Mal

We had another all member briefing yesterday about the production of a new Local Plan. This time about a third of the members turned up. This Plan is important because it will shape our villages, towns and even the whole county over the next few years. What makes this really urgent is the Governments proposed changes to our planning system as they chase their 1.5 million new homes promise. Northumberland has been ‘given’ our own quota in relation to that target and it’s huge! I’ve talked about this before and how important it will be to take part in the public consultations which will be coming out soon. Do we want to see new Towns created, existing settlements expanded, new industrial sites, new commercial spaces, all questions which people can have their say in answering. The most important aspect is that we need to engage to have at least some say in what happens otherwise the Government will just impose! That is something I spoke about at the last Town Council meeting when I suggested they might want to re-examine the neighbourhood plan they have almost finished. Because of the changes which could well come in, not havening local planning committees, presumption in favour of house building etc. the importance of neighbourhood plans is that at least local people have their say and it could well be the only time we do within a planning application. So deciding where we might want to see new housing, shops and offices, industrial estates etc. It might not have the absolute power to stop an application but at least we will register a public opinion because neighbourhood plans have to go to local referendums before they are ‘made’, in other words adopted as part of the planning criteria. Yesterday I spoke about rewriting settlement boundaries and how we have seen that happen in Bedlington about 5 years ago to meet the last housing figures we were delegated to achieve. This time it won’t be a blip on the side of the settlement boundary it will be a huge inflation right around because of the sheer numbers we have been told to achieve. We might even see new Towns created although I remember the last time that was a proposal in the county! Whatever happens having to find the sites for 34,500 new homes here, and that’s not including industrial, commercial and social infrastructure fill, will be challenging and quite obviously change the topography of our county forever. For more info here is the latest version………. https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/northumberland-local-plan-2016-2036

Historical Factoids 25: Borderlands. Seems from what I’ve heard and seen quite a few people aren’t aware of this initiative. The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal was signed in March 2021 bringing up to £452 million of fresh investment to the Borderlands area. This funding was made up of £350M from Government and £100M from local match funding. Around £200M for the English side. The Accountable Bodies are Dumfries and Galloway Council with regards to both the Scottish Government funding for the Growth Deal and that part of the UK Government funding which relates to Growth Deal Projects physically located in Scotland. Northumberland County Council has the role of accountable body as regards that part of the UK Government funding which relates to Growth Deal. As soon as I was aware I asked for a meeting with the lead officer at NCC for this fund. I did manage to convince her that Bedlington should be included and that we had a range of needs which could be addressed as part of this deal. She agreed and not only were we included but we should have been one of the first to benefit. https://www.youtube.com/live/Q4zZGP1LXjI... We are in the Place Programme which is a £50m initiative focusing on smaller market and coastal towns across the region. Our allocation is around £3M and we hear this mentioned time and time again by the political gentry (along with the Cycle track and train station) when they explain just how well Bedlington is doing in terms of funding! The Place Programme includes Alnwick, Bedlington, Bellingham, Dalton in Furness, Egremont, Eyemouth, Galashiels, Gretna, Haltwhistle, Hawick, Jedburgh, Kirkconnel & Kelloholm, Longtown, Newbiggin, Penrith, Prudhoe, Rothbury, Stranraer, Ulverston, Whithorn, Wigton and Wigtown. Fair enough it wasn’t a lot but better than the usual zero investments! How it ran out is something which I think should be used to demonstrate how not to do this sort of stuff!!!!!!! A local Board was formed to bring forward ideas for inclusion and in the first full year of meetings it achieved an introductory paragraph of about a dozen lines for our Place Programme. I think that could have been done in about 12 minutes not 12 months! A call for projects was made public and most of us sitting on this local Board put our own ideas in. About 35 projects were suggested and a year later at a meeting with the Leader of NCC, the Deputy Leader and head of regeneration at NCC I was told none had been forthcoming? My response was that I knew 35 had been submitted and I knew for definite 6 had been submitted because I had submitted them! Seems I was wrong? Pressing further about this and I was told there may have been half a dozen submitted. Nope still not accepting that and the total went up to 21? I knew other people who had submitted projects and again “Nope”! Finally yes 36 projects had been submitted but with no business plans. I said we didn’t ask for business plans we went out with a ‘Call for projects’ and anyway who on earth was going to write or pay to get written business plans before they knew if their projects had any legs? We are now more than half way through this initiative and what’s been delivered……….err nowt as yet! Plenty of meetings, plenty of excuses, plenty of waffle but not one spade in the ground. At one point I suggested putting it all into Keith Fitzsimons project for the Town Centre because that would give us a USP and get people into the Town centre. Can’t really understand why he wasn’t taken more seriously but then again this is Bedlington we are talking about. We now see extra funding being allocated, as was supposed to happen originally, which frees up the strict criteria governing the fund and means other projects which don’t actually strictly qualify for this fund can now be considered. So we now have the proposed café/restaurant on the platform at the station, upgrading the roads, pavements and streets and my pet sports project at West Lea in the mix. We have seen people walk away from this Board because they just lost the will to live, people changed within the membership and some people trying like hell to get it to work. 5 Years and counting………………………..

