Latest update on reported issues

Following reports received recently from local residents - and in addition to my update report on environmental issues a few days ago - I have a couple of further issues to update on:

Speed visor on the B1281 at Castle Eden:

 

Working alongside the members of Castle Eden Parish Council we had a speed visor installed on the B1281 at Castle Eden last year. There had been a number of delays in connecting the visor to the electricity supply until Northern Powergrid carried out the necessary works late last year.

Unfortunately the visor has since been damaged and is awaiting repair. I have been advised by officers in the highways department today that engineers from the company will be on site on Monday afternoon to assess the damage and carry out repairs as required.  

Abandoned bins at rear Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery: 

I received a report yesterday morning from a resident that a number of household bins had been left out in the street behind Middle Street, at the bottom of Park Avenue and Hatherley Square.

I have raised the issue with the refuse collection service and arrangements will be made to remove the bins at the earliest opportunity.

Traffic restrictions at Park Avenue, Blackhall Colliery: 

Regular followers of these pages will be aware that following complaints from residents I issued a request some time ago for the council to take whichever measures are necessary to address residents’ concerns about vehicles driving along the lane running down the centre of Park Avenue: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2021/06/update-on-residents-calls-for.html 

Materials needed to carry out the necessary works were ordered months ago but unfortunately hold-ups in the supply line are delaying a start - from news reports this appears to be a widespread problem caused by a combination of factors. I've asked the officers in the highways section this week for an update and I'll report on progress as soon as I have a response.  

Damaged bollards on Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery: 

I've received a report that bollards on Middle Street have been damaged in a traffic collision. I've contacted the highways section at county hall with a request that the damage is assessed as soon as possible and that all options for replacing the bollards are considered. I'll update on progress as soon as I have more information from the service. 

Request for dog bins at the Scheme Houses: 

Last week I received a request on social media for two dog bins to be installed; one near the children's play area at the Scheme Houses and another on the road along the top of Arnold and Byron Avenues. I issued a request to the service to carry out a survey of bins provided at these locations and an initial response indicates that there are already bins in place. 

I've followed up with this query today (Saturday 15th) and there are bins in place at the play area (shown above) and at the bus stop at the top of Eleventh Street and Arnold Avenue. The service has confirmed that both bins are dual purpose and can be used for litter and dog waste. 

Update, Saturday I’ve contacted the neighbourhood wardens again this afternoon pointing out that while there are dual litter/dog waste bins in place some dog walkers aren’t using them to dispose of their dog’s waste. I’ve asked the wardens if it would be possible to erect warning signs at this location and also mark the bins as dual use. I’ve also asked them if they could give this location some additional attention for a while in the hope it acts as a deterrent to the tiny minority of dog walkers who seem to think it’s acceptable to let their dogs foul our streets.

Fence repairs at Blackhall Rocks: 

I have been contacted by a resident at Blackhall Rocks concerned about ongoing delays to fencing repairs on Believe Housing land to the rear of the Coast Road which are reported to have been damaged during Storm Arwen in late November last year.

I've raised the matter with officers at Believe Housing who have assured me they'll arrange to assess the damage and get back to me with a response. I'll update on progress as soon as I have more information. In the meantime if you are aware of any remaining concerns about damage caused by Storm Arwen please get in touch: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/01/follow-up-to-storm-arwen.html  

For details of my update report earlier this week please go to: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2022/01/environmental-issues-in-blackhall.html 

Please continue to report any issues or concerns to me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or if you prefer you can pass on any concerns direct to the council at: https://doitonline.durham.gov.uk/ or by telephone at: 03000 260 000

Follow up to Storm Arwen

It was drawn to my attention this morning by a comment on Facebook (since deleted) that the council’s response to residents’ concerns about damage caused to their homes and property by Storm Arwen last November may have been insufficient.

I’ve checked back through my own telephone and email records today and I’m confident that every contact I received from residents and property owners/landlords in the aftermath of the storm was dealt with by the relevant department at Durham County Council and other partner agencies such as Believe Housing, Northern Powergrid and any relevant utility companies. In addition officers have also confirmed that they responded to every issue I raised with them on behalf of residents - and in all cases left their contact details with the resident/landlord in case of future need.

