheme and background details can be found in my monthly issues and casework update for July: Local Issues & Casework Update for July 2024

In addition, several residents, motorists and pedestrians have been in touch with me to tell me of their concerns about parking issues, particularly at Airlie House and on the Hesleden Road junction with Middle Street. I was asked if the council could install double yellow lines at both locations to divert drivers to park safely elsewhere and also avoid congestion and visibility issues so I raised residents’ concerns with the highways department and works have been included in the current works programme. 

However I've been advised that there's currently a significant backlog of works of this nature. I'll continue to press the highways department to get this work completed as soon as possible.

Mobile CCTV: At a previous PACT meeting the police reported on a scheme to provide bespoke mobile CCTV cameras in the Blackhall and Hesleden area. I offered to assist with funding to help move the project on, so an officer from the PCC's office who was at the PACT meeting on Wednesday night has agreed to get an update on progress.

Untaxed or abandoned vehicles: There were reports from residents of a number of abandoned and potentially untaxed/tested vehicles in both Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks. The neighbourhood wardens are liaising with the police to investigate further.

Private housing issues and fly-tipping reports: The neighbourhood warden in attendance at the PACT meeting gave an update on a number of housing-related issues, particularly in the rows of former colliery houses in Blackhall Colliery. 

I've been encouraging residents to contact me with any reports of fly-tipping in the back lanes recently, and also send me any reports of rubbish dumped in the back yard of empty and unsecured back yards. This has led to an uplift in reports over the past few months, but on the positive side it's leading to more accumulations of rubbish being either cleared away or investigated by the neighbourhood wardens. The selective licensing scheme has also become involved where issues relating to private-sector properties are reported. 

The Crescent: Following repeated calls for the highways department to carry out much needed repair works to the cracked and damaged road surface at The Crescent I have received the following response this week confirming that repairs have now been added to the works programme as part of the micro-asphalt resurfacing scheme:

This request has been reviewed and identified that further action is required. Your report has been added to the ongoing work programme and will be processed in line with the repairs policy

Although I have yet to receive a timescale for the works I'll maintain contact with the highways team until the road is resurfaced.

Park Avenue: It had been reported that rumours were going around the village lately that the bollards at Park Avenue had been removed and wouldn’t be reinstalled. This would explain the contact I’ve had recently from several residents concerned that the public footpath along Park Avenue would once again be left open to vehicles, putting pedestrians and residents at risk of an accident or injury.

I assured residents that these rumours are false. The bollards were removed on compassionate grounds, and on a temporary basis only. Given this is a sensitive issue I declined to go into any further detail.

Following suggestions from residents I’ve submitted a request that ‘no parking’ lines to restrict parking at the bottom and top of the public footpath be considered by the highways section. It would seem reasonable that if access is ever needed after the bollards are reinstated both access points should remain clear of parked vehicles.

Bridle Gates at Crimdon Dene: I gave a brief update on plans to install bridle gates at the eastern and western access points to Crimdon Dene. These will replace the gates already in place which were put there to prevent off-road bikes and quads trespassing but have had the unintended consequence of restricting access for horse riders, pushchairs and mobility scooter users.

Following enquiries I made again with the clean and green team last week I've been told that the design works are completed, the paperwork is well underway and the scheme will now be costed. I don't expect any unnecessary delays once this latest phase is completed, so hopefully the gates will be installed soon. Background details can be found in this link: Addressing access issues at Crimdon Dene

Blackhall PACT meeting update for September 2024

The PACT meeting for September was held earlier this week in the Parish Offices (formerly the Resource Centre) on Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery. 

As usual the PACT (Police & Communities Together) was preceded by a meeting of the parish council’s monthly environment committee where I’m invited to come along and update on any local issues I’m dealing with that coincide with the work of the parish council. As you would expect some of the issues raised at the environment committee meeting are also covered at the PACT meeting. Consequently there’s likely to be some overlap between the issues covered in this report.

Despite the damp and dreary weather conditions there was another strong and positive turnout from residents who came along to talk about their local concerns, get updates on issues raised at previous PACT meetings and those who came along for the craic or to just to see what was going on. 

Issues raised by residents on Wednesday evening ranged from reports of abandoned vehicles and parking concerns to highways defects and an update on the bollards at Park Avenue that were removed on a temporary basis a few weeks ago.

Problem parking issues: I gave an update on plans to install bollards outside the shops along Middle Street to prevent vehicles from driving along the public footpath. This follows several reports from pedestrians of 'near-misses' as drivers pull onto the pavement to park. 

The plans were finalised earlier this year and we had already made sure the funding was in place to enable the scheme to go ahead. I reported that a works order had now been raised with the county council last week, meaning that the bollards should be installed soon. There have been quite a few unavoidable delays with this scheme and background details can be found in my monthly issues and casework update for July: Local Issues & Casework Update for July 2024

When several residents got in touch to tell me of their concerns about parking issues at Airlie House and on the Hesleden Road junction with Middle Street I was asked if the council could install double yellow lines at both locations to divert drivers to park safely elsewhere and also avoid congestion and visibility issues. I raised residents’ concerns with the highways department and works have been included in the current works programme. However I've been advised that there's currently a significant backlog of works of this nature. I'll continue to press the highways department to get this work completed as soon as possible.

