Beach access improvements at Crimdon

Last month I contacted the council’s coastal team to ask for improvements to be made to the boardwalk steps at the southerly access to the beach at Crimdon. 

This followed complaints from residents and visitors alike that the final few steps on the approach to the beach were far too steep. Background details can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/02/update-on-local-issues-in-station-town.html

I’m pleased to report that the coastal team confirmed with me earlier this week that improvements have been completed and that access to the beach at this location should now be much easier to negotiate.

Hesleden pit heap removal: Update on developments

I attended a meeting of the Hesleden Restoration Community Liaison Committee earlier this week. The committee includes representatives from DRS Land Regeneration (the company operating the site), the local PCSO, officers from the planning department, the council’s countryside team, the health and safety department, an elected member from each of the two affected parish councils, a member of the Hesledens Residents’ Association and both Stacey and me as the local county councillors.

As its title suggests the committee was established to receive reports about developments on site, raise any local concerns direct with the developer and also to monitor the restoration fund which is operated for the benefit of the community using contributions from the developer.

When I raised the matter of timing at the meeting on Wednesday an update was given on a potential date for the current planning application to be put before the county council’s strategic planning committee for a decision. At the moment it looks as though May will be the earliest date for the application to be heard, although the planning officer emphasized that nothing could be confirmed at this point. 

The planning officer was made aware of local frustrations about persistent delays in the application being placed before the committee for consideration. In response the officer reiterated the information he’d provided in replies to recent queries which advised that delays had been caused in the main by the complexity of the application coupled with the stringent statutory requirements of the planning process itself. However, the officer then confirmed that all the relevant material relating to the application had now been collated and the committee report was being compiled. Once completed the report would then be put before the planning committee at the earliest available slot in the committee diary.

In addition the developers confirmed that netting was due to be erected where it was most necessary to reduce the impact of any dust emissions from the site during the warmer and drier weather conditions this coming summer. This follows complaints raised by residents in several locations throughout the village about dust from the development site deposited on their homes, gardens and vehicles. It was also reported that dust and noise reports continue to be filed with the local authority’s health and safety officer, and that all readings were currently within agreed limits.

Questions were also raised about the number of wagon movements into and from the development site, and in response the planning officer confirmed that these too were within the limits agreed as conditions for the development. It was clarified on request that the total number of wagon movements taking place each day is a key planning condition, however the actual content of each vehicle’s load is not.

The council’s countryside officer responded to continuing local concerns about the amount of damage caused to footpaths, bridleways and public areas by off-road bikes and quads. Specifically it was reported that considerable damage has been caused to the Haswell to Hart Walkway. I also referred to the impact of off-roads and quads on highways and grassed areas throughout our ward, but specifically on land to the rear of East Terrace, Church Street, Eden Cottages and Hillcrest Place in Hesleden as noted on a street walkabout in the village last month: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/02/street-walkabout-in-hesleden.html Solutions to these problems are currently under consideration by the countryside wardens, the police and the Coastal ASB Forum.

I’ll update on progress as and when there are any significant developments to report. In the meantime if you have any issues you would like me to know about in relation to the pit heap development please email me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll raise your concerns with the appropriate authorities for their attention.

UPDATE Wednesday 29 March: The clerk to Monk Hesleden Parish Council has confirmed that the minutes of the Hesleden Restoration CLC meetings will be published on the council's website from next week. Hard copies will also be available at the Parish Office for inspection.

UPDATE Friday 31 March: The planning case officer has responded to a query I raised earlier this week on behalf of a resident concerning changes in company ownership and any potential impact this might have on the planning application:

I note the questions raised in respect of ownership and operation of the Hesleden site.  It is correct that Hargreaves were the original applicant for the restoration but, as with any development, the planning permission goes with the land and not the applicant.  In this case [RS] has been the land owner and operator for the duration of the development.  The name of the company is not relevant to the operation of the site.

Update on Hesleden issues

I was contacted recently by a Hesleden resident reporting a couple of issues that needed attention. I called into the village earlier this morning to follow up on the query and have reported the following issues for the attention of the appropriate departments at county hall: 

The damaged bus shelter at Myra Avenue/White Crescent: 

The uneven and damaged road surface at the Front Street junction directly outside Hesleden WMC:

Damaged signage on the B1281:

In addition I reported the damaged signage at the approaches to both Mickle Hill Road and Gray Avenue from the B1281 for repair last month. I’ll update on progress as soon as I have more information from the service:

Devolution Deal in County Durham: Coalition confusion and contradiction

Regular readers will be aware from previous reports that the Tory-led coalition currently in control of the county council decided last year to join a region-wide Devolution deal to cover the whole of the North East region.

