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On 20th February at our Local Area Council meeting, representatives from ARCH gave a positive and optimistic progress report on the Market Place development. The presentation included an up to date timescale with the construction phase beginning in August and completion towards the end of 2019. We were also given a firm indication of the major retailers involved in the project. More information is available from Wednesday, 21st February at http://www.investinginbedlington.co.uk. Like many, I have expressed concern over the timescale of the project. However it is important to realise that in the current economic climate retailers will only invest where and when they certain the conditions are right for them to do so. I am aware that this has involved the ARCH team in hard and protracted negotiations in order to get to this point. Councillors Bill Crosby, Malcolm Robinson and I are in regular contact with both NCC and ARCH over the development. We will keep Bedlingtonians up to date with progress. Monday, 19th February saw NCC begin their traffic survey on the roads feeding into the Red Lion roundabout. The results of the survey will enable NCC to review ways of reducing congestion at the roundabout. Although it is naïve to expect the daily school run queues to disappear, £20k has been allocated from next year’s Local Traffic Plan fund to support improvements to the traffic flow at the roundabout – a very welcome and much needed investment for Bedlington. Apparently there has been some local confusion regarding the Member’s Small Schemes Fund. This is a £15k per year allowance which “County Councillors can use to fund local projects in their area”. For openness and clarity, to date I have spent the following: contribution to accessible footpath at Bedlington War Memorial £2022 planters on Front Street, Bedlington (joint funded with WBTC £1000 contribution to a Yurt at Stead Lane Primary School £2000 a CCTV system at Whitley Memorial School £1445 In the pipeline is support for: the installation of drop kerbs on Front Street East traffic improvements at the Red Lion roundabout the refurbishment of the dining area at West End First School Cllr Bill Crosby and I jointly supported the purchase of a Yurt at Stead Lane Primary School. We will be supporting a similar development at Whitley Memorial School later this year. With this exception, all spending falls within the Bedlington Central Ward. Potholes continue to cause concern in the town and beyond – over 8000 were reported across Northumberland in the first three weeks of January alone! Hoßwever NCC have now employed four additional teams in order to deal with the backlog as quickly as possible. Please go to http://mapreport.northumberland.gov.uk/ where you can report both potholes and street lighting faults, or let me know at the email address below. My surgeries are held at Bedlington Community Centre at 6.30 pm on the first Thursday of the month, with the next surgery on 1 March. You can also contact me on 07779 983775 or at russ.wallace@northumberland.gov.uk. If I can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for reading. Russ

That's pretty much it Maggie, except it doesn't mention the "Mare" (seafood). Don't go near that myself, as I draw the line at eating things that look back at me or have suckers. Brits keep getting asked why they reside here. It's a mystery to the Italians as many of them want to get to Northern Europe or the UK to get employment - the EU having completely b*****ed the once strong economy for at least the last decade. If you say the climate they never quite understand this, so it's easier to just say the food. Then, they just smile broadly and agree. One of the first things you have to get used to is the growing seasons - and this certainly isn't high summer, which kills things like normal grass stone dead, and just about everything apart from the cacti struggles to survive. So, UK style lawns are a huge luxury, and very few waste time and effort growing things you can't eat/sell. There are actually two growing seasons a year, and things like tomatoes have to be kept in partial shade. Even oranges, lemons, etc. grow best with a bit of shade from other trees. I killed the one banana palm here the first year by not turning the provided irrigation system on every day. No one bothered to tell us it needed loads more water than the other palms - something we were apparently supposed to know! Root veggies don't do at all well in this soil though, so things like spuds are mainly imported into the region. Practically everyone has plenty of land, and lots of produce swapping goes on, even if you didn't actually tell them they could help themselves. The attitude is that they know you would want them to have it, so they are doing you a favour by not bothering you! If you don't want to swap a little for personal use you put up a fence, and there aren't too many fences. So, healthy and varied diet, and (when you need to buy them) many (but not all) foods are cheaper than in the UK - especially the wine!