However I’m concerned that anyone who might have contacted the council or any other agency direct may not have received the response they wanted or needed.

So if you or anyone you know have any outstanding issues that haven’t yet been dealt with by any of the authorities please get in touch with me direct with details of the person or agency you originally contacted and I’ll see what I can do to follow up on your query:

rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or 03000 268 702

Environmental issues in Blackhall Colliery and Station Town

Following recent contact from residents - and also in response to a number of issues picked up on regular street walkabouts - the following environmental issues in Blackhall Colliery and Station Town have been reported to the relevant authorities for their attention: 

Damaged fence in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery (CRM Reference: FS 3915 42035): 

This is a long-running issue regarding a damaged fence on private land on Middle Street, near its junction with Hesleden Road. The fence has been repaired several times in the past but then frequently falls into a state of disrepair again - especially following windy weather conditions. 

On this latest occasion the fence is leaning inwards and the lower section is sticking out into the footpath causing an obstruction and presenting a trip hazard. It has been reported to the council with a request that the landowner is contacted to carry out repairs.

Debris on the footpath at the B1281 in Blackhall Colliery (CRM Reference FS 3924 45978): 

Works have been carried out recently to thin the trees and hedges overhanging the footpath adjacent to St Joseph’s RC Church on the approach to the B1281/A1086 Coast Road junction in Blackhall Colliery. This follows regular complaints from residents about the dangerous condition of the footpath surface, especially when wet or frozen. I’ve asked for the debris left behind to be cleared as soon as possible.

Damaged fence near the Business Centre in Station Town (reported direct to service): Residents have raised concerns that the fence adjacent to the Business Centre in Station Town has been damaged. I’ve asked the council to carry out repairs.

Damaged chicane at Station Town: This is another of those long-running issues where the bollards and signage at and around the the chicane on the B1280 linking Station Town with Wingate are almost permanently damaged. Stacey has passed residents’ concerns to the relevant department at county hall with a request that repairs are carried out as soon as possible. In light of the many issues relating to this structure we intend to gauge public opinion on whether we should request the highways authority to consider installing safer and more effective measures at this location.

Debris in the streets at the Scheme Houses (reported direct to service): Residents contacted me earlier this week expressing their concerns about the poor condition of some of the streets at the Scheme Houses in Blackhall Colliery following works carried out recently by a utility company installing underground cables. This is developing into something of a problem following reports of similar issues in other parts of our patch. I’ve asked the council to contact the companies responsible with a request they return the streets and footpaths at this location to a decent condition.

If you have concerns about any environmental issues in your area please get in touch with me or Stacey and we’ll do whatever we can to help:

Rob: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or

Stacey: stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk

The impact of Child Poverty in County Durham

Last Friday morning I attended a meeting of the county council’s Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny committee, where one of the agenda items focused on the current levels of child poverty in County Durham. Please go to the following link for details: https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=122&MId=13105

The presentation accompanying the report revealed that child poverty in County Durham is on the rise, with almost 28% of children under the age of 16 living in ‘relative’ poverty and 22% living in ‘absolute’ poverty. In addition, over the past five years, the number of school children eligible for and claiming free school meals (used as one of the measures to gauge levels of poverty) has increased by a staggering 50% to 20,300 pupils.

During the time set aside for members’ comments and questions after the officers’ presentation I thanked officers for the report - and I commend officers for their application and commitment to tackling the impact of poverty on families and communities across County Durham. However, I also expressed my disgust that here in the 21st century, in the fifth richest country in the world, we are having to find ways to address entrenched and deepening child poverty when it could be virtually eradicated if the political will existed.

I urged that government must act now to tackle the blight of inequalities within and between regions to make sure that left-behind communities can catch up with the rest - especially now that the latest phase of the pandemic appears to be receding. Government must also take measures immediately to ensure that struggling communities aren’t abandoned again to the mercy of an extended pandemic which has already taken its toll disproportionately in deprived areas.

I also said that it was alarming to be sat here in the 21st century - in the fifth richest country in the world - talking about deepening child poverty caused by austerity and sustained by a grotesquely unfair and disproportionate distribution of wealth to the tiny minority at the top of society.

