Adam Hogg

There was no change to the NCC council tax for 2012/13.

That is what I said Stephen note this year 2012/13 the government have offered funding to freeze council tax levels.

Look, much of this is copied behaviour. I blame it on all the 'in your face', aggressive behaviour in the Beeb's Eastenders. Oh, and let's not forget that evil agent of the kiddie's pass to bad behaviour ... Ester Ratzen. Try telling a child off and even parents are treatened by their brats ... "I'll call Childline and report you for abuse". What can you do?

call their bluff? Then if they continue get a cold wet fish.

As far as I know.........NCC are doing a certain number of cuts, if a parish or town council wants more they pay for them at a rate set by NCC. I thought WBTC had decided not to pay for extra cuts?

It can only be a matter of time before the small councils have to cut their own grass etc. Fair enough but lets see a corresponding decrease in the NCC rates bills if we have to pay parish councils extra! Thta was the promise but that isn't what looks likely to happen!

Three options are open to NCC with council tax for the next three years: No change, Decrease or Increase above 2.5%, 1% increase equates to £1.6 million, note this year 2012/13 the government have offered funding to freeze council tax levels. That is what has been stated by the Executive Member for Corporate Resources Councillor Andrew Tebbutt, now i doubt NCC will have no change or a decrease, so whats left? But i completely agree with you Malcolm why pay twice? you don't go to a garage to fill up your car and say, "pump number 3," then, "that will be £20," and then get, "another £20 please," for your fuel.

Didn't know they did Adam? If they do its for extra cuts this year.........next year who knows!

Stephen..................????

Well it is in their budget and was in the report about the precept this year, but we have never needed extra cuts before so why charge for them, we should be getting the same quality and amount of cuts as we have gotten over the years from BUDC, WDC and NCC before 2012.

Keith,

Its not my business but I think you might find your parish council did the beds, hanging baskets etc and its NCC who are responsible for grass cutting......unless you want to see your parish rates start to multiply.... as is the grand scheme at the moment!

But Malcolm what is the £6,500 for grass cutting that West Bedlington Town Council charge for, or maybe one of the Town Councillors can anwer that.

i lived at bedlington station from 1952 till 1970 i found it to be a nice place to live allways tidy and clean no rubbish to be found on the streets . what has hapened to the place ?

It is called the end of Bedlington Urban District Council and the beginning of Wansbeck District Council.

All I have to say about the THI is excellent work, they all deserve a big thank you, pat on the back and a drink.

Keith/Adam,

Sounds like a bit of lateral thinking is called for.

Keith start your own security firm with Adam? I bet it's a case of being able to own a security company without any need for daft worthless paper qualifications?

You are chasing THE PAPER CIRCLES KEEPING OTHER PEOPLE IN OFFICE JOBS…….BREAK THE CHAIN!

It is as keith says, Malcolm the problem with self employment is Capital you must have money to make money and also people not paying you once you do the job.

Just my bit of gripe and insight. I just finished my SIA course. (Security Industry Authority) I was told there would be loads of jobs in that sector so not to worry. I got a certificate saying I had passed and was then told to apply for my licence - my badge BUT!!!!! I got the catch 22 system at that point. The badge cost £264. No security firm would touch me until I got it - Remploy Newcastle - where I did the training - said they would pay for it if I was gauranteed a job - but I couldn't get a job until I got the licence. AAARGH! Then I was told I had to have CCTV experience. I went back to remploy and the jobcentre and was told they couldn't train me in CCTV because of government cuts. Then I was told not to apply for any jobs in the security industry anyway because a new stipulation stated you had to have a car. Honest, the terms going round in circles and banging your head against the system wall apply.

I know the feeling keith, the hoops you have to jump through only to be told they where the wrong ones to jump through. It is enough to drive you mad.

