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Parking studies will be taking place in the county’s market towns over the summer which will help develop options for future parking needs in Northumberland.

Concerns about parking capacity are regularly raised with the County Council and the new administration are working to get a clearer picture of capacity and usage of carparks.

A study is already underway in Berwick and further studies will be carried out over the next two months in the market towns of Hexham, Morpeth and Alnwick, with the final reports being received by the Council in November.

Motorists and car park users may see traffic surveys taking place but there won’t be any disruption for drivers.  The people undertaking the studies will be carrying appropriate identification.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “Despite the introduction of free parking some years ago, communities are often telling us that a lack of parking capacity is having a negative effect on their local economy and the sustainability of their towns.

“We’re listening to these concerns and as a first step have commissioned a study to investigate the current car parking situation within each of the four main market towns where parking capacity has been identified as a key issue.

“This will establish current patterns of use and enable us to factor in the future demand for car parking spaces so that we can fully understand what improvements are required now and in the future and look at what’s needed in terms of any new car parking sites.”

“Ultimately we want all our communities to prosper and have the right balance of sustainable parking for residents, visitors and businesses and this is the first step in making that happen.”  
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A teenager with a crooked spine that resembles an ‘S’ is heading to Germany for life-changing surgery in the next few hours - and it’s all thanks to you.
Lucy Huddleston suffers from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which is an abnormal twisting and curvature of the spine.
With the help of people from across the North East and beyond, more than £53,000 has been raised to send Lucy abroad.
The 16-year-old is travelling overseas on Friday for surgery which her family pray will correct the spine’s curves, without the need for fusion treatment.
Mum Lisa, 45, said: “We’ve been blown away by the fundraising and we’re so grateful.
“I fill up every time I look at the fundraising page at how nice people are, and a lot of them are complete strangers. The support has been amazing.”
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Northumberland County Council's Community Chest grant scheme is now open for applications for 2017/2018. One off grants of up to £60,000 for county wide projects, £5,000 for local area projects and a new £200 young persons grant for achieving a particular ambition are available.
Applications will be decided by a Grant Panel established by each of the five new Local Area Councils and the first deadline for applications is Friday 29th September.
The aim of the Community Chest Scheme is to support community groups and organisations to deliver activities which contribute to achieving the Council’s ambition for Northumberland. In addition, a new small grant scheme, Help For You, has been included specifically to help young people under 18 to achieve an ambition (see below).The fund will support one-off initiatives that are:
seen as valuable to the area are not able to secure mainstream funding from the council or other sources They do this by giving one-off grants of up to £5,000, but not exceeding 75% of the actual costs, i.e. you will need to find at least 25% from your own or other sources.You are advised to read the guidelines carefully before applying.
To help the council decide between different applications, there are higher and lower priorities for the scheme. Higher priority will be given to:
Projects submitted by small community groups, defined as having an income of less than £10,000 per year and no paid staff Initiatives that will help community groups to become sustainable in the longer term Groups who have not received a grant from the community chest in the past Lower priority will be given to groups who have received a community chest grant in the past two years and those that apply for projects similar to previous years. If your group or organisation does not meet the priorities, then an application can still be made but is less likely to be successful. 
If your project seeks to benefit the County as a whole, then it may be considered as a Countywide project, for which £60,000 per annum is set aside. Such projects are considered by a separate panel of Area Chairs that meets more regularly. Although the maximum grant remains 75% of the actual costs, the upper cap of £5,000 does not apply.
Help For You 
Grants of up to £200 are available for young people aged under 18 to support them in pursuing a particular ambition. A maximum of £2,000 has been ring-fenced for each local area council.
For further information visit the Northumberland County Council website or contact: 
Community Regeneration Team
Ecomony and Inclusion Policy Team
Planning and Economy Directorate
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
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Crowds flocked to Bedlington on Saturday to enjoy the second Northumberland Live of the year.
The family-friendly festival took place in the town’s Gallagher Park, with headline act The Commitments performing soul classics such as Mustang Sally, Destination Anywhere and In the Midnight Hour.
Other musical entertainment on the bill included the West End 80’s Mania Show, UB40 tribute band Ultimate 40, Pacific, The Sleeze Sisters, The Understudies, Just So and Unplugged.
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Routine Water Mains Works

By Bot, in News,

Northumbrian Water will be carrying out routine water mains cleaning until August 11th between the hours of 8am and 6pm in the area shown below.
Residents are advised that water discolouration may occur during this time but remains safe. It is not necessary to contact Northumbrian water if discoloured water is noticed and running the first mains fed tap in your home (typically the cold water tap in the kitchen) for up to 30 minutes is advised. 
It is not recommended that washing machines and dish washers be used until water is running clear.

