Malcolm Robinson

Late 80's when the Perry's wrecked it?

It had a couple of fires in the 80's early 90's. One when Rocky had the place.

You brought a tear to my eye Joe, you have exactly the same condidtion my "Old Man" had so I can symphasis with your family. As others have said you have many friends on this site, your integrety shines through in your contributions.

Best of luck....

Was i right?

Sort of My D. It is the view down to the Sun but with a CGI of the planning permission for the old folks home imposed. You did say cryptic ones accepted! It was used to show WDC what a carbuncle, in the middel of a conservation area, they had just orthorised!

I think a lot of problems are down to the parents but regulating is another step towards a big brother society. As parents we have a responsibility towards our kids, society and ourselves! I have always retained a smacking option but thankfully I can not remember using it but the kids knew it was there! Having said that it is a bit too much like physical bullying in a lot of cases and an easy option. Children need guidlines and boundaries, if only to rebel against, to test their maturity and they see cause and effect as kids. When they go out into the "world" throwing a temper tantrum doesn't get them what they want.

Is it a coincidence that the kids I know who have been treated as adults from birth and who have never had a harsh word said to them, never mind smacked, behave disgracfully and with scant regard to anyone else?

lol, took me a while too. the pic has to be a certain filetype to show directly on the board, other types will only be available for download, to add a pic, look at the bottom of your 'add new post' screen (not the quick reply one) you'll see an attachments box with a browse button. select this button, search your pc for the file ( i believe .jpg or .jpeg are best, but may be wrong!)then click 'upload'

once its uploaded their will be an 'add into post' option where a code will be placed into the post (something like [addpic89] but i cant remember exactly what!) move this code to where you want the pic to be displayed, (using the center button if you want it centered) and hit 'add post'

simple really!

Thanks Mr D.

Ok second try, anyone know where this might be?

Anyone know hwere this "might" be?

Has the dammed thing worked?

Ok, in words of one sylabll or less, how do you post a pic?

you after a few cryptic ones too?

Anyone know hwere this "might" be?

Has the dammed thing worked?

i think there should be a motorbike track in bedlington for the kids to go ride on without being bothered by the pigs

I know someone who tried to get one sorted, with garage facilities so kids could strip and rebuild cars/bikes, but it was fraught with "officialdome" difficulties. If I remember correctly Newcastle had a good one at Byker which this person wanted to copy but it depended on WDC giving some out of the way waste ground...........for Bedlington, enough said!

I also know of at least one project to get a youth facility going for the kids in the town centre or thereabouts but again too many road blocks put up by WDC!

And people wonder why I rant!

So how much is this little lot going to cost,and(sorry to fetch this up yet again) wouldn't the money be better spent on something for the young people of our town!

I know exactly what you mean stu! I posted without comment just to let people know when this was on and they can make their own mind up once they see and hear the proposals. I hope some people off this board get along and see the presentation and report back. Any roving reporters out there?

"Plans to enhance Bedlington's Market Place:

An award-winning team has been drafted in to draw up plans to enhance Bedlington's 18th Century Market Place. Wansbeck Council has appointed Landscape Architects Ian White Associates (IWA) to develop outline proposals for a 21st Century make-over. IWA has a successful track record of enhancing market areas including Morpeth and Marygate at Berwick upon Tweed and has won national awards for its public realm and streetscape projects.

Members of the public will be able to see for themselves the progress so far at a special event where Bob Ferguson of IWA will host a presentation giving anyone interested a chance to find out more about the plans. The presentation, which is being held as part of National Architecture Week, will take place on Wednesday June 20th, at the Bedlington Community Centre, Front Street starting at 7.30pm.