This was despite misleading assurances that until late last year the coalition had intended to secure a single Countywide devolution deal for County Durham.

Background: until late last year (2022) the Coalition had led everyone to believe they wanted a Countywide Devolution deal. However there was then a sudden change of heart when they ‘decided’ unilaterally to join a regional LA6 devolution deal which would cover all local authorities from the Scottish Borders in the north to Newton Aycliffe in the south. This was a deal made behind closed doors by an unrepresentative Tory/Lib Dem/Independent Cabinet – against the wishes of all 3 Labour MPs in County Durham, the DCC Labour Group and the people of County Durham themselves. (Reminder: a DCC Labour Group consultation late last year received over  600 responses, and showed that 84% of residents were in favour of Countywide deal). 

In December last year I issued a requisition notice to the Chair of DCC to hold an Extraordinary council meeting to give all council members of all parties the opportunity to discuss the proposal on behalf of the people and communities they represent. My requisition was accepted and the meeting took place in the first week of December. 

The Coalition’s Devolution deal was discussed but our resolution to agree a county-wide deal narrowly lost the subsequent vote, with the Coalition amending our motion to read that they would look at the ‘best’ deal for County Durham. However, it was revealed afterwards that many ‘Independent’ members - and even some Lib Dems/Tories - were under the impression that the final decision on a Devolution deal would be made following an additional meeting of full council held at some point after the public ‘consultation’ exercise takes place. This was despite our warnings at the Extraordinary meeting that this would be their one and only opportunity to speak up on behalf of the people and influence the outcome of the deal. 

The truth is that the Coalition Cabinet members alone will make the final decision on a Devolution deal for County Durham. The Labour Group is considering a way forward in advance of a statutory ‘consultation’ exercise to be held soon and we are pressing the Coalition leadership to hold an extraordinary meeting of the council after the public consultation to give all members the opportunity to have their say. A devolution package lasting for 30 years is a seismic change in local government – and is far too important an issue to be decided by a handful of Tories and Lib Dems in a chaotic Coalition cabinet held together by the support of so-called ‘Independents’.

Because the coalition had made their decision unilaterally, behind closed doors and without any form of local discussion or consultation, the Labour group convened a special meeting of full council last December to press the coalition into coming clean about what they’d actually been up to. At that meeting, as well as trying to force a vote on a Countywide deal, Labour members urged the coalition leadership to commit to a referendum which would give the people of County Durham a say on which form of devolution, if any, they wanted for their area. In response the coalition leadership rejected our calls to hold a referendum, saying essentially that ‘we don’t have to, so we’re not going to.’

Naturally this approach didn’t go down too well with members of the public who, from the responses we’ve picked up, insist that a matter of such significance for County Durham certainly warrants a referendum - or at least some level of ‘genuine’ consultation, rather than the basic ‘statutory’ consultation currently underway.

That backlash from the public may well explain the coalition’s somewhat misleading and contradictory comments in this months free magazine Durham County News. On page 7 of the current Spring issue the coalition has set out an ‘explainer’ on Devolution in the form of a Q&A piece.

In the introduction at the very top of the page it states that the leaders of the LA7 authorities have agreed a devolution deal which the ‘government is minded to approve’. However, at the end of the same article it tries to justify the coalition’s rejection of a public referendum by suggesting that the devolution deal ‘was a government decision and we now have to follow government processes, which do not include a public referendum’. So in the space of just a few column inches the narrative changed from the devolution deal being a local decision made by the LA7 councils to one made by central government!

Obviously the two statements cannot both be true – which suggests that the coalition is passing the buck to someone else in the hope of dodging the blame for their own decision to close down public opinion. Deliberate deceit? Or simply the usual chaos and confusion that we’ve come to expect from the coalition? That’s for you to decide.

But we need to be clear about this. The decision to join a regional deal was made unilaterally, behind closed doors by Durham County Council’s Tory-led coalition. There was no discussion or open debate until the Labour group forced them into one - and worse, the coalition is now hiding behind ‘government processes’ to shield themselves from public criticism over their refusal to let the people have a meaningful say on an issue that will have significant and far-reaching consequences for their county.