What I heard on Friday morning reinforced the notion that the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda has been exposed as nothing more than pie-crust promises and empty rhetoric. We must bring pressure to bear at the highest level of government to force them if necessary to bring an end to their failed and damaging austerity project, and instead redistribute wealth to areas of need to reverse the impact of child poverty and the deepening regional inequalities at its root. 

Make no mistake, poverty doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s a consequence of government policy designed deliberately to marginalise working class communities and hold our people back. Unless and until the government is forced to recognise the extent and impact of child poverty in County Durham - and the role they’ve played in sustaining it with over a decade of unnecessary austerity - our communities will continue to suffer the consequences.

Durham County Council begins public consultation on its Library Service

Stacey and I received notification yesterday that Durham County Council has begun a public consultation exercise on the future of its library service. Please go to the link below for details:

www.durham.gov.uk/consultation

The manager at the Blackhall branch library has confirmed that there are also paper copies of the consultation document available in the library. 

Libraries are the hallmark of a civilised and well-developed society and are essentially the lifeblood of our communities. As such we all hold them close to our hearts and value the services they provide in our towns and villages. Please make every effort to take part in the council’s consultation and make your voice heard.

Quads and Off-road bikes at Crimdon

I've been contacted recently by a resident reporting concerns about the impact off-road bikes and quads are having on the countryside and on our open public spaces, and specifically at Crimdon Dene and the nearby beach.

Regular followers of the these pages will know that this is an issue affecting many areas across the county - including a few on our patch - and whilst it proves difficult for the authorities to address some of those incidents on a larger scale we have been successful in restricting access in some locations through the use of target-hardening measures which physically prevent vehicles from trespassing onto open spaces. Please see article dated Thursday 28 January 2021 for details of one example at Chicken’s Green in Blackhall Colliery: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2021/01/first-phase-of-safety-measures-at.html

I have forwarded details of the latest reported concerns to the police and officers at the Durham Heritage Coast who are currently working to address similar issues along the East Durham coastline - including at Crimdon. I received the following response by return:

Good morning Cllr Crute

Thank you for sharing your report and your question on possible measures.

This is a long running issue across the country as well as the county. For the Heritage Coast we have drawn together a Task Group of land owners and managers, the police and the appropriate County Council services as a means of sharing experience, expertise and  coordinating and collaborating on measures to address environmental crime including illegal bikes and quads. This group has spent over £30,000 in the current year on target hardening along the coast. The group has fed into the county wide Safer Durham Partnership plan on illegal bikes and took part in the recent Public Accountability meeting held by Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). The PCC's office produced a useful and informative recording of the event that is available through this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aifEgm_3uOY.

Addressing the issues at Crimdon, I am aware of the ease of access to the dene for quads and bikes; this has to be balanced with the needs of young families and disabled users. Access is also available along the shore from the north and south. We have a site meeting arranged between the various council services for later in the month to look at a number of improvements around the site and will specifically look at target hardening and the use of A-frame anti-bike gates at both entrances to the dene. I will report back on the actions agreed.  It is also worth noting that the Crimdon Dunes facility also has comprehensive CCTV coverage that will assist in identifying riders once it is operational.

Reporting incidents through 101 is the best route for logging incidents and building the intelligence picture for the police. 999 can also be used if there is danger to people or property happening. For information there is also a long running Durham Constabulary initiative called Operation Endurance that specifically addresses vehicle crime in Durham and Darlington. I have sent on details of [this latest incident] to Operation Endurance, a further incident on New Years Day in the dunes has also been reported.

Joining in with Keep in the Know is another way of keeping up to date with what is happening locally and further afield.

Council services and contact numbers over Christmas and the New Year

DCC Customer Access Points and most other county council buildings will be closed over the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Please see below for alternative contact details.

**Please note that information about bin collections and Household Waste Recycling Centres (skips) can be found in links on a separate article here: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2021/12/refuse-collections-over-christmas-and.html

Durham County Council: 03000 260 000. Website for additional information: https://www.durham.gov.uk/

Private Sector Housing: 03000 268 000

Monk Hesleden Parish Council: https://www.monkhesleden-pc.gov.uk/

Believe Housing: 0300 1311 999

East Durham Trust: 0191 569 3511

Northern Powergrid: 0800 011 3332

Northumbrian Water: 0345 717 1100

Non-Emergency Police: 101 

Non-Urgent Health Care: 111 

Citizens’ Advice (Consumer Helpline): 0808 223 1133 or go to: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Customer Access Points remain closed until further notice following the introduction of the Government’s Plan B winter response.

