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Malcolm Robinson
Whilst I still think we could never get everyone needed around a table for Bedlington to become a Portas Pilot I have been keeping my eyes on developments with the "˜Portas Pilots' where 12 Towns are going to be given £100K to help regenerate their high streets. There are some interesting developments in the Governmental response to this initiative. Grant Shapps, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, has now issued the government's formal response to the Portas High Street Review. In it there is a lot of talk about bureaucracy-busting measures, entrepreneurial inducements and a wide range of new incentives all aimed at helping our high streets compete and be sustainable.
The main thrust is to get a team of local people and organisations together and make what they are calling a "˜Town Team' which is then supposed to mould and fashion any regeneration efforts towards a local resolution.
It would seem blindingly obvious that our high streets are going to fundamentally change over the next few years, it could be worth grabbing this initiative now to shape that change into something we can all use and benefit by?
Some of the "˜new' help available is:
A multi-million pound High Street Innovation Fund.
A £1 million Future High Street X-Fund.
A National Markets Day, launching a National Markets Fortnight.
A £500,000 fund for Business Improvement Districts.
Doubling the number of Portas Pilots.

Shapps is adding his own twist as well introducing what is called the 'Portas-Plus' deal which has "˜a range of measures designed to help local people turn their high streets into the beating hearts of their communities once again.'
One important detail I will reprint here is the possible moves on Business Rates.
"How they can work with councils to use the forthcoming new powers to offer local business rate discounts, and to ensure businesses are aware of the option to spread the payment of the retail price index increase in business rates bills over three years, giving them the flexibility to manage their bills and help their cash- flow. This is in addition to Small Business Rate Relief, which in England has been doubled for two and a half years, from 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2013."
He also confirmed the Government was accepting a number of other key recommendations to cut red tape and entice motorists into the town centres.
Looks like a step in the right direction but more of a temperature testing step rather than a full-on plunge!



John White

REUNITED – ON AIR

By John White, in News,

A broadcasting reunion involving two radio presenters who had not met for nearly 30 years featured in Synergy's final week on the air.
The Bedlington-based community radio station which completes its 28-day Restricted Service Licence broadcast at midnight on Friday saw Drivetime presenter John White get together with ex-Radio Wansbeck hospital broadcaster Diana Pasek-Atkinson
Diana, formerly of Morpeth who now lives and works in Nottingham, was visiting family and friends and made contact with John who invited her along for an on-air chat.
John said: "It was great to see and hear Diana again after all these years. She has occasionally done radio work in the Midlands with stints on BBC Radio Nottingham, and during her Trent University days, with a hospital broadcasting service in the city.
"The last time we worked together was on a 48-hour sponsored broadcast to raise money for Radio Wansbeck in the early 1980s, about two years before she left the area. But we have kept in touch and Diana has been listening to Synergy on-line in Nottingham."
John's final programme on Friday, which he is co-presenting with Synergy newcomer Becca Bird, will feature Ashington AFC's press officer Brian Bennett, defender Craig Scott and midfielder Andrew Johnson, and Stewart Grimes from Bedlington Terriers. They will be previewing Saturday's games and reflecting on recent performances.
Earlier in the day, Colin Heathcote will be interviewing Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery and Red Cross senior community fund-raiser Margaret Musgrave.
Colin said: "The past four weeks of broadcasting to people on 87.7FM throughout south east Northumberland has been a wonderful experience for all our presenters.
"Our aim was to provide an entertaining mix of music to suit all tastes alongside speech-based programmes which concentrated on community activities, facilities and events. We hope that we have achieved that aim.
"Our presenters have showcased local musical talent, presented live outside broadcasts and talked to more than fifty guests.
"We are grateful for the many messages of support, including texts, letters, e-mails and phone calls, and we look forward to returning on-air and on-line as soon as possible," he added.
Malcolm Robinson
I wonder if John Deacon had the plight of Bedlington Front Street in mind when he penned the Queen hit "˜'Another One Bites The Dust''. Seems our retail outlets are failing faster than an EU solution to the Greek debt fiasco! The whole thing is like watching a car crash in slow motion. The impending 5½ % hike in business rates due in April is really going to help the situation! Nowadays anyone could take the Front Street with a water pistol on any given day but especially a Saturday afternoon, traditionally a busy time for shopping.
So what's gone wrong and can we recover the situation. The first part of that is easy to answer, ever increasing rents, rates, energy charges, water charges etc. in other words an exponential increase in costs at the same time as a squeeze on family finances and that aligned with not being able to compete with the great consumer cathedrals which have been designed at huge costs to extract the very last coins out of our pockets. The surge in internet shopping cannot be ignored now either as this opens up a world of choice to cash strapped consumers.