Mobile CCTV: At a previous PACT meeting the police reported on a scheme to provide bespoke mobile CCTV cameras in the Blackhall and Hesleden area. I offered to assist with funding to help move the project on, so an officer from the PCC's office who was at the PACT meeting on Wednesday night has agreed to get an update on progress.

Untaxed or abandoned vehicles: There were reports from residents of a number of abandoned and potentially untaxed/tested vehicles in both Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks. The neighbourhood wardens are liaising with the police to investigate further.

Private housing issues and fly-tipping reports: The neighbourhood warden in attendance at the PACT meeting gave an update on a number of housing-related issues, particularly in the rows of former colliery houses in Blackhall Colliery. 

I've been encouraging residents to contact me with any reports of fly-tipping in the back lanes recently, and also send me any reports of rubbish dumped in the back yard of empty and unsecured back yards. This has led to an uplift in reports over the past few months, but on the positive side it's leading to more accumulations of rubbish being either cleared away or investigated by the neighbourhood wardens. The selective licensing scheme has also become involved where issues relating to private-sector properties are reported. 

The Crescent: Following repeated calls for the highways department to carry out much needed repair works to the cracked and damaged road surface at The Crescent I have received the following response this week confirming that repairs have now been added to the works programme as part of the micro-asphalt resurfacing scheme: 

This request has been reviewed and identified that further action is required. Your report has been added to the ongoing work programme and will be processed in line with the repairs policy

Although I have yet to receive a timescale for the works I'll maintain contact with the highways team until the road is resurfaced.

Park Avenue: It had been reported that rumours were going around the village lately that the bollards at Park Avenue had been removed and wouldn’t be reinstalled. This would explain the contact I’ve had recently from several residents concerned that the public footpath along Park Avenue would once again be left open to vehicles, putting pedestrians and residents at risk of an accident or injury.

I assured residents that these rumours are false. The bollards were removed on compassionate grounds, and on a temporary basis only. Given this is a sensitive issue I declined to go into any further detail.

Following suggestions from residents I’ve submitted a request that ‘no parking’ lines to restrict parking at the bottom and top of the public footpath be considered by the highways section. It would seem reasonable that if access is ever needed after the bollards are reinstated both access points should remain clear of parked vehicles.

Bridle Gates at Crimdon: I gave a brief update on plans to install bridle gates at the eastern and western access points to Crimdon Dene. These will replace the gates already in place which were put there to prevent off-road bikes and quads trespassing but have had the unintended consequence of restricting access for horse riders, pushchairs and mobility scooter users.

Following enquiries I made again with the clean and green team last week I've been told that the design works are completed, the paperwork is well underway and the scheme will now be costed. I don't expect any unnecessary delays once this latest phase is completed, so hopefully the gates will be installed soon. Background details can be found in this link: Addressing access issues at Crimdon Dene

Coalition rejects opportunity to join Labour’s Winter Fuel Payments campaign

It may well be the understatement of the year so far, but it’s fair to say that the government’s proposal to means test Winter Fuel Payments has not been well received. That’s perfectly understandable given the impact it could have this winter in meeting household heating costs but also in terms of increasing anxiety for elderly people who shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll be able to make ends meet.

Unfortunately it’s always been the case that when decisions are made at the centre by government we’re left as local councillors to use our own initiative and put measures in place to mitigate any local impact. A look back at the past 14 years of unnecessary austerity unleashed by successive Tory/Lib Dem governments on our hard-pressed communities proves the point. We had no help at all from the government throughout those harrowing and damaging times - we just got on with it as best we could and continued to work in our communities with what we had.

Bearing that local dimension in mind everyone expected that the Tories, Lib Dem’s and ‘Independents’ in coalition control of Durham County Council would have taken immediate action to put measures in place to limit the impact of the government’s proposal on Winter Fuel Payments.

But that didn’t happen. Instead coalition cabinet members sat on their hands for weeks and then eventually decided it might help to ‘write a letter’ to the government. Not exactly the proactive response the people might expect from their local council.

While we were doing whatever we could to help residents potentially affected by the WFP withdrawal the coalition cabinet took a back seat. It took them until this week to wake up, look around and realise they’d missed the opportunity to actually do something to help. So then, in an attempt to cover the tracks of their incompetence, they pointed the finger at opposition Labour members as a distraction.

To be clear, what the coalition proposed to council on Wednesday morning was far too little and far too late. We’d already seized the initiative to offer practical help to those potentially affected in our own communities so there was no way we were going to put our plans on hold just to give them time to catch up with us and try to save face.