In the event of an emergency, residents can still contact the council on 03000 260000 or use the 24/7 automated payments line on 0300 456 2771.

If you are concerned about someone who is vulnerable or at risk, you should contact Social Care Direct and the Emergency Duty Team on 03000 267979. The service will be open across the Christmas and New Year period.

Online services will still be accessible over the festive period but requests may not be processed until council offices reopen on Tuesday, 4 January.

Register offices will close at 12.30pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and will be closed from Christmas Day until Wednesday 29 December, New Year’s Day and Monday, 3 January. Bishop Auckland and Durham register offices will be open between these dates by appointment only. To make an appointment call 03000 266 000.

Leisure centres will be closed from 4pm on Christmas Eve until Wednesday, 29 December. They will also close at 4pm on New Year’s Eve and reopen on Tuesday, 4 January.

Council libraries will close over the festive period. For more details, please check individual library hours at www.durham.gov.uk/libraryonline. Residents will still be able to access the library’s Borrowbox app with their library membership cards.

Pathways day centres for adults will be closed from Christmas Day until Wednesday, 29 December, New Year’s Day and Monday, 3 January. Hawthorn House short-break service will be closed from 10am on Wednesday, 22 December until Monday 27 December at 2pm.                                         

Family centres are working in new ways to provide support with all buildings currently closed. Users are advised to call 03000 261 111 for advice, support and guidance.

The council’s Welfare Assistance Service will be closed on Bank Holidays and weekends and will be open reduced hours, from 8.30am to 12pm on Christmas Eve, and from 9am to 3pm on Wednesday, 29 December and Thursday, 30 December. It will also be open 9am to 12pm on New Year’s Eve. The service can be contacted on 03000 267 900.

County Durham Together, the council’s community hub, will be closed from 12.30pm on Christmas Eve until 9am on Tuesday, 4 January. During this time, residents who test positive for Covid-19 and those having to isolate after being identified as close contacts of someone who has tested positive, can access food or other essential supplies by contacting The British Red Cross - National Support Line on 0808 196 3651. Lines are open daily between 10am and 6pm.

Sevenhills DLI research and study centre, in Spennymoor, will close on Tuesday, 21 December and reopen for appointments on Tuesday, 4 January. Please email dlicollectionenquiries@durham.gov.uk for research appointments. A member of staff will get back to you from 4 January.  

Durham County Record Office will close from Friday, 24 December until Tuesday, 4 January. From January, the record office search room will temporarily close to visitors. However, staff will continue to respond to online enquiries. More information can be found at http://www.durhamrecordoffice.org.uk

The Park and Ride service will not operate between Christmas Day and Tuesday, 28 December and between New Year’s Day and Tuesday, 4 January. On Tuesday, 28 December a 15-minute service will run between 9am and 6pm serving both Sniperley and Belmont, while Howlands will remain closed. All sites will operate as normal from Wednesday, 29 December to Friday 31 December and again from Tuesday, 4 January. Parking in all council on and off-street car parks continues to be free after 2pm.

Please note that some information may be subject to change should there be further updates to local and national coronavirus restrictions.  For the latest coronavirus information, please visit www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus

Residents can also keep up-to-date with any changes to council services by following @durhamcouncil on Twitter or on Facebook.

Refuse Collections over Christmas and the New Year

Refuse and recycling bins will be emptied as normal up to and including on Christmas Eve. They will resume on Tuesday 28 December, with no changes to collection days over the New Year period.

For details about bin collections in your street please follow the link below and enter your postcode:

http://mydurham.durham.gov.uk/article/12689/My-Durham-search

For details about the council’s waste and refuse collection service, including bin collection dates, skip site opening hours and details of what to do if your bin has been missed, please follow the link below:

https://www.durham.gov.uk/recycling

Proportional Property Tax - A Fairer Alternative to Council Tax

I tabled a motion at the full meeting of Durham County Council held on Wednesday 8 December 2021 asking the council to acknowledge that the current council tax system is unfair and to consider the benefits that a replacement proportional property tax would bring to our residents.