The second part of that question requires the processing power of "˜K', currently the most powerful computer in existence, to come anywhere near a solution. Of course the primary question to answer is do we want a solution? I think we should because what we are seeing is an erosion in a national culture and the evaporation of the very raison d'etre for our Market Towns in the first place. Even at a very basic level being able to interact socially with our contemporaries has to be a worthwhile endeavour and probably the only way we can build lasting friendships etc. or has that now been truly relegated to the vastness of cyber space?
It will be interesting to see how the 12 "˜Portas Pilots' develop but given the absolute need for everyone involved to become a committed partner in the undertaking I am just not too sure if it will be possible to roll out across the country up to and including Bedlington. Looks very much like a game we all used to play as toddlers"¦"¦..



Malcolm Robinson

Bedlington Front Street

By Malcolm Robinson, in News,

Having just read through the latest high street regeneration initiative led by Mary Portas and the Local Government Minister where they are looking for 12 towns to become "˜Portas Pilots' I did have a fleeting moment of madness and think about applying for Bedlington to be considered, the £100K would have been handy! On closer inspection however the criteria laid down for Towns to be considered would have been a nightmare to get into place within the 6 weeks left for applicants. Even if that was possible the "˜vision' needed to change the fortunes of our Town would have taken a superhuman effort and meant each and every facet of our townscape infrastructure had to play a serious and demanding role. Possible, yes theoretically, but the fractured nature of our Town's infrastructure means that in practice it would be neigh on impossible.
Having just spoken to a regional retail business who have closed down a local branch and asked why, the answer wasn't surprising. Seems the ever increasing rent and rates were the deciding factors and in times where there is less and less disposable income due to family core inflation leading to a decrease in most types of purchases the writing could be on the wall for many more businesses.
Not only have we that to consider in our Town but the very topographical nature of our High Street makes it very difficult to adapt to the changing retail needs now insisted upon by consumers. Competition with the out of town retail malls is all but impossible for any small owner operator. It is hardly surprising that we are haemorrhaging national chains and even the small vocational type businesses are struggling.
Many are putting their hopes in the much heralded Tesco development as a means of regenerating our Town but looking at their business model where smaller retailers cannot hope to compete and the fact that the main entrance will be at what is considered to be the back of the shop opposite their now private car park, even if it does attract shoppers from outside the immediate area will they and the notes in their pockets make the trek onto the high street?
Interesting segment in our local paper last week, in the "˜'All our Yesterday's'' column. Seems BUDC (Bedlington Urban District Council) had plans for a major development of the Town's infrastructure way back in 1962 with "˜space age shopping facilities, hotels, swimming baths and residential development'. Where did that go wrong, ah yes, we jumped into bed with the wrong option at the creation of WDC!
Do we need a viable high street, unequivocally yes, because it presents a commercial face to what is fast becoming dormitory Town status! The Town is already being threatened with second tier status in the considerations going through County Council as they work on their Local Development Framework without some action we might even drop into 3rd tier status, not a good result for our once proud Town.