Regeneration Portfolio Holder Councillor Alan Stewart, says: "The Council aspires to providing a high quality scheme and it is hoped that Bedlington will be added to the list of IWA award winning projects. We are very pleased to be working alongside IWA and I hope the public come along to the presentation to see for themselves the exciting changes that could be in store for what is a focal point in the town. Bedlington's tree-lined Front Street is one of the quaintest and most picturesque places in the area and enhancements to the Market Place can only help to regenerate the town even further."

i read some where that was going to be an old peoples home! just right for the front street of bedlington cause it's dead anyway so they'll not get disturbed much! :lol: thats all they seem to build in bedlington? what does that tell you, is there too many old people in bedlington? or is the council just a load of boring fossils? :lol:

I would put my money on a residentail development even though it does have planning for an old people's home!

As for retail in the town this is worth a read......

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtm...MC-mcn_06062007

The health of any small town shopping street can be easily gauged by surveying who is using it. For example, if it is predominantly the elderly (often lacking their own transport, low income, etc.) then there is no commercial incentive for the retail trade to invest in those areas. Nationally, the 'out-of-town' retail parks and supermarkets have done for the local shops. Given a choice, many folks who are able to, will drive to these places, park for free, have everything under one roof, experience a litter-free day, enjoy the piped music, emerge to find that no Parking Ticket has been slapped onto their car and return home satisfied - what a souless experience! The death of the high streets can often be traced back to the actions of local politicians who, as a means of generating revenue, introduced parking restrictions - guess what? People stayed away, the shops lost income, shut down, etc. etc. Those small towns that do still have viable shopping streets are the ones that campained against the retail park infection in their area.

I remember Bedlington Front St in the 60's as being a vibrant (maybe that's too strong!) place to shop - there was somewhere to get just about anything you needed. Milne's department store for cataput rubber, records (who can remember the listening booths?) furniture and other household items - who needed Bainbridges in the Town! Fruit & Veg (Patton's?) next to the Top Club, butchers(was there one called Amers or something similar?), bakers, and so on. The point was that people had to shop locally - car ownership wasn't universal and it was a right shlep on the bus to Newcastle and back with loaded bags.

I'm afraid the day of the local high street is a thing of the past. Rents can be too high so that freeholders will often only be able to generate a return by developing their holdings into residential units - that's where the money is!

I agree Symptoms but any town worth its salt needs a viable commercail heart. The sad fact is that Bedlington has never modernised its shopping environment. That might have something to do with the bulk of Front Street being a conservation area and as such any structural changes have paper mountains to climb! We should have seen a retail area from Presto's car park, next to the Monkey, right up to the duel carriagway at Glebe Road with shops, offices and plenty of free parking. Front Street could then have carried on with its conservation area status and being an area for cafes, bars and eateries, all pedestrianised, (the Holy Grail of WDC!) The shops are too spread out (complete with restrictive parking) for todays customers who want to park and shop within minutes. Until someone grabs the nettle the future of retail in the town is only going one way!

I knew some folk who were trying to open a charitiy shop in Bedlington a few years back but the Bedlington chamber of trade (or someone like that) wouldn't allow it.

As GGG said The COT have no such power. However if it is the one I know about the people involved wanted the COT to "organise it and run it". As it was going to sell new lines which several shops in the town already offered and due to the "overheads" paid by charity shops it was felt by the COT that this was unfair and unrealistic competition and as such they couldn't support it. A long way short of "not allowing" it!

Once you see charity shops opening, and I am not dissing them they have their place and serve a valuable purpose, you know that the retail shops in the same area have problems. It means a "normal" retailer would not reopen a shop there for commercial reasons and it is these "commercail reasons" which any COT should be trying to change.

Several years ago when I first started working for the organization that I work for now, I was informed that I would have to undergo a CIB check. Knowing that I did not have a criminal record I willingly filled in the necessary forms and they were sent off to whoever does these checks.

Two weeks later I was called into the Directors office and asked if I would like to change any of the information that I had given on the CIB form. I replyed saying "no why". I was then informed that my CIB check had revealed that I was guilty of fifty serious offences.

Knowing this was not true I protested and was eventually allowed to have an appointment with a Police Sergent involved in the checks.