With characteristic swagger the Tory-led coalition ‘amended’ the motion, meaning that they can claim control of the motion and assume the right to deal with it as they wish.

The concern is that the Tories, leading the Lib Dems in coalition in county hall, will now discard any reference to a proportional property tax and attempt to give the impression that seeking to reform the council tax regime will have a similar effect in reducing bills. However, in reality we know that the Tories will never adopt a proportional property tax because whilst it would benefit our residents in County Durham and other working-class areas across the North it would be more costly to their voters in the prosperous Tory heartlands of South-East England.

However, Labour members will make sure that the Tories deliver on the motion’s promise to carry out a review into the council tax system and how it places a disproportionate burden on those least able to pay. We’ll then use every opportunity to press the coalition into supporting a proportional property tax - a fairer system that would reap benefits for the majority of residents in County Durham and beyond. 

I’ve published below the text of my motion and the rationale I used in introducing my motion to the council meeting:

Proposal: The current Council Tax system is outdated, unfair and no longer fit for purpose. Therefore, this council agrees to pursue every available opportunity – including the involvement of appropriate government departments and other agencies as necessary – to consider the benefits and feasibility of adopting a fairer system in the form of a Proportional Property Tax

Whenever it crops up in conversation it’s almost universally accepted that the current Council Tax system is outdated and unfair – especially to those people living in towns and villages like our own in County Durham where the burden of Council Tax falls disproportionately on young people, on low-earners and on those struggling to get by. 

 

Successive governments have had 30 years to reform the CT system but none have taken that opportunity, suggesting that the entire system is beyond reform and in need of replacement by a fairer, more equitable system.

 

That leaves us with just two main options: we either plough on regardless, doing nothing until the system reaches breaking point. Or we seek to find a better, fairer way of doing things.

 

The first option of course won’t benefit anyone, so I suggest that we need to take a closer look at the benefits of a Proportional Property Tax – a fairer system that relieves the hardest hit of the heaviest burden, reduces housing market inequalities, frees-up homes to those who need them most and a system that actually puts money into people’s pockets and kick-starts our local economies. Something that is so badly needed in our area where the Northern Powerhouse has failed and the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda is revealed to be nothing more than empty rhetoric.

 

Without wishing to go into detail at this stage we could focus instead on the core principles of a Proportional Property Tax and also take a closer look at the main benefits – all well-researched and fully costed (these have been provided by the Fairer Share campaign - details in the link at the bottom of this page):

 

Principles include the notion:

Property taxation should be based on actual property wealth: the burden should be shared proportionately

Property taxation should be simple to understand, easy to administer and hard to avoid

Property taxation should be fair, with wealthier regions supporting other areas

Property taxation should relate to a household’s ability to pay and

Property taxation should encourage the most efficient use of land and buildings

 

Benefits nationally include:

18m households would be better off, with 75% paying less tax

£6.5bn would be saved by council tax payers outside London, representing a huge boost to our local communities and economies

8.7m households would be taken out of property tax entirely because the obligation to pay falls to the landlord rather than the tenant

Each year 750k house buyers would no longer have to pay Stamp Duty, making house buying simpler and cheaper

An increase in GDP of over £3bn a year from increased housing market activity and

600k homes over 5 years would be released, freeing up homes for younger people and those who need them most

If we can accept those principles at this stage, and agree that the benefits of a fairer system outweigh the current burden of the Council Tax and Stamp Duty regime we can then as an authority work together with any external agency necessary to make change happen for the benefit of our local councils and their communities – and more importantly for the benefit of the residents of County Durham and elsewhere who deserve a better, fairer system after decades of bearing a disproportionate tax burden.

 

Cllr Rob Crute

Blackhall Division

Durham County Council

For details about the campaign for a Proportional Property Tax please go to the Fairer Share manifesto page at:

https://fairershare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Fairer-Share_Manifesto.pdf

A Selective Licensing Scheme for County Durham

Regular readers of these pages will know that I’ve been pressing the council for the past few years to introduce a Selective Licensing Scheme to help to address the many issues we have in our towns and villages associated with the poor condition of some properties in the private-rented sector (please go to the article dated Monday 21 September 2020 for background details and links to other articles on this matter: https://robcrute-blackhall.blogspot.com/2020/09/private-rented-housing-improvement.html)

The council has announced today that the government has given approval for a Selective Licensing Scheme in County Durham from April next year. Full details here:

An application was made to central government in December 2020 for a large-scale Selective Licensing scheme in County Durham.