If you have a metered supply and you receive discoloured water during the course of this work, please call Northumbrian water on 0845 717 1100 as you can claim an allowance on your bill.
More info at https://www.nwl.co.uk/your-home/your-account/in-your-area/mains-cleaning.aspx
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Northumberland County Council has secured £5m in national funding for major road improvements.

The authority successfully bid for its share of £75 million from the government’s national Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund.

Local authorities were challenged to put forward schemes which could make a real difference to road users.

Glen Sanderson, the County Council’s Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services: “This is absolutely fantastic news for the council,the people of Northumberland and all those who use our road network.

“We’re delighted to have secured this level of funding which, combined with a further £1.5m input from ourselves, will see improvements to 24km of highway along three key routes in the more rural parts of the county.

“These are crucial routes for the timber industry, quarrying and tourism and of course the residents who use these roads each day. The money, which will be spent this financial year, will fund a range of improvements, from strengthening the roads through to drainage work and resurfacing.

“The bid had widespread support from a range of partners as well as local MPs and is a further demonstration of this administration’s commitment to making long term improvements and investment on our county’s roads.

“We’re also pleased to be the only local authority in the region to have secured successive back to back awards from the national Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund.

“It is also testament to all the hard work put in by our highways team to have submitted such a persuasive and comprehensive bid and I’m extremely proud of them.”  
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Northumberland County Council has been praised for its role as a landlord at a regional awards ceremony.

At the Energy Efficiency and Healthy Homes Awards last week, the council picked up highly commended in the Landlord of the Year category and commended in the Small Project of the Year (Under £250k) award.

The awards were in relation to a pilot project in Cramlington which has transformed a “Dorran” style property into a more energy efficient property. Dorran properties were a popular post-war style of construction, using concrete panels, and often have issues with insulation.

The pilot scheme, at a property in Allerhope, saw the council team up with external wall specialists, Alumasc Facades and Westdale services. A steel structure was added to the concrete panels to strengthen the external wall and ensure it could withstand the weight of new insulation and render. It was then finished with a unique “brick” effect render to modernise the property. All the windows in the property have also been replaced.

The scheme will now be rolled out across the estate with a further 82 properties set to receive the same work over the next two years.

Coun John Riddle, Cabinet member for Planning, Housing and Resilience at the council, said: “This is fantastic recognition for an innovative pilot scheme, intended to not only improve the energy efficiency of the property, but also the appearance.

“Our tenant is extremely happy with the work and has already noticed the benefits with the property feeling warmer and better insulated.

“We will now be rolling the project out over the next two years, to include all other council-owned homes on the estate. We hope this will have a really positive impact on the quality of life for the tenants but also the community as a whole.”

Ward councillor for the area, Mark Swinburn, said: “It’s great to see the success of this pilot scheme. I am really pleased to see that the scheme will be progressing across the estate for the benefit of all residents.”

Tyrone Lawton, Area Technical Manager for Alumasc Facades, said: “The council has done a fantastic job in transforming a dated dorran property to a modern looking, energy efficient home.

“The council has gone that extra mile by putting their tenants first: helping with energy efficiency, saving on utility bills but also dramatically improving the appearance of the property.”
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Thousands of music lovers rocked out as The Commitments brought a touch of soul to the Northumberland Live festival.
The “World’s Hardest Working Band” headlined the day-long event on Saturday, which drew in the crowds to Bedlington’s Gallagher Park.
The eight-piece band - headed up by frontman Dave Finnegan who played bouncer and drummer Mickah Wallace in The Commitments film - played all the classics, including Mustang Sally and In the Midnight Hour.
They were joined on the bill by The Sleeze Sisters, The Understudies, Just So and Unplugged.
Festival-goers also enjoyed a range of food as well as a display by the Royal Logistics Corps’ parachute display team The Silver Stars.
Northumberland Live organiser, Mel Jackson, said: “The day has been fantastic - it has been jumping.


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