The statutory consultation currently under way can be accessed on the DCC website here: https://www.durham.gov.uk/NorthEastDevolution and will run until Thursday 23 March 2023.

Streetlight cable fault in Castle Eden

Earlier this year I reported a fault with the streetlights along the B1281 in Castle Eden. The lights have remained out since then, indicating that a structural problem was responsible for the outage as opposed to a simple streetlight fixture fault.

I contacted the highways streetlighting team again last week asking for another update on the current position with the streetlights and I received the response below confirming that a cable fault is responsible for the power outage:

There is a cable fault causing the section outage and unfortunately there is no possibility for a temporary resolution. It is, however, being investigated for new cabling, whether this can be moled by our subcontractors or if this will require an open trench to restore the lighting. It is being prioritised as a section outage and the location of the lighting with the golf club and the old brewery in the vicinity

I’ll continue to monitor developments with this issue and update on progress when I have further information from the appropriate authority dealing with the fault.

Environmental issues in Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks

1. Litter bins along the Coast Road: I’ve been contacted by quite a few residents recently commenting on the excellent work carried out by the ‘litter lads and lasses’ who give up their spare time at weekends volunteering to pick up litter in and around our village where the clean and green team hasn’t yet reached.

However one resident got in touch to express their concerns about the impact of people discarding litter and debris along the A1086 Coast Road between Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks.

Walking along the Coast Road from the Colliery to the Rocks and back again it’s noticeable that there are several litter bins in key locations - and crucially at bus stops along the A1086 in both directions. However, there is no litter bin at the Broad Road bus shelter at the top of Belmonte Avenue and Warnbrook Crescent (this is the last bus stop out of Blackhall Rocks heading towards Crimdon, as shown in the image below).

I’ve been in touch with the council’s clean and green team with a request that a litter bin is installed at this location. Hopefully that should be a sufficient supply of litter bins along the Coast Road to encourage people to deposit their rubbish responsibly - or at least take it home with them.

2. Replacement seat at Poplar Avenue bus stop: Last year the corroded and damaged seat near the bus stop at the top of Poplar Avenue was removed for safety reasons. Since then I’ve received several request for the seat to be replaced, with bus users particularly keen to have somewhere to sit while waiting for a bus. Following my requests the council’s clean and green team confirmed last week that a replacement seat will be installed at the earliest opportunity.

3. Fly tipping in Blackhall Colliery: Unfortunately, despite the good work of the volunteer litter picking team and the council’s clean and green team keeping our streets clean, there are still a number of incidents of fly tipping popping up in parts of Blackhall Colliery. 

Although incidents of fly tipping in many areas are reducing significantly there are still some occasional isolated incidents - and I’m sure most of us would agree that just one incident is one too many.

The latest reported incident concerns a significant amount of household waste abandoned in the back lane between Middle Street and The Crescent in Blackhall Colliery (shown in the image below).

This incident has been brought to the attention of the authorities who will make arrangements to have it removed. However, before they do they’ve been asked to sift through the household waste in the hope of finding items that might identify the person or people responsible.

**If you have any concerns about environmental issues in your part of the Blackhall Ward please let me know in the usual way and I’ll do whatever I can to help: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Big Spring Clean event at Crimdon

Durham County Council is promoting the return of its annual Big Spring Clean campaign and has issued a press release setting out details of a series of events over the next few weeks where local volunteer groups will be able to get help with their own local campaigns.

The nearest events for the Blackhall area will be held on:

Saturday 18 March from 10am until 12 noon at The Dunes in Crimdon. 

There will be a follow up litter picking session on Crimdon beach on Thursday 30 March from 10am until 12 noon.

Please see full details in the press release below. If you need any additional information please use the email address shown, or if you prefer let me know and I’ll contact the team on your behalf.

You may already be aware that the Civic Pride team recently launched its 2023 Big Spring Clean, it’s our first full Big Spring Clean since the COVID-19 pandemic so we’ve made some exciting changes.

This year we are pleased to announce we’ll be out and about in the local community meeting volunteers and offering them support to become a volunteer litter pick. We’ll also be holding group litter picks across the County too.