Predictably there’s been a lot of deliberate misinformation circulated on social media about this issue, so what follows is a first hand account of what actually happened before and during the full council meeting held in county hall earlier this week. I’ve also published a draft transcript of what I said at the meeting to try and bring the coalition cabinet to their senses.

To be clear, Labour members of Durham County Council offered members of the Tory-led coalition in county hall the opportunity to join them in their campaign to ensure that no one in the county loses out unnecessarily from the government's proposal to withdraw the Winter Fuel Payment from those pensioners who are not in receipt of Pension Credits.

During the debate we even withdrew our own motion on grounds of similarity, fully expecting coalition members to support our campaign to help pensioners most in need, and at the same time open up dialogue with government decision makers to express our concerns about the impact of the withdrawal plan.

Labour has been running a campaign for weeks now aimed at making sure that those most affected get the help they need as quickly as possible. In other words we've been doing for weeks what the coalition had only just realised needs to be done. It simply wouldn't have made sense for us to take a step backwards just so that the coalition could catch up with us.

As it turned out, the coalition rejected our offer outright, preferring instead to 'write a letter'. That kind of response will come as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed the coalition's performance over the years when they've simply sat back and accepted their own Tory/Lib Dem governments’ savage austerity cuts that have brought local council budgets and public services to the brink of collapse. 

Those cuts were underpinned by Tory government corruption and incompetence that ended up crashing the national economy and sending interest rates soaring through the roof just two years go, so it's clear for all to see that we've been heading towards a financial catastrophe for years. That's provides the backstory to where we are today. 

However, if the coalition had come onboard with us on Wednesday they might have avoided the inevitable charge of craven hypocrisy from members of the public who expected and deserved a much more vehement response than simply 'writing a letter'. Under the circumstances only direct, practical action will help. Performative grandstanding and crocodile tears from a clapped-out coalition devoid of any urgency will be seen for what it is - opportunism and rank hypocrisy.

This is a draft transcript of the notes I used when I spoke at Wednesday’s meeting:

Whilst we understand the concerns and sentiments expressed in the coalition's motion, what we can’t support are the actions proposed in the final section. And that’s because they come far too late and simply don’t go far enough in addressing those concerns.

Anyone watching this debate this morning is going to expect something a bit more robust than simply ‘writing a letter’. What is needed is dialogue with government ministers and an immediate, coordinated response from this council - not performative handwringing from a coalition that has sat back in silence while their government’s used years of austerity cuts to bring our council budgets and public services to the brink of collapse. Those same cuts - alongside reckless mismanagement of the national economy that sent interest rates soaring through the roof just two years ago - have brought us to the point we’re at today.

Writing a letter simply doesn’t cut it. Writing a letter won’t reverse the catastrophic impact of successive Tory governments pandering to wealth and privilege while the rest of us are left behind. What we need is direct practical action, and that is exactly what this amendment demands.

People watching the debate this morning are bound to question the motives of the coalition in tabling this motion today. Whilst Labour has been in opposition for the past three and a half years we’ve given the coalition plenty of opportunities to support us in kicking-back against Tory government excess. We got nothing in return.

In fact, three years ago this week we tabled a motion condemning the Tory government’s decision to remove £20 each week from Universal Credit claimants – that comes to £1000 each year snatched away from vulnerable families and children – that is indeed heartless, unforgivable, and profoundly unfair as the Tories and Lib Dem’s themselves have admitted this morning. What we got in return from coalition members at the time is pretty much mirrored in their motion this morning. And the impact is guaranteed to be the same. Nothing will change.

Never forget. We are where we are today because past Tory governments have failed us.

What we need to do now is open up dialogue with decision makers, not simply ‘write a letter’ then pat one another on the back and fool ourselves that we’ve done our best. The people of County Durham will expect a more animated response from their local councillors, not performative nonsense designed to catch the headlines or pick up a few clicks on social media posts.

So write your letter if you think it’ll achieve anything, but we will not be playing along with any puerile party-political games at a time when we are focused entirely on providing solutions. Our residents need practical, effective measures. Members on this side of the aisle (Labour) started that process weeks ago, so this morning we will not be taking a step backwards to support the coalition’s motion.

The people we represent deserve better than empty rhetoric from a coalition that has barely lifted a finger in defence of the hard-pressed people of this county throughout 14 arduous years of damaging Tory austerity. We’re not falling for this sham of a motion, and neither should anyone else.

I urge all members this morning to support Labour’s amendment. Put away your pens and instead join us in actually doing something to help our residents.

After the coalition rejected our invitation for them to join us in our campaign we had no option other than to abstain on their substantive motion - and that’s because we were already doing what they were asking us to do. It’s as simple as that.

As local activists we have built well established connections in our towns and villages and we’ve got many years of experience in dealing with issues like this. We are not prepared to take any lectures from coalition members who sat back with their feet up while we fought back for years against government incompetence, corruption and spiteful austerity cuts aimed at bringing our communities and public services to their knees.

If they think ‘writing a letter’ will make any difference they can crack on. We’ll continue to work in our communities to get help as quickly as possible to anyone who needs it.