Castle Eden Community Event - 28 October

I have copied below details of a forthcoming community event in Castle Eden:

SENT ON BEHALF OF MARIA MURPHY, COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, COUNTRYSIDE SERVICE, DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

 I’m holding a community event in your area on Sunday 28 October.  I wondered if you would share the attached info with any contacts you may have or print out the posters and display in a public place?

We’re inviting people to join us and help improve a wildflower area for bees and butterflies in the future.

There’s already a small patch of wildflowers, including knapweed, toadflax and meadow cranesbill.  All of these flowers are great for bees and butterflies, which need our help more than ever after the awful summer, so we want to extend this area.

We’ll be cutting down the longer grass and brambles which threaten to dominate the shorter and slow-growing wildflowers.  We then rake the cuttings and remove them from the area so they don’t rot down and add nutrients to the soil.  Wildflowers grow much better in low nutrient soil so our aim is to get rid of as much ‘goodness’ as possible (the exact opposite of what you do in your garden!)

Anyone can come along and give us a hand, it’s fairly easy work.  Drop in for 5 minutes or the full two hours – every minute helps!   We’ll also have information about guided walks, events and volunteering so pop by if you want to pick up a leaflet or have a chat.

Thank you in advance

Maria Murphy

Countryside Development Officer

Countryside Service

Durham County Council

Sports and Leisure

Northumbria House

Aykley Heads

Durham

DH1 5TS

Tel 0191 372 9100

www.durham.gov.uk/countryside

Follow us on Twitter @durhamcouncil

Like us on Facebook.com/durhamcouncil

Please contact me or Maria if you require further details.

Rubbish in Eleventh Street, Blackhall

I have received a number of complaints this week about rubbish accumulations in the rear yard of 42 Eleventh Street, Blackhall Colliery. The property is unoccupied.

I had originally asked that the landlord of the property be contacted to clear the yard but I have noticed today that there are black bags piled inside the yard and the contents are unknown. The yard is also open allowing for young children playing in the street to gain access.

I have asked wardens to investigate the nature of the rubbish and have requested its removal as soon as possible. As you will note from other posts on this site relating to accumulations of rubbish in rear yards the council would normally issue the landlord with a 28-day notice to clear the area but in this instance I think the potential danger to young people warrants immediate removal.

Please let me know if you area aware of similar problems in your area:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Complaint against NHS Trust

I have written again today to the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) in pursuit of my complaint against the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust.

My complaint relates to the failure of the Trust to consult or engage with residents in East Durham as part of their Momentum proposals to close our hospital at Hartlepool and build a new hospital at Wynyard (see posts dated 18 June, 8 August & 19 September 2012).

There is no public support for this proposal and this is confirmed in comments made by the Trust's chairman in the local papers this week in which he recognises that the lack of public support for the new hospital is "unfortunate" (see post dated 25 September 2012). 

I have reproduced below the letter I have sent today to the Ombudsman asking for my complaint against the Trust to be investigated:

Dear Sir

Re: Complaint reference EN – 136429:

Further to my previous correspondence dated 16 June 2012 regarding the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust’s failure to consult with residents in East Durham on its Momentum proposals, I have pursued my concerns through the Trust as you advised and have now received a response from the Trust and have enclosed documents for your consideration.

I feel that the Trust has failed to fully answer my query in relation to its consultation exercise as it has not adequately identified a pattern of consultation in East Durham to compare with the level and format of consultation in other affected areas. My original complaint to the Trust related to its failure to demonstrate that they had consulted with East Durham residents in a realistically defined manner and failed to provide evidence of meaningful consultation. After reading documents provided by the Trust my opinion remains unchanged.

It is accepted that the Trust introduced the concept of its Momentum proposals to chosen groups in East Durham (albeit on a reduced scale compared to other areas) and that updates on progress were subsequently offered to other organisations however I insist that this cannot be defined as consultation. From the main document supplied by the Trust “NHS Joint Committee – 23 October 2008” which was “convened to oversee the consultation process and to implement the pathway to future health care” you will note for example that there was no participation by any organisation from East Durham, nor was any invited. I believe that this sums up the Trust’s approach to consultation with health service users and residents in the East Durham area.

I have enclosed a copy of the Trust’s document and I can confirm that I am not taking legal action against the Trust. I give consent to the Ombudsman to obtain any papers and records connected to the complaint.

Yours Faithfully

Rob Crute

I will update on progress with this matter in due course. In the meantime please let me know if you have any comments or concerns in relation to the Trust's actions.