I will say at this point that the Police Sergent was very courteous and polite gentleman. However when I was in his office he told me that he saw many people who disagreed with the results of their CIB check, he told me that people want to forget about their past ( he did not use the words that I have used but the meaning was the same.).

He told me that usually when he showed someone their photograph it usually came back to them. I said to him, show me my photograph, he replyed "in this case there is no photograph but we could tell from a DNA sample" I agreed to have a DNA sample taken but he told me that they did not have a DNA sample to match it against.

He finally suggested that a finger print test would prove if it was me or not as they did have finger print evidence. I agreed, had my finger prints taken and a week later I received a letter from the Police saying that I was not the person who had committed the offences. They did return the finger prints to me for me to destroy. One thing that was not in the letter was an apology.

The strange thing was that the person I was being accused of being shared the same sure name as me had a different date of birth and a different first name.

They assured me that the finger prints would not be kept by them and as I have stated they did return them to me for me to destroy.

Listen to the people willing to give away the very very few rights we have coz that can't happen Pete, you must have dreamt it!!!!!!! What if one of those offences was an outstanding arrest you would have been in deep do do and all because of a mistake by the "state"! Never mind databases etc it is time for a proper constitution.

Looks like there is an impressive data base already, and it seems without consent!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jh...MC-new_28052007

"Councillors are largely 'figure heads' and the employees of the council do the actual 'work'... The word 'work' is may be a misleading term having been on the opposing side of a council employee with regards to planning etc...."

Maybe your personal experiences have something to do with that view? I have "worked" with both "sides" of council and found the officers commited and earnest in their efforts. They are effectivly "overseen" by elected councillors who usually have no understanding of the work they have to do!

"My gut feeling is if you dont like your councillor(s), stand yourself. It is a democracy."

I don't think it really is, it is more a political party race. How many time have we heard that if you put a monkey in a particularly coloured suit he would get elected. That isn't democracy it is blind faith in a politicial party.

"Instead of slagging off councillors, try taking making an active contribution to your society instead of complaining about it."

I quite agree and I would have liked to seen councillors taking part in public debates where interested members of the community could discuss and debate issues. How else can anyone say they are representing your views, when was the last time a councillor asked what you thought of a certain issue?

I also agree that most of the work is mundane but some of it impacts on the way the area developes socially and commercially and it would be nice to see some concensus for a change.

One final point, anyone standing for council asks for your vote and because of that they have to justify themselves to any electorate. We now seem to be electing people becasue of their views and belifes instead of us putting them forward to represent ours!

The plan is to (potentially) amalgamate Blyth Valley Borough Council and Wansbeck District Council - and that includes Cramlington, Seaton Deleval, Blyth.......It'll be more or less that same geographical area covered by the South East Northumberland/The rest of Northumberland split that was discussed at the referendum for a North East Assembly a couple of years back.

Mrs P,

I recall a South East Northumberland "council" being talked about some time ago but it was felt that as most of the "industry and people" were based here it would leave the rest of the county at too big a disadvantage? What has changed?

If this new "Council" does get off the ground it will be interesting to watch the scramble for the seats in it, a bit like fighting for deckchairs on the Titanic!

I would have gone for a NE Assembly, pared down County councils and scrap local authorities and replace then with town councils.

DNA database, yes in a perfect world but in these days of PFI etc what if your DNA was "sold" to a private company, much the same as a lot of information is?

ID cards, why? There is a lot of our forbears 6 feet under because they wanted to stop that!

When considered altogether the whole CCTV, IDcards, DNA Databases etc smacks of control by a centralising government. We used to cherish our individuality now we seem hell bent on giving it away!

Got to agree with GGG.

From personal experience there were 12 crimes commited in 2 months where I used to live but only one was given a crime number and that was for the insurance claim. So were there 12 crimes commited as everyone knew or only 1? Says something about the "fear of crime". Instead of stopping motorists for having a side light out I think the cops should be rounding up these feral chavs who roam our streets in the early hours, course that might involve officers having to get out of their cars!

