Councillor Robinson - April

Malcolm Robinson · May 7, 2018

April 2018.

Well April is here and I might have been at work on April’s Fools Day but it didn’t stop a local political group from trying to besmirch my character. Maybe it was their idea of a joke, seems to have backfired somewhat!

Anyway busy day Tuesday with a meeting at County Hall at 10.30am, then Pegswood at 2.00pm and then back to County Hall for a 6.00pm strategic planning meeting.

The first was about the Plessey Woods project and I have been pushing to get even more upgrades and investment into the park. Most have now been agreed to be worked on but one or two have slipped the net! One of my thoughts is to get a properly constituted group together which can then lead on park improvements and funding. If we can pull that together I have a feeling my other ideas might get a second airing! As it is I have the distinct feeling of smoke being blown up my nether regions!

Next was a site visit to Pegswood to see the access route for the proposed 118 houses. This was an application the strategic planning committee had heard last month but had deferred a decision for a better understanding through a site visit. It just happened to be raining cats and dogs and standing on the side of a busy road trying to hear planners talking and ask and answer questions was a bit of a tall order. We then walked down a pretty muddy track at the best of times; today it was a rain sodden mess. Immediate questions had bene asked and answered, the rest were put off until later tonight at the planning meeting.

6.00pm and we were all ensconced in the council chamber at County Hall. Again a good smattering of public there as well as one of two parish councillors. I don’t think any of them were there to support the application!

After the officers had outlined the scheme again and we heard from supporters and the developer it was time for member’s questions. I had one or two, principally who pays for the investigation and land works to make it safe to build on and then after finding out it was the developer why had our planners accepted the developer’s word for the questionable financial viability of this project, so much so the community payback is very limited, yet we have just found out the developer is responsible for any land works required and as yet there is no costs associated, therefore they seem willing to have a blank cheque ready for that?

All that didn’t matter in planning terms of course, and when the members tried to argue overdevelopment citing the housing density as advised by the SHLAA document I had to pipe up again! I reminded them that they, this exact committee, and planners had effectively driven coaches and horses through the SHLAA advice for my ward and Town and effectively reduced its credibility to zero as far as I was concerned! If they think they were going to allow this document to stand in this case but not in our case……..think again boys!

In the end the application passed because it had to pass on purely planning grounds. We did get a load of stick from the public gallery as the meeting closed; I just wish they understood the process.

I have been chasing up the drainage at the cemetery again and have now forwarded onto the appropriate officers the estimates etc I have for the further work needed. I also popped down to check the work I had paid for in the Green Letch has been done. Didn’t look to be so I fired off a questioning e-mail. The answer I got back needs to be checked out, seems I was looking in the wrong place? Hmmmm.

Just fired off another 4 pot hole complaints and complaints about nearly all the lights out on the way out of Bedlington on the B1331!

The reply which came back said the lights were out because of a fault….but our engineers are trying to trace it.

Monday and I had to get onto several departments within NCC for preparation for tonight’s surgery and residents potential questions.

My surgery was at 6.30pm and this was the first time no one showed up. Now I could say then everyone is happy with NCC or it could have been down to the change in date because it should have been last week but that was April 2^nd and a Bank Holiday.

WBTC meeting tonight so as usual I had to write up an update for them:

WBTC update: March 2018

Not a lot to tell you this month you will be pleased to hear!

Police want to let everyone know there is still a police presence after 8pm. The only thing which closes then is the civilian front desk.

Getting quite a few neighbour disputes reported to me, just like to say, like yourselves, I have no jurisdiction within them.

Last Strategic Planning meeting members wanted to refuse an application under the grounds of over development according to the SLAAH. I reminded them they had effectively torn up that document with regard to my ward and this Town in general! Pity they didn’t listen earlier!

Head of Planning has left NCC.

The internal road in the cemetery has been re-laid.

The new puffin crossing is all but finished.

The initial work on the drains has been started and done, the bit you guys are paying for starts later this month.

I have supplied estimates to NCC for the field drain works needed for the cemetery. They are assessing them to see if they will work and secondly if they can find me some cash!

Very disappointing Corporate Scrutiny meeting last month where most of the agenda was supposed to be about Active Northumberland. Basically no one showed up for us to cross examine so I made my feelings known about that one. After some argy bargy I had to submit written questions and some of the answers are unbelievable!

I have just agreed some repair work on a couple of roads and paths within the ward.

Plessey Woods Park upgrades should be going out to tender soon but work won’t be started until September because we are third in the pecking order! I want to start a properly constituted Friends of Group for that Park soon; we might then see a bit more self-determination!

Lots of Neighbourhood Plans coming into NCC these days……….please give yours some serious thought.

Long day up at County today. Local Government Pension Panel meeting is down for 9am-5pm.

Well it did take a long time but we were finished at 3.30pm. The chair kept everything brisk even telling the presenters how long they had. We had three presentations off London based investment houses and had to choose where to make our investment. After the presentations we had our deliberations and while I said I was pretty bearish about the market at the moment and advised defensive picks the panel went with more adventurous stocks. Time will tell who was right. Seems all that training and tutelage is very much needed!

Today I have a meeting with some of the head honchos at NCC and an employer in my ward, straight after I finished my day job. Trying to promote this local business as a potential partner and it may yet work out for everyone. Everyone seemed quite impressed anyway!

After that it was a quick change and then off to Cramlington for the LAC meeting. Not a lot on the agenda but one thing of note was the Local Plan framework. After that presentation I asked if the Neighbourhood Plans were leading the County Plan as was suggested in the presentation or were we back to the previous Core Strategy where the Core Strategy over-ruled everything else. The answer was a refreshing…….NCC are trying not to duplicate work so all the works done by the Neighbourhood Plans will now be assessed for inclusion into the Local County Plan. Well for once that injects a bit of local knowledge into the thing then!

Strange weekend at work but that’s becoming the norm! Anyway I had a meeting at the Town Council office with my fellow NCC councillor, the Mayor, the Clerk and their head of events. We had this event problem to work around and with NCC withdrawing its support it is difficult for us to help facilitate an event. I suggested a way around that impasse and everyone agreed so onwards and upwards.

This workaround produced an even better outcome and we are now working on many more collaborative projects across a whole range of matters.

Nice to see the Drainage work being carried out at Westlea. Thanks go to WBTC for this work. I should have stopped for a picture as three large wagons were there carrying out the remedial work needed to expedite good drainage. Once these pipes and culverts have been cleared out and renewed I can then start hassling about the cemetery drainage again!

I did go up and see the lads doing the drainage work and after a long chat they are doing the drain right along the cemetery boundary fence! Great, even less reason for NCC to quibble now about the extra drainage needed.

drains

Got some good news about the Town Centre regeneration project but as is so often the case with this information it has to go through the right channels. Should be out next week just in time for the holiday weekend and the anniversary of Bedlington electing 3 independent councillors. I don’t believe this regeneration project would have got back off the ground if it wasn’t for the new councillors because I know how hard I and the others have fought for it! If anyone doesn’t believe that look around at all the cancelled capital projects that were to happen and for once the relatively small amount of ours actually helped make it happen this time!

Nice to see the new puffin crossing finished and the new road marking are pretty clear, well they are to me anyway!

Well time for a few days off but things look to be really heating up for when I get back!

I may have been off but some things still needed sorting out and several residents got in touch for help during my holiday! Hopefully all have been resolved or as near as!