Mal

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/politics/council/ai-growth-zone-in-northumberland-welcomed-and-further-ps2bn-for-data-centre-project-5324050?fbclid=IwY2xjawM-THtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHsJsgTznLOMR1tzwNWUSnfZAtJtMkfmuVS0hw9U4s5mUJzl_3qFyBrYD00mK_aem_SzugRs-PLIY6wLBcDy0peg

"So does Bedlington get a share? if so how much?" £110M is to be set up as a economic regeneration fund. Still asking questions about it.............like will Bedlingtonshire get the Lion's share seeing as its our asset being developed? Been told projects are being worked on which will use this funding but when I asked specifics they were less forthcoming. As far as I'm concerned and I've said this to them......... @worst possible usage in terms of job creations........£10B for around 200 jobs............but if the payback is this £110M then lets see if we can get the 5000 jobs BritishVolt promised out of that! Now I see the Government saying this £150B of new tec and data centre funding just announced will produce 7000 jobs??????? I only believe half of what I see these days and nothing of what I hear!

They have now got planning permission to revamp one of the old buildings on the platform there into a heritage themed café.

Vic, There is a bit of update on this.............. The last of the developments will rely on a further £40M of funding being found! NCC are being asked for £10M while the rest is coming from government and The NE Mayoral authority. Fingers crossed they all agree! The NCC meeting to agree is tomorrow and Ill be watching with some interest!

Malcolm, I like the outside the box thinking. If nothing else it usually results in the people I deal with not being able to give a reply or adequate reason why not to do something. The Terriers is a difficult case given they had been stuck off by Companies House for not filing accounts and County Council had to step in to safeguard the ground for community use! There is a lot of work being done and the only reason for my cooperation is to make sure the end result is in community use! It will probably go to litigation so there are tight lips so as not to prejudice any case!

First one: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/fury-northumberland-line-station-delay-32011486?fbclid=IwY2xjawLZ-UBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBVRDlnYnl0NVZWekc1Y3NkAR7Dd-pkV5BoAwCDM8In2oJ-nZLVQwqdJn42ln4AuB9nl9nZgnDxcCOarlsbug_aem_pxynPYlhOs_k1bJAbfj1fg Follow up: So I’m getting a bit of flack about the comments I made in the press about the rail station situation here in Bedlington and the fact that this town has been overlooked for decades! Let’s just put it in perspective: Starting with the station, about 6-7 years ago I stood on the old platform with the then Government minister when the reopening of the lines was being discussed and he said with what we already had this was going to be the easiest station to get reopened! I was at one of the original presentations about reopening the rail line and we were told in no uncertain terms that if the costs couldn’t be brought down to around the £100M mark then it wouldn’t go ahead. They were currently about £160M at the time. The Bedlington station project was estimated at around £20M One of the reasons this was wanted, as stated, was it could open up about 10,000 new housing units. Also it would kick-start economic regeneration around these new stations. I’ve asked about this fantastic economic regeneration, which I think is a no brainer, and was told oh yes you are getting a café. Fast forward a few years and the cost is around £300M, so someone somewhere made that decision! Shades of HS2 here? The new station at Newsham goes £20M+ over budget and the Bedlington station gets moth balled for a year. Coincidence? We hear about structural problems and unexpected anomalies here is Bedlington, wasn’t there a comprehensive engineering assessment done when the contract was awarded? Are there penalty clauses in the contract? We now see further delays due to……………..errm we haven’t been told but I can guess! Parking is going to be an issue but the main car park which was envisioned at the planning application stage has been ‘put on hold’ for up to 10 years to assess the need for it. In my opinion it’s as if even when we get a new station they don’t want people to come and use it? Other places get 200+ new parking places, we get something like 20 odd including electric and disabled ones. Even just this quick overview, is anyone really going to say we have been treated in the same way other places have? And that’s before we get onto the Town centre debacle and the other multitude of examples………..

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

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!

You might have to explain that to our nursery age school children who are being offered gender realignment services! The world is going mad!!!!!!!

Thanks for the support guys! It is a pretty sad indictment on politics these days............even with a small 'p'. I had to see the NCC solicitor the other day to sign some forms and he said this was the worst he has even seen any threatening behaviours. Hope its all behind now and I can just get on with the job! Its difficult enough!

Didn't even post these ones..............but no one is saying I haven't been doing things anymore!

Now it is all just fluff........so..........

After having another go I put up some more!

Seems this stuff caused quite a commotion after I said this was some of the stuff I've been doing over the last few years Then being told I was dreaming...............