I'm old, shows it by my music taste .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c49klxPex-k

No heaps if they were on the coast , Bates Cambois Lynemouth etc. The spoils whent out to sea. Sea coal washed up. The beaches were dirty. I really cannot understand why anybody would prefer to have that pitheap here. We now have a much cleaner place to live. As far as unemployment is concerned, I was lucky I started as an apprentice at Ashington farm, 2 weeks after leaving school in 1971. A few of my mateswhent down the pit and couldn't wait to get out. I would like to bet that there was just as mny unemployed then than there is now, if not more. Ted Heaths government, the 1st miners strike, the 4 day week, electricity rationing / power cuts. Yep they were the good old days ! Yes the pits did provide work, they kept local businesses and suppliers / fringe trades going etc. (including hospital wards and pulminary units) There was a certain cameraderie among the workers. BUT give me the much cleaner place which we live in now. You really did have to be there Adam!

I understand the health of the time, my grandads worked at a lot of pits in the area both have health problems now but they would go back down the pit again if they could and many other people i know have said the same "if the pits had not shut we would still go down them." It is up to the people you talk to but personally as i have said many times before if any pit was open in the north east i would go down it to work, hot, cold, dry, damp, dirty or clean i would not mind at all.

As viewed from Vulcan Place and Moorland Avenue ( would be about just after the lights were put there I suppose). These photo's confirm my reasons for not backing Adams nostalgic wish for the return of the pits to Bedlington. Who in their right mind would want to go back to the days of that thing dominating the skyline. Yes there were happy memories playing on it, we knew no better at the time. I wouldn't like my kids playing on there now. Bedlington is a far cleaner and healthier place to live without it. When the wind got up Bedlington got covered in crap, sorry Adam but you weren't around to witness it like many of us were.

My Dad was and he did not mind it and personally i would perfer the old pit heap to any new housing (what is to be built on the church hall) or what is behind netherton hall, but also some pits never had heaps.

Bates was to the right of these pics Adam. I'll have a pint of what your drinking.

Ah yes got mixed up with my left and right, saying that if it was done before 68 and was a bit to the left you would have got cambois colliery in. Which it looks like, right in the background of the first picture, if im not mistaken.

Well here's some taken from the top of The Heap

Would have been better foxy if you had been looking a bit to the left and got Bates Colliery in the photo, but that just my personal opinion.

No its not Table Top Mountain!

northumberlandia?

County Council needs grass cutters .......... only they dont seem to realise it yet !!!

Good idea they need some grass cutters, will have to by a ford transit and trailer with a ride on lawn mower and a strimmer, but then again it would be self employed and i don't want to do because of bad experiences with people not paying.

when i go down to the beach at blyth and i see them windmills not turning it makes my blood boil . knowing that out to sea. their is millions of tons of coal still to be mined

Give me Bates colliery over wind trubines any day of the week, i would choose Bates every time.

Later is better than never - is it not?

I guess but sooner would be better, but with all the stuff going on in south east northumberland: Alcan Closing, County council cutting jobs and others it feels like never will be the one, not sooner or later

Bet you wouldn't want to work down one!

As a mater of fact i would love to work down one, have looked at the UK coal website for jobs with them but there are none at the moment

My humble effort can be found here:

Great Video, you must walk very fast

Darn it I was spotted on the market cross.

Happy Birthday Foxy , 19 Again?

So don't let it rest there. Politely ask why you weren't informed - be quietly assertive and non-aggressive, quote facts but don't be combative. If you get the brush-off take it higher, and keep on asking. And... keep saying you WANT to work. Sooner or later someone will listen, or be made to listen.

With an unemployment rate of 145,000 people in the north east i think it will be later.

Does the ex local MP count? If not i have met David and Carrie Grant when i was in high school, at the time i did not know who they were , they were both very nice people to talk to, very down to earth.

Its a bit late but I got the answer to getting ALL the verges cut to Scandanavian standards, ALL the roads fixed, ALL the roads swept and new white lines put down, ALL the flower beds up to Kew Gardens standards loads of overtime for the council workers............. EASY get the Olympic Torch to be run all over the shire................ SIMPLES

Would have to have it running round every few weeks to make the place look tidy