Bus Service: The PC is pleased that Northumberland County Council has continued to support the local bus service after the withdrawal of Durham CC, and that some improvement in the service timetable has been made for the next few months. However; we were disappointed that, despite assurances, the CC did not consult us about the new timetable. The CC has formally apologised. The village shop has a supply of the new timetables, which also contain some information on connecting services.
Parking on the Village Street: The PC has received several complaints recently from footpath users who have found the pavement completely blocked by parked vehicles. While everyone recognises the village‘s parking problem, blocking the footpath is illegal and the PC asks all drivers to show consideration for footpath users by ensuring that they leave room on the pavement for baby buggies and mobility scooters to get past.
The Parish Council’s Small Grants Policy: The PC receives an increasing number of applications for small grants from local and regional organisations The Government‘s “localism” policy encourages the transfer of services and funding provision from higher levels of local government to PCs, thus transferring the cost from the county-wide Council Tax, which is capped by the government, to the PCs precept, levied only on the parish, which is not. As part of its effort to avoid big increases in the local precept the PC is reviewing its criteria for awarding grants, in order to ensure consistency and fairness. When the new policy is agreed, it wll be publicised as widely as possible.
VACANCY ON THE PARISH COUNCIL:
A vacancy is likely to arise soon on the Parish Council. The PC will be aiming to co-opt a person with interests and experience that will complement those of existing councillors. If you are interested and feel you could contribute to the PC’s role in the community, please contact the Chair, Ian Hancock, on 673502, or the Clerk, Pat Wilson, on 673388, for more information.
The full minutes have now been approved, and are available here: November 2011 Minutes