John White

SYNERGY’S ON-AIR DATE

By John White, in News,

A Bedlington-based community radio station has been given the go-ahead to begin broadcasting on FM and on-line.
Ofcom, the government's broadcasting authority has granted "˜Synergy' a 28-day licence to go on air as from Saturday March 3.
The licence will enable the station to broadcast to thousands of households throughout south east Northumberland.
For organisers South Northumberland Radio Group, news that its licence application had been approved comes after nearly four years of fund-raising to build and equip a professional grade studio in readiness for the broadcast.
Group chairman Colin Heathcote said: "We're absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity to provide a genuinely accessible community radio station for the area.
"We have raised some £20,000 from councils and local and national funders such as the Community Foundation, Bernicia, the Co-op and the Big Lottery Fund as well as personal donations from supporters and group members.
"The group has been very fortunate in having some magnificent volunteers and local contractors who've helped convert the former British Gas showroom in Bedlington's Front Street East into a studio.
"We've arranged a "˜meet and greet' session at the studio on Monday February 6 at 6.30pm to talk to volunteers about programming and we're looking forward to hearing from local groups and organisations who want to use Synergy to promote their services and activities."
Listeners will be able to tune into "˜Synergy' on 87.7FM or on-line: www.synergyradio.co.uk
Malcolm Robinson
Following on from the HSBC "˜desertion' we now see the Lloyds TSB branch in Bedlington is on the "˜get rid of' list otherwise called "Project Verde". "˜'Project Merde"˜' more like as this could leave our Town without a banking presence on our high street, something which always calls into question the credibility of any small Town.
Who have we to thank for this intrusion, none other than the European Union who "˜Dictated' that Lloyds TSB has to shed 620 branches in the name of greater banking competition within the UK. Greater competition is all fine and dandy and the spoiler is always that it is in the interest of the customer but in this case how can that be true?
It could be that a group such as the Co-Op bank or even Virgin Money (AKA, Northern Rock and wouldn't that be an intriguing possibility after multi-millionaire Applegarth closed our Rock branch not so long ago in pursuit of his unsustainable financial dreams!) takes them or some over.
Whatever happens there is one group of people who have never been consulted; us, the punters, the customers, the great unwashed, which seems a bit of an oversight as all this is being done, supposedly, in our interests. You have to wonder if these decision makers ever come out of their ivory towers and actually mingle with "˜normal' people, I'm not even sure they are on the same planet!
Malcolm Robinson
Following on from the article about sports and leisure provision in Bedlington (21st Now 2011) I can report a steering group has been set up to investigate and try to deliver major improvements at the Gallagher Park site. Composed of representatives from Northumberland County Council, Friends of Gallagher Park, Bedlington Community Forum and the Bedlingtonshire Development Trust the inaugural meeting of this steering group took place on 11/01/2012, at the Dr Pit Park pavilion.
As someone who has always criticised councils of whatever persuasion when I felt they were at fault I find myself now praising the group of officers involved with this initiative for their commitment, professionalism and eagerness to address what has really been an open running sore for the Bedlington community for so long, a lack of any sort of provision in this area.
Using the recently completed community questionnaire the Trust organised, a set of short term and longer term objectives will be identified and progress towards their implementation will be benchmarked.
Whilst no promises can be given, unlike the litany of broken promises we have had in the past about possible developments here, the fact that committed community groups are principle drivers in this project should mean no stone is left unturned in this effort.
Of course this is probably the very worst time economically to even contemplate such an initiative, with budget reductions and austerity cuts across the whole swath of community ventures, but keeping an open and optimistic mind frame and a willingness to put in the work will mean we might even get a chance to pull something off.
Having asked NCC for a fair crack at this without prejudice, it looks like that is exactly what we have been given. To paraphrase the old BUDC motto and with a bit of literary licence"¦"¦..


De profundis lumen venit.

Malcolm Robinson
The Christmas tree standing in the middle of the Market Place in Bedlington has just been subjected to a senseless act of vandalism. Whilst walking up the street last week, a group of our finest young ladies were seen by a couple to be trying to rip off the lighting strings. After remonstrating with these young ladies and asking why they were behaving in such a mindless way the couple reported their encounter so an inspection of the damage could be carried out. This has now been done and several strings have been damaged with the result that none of the lights in those strings work now. Great start to the festive period!
The point is that these lights along with the tree and other displays have all been bought by the parish ratepayers of West Bedlington who now face a possible extra cost for damages. That will undoubtedly include the parents of the very people who have caused the damage, as well as the rest of us of course! Hopefully the CCTV cameras in the Market Place will have caught the people involved and restitution can be sought once the culprits have been identified!
This beckons a further question concerning public Xmas lighting in general. Having just read a report which outlines the facts that in an age and an area where energy impoverishment is a real issue, agreements on carbon neutrality and energy price inflation are all factors can we really justify such displays of extravagant use of energy? No doubt the first council who takes this argument to its logical conclusion will be accused of unnecessary Dickensian austerity!
The report also mentioned the fact that whilst our rural areas in the North and West could well be in darkness soon the prevalence of criminality in the South East of the county could well be a reason why the lights stay on here. Maybe I should rejig the first two paragraphs"¦"¦"¦"¦"¦"¦
Malcolm Robinson

Sad Day.

By Malcolm Robinson, in News,

Whilst the You Tube video (
) the Bedlingtonshire Development Trust produced to promote the pride local people felt in their heritage has been universally acclaimed, and even shortlisted for an award in a national competition, it is now tinged with sadness. The person who took the Egyptian pictures of his friends alongside the Pyramids and the Sphinx, has been shot and killed in the recent pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Without knowing the full details of why this young, vibrant and fun loving life has been snuffed out the Trust would like to extend its sympathy to the family and friends who have been so needlessly effected.


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