Historical Factoids 24. The Bedlington Terriers. We have to go back a few years to start this tale which involves the Bedlington Terriers and even though it’s not in my ward area I felt it’s so integral to the Town it couldn’t be ignored! I was contacted by the guy running the place to ask if I could point him in the right direction for some funding. There were problems with the roof and doors on the clubhouse. I did and they were successful in getting the funding needed to sort those problems out. Next I was asked to help them again this time with their lease because, I was told, a very large grant they had been promised was relying on them having a new lease agreement. That was above my pay grade so the best I could do was facilitate a meeting between the Deputy Leader and regeneration head of NCC and the club. That took place and by all accounts seemed pretty successful judging by the positive comments coming from the club at that time. Jumping ahead a year or two later we then saw the latest reincarnation of the Terriers, as a public body, struck off by Companies House for failing to file accounts. (This has ultimately led to the Terriers dissolving as an entity and NCC stepping in as landowner to salvage the site in case there was a legal challenge.) I was as enraged as other NCC councillors were and demanded a meeting with the Leader of NCC and all officers involved, where we were given the unsavoury legal facts. Back in the 1960’s when Bedlington Urban District Council moved the Bedlington Mechanics off their town centre site to the present one, because they wanted the site for development, they assigned the lease to two charities, the Charity Commission and CISWO, (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation). The land is governed by a charitable trust originally established for the mining community. When the club tried to move forward with the improvements they were after, it became clear that the lease they were operating under was legally invalid. (Northumberland County Council even suggested giving the Terriers another bit of suitable land if it could be found, to resolve the legal issues raised by the Charity Commission.) CISWO (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation), refused to agree a new lease, citing concerns about preserving the site’s heritage and the community’s free, open and unfettered access. This was now a legal stalemate. It now transpires that this huge grant was actually a loan and anyone who has borrowed a large sum of money for any reason be it a mortgage or car or any number of other things what they actually borrow against is the value of an asset you hold. I believe that’s why a new lease was needed so this money could be leveraged against the lease on the ground. That was never going to happen because the charitable groups would never countenance it. If I thought NCC were in anyway culpable for the demise of the Terriers I would be shouting louder than anyone, however in this case I think NCC acted with the best interests of the community in mind but were stifled by legal issues as can plainly be seen! I think the lack of other councillors of any political hue coming out and criticising NCC as some sort of instigator in this mess is testament to the above sentence! What I do think though is that if the Terriers management had just done the job right they would still be flying under the radar and we would still have a senior Bedlington Terriers club. Who is to blame, if it’s the blame game you are after, make your own mind up but the fact is once more we see a Bedlington Institution lost and a little more Bedlington history consigned to a footnote in our Town’s timeline! Still fighting to keep the Terriers name alive, even if its only through the Juniors at the moment!