It could still be a runner Malcolm, go for it or you will never know what the outcome would have been. I would think there would be a lot of support for Bedlington becoming independent again, or at least having a bigger say in its affairs.

Pete,

With the next reorganisation of the local gov landscape Bedlington could become much more independent. I was shocked to read, on this board, that it might amalgamate with Blyth where did that come from? In the 70’s when WDC was formed why didn’t Bedders amalgamate with Cramlington a much more strategic fit?

The real problem seems to be with the people we keep electing to represent us as they are much more concerned with toeing party lines than actually listening and doing something constructive and ambitious. Another reason to get rid of party references on ballot papers! Reintroducing the old Shire boundaries would make Bedlington a sizeable concern and with 30-40 thousand people a self sufficient one as no money is wasted on flights of fancy such as leisure centres, swimming pools, etc!!!!!!!!!

It will be easy to have something like a parish council once WDC is disbanded but beware they have no real “power” as their remit is all about parks and bus shelters! Bedlington needs its own self determination in areas like social/commercial regeneration and with the right people at the helm it could fly.

Tell us more Malcolm.

Don't think I have the time, but judging by the support the idea got at the time it could have been a runner!

It was just something I came up years ago with to demonstrate how Bedlington was not getting a fair share and could break out of the yoke of WDC and be self sufficient and better off.

What do people think of the news that the UK is the most videoed nation in the world? Good thing or bad?

Worrying thing to me is that they are up for good! Yes there is a good argument to have CCTV installed in certain areas but once they are up you (the public who they are supposed to be protecting) cannot get them taken down. If the need for them has been a fairly recent social development, say the last 10-15yrs, then might not that need disappear in the next 10 yrs or so, or do we all have a very pessimistic view of the way society will go? I was involved in the bid to get them into Bedlington and I asked for a clause in the bylaws where it had to be voted on, by elected councillors say, every few years to keep them up. Either that or some way we, the general public, could have them taken down when we felt there was no need for them. That idea was quashed by…………..the cops! The very people we give special powers to police our society in the way we want it to operate and for that reason they should have absolutely no input into the making of laws! The law is there for us to agree on and for them to police!

It is a sad indictment of us to have the need for them, it is even sadder we have no control over them!

We were always told that BPS was the biggest contributor to Wansbeck rates. Of course sans Wansbeck this would have been Bedlington local taxes. And, a good many community centers that would have built by now!

And on a lighter matter - a much lighter matter - he'd probably have had difficulty taking your call anyway!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18334489/

GGG,

Wasn't it the case that the power station paid its rates in the old BDC and that was why it was in the black? It would certainly seem an opportune time to do something about giving a new one the right place name! It might have been "North Blyth" power station but I don't remember an invasion by the Blyth lot to take over the land there? While they are on they could always build some sort of import export facility because it is much easer, or could be, to get road and rail access there, then they could build their new 80 acre industrail estate at Cambois and leave the North Seaton resident alone!

A bit of forward planning for when the Shire, hairy feet included, gets it independence!

I think one of the reasons that Ashington is getting more help now is because people feel guilty about the royal seeing to that the town got after the minors strike. All told it was pretty much left to rot...plus unlike Bedlington, it wasn't the most attractive of towns to begin with.

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The problem was with the decision made years ago that Ashington HAD to be the commercial heart of WDC. Anyone with a bit of grey matter would have made Bedlington the heart as it lies about mid point of Morpeth, Ashington, Blyth and Cramlington. With that degree of bias and the political power base there both Newbiggin and Bedlignton were relegated to also rans'. Of course that decision could have been recinded but we never got councillors willing to tackle it, even when the majority of the ruling councillors came from Bedlingtonshire!

Best thing to do now is to impose passport controls on Stakeford bridge and declare independence for the Shire! At the very least we have a council offices we own!

Just wondering, if Mr Brown is a Scottish MP and they, as Mr Salmon wants, break away from the Union will he be disbarred from sitting in Westminster? Seems strange to have a Scot, again, as PM when they have their own Parliment.