Further details can be found on the attached promotional poster and on our website www.durham.gov.uk/bigspringclean

There are a series of events where there will be free litter picking kits for anyone who comes along and signs up to be a volunteer litter picker, there’ll be 50 sets available to take away at each open session.

Don’t be alarmed if there isn’t an open session near you, we are offering a free home delivery service to anyone in County Durham who contacts us at litterfreedurham@durham.gov.uk

Round-Up of Latest Issues

In case you missed them at the time I’ve rounded up a selection of just a few of the issues I’ve been dealing with over the past week or so. As ever, if there are any issues you would like me to know about please get in touch at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk 

1. Coalition wants your views on Home to School Transport arrangements:

Durham County Council’s ruling coalition cabinet is consulting on proposed changes to the council’s home to school transport arrangements.

Although framed as an opportunity to make the service ‘more efficient’ and ‘provide additional choices’ the impact of some of the proposed changes could be quite onerous for families struggling through the current cost of living crisis, and especially those families with SEND (Special Educational Needs) children. The proposals also raise concerns about the potential risk of children having to make their own way to school on foot, using travel routes that are currently deemed ‘unsafe’.

It’s vital that as many residents as possible let the coalition cabinet know what they think of their proposals, so please take a look through the detail in the consultation document and submit your response by 12 April 2023. The coalition cabinet will make a final decision later this year.

Full details here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/03/dcc-cabinet-consultation-on-home-to.html

2. Coalition urged to come clean about the DLI museum arrangements:

Desperate for a good-news story following last weeks council meeting where they raised council tax by a record 5% the Tory-led coalition in control of Durham County Council has been reduced to issuing misleading statements about ‘reopening’ the DLI museum as a permanent home for the military collection and archives. This simply is not true.

As coalition members themselves have already admitted, the entire DLI collection and archive will be installed together in one place at the new Durham History Centre at Mount Oswald - a project commissioned by the previous Labour administration for exactly this purpose. 

Meanwhile the building where the DLI museum used to be is currently being repurposed as a high-end restaurant and art gallery at a capital cost the taxpayer of £15m and additional running costs of £600k every year.

Full details - and the facts - can be found here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/03/tory-led-coalition-urged-to-come-clean.html

3. Coalition to raise council tax by 5%: 

On Wednesday 22 February Durham County Council members met to discuss the Tory-led Coalitions budget proposals and its plans to raise council tax by 5%.

I spoke on behalf of the Labour group in opposing the record tax hike in times of desperate financial hardship for many households across the county. Full details can be found in the article here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/02/tory-led-coalition-hits-residents-with.html

4. Parking issues on the A1086 Coast Road: 

A resident contacted me over the weekend concerned about parked vehicles obstructing sight-lines for drivers pulling out on to the A1086 Coast Road from the side streets.

I've contacted the relevant authorities with a request that all options are considered in reducing the risk for drivers leaving the side streets to access the Coast Road: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/02/parking-on-a1086-coast-road-at.html

5. Proposed housing development at Station Town: 

Some time ago the council received a planning application from a developer seeking to build 88 new dwellings on land near to Rodridge Cottage Farm in Station Town. 

I've submitted a statement to the planning department setting out a number of issues I would like the director and chair of the planning committee to take into consideration when they make a decision on the application: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2023/02/update-on-local-issues-in-station-town.html

6. Footpath at Station Road, Blackhall Rocks: 

A couple of years ago, following complaints from visitors to the picnic area at Blackhall Rocks, I asked the clean and green team to cut back an overgrown pathway at the bottom of Station Road. 

A resident contacted me last week reporting that the footpath was uneven and asking if it could be resurfaced. I submitted a request to the highways department for an inspection of the path to be carried out. I've been advised since that in the opinion of the inspector the footpath isn't currently in need of repairs but will be reviewed for inclusion in a future work programme. 

Given the poor condition of the footpath I don't accept the inspector's conclusion so I'll be make arrangements for a second assessment. I'll update on progress as soon as I have a second opinion.

Tory-led coalition urged to come clean about a permanent new home for the DLI collection

Last summer I published an article on this site confirming that the DLI (Durham Light Infantry) military collection and archive was scheduled to be moved to its new permanent home in the Durham History Centre at Mount Oswald. 

This followed an open admission by the Tory-led coalition in a council meeting last June that the site where the DLI museum used to be will be reopened as a high-end restaurant and art gallery - and it was revealed just recently that their vanity project will come at an initial capital cost of £15m, with additional running costs of £600k every year. 