Historical factoids 23. Plessey Woods Country Park. When I was first elected as NCC Councillor, 9 years ago, I went down to Plessey Woods and spoke to the staff working there to see how it could be improved. It was about the only major ‘leisure’ asset I had in my ward. Back then it was mostly used by a few dog walkers and the staff said they had seen a steady decline in the numbers of people using the park. No wonder, it looked run down and starved of any investment! First job do something about the play offer there. There were only two ‘springers’ in the kids play park and I thought that was derisory! I lobbied the park management and the portfolio holder saying they were saying they were investing in NCC parks and while I could see investment going into others I think they forgot about one! I argued they have a sea side park at Druridge Bay and a lake park at Bolam and both were getting substantial investments. I said I think you have forgotten about your woodland park at Plessey! So that started to turn the tables a bit and I was offered some funding to put a new play park in and do some repairs to the walkways around the inside of the park. That, on the proviso I managed to increase visitor numbers. I agreed to the challenge but insisted all the monies taken in the parking machine to be used for further upgrades at Plessey Woods! So we saw the two springers ripped out and a new range of play equipment installed. I insisted some of the equipment was suitable for disabled children and I bought two all-terrain wheelchairs so everyone can enjoy the park. Once I had something there I put on some events to get people down and see what we had to offer. Visitor numbers started to increase so I asked for upgrades to the café saying it was going to be too small soon! This time I got a flat no! Covid hit and when we could go outside into the fresh air people descended on Plessey Woods en mass. So much so I had to sort out double yellow lines for the indiscriminate parking which residents down there were up in arms about and which was going on outside the park because the car park and the overspill car parks were full! I argued for a new extension to the car park and used the visitor numbers to justify it. That was agreed in about 6 months which is lightning fast for a council! I also suggested some ‘Hobbit Huts’ which could be hired on a daily basis and possibly some sort of crazy golf, but again all I got back was ‘negative wave’s man’! Just before Covid hit I worked on a scheme to install a national climbing boulder course in the park arguing this would bring in a whole new visitor demographic. I took it to the ‘gaffers’ again and blow me down with a feather they liked it! More on this later but in the course of around 5-6 years which seems the normal procrastination period for councils the prices jumped up to such a height that the 10 boulders I had specified was reduced to 3! I’ve since fought back to get the original one I wanted next to the play area for kiddies, so 4 boulders going in. I’m not about to bite the hand that feeds so……….. I also won the case for an upgrade to the café and like the boulders I’ve put my MLIS money into it to make it happen! Thankfully it was agreed to upgrade the toilet facilities there too. The only bits I’m not too happy about is the size of the kitchen, which is basally the same, and the glass atrium for the café which is basically facing the car park instead of the play area. Apart from those small niggles it’s all good stuff! So after many years of neglect (and I’ve been on several times about the broken play equipment which is now getting sorted) we will soon have a much improved and exciting park to visit on our doorstep. What I would like to see now is an enlarged and committed ‘Friends of Plessey Woods’ group formed so we can drive further improvements in this woodland park. If anyone would like to join please drop me a line. (Still think the Hobbit Huts is a good idea!)

Just playing around with AI Alan..............

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Good to see the climbing boulders finished at Plessey Woods. I know it’s not the weather to enjoy them but that will change and they will be here for many years to come. It’s taken about 4 years to get these agreed, signed off and delivered, but this time we have outdoor leisure provision which isn't available in the rest of the county! Even the kiddies one next to the play park has been done. Well done to Steve and his crew because it hasn't been the best weather to install these. (Still think they could have been sited in a better spot and when I first started this project there were originally a lot more, but still good to see them in place now.) Speaking to a guys doing the café refurb, that’s still a month or two away from completion!

Bit of a bad tempered meeting but it was so wrong! Political lines clearly on display! Procedures are there to protect everyone not be circumnavigated for the benefit of a few!

Cambois Data Centre clears final hurdle...........

https://www.youtube.com/live/jn8AXLt35io... I think what happened at the end of yesterday’s full council meeting was ridiculous! I had questions to ask, if not include in debate, as was put forward by the chair but after he railed against Councillor Hill he then went straight to a vote? That’s why I felt I had to vote against, not enough explanation and cutting any debate from members about how we operate within NCC was a step too far! This is after being told not to contact officers directly and now receiving no paperwork for agendas. Looking at the proposals for the Corporate Services and Economic Growth Overview and Scrutiny committee it looks like we have had our wings firmly clipped! The red strike through are what’s been taken out! This strikes me as another example of manipulation to the deterioration of me being able to work effectively for NCC and my residents! One thing for sure now is that I will be pushing to get better transparency and accountability into this system of local government!

