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This was resolved just before todays meeting! Sense has prevailed!

I was almost unable to speak today at full council and this time it was passion not being forbidden to speak! I’m used to having a fight with the Administration to get anything for Bedlington, I hope today is the last time I have to have a go at the new bunch of councillors! The motion they put forward was badly constructed but there was one bit which I couldn’t contain myself about. If it had gone through then about 6 years of my time and efforts would be wasted with Bedlington losing millions of pound of funding. I couldn’t let that happen and so I had to say something: https://www.youtube.com/live/xi5sxPcTWWI?si=rWWEKF9yA76ksl0j&t=6171

Your great grandfather, James Scott, also worked as an agricultural labourer. In 1901 when Ralph gives his occupation as Farmer/butcher, James is working with his brothers on the farm as a labourer. In 1903 he is still in the area, presumably working at Westfield, when he marries. His children are born: Ralph at Springhill, just a stone's throw away from North Sunderland, Mary Jane is, in fact, born at Westfield and Henry at Elford - also a stone's throw away from North Sunderland. It's not clear if James was living at Westfield or elsewhere. The children may have been born at the homes of Mary Jane's relatives which was quite a common occurance. Mary Jane, your great grandmother, was from Norham, which is also on the map just south west of Berwick so she was a local lass. By 1911 James and his family have made the move from North Sunderland to Holborn about 11 miles south of Berwick on Tweed. It is here he becomes a farmer, working for himself at West Holborn. Lowick Beal. Address: Farm House, Holborn West. (See https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1156167 for map and better photo or ‘drive’ past on Google maps as I did). The farm is now a grade 2 listed building. If you’d like any of the documentation from which I’ve taken this info leave your e- post address in my mail box (move your marker over my ‘hat’ and choose ‘message’. It’s not wise to leave it here on site.

Full council meeting today and many people won’t be aware that all members have been told not to contact NCC officers directly. In fact we now have to submit any problems, concerns or suggestions we raise on behalf of residents to a generic email address which is supposed to be answered within 10 days. I don’t feel that allows me to do my ‘job’ properly on behalf of my residents! In fact I think it’s a retrograde step taken by who I don’t know. Now there might well be valid reasons behind this but as yet I haven’t been informed and even if my suspicions are correct then this really does interfere with the way I do this ‘job’. I have quite a few ‘issues’ which residents have been onto me about and I have expressed them directly to the responsible officers but it seems I haven’t had the normal relies which always used to be the case. I can only assume they have been told not to reply to any member questions either? This isn’t going to work and the Independent Group, which I’m now part of within NCC, is fighting this, what seems to me at least, to be an irrational decision! I like to get back to any of my residents who contact me as soon as possible with a reply to their concerns but this is seriously hampering that! There are other wholesale changes going through which again need to be challenged but the above is the main bone of contention for me!