During the same council meeting the coalition also admitted that the DLI collection itself would be installed permanently at the new Mount Oswald History Centre - a project commissioned by the previous Labour administration for precisely that purpose.

Full details can be found in the article published last year: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/06/a-permanent-home-for-dli-collection-at.html

However, earlier this week the coalition issued a deliberately misleading press release implying that the site of the former DLI museum building at Aykley Heads is about to re-open as the permanent home of the DLI collection. 

Understandably coalition members will be desperate for a positive story following their decision last week to hike council tax by a record 5% at a time when households across the county are struggling through the most damaging cost of living crisis in a generation - but exploiting the sensitivities around the former DLI grounds and collection simply to deflect public attention from their mishandling of the council’s budget is a low blow.

Prior to the coalition releasing its statement this week about the DLI collection the Labour group issued its own press release urging the coalition to come clean about its true intentions for the land and building where the DLI museum and collection used to be.

DLI collection move prompts call for clarity on former Museum site

AS preparations begin to move much-loved military exhibits into Durham’s new History Centre, Labour has once again demanded clarity on Council plans for its former home.

For over five years, memorabilia from the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) collection has been housed at Palace Green Library. This week it will begin to be moved to The Story, the £20m state of the art history centre at Mount Oswald’s commissioned by the former Labour administration.

However, uncertainty still surrounds the former DLI Museum building at Aykley Heads, which the Tory-led Coalition running the Council admitted last summer that a plan to “reopen the DLI Museum” was nothing more than a blueprint to create a posh eatery.

Labour Deputy Leader, Cllr Rob Crute, said: “In June, I asked Coalition leaders “where will the DLI collection be going?”, and after a load of bluster and confusion, they confirmed it will be displayed in the new Mount Oswald History Centre.

“So, what exactly is happening to the former DLI Museum? The Coalition has played on the emotional connection people have with our proud DLI history, dangling the carrot of its re-opening and claiming it’s fulfilling an election promise to “reopen the DLI Museum”, but the building is practically derelict and deemed unusable by the DLI Trustees.

“It’s quite right that the entire collection should be moved to The Story at the new Mount Oswald History Centre – a project purposely commissioned by the previous Labour administration to house the collection in its entirety and showcase this incredible part of our history and also store the County Archives...but what are the plans are for the former DLI Museum?

“The Coalition revealed proposals last year to create a high-end restaurant at the former DLI Museum, exhibiting a few items from the DLI collection as a token gesture, to try and hide the fact it wanted to use Taxpayers’ money to fund what is nothing more than an exclusive eatery.”

Labour Leader, Cllr Carl Marshall, said: “The re-siting of the DLI collection to The Story is a perfect time to remind the people in our county that the same Tories running the Council who had to be shamed into feeding hungry children during the pandemic, plan to use money allocated for cultural activities from our City of Culture bid to open a posh restaurant at the old DLI Museum – it’s beyond shameful.

“The Story history centre is a Labour project that many in the Coalition rejected. It is large enough to house the entire DLI collection as well as the County Archive. And as it’s about to welcome in these incredible exhibits, surely the time has come for the Tory-led Coalition to let us all in on its plans for the former DLI Museum...and how much its plan is going to cost taxpayers.”

DCC Cabinet consultation on Home to School Transport

A week after the Tory-led coalition currently controlling Durham County Council raised your council tax by 5% they are now holding a public consultation exercise on the council’s Home to School Transport arrangements which they hope will reduce its school transport provision to a bare ‘statutory’ minimum - which in effect means they’ll save money and you’ll pick up the bill instead.

The consultation document can be found in the link below: 

https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/29099/Have-your-say-on-the-review-of-home-to-school-transport

Although framed as an opportunity to make the service ‘more efficient’ and ‘provide additional choices’ the impact of some of the proposals could be quite onerous for struggling families, especially those with SEND (Special Educational Needs) children. There are also real concerns about the risk of children having to make their own way to school on foot using travel routes that are currently deemed ‘unsafe’. 

It’s vital that as many residents as possible let the coalition cabinet know what they think of their proposals, so please take a look through the consultation document and submit your response by Wednesday 12 April 2023. 

If you have any particular concerns or any additional queries about this matter please let us know at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk and we’ll make sure they reach the relevant department at the county council.