Flooding at Chickens Green - again!

Following requests made yesterday for repairs to the highway at the Hardwicke Hall and at Hutton Henry (see post dated 26 September 2012) I have contacted highways engineers at county hall today to ask them to investigate the persistent flooding of the road between Chickens Green and St Joseph's Church in Blackhall Colliery.

This is a particularly troublesome spot for flooding even after fairly light rain so I have asked the engineers to come out on site to investigate the reasons for the flooding and take whatever measures are required to put right.

As ever, if you know of any problems caused by flooding in your area of the Blackhall ward please contact me on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Bus Shelter repairs

I have received confirmation this week that repairs are to be carried out to the damaged bus shelter outside of the primary school in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery. This follows my report to the highways department at county hall a few weeks ago.

This is a recurrent problem in our villages and this particular request for repairs follows similar incidents at Blackhall Rocks in March this year and at Hesleden during the summer. Whilst this causes considerable inconvenience for bus users in particular it affects us all by ruining the street scene and also terms of repair costs.

If you know of any similar issues in our area please let me know so that arrangements for repairs can be made as soon as possible:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Flooding Repairs

Now that the flood waters have started to recede I have had the opportunity to get out and about around our villages. It would appear that many areas have coped fairly well with the deluge and most of our roads and pavements are now passable with care. However I have passed the following two urgent repair requests to Durham County Council:

1. The entire carriageway to the west of the Hardwicke Hall Manor Hotel on the road between Blackhall Colliery and Hesleden was flooded yesterday. The pavement has deteriorated noticeably since it was submerged and is now crumbled and broken to the extent that pedestrians are having to walk into the road to get past.

2. The road immediately outside Rodridge Hall at Hutton Henry has been entirely under water since Monday evening making access to and from the village very difficult without extreme caution. This is a long running and persistent problem and I have asked that the highways section at DCC find a solution as a matter of urgency.

If you are aware of any localised problems caused by the floods in your area please let me know and I'll contact the relevant department at county hall:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Trust chairman wants YOUR support - to close YOUR hospital!

Please find below an article published in last Friday's Hartlepool Mail in which the chairman of the NHS Trust makes an impassioned plea for public support - to close Hartlepool hospital!

Hospital bosses’ plea for support - Hartlepool Mail

Now I'm making a plea - for you to contact the Trust chairman to tell him that we haven't spent the last 8 years campaigning to close our own hospital! 

If you prefer, let me know and I'll pass on your comments to the Trust: 

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Flooding & Roads Update

I have attached below an email from the communications section at Durham County Council identifying those roads in the county affected by flooding. Most of our area in East Durham appears to be moving, if slowly, but there are flooding issues in Hutton Henry, Wingate, Easington Village & Peterlee amongst others.

If you have any flooding problems or other weather related issues please let me know as soon as possible on:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Since Sunday night most of the region has had 30-50mm of rainfall with the highest being 71mm at Durham. Most parts of the NE will catch another 10-20mm of rainfall today.  Current guidance suggests the rain will clear away during the course of Tuesday evening to then leave a mostly dry night.

The Civil Contingencies Unit and Neighbourhood Services are responding to the many requests for help and support with all available resources deployed.

There are currently 4 schools closed across the County - Durham Trinity, Hutton Henry, Shield Row, Stanley and St Bedes, Lanchester

We are aware of properties being flooded in Langley Park, Coundon, Kimberley, Wingate and parts of Chester le Street and support has been provided to the residents, plus other properties which are at risk of flooding.  Riverside Park in Chester Le Street has also been closed.

The main issues are with flooded roads and listed below is the information we have on these.

If you need any help please contact HAL on 0191 370 6000, although if it is an emergency please contact the emergency services.

The following roads are closed: 

B6168 North Road, Harelaw

A167 Pity Me-Red Lion R/A

B6310 Snows Green Road, Shotley Bridge

A167 Plawsworth-Ch-Le-St

Durham City-Boathouse/Framwellgate

C60 Shadforth

A6072 Tindale to Shildon

A688 Football Ground, Bishop Auckland

Roads Affected by Flooding (Flood Warning Signs Erected)

Unc Victoria Terrace, Lanchester

A167 Honest Lawyer

A691(Various) Witton Gilbert/ Lanchester

A691  Snipley-Earls House

A182 Fallowfield Terrace, South Hetton                             A690 Brandon-Brancepth                                                        A1052 Front Street,   Fencehouses                                         B1283 Sherburn Hill - Haswell                                                  B1198 Shincliffe Mill                                                                          B6302 Stonebridge - Broom Park                                                                      B1280 Snippersgate                                                                                                   B1280 Market Crescent,  Wingate                                                                      B1320 Burnhope Way,  Peterlee                                                                         C60 Pittington-Littletown                                                                                       Unc Lord Byrons Walk