An honest assessment of the current legal situation surrounding the Bedlington Terriers from the MP. Bedlington Terriers FC – a deeply disappointing situation For more than two years, my office and I have worked behind the scenes with a multitude of partners to try to resolve the situation facing Bedlington Terriers Football Club. Until now, we’ve resisted making a public statement, hoping that quiet diplomacy and goodwill would prevail. Sadly, the situation is now worse than ever, and I feel it’s time to speak openly. Bedlington Terriers, a club with a proud history and deep roots in our community, has played at Dr Pit Welfare Park for more than half a century. They had secured planning permission and funding to upgrade the pitch to 3G and improve facilities, an exciting step forward. But legal and ownership complications have derailed everything. The land is governed by a charitable trust originally established for the mining community. When the club tried to move forward with improvements, it became clear that the lease they were operating under was legally invalid. This issue, which was first identified in 2012, was never acted upon and only resurfaced a decade later, when progress on re-development was being made. Northumberland County Council (NCC), which holds the land in trust, attempted a land swap to resolve covenant issues raised by the Charity Commission. However, CISWO (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation), which has an interest in the site, refused to consent, citing concerns about preserving the site’s heritage and the community’s access. In December, I met with NCC and CISWO to try to find a solution. The council was open to compromise, but CISWO would not budge. Their position is that preserving the site means preventing any development, even if that development would allow the club to continue playing and thriving in the community. I strongly disagree. In trying to “preserve the site,” CISWO is ignoring the reality: Bedlington Terriers have played on the western portion of Dr Pit Park for five decades. They’ve maintained the ground throughout that time. The rest of the park, home to bowls, sports, play areas, and a Green Flag-rated green space, remains untouched and well-used. At the end of last season, the club was relegated from Northern League Division 2 having failed ground grading criteria. Then in the summer, the legal entity running BTFC was struck off the register because of an administrative issue, leading NCC to require the club to vacate the ground. Though the entity was later restored, the damage was done. Bedlington Terriers are now playing in the Northern Alliance at a home pitch outside of Bedlington. The ground, once secured, has since become a target for arson and vandalism. I raised CISWO’s role in this mess from the floor of the Commons last week and have further meetings planned in the coming weeks. Let me be clear: This situation helps no one. Not the mining community CISWO claims to represent. Not the park, which is now suffering from neglect and vandalism. Not the people of Bedlington, who’ve lost their senior football team. And certainly not Bedlington Terriers, who are fighting for survival outside their home town. I still believe a solution is possible, if sensible heads prevail. I will continue to urge all parties to find common ground and do what’s right for the club, the community, and the legacy of Bedlington.

Malcolm Robinson Bedlington West Ward. I’ve been told I need to expand and better explain my post about the proposed project at West Lea. (Well that makes a change from people saying I’m too verbose!) The project I’m promoting, and have been for some years now, is to see a multifunctional facility at West Lea, next to the cemetery. We need a community centre and we need some sporting facilities so why not get them both in one hit, because in all likelihood we will only get one chance at this. That’s why there are questions in the survey about both sports usage and community usage. I’m also keen to see some SEND provision so that’s why that is in too! Also outside I want the full sized pitch restored to level and with drainage, which will help with, or give access for, some drainage for the path. Beyond that two junior pitches installed. With new changing rooms etc. in the new building this will be the best pitch in Bedlington and have decent facilities for our youngsters coming through. I’ve identified a funding route and have a small group of people who are willing to manage it, namely the Bedlingtonshire Development Trust. They have even agreed to do the training necessary so NCC will consider them suitable. Big thanks to each and every one of them for their commitment! I asked a month or two ago for some ‘likes’ to a post I put out about this in an effort to gauge some public support. What came back was about double what NCC get to their consultations and that enabled me to silence the NCC doubters and press through onto the next level. This time it’s a full feasibility study because we have to prove it’s needed, wanted and sustainable. That will be based off the replies to the survey and that’s why I need as many people as possible to fill it in! This isn’t just about the West End of Town or the Top End its for the whole of Bedlington so please fill it in if you would support it wherever you live. Let’s get behind something positive for a change and let’s start to address the lack of facilities investment into the Bedlington for the past few decades! Click the link and fill the survey in......about 2-3 mins! https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx...

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!