The scheme covers 42% of the private rented sector (PRS) in County Durham and (approximately 28,000 homes), and is focused on areas that can suffer from issues such as deprivation and anti-social behaviour.

I am pleased to inform members that the application made by Durham County Council has been supported by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Durham County Council can now commence the process of implementation for the scheme across the County. I would like at this point to thank the teams involved in the process.

The Objectives of selective licensing

·         A key objective of the County Durham Housing Strategy 2019 to 2024 is to maintain and improve standards across County Durham’s housing stock and the wider housing environment which includes developing an approach to selective licensing, addressing empty homes, improving energy efficiency of properties and supporting and maintaining communities. 

·         The proposal to introduce selective licensing is a significant practical policy intervention and is complementary to other actions in the strategy. 

·         The lack of access to good quality housing is accepted to be a contributing factor to inequalities in health, educational attainment, and disposable income (poverty).

·         Selective licensing provides a regulatory framework which allows for pro-active monitoring of the private rented sector and the opportunity for enforcement against poor landlords at the earliest opportunity.  It facilitates a full multi-agency approach making the best use of a range of powers available in addition to selective licensing. 

Durham County Council will commence issuing licences from 1 April 2022 with the application process opening in February 2022. In line with legal requirements, the notice will be placed on our housing web pages today, along with a paper copy in noticeboards across the designated areas.

Information on how to apply and discounts available, will be published on the website soon but the discounts will remain the same as agreed during consultation.

I will update on developments as soon as I have additional details from the council.

Environmental Issues, Blackhall Colliery

Following a walk around the streets in Blackhall Colliery earlier this morning I’ve reported the following issues to the council for their attention. I’ve included the CRM Reference number in brackets. 

Please forward any additional concerns or issues to me direct at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk

Debris outside the shops on Middle Street: this matter was reported at the weekend following Friday night’s storms but the area has been only partly cleared (FS 3820 62426):

Littering behind Middle Street, at the top of First, Second and Third Streets: this includes bins left out in the street at a number of locations (FS 3820 62902):

Slippery footpath on the B1281: fallen leaves are causing an obstruction and creating a dangerous surface when wet. This relates to the stretch of footpath along the B1281 from Orchid Court, down towards the A1086 junction at St Joseph’s church (FS 3820 63516):

Contact and Ward Surgery details

Although I monitor my social media pages as often as I can I don’t always have ready access so if you need to contact me about any local issues please email me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk and I’ll deal with your query as soon as I pick it up.

Please note that I never use Facebook Messenger.

If you prefer to report an issue yourself please either contact the council by telephone 03000 261000 or use their online facility at: https://doitonline.durham.gov.uk/

Our monthly ward surgery details are show here. Please note that surgeries may be subject to change depending on pandemic conditions and social restrictions.

Closed churchyard and cemetery inspections

I've been notified by the council's bereavement services coordinator that the council is scheduled to carry out an inspection of headstones and memorials within the closed churchyards and cemeteries in parts of the Blackhall county division. 

Please note that this relates to 'closed' churchyards only and not operational ones currently in use for burials - and specifically includes the churchyards at the former St James' at Castle Eden and the former St Mary's at Monk Hesleden which was demolished in the 1960’s.

I've reproduced the notification in full below, along with a link for additional information on closed churchyard and cemetery inspections:

Good Afternoon Cllrs,

Please note, as per the current national Health & Safety regulations, it is Durham County Council’s intention, to carry out an Inspection of all Headstones and Memorials, within the closed Churchyard or Local Cemetery within your area, or particular Cemetery, as soon as possible after 14 days of this notification.

It may be also become necessary; to carry out remedial work where appropriate on the memorials, where there is no family member available to carry out such works.

We appreciate the need, for you to be aware of this necessary action, in order to alert the local people, or answer their legitimate and understandable enquires, as they become aware of what is happening in their local Cemetery / Churchyard.

Please click on the link below for further information

http://www.durham.gov.uk/headstonetesting