Unc Thorpe Road, Peterlee

Unc Hessewell Crecent

A688 Watling Road R/A-Tindale

A689 Rushyford-Bradbury

A689 Harperley-Wolsingham

A167 Ferryhill-Chilton

B6296 Redgate Banks

C35 Rushyford-Aycliffe

B1278 Trimdon-Trimdon Grange

Unc 22.2 Cowshill  referred to Street Scene Sand Bags

Unc Melrose Terrace Bishop Auckland

East Durham Area Action Partnership Board Meeting

I chaired the East Durham Area Action Partnership Board meeting which was held at Blackhall Community Centre last night. There was a good turnout by members of the public who came to hear about the latest regeneration developments in the East Durham area.

There were two main presentations last night the first of which dealt with the emerging County Durham Plan and the forthcoming consultation exercise which will gauge public opinion on recommended sites across our area for retail, housing and employment land development. Further details on how to contribute to the consultation can be found elsewhere on this site (blog dated 28 August 2012).

The second presentation related to the use of the ongoing Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) to identify the health needs of County Durham residents when responsibility for public health returns to local government next year. This will require a Health and Well-being Strategy which will also be guided by the JSNA. 

I raised the issue of developing relevant data to reflect the specific health needs of residents in East Durham (as opposed to county-wide statistics which may hide health inequalities left by our industrial legacy). I think it's important to identify those requirements in our area which will differ from those in more affluent communities elsewhere, so that health funding can be focused on those area more in need.

If you require further details about either of these initiatives please let me know or follow the links on the county council website:

www.durham.gov.uk

Bus routes through Hutton Henry & Station Town

I received a number of complaints earlier this week from residents in Hutton Henry regarding a bus service withdrawn without prior consultation by the Arriva bus company. I immediately contacted transport officers at county hall on their behalf to request contact with Arriva to address these concerns.

I have reproduced below an email from DCC officers giving details of a solution for residents in affected areas:

Arriva is changing many of the services they run without any funding from DCC, to coincide with the change in the contracts for subsidised service at the end of October. These make up the main core of the network, including all the busiest services.

It is unfortunate that Arriva felt that the commercially sensitive impacts of the changes on corridors where they compete with other operators meant they were not willing to put their plans into the public domain in advance.

Their Mon - Sat daytime Durham to Hartlepool service (No 22) is to run between Wheatley Hill and Hartlepool via Peterlee and Blackhall, not via Wingate. The frequency goes up to 2 per hour, so together with their new version of svc 23, overall there will be 4 per hour through Blackhall , every 15 mins.

This does leave a problem for Wingate and nearby areas. However, DCC is going to cover that by revising the current subsidised Durham - Coxhoe - Wheatley Hill - Peterlee service (No57). This is currently operated by Arriva but the new contract from 28th Oct has been won by Scarlet Band. Instead of going to Peterlee, the service will be rerouted to run from Wheatley Hill via Wingate and Station Town to Hartlepool, on the current route of the 22,  except we will be serving Hutton Henry on the buses from Hartlepool.

This maintains the link between Wingate etc and Hartlepool, very similar to the present service and provides an opportunity to continue to make a through journey to Durham albeit on a longer route. Arriva is revising service 21 to run via Wingate so with the current svc 21A there will be a half hourly service to Peterlee via Shotton Colliery. Passengers will have the alternative of using 21/21A to connect at Shotton with the Arriva services which run every 15 mins between there and Durham.

I do appreciate the change in services creates issues for people who have bought Arriva season tickets.

We have started formal discussions with Arriva and Go North East about the introduction of a comprehensive multi-operator ticket scheme covering all the buses in County Durham. This will provide a full solution to these issues, but will take some time to come to fruition. In the meantime we are seeking to make an arrangement with Arriva by which Arriva's student tickets and weekly tickets will be accepted on the subsidised service with Arriva passing on to us an appropriate amount of the fare that was paid to them. If this is not possible, we will introduce weekly tickets for use on the service 58. People who have an Arriva ticket will be able to obtain a refund from Arriva if they wish.

I do hope this provides some reassurance. Do get back in touch if I can be of any further assistance. I am copying this message to Cllr Cox for his information.