Gosforth eFocus No 12
BRUNTON PARK PUBLIC MEETING ON FLOOD PREVENTION SCHEME
Councillors have arranged for Newcastle City Council and the Environment Agency to attend a public meeting at St Aidan's Church, Brunton Park, on Monday 30th July (1900 hrs) to discuss the Planning Application. (Note this covers only part of the works proposed. Others will be carried out using existing statutory powers)
FOOTPATH SURVEYS - HAVE YOUR SAY
Newcastle City Council is currently collecting additional condition data on every footpath in the City, as part of the walked inspections they routinely carry out to assess defects requiring repair. The available budget for ward improvement schemes is city-wide is £365,000 for 2014/15. We are told the prioritising criteria will need to be different to 2013/14.
If you are concerned about the condition of any footpath please email your Ward councillor at the Reporting email address as noted below
ISSUES, PROBLEMS?
You can always email your Councillor at one of the addresses before.
And you can meet them face to face on Gosforth High Street 100-noon next Saturday 5th July.
A Parklands councillor will be at Gosforth Library 100-1030 on Saturday too.
PROPOSAL TO RELOCATE GOSFORTH POST OFFICE
Surprise news : Post Office Counters is proposing to move the St Nicholas Avenue Post Office into the Loco store on Salters Road.
We know the Post Office has had difficulties lately but we find this news extremely disappointing. We cannot see how moving the Post Office away from the heart of our main shopping street will be good for the community. There could also be parking issues on Salters Road
How you can object
By letter: FREEPOST, Your comments, Post Office Ltd. Email:comments@postoffice.co.uk,
Telephone:08457 22 33 44 or Online: postofficeviews.co.uk with the branch code 476329.
PLANT THIEVES SPOIL YOUR GOSFORTH
The new Sainsbury's store on Haddricks Mill Road has worked with the South Gosforth Residents Association and helped to beautify the area by making a sizeable contribution to pay for planters to be installed in the area. Sadly we have to report that thieves have stolen the plants twice. Jerry Ruddick and Gordon Robinson the Chair and Secretary of the SGRA gave up hours and hours of their time to plant and water the boxes only to have the plants stolen.
Gordon said, "I feel like digging them all up and leaving the boxes empty. People have no respect for the work we have done. The police have been informed." Jerry said, "It saddens me that people would stoop so low as to steal plants that they clearly know don't belong to them. I would only say to them that I hope that you are happy with what you have done as we are not. "
Do you know who is doing this? Please let the police know. It is petty little acts of vandalism like this that have a detrimental effect on the whole community.
MELBURY (GREAT PARK)
Residents are concerned about speeding cars. Although the roads aren't yet adopted (a long running sore, as many will know) the police can take action on them for traffic offences. So do the sensible thing - kill your speed, not a child, in residential areas.
GRASS CUTTING IN PARKLANDS WARD
Weather permitting the majority of grass in Parklands Ward is scheduled for cutting about once per month over the season, around the last week of the month.
For one additional cut of all the larger areas of grass and verges in and around estates would be £3,600 - this is for a team of operatives on ride on machines for the equivalent of 3 working days.
This is a substantial amount of money from ward funds - equivalent to a substantial piece of help for a voluntary body. If you'd like to express a view on what priority we should give extra grass cutting over other local help, please email one of your Parkland councillors (see Reporting email address below)
WEST GOSFORTH WARD COMMITTEE
Next meeting, to which all welcome , is at the United Hebrew Congregation, Graham Park Road, Gosforth, NE3 on Thursday 3 July at 6.30pm
COUNCIL WORKERS, TEACHERS TO STRIKE?
UNISON have voted 'yes' to taking industrial action on Thursday 10 July in relation to the Local Government pay offer. The current assumption is that there will be a strike on this date, involving a significant number of Newcastle City Council employees.
In a separate dispute over pay and conditions of employment the NUT will also be calling on their membership to strike on Thursday 10 July which will impact on whether some schools will remain open or not
NUISANCE CALLS
A reader who works for the nuisance calls bureau for BT tells us that their customers, if they wish to discuss any issues, can call 0800 661 441, or see their websitewww.bt.com/unwantedcalls,
PLANNING APPLICATIONS
The eagle-eyed will have spotted that the application for a care home on the site of the old Northumberland Records Office is of course on Melton Park
You can see more, and comment, about planning applications at
Extension at 124 Featherstone Grove, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 5RJ Reference: 2014/0963/01/DET
Rear extension at 12 Whitebridge Close, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 2DN Reference: 2014/0957/01/DET
Porch at 5 Easby Close, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 5LW, Reference: 2014/0953/01/DET
SHOUT OUTS
Newcastle City Council wins Municipal Journal Innovative Finance Award. Whilst we're always pleased when the city council is recognised for good practice, it beggars belief that it is in this category and covers:
(a) The Financing of the Stephenson Quarter - the Labour Party in opposition were highly critical of this funding which the Liberal Democrat Council introduced, campaigned against it in election leaflets and at city council meetings. When in power they carried on with it and now they're claiming the credit!
(b) Funding for arts and culture - Hoorah to a few loans (not grants) to capital projects, but praise for the Newcastle Cultural Fund? The Cultural Fund is conscience money. They were shamed into creating it after overwhelming public criticism of their 100% cuts to arts funding in the city, and openly criticised by their national Deputy Leader Harriet Harman. The phrase "Doing a Newcastle" is now well-known in local government and means cutting all your arts funding. We're glad that they have cobbled together some compensatory funding but it's less than a third of their cuts to arts and museum funding in the city.
The only award that the Labour Party in Newcastle should be getting is for hypocrisy
MEANWHILE, IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.....
Scotland: Independence - Motion to Take Note (24 Jun 2014)
Lord Shipley: My Lords, I associate myself with the thrust of the
contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Haskins. He is right to say that we need to devolve power out of London in an overcentralised England. I want to do that, as he does, as part of a United Kingdom that includes Scotland. I hope that voters in Scotland will vote no decisively. The United Kingdom is stronger together, to the benefit of...
Housing: Accessibility - Question (25 Jun 2014)
Lord Shipley: My Lords, does the Minister agree that we need a national campaign to build more bungalows to the lifetime homes standards because they are accessible and adaptable? Will she look at ways in which the community infrastructure levy could be adapted to encourage builders to build more homes to the lifetime standards?
First World War (25 June 2014)
Lord Shipley: My Lords, I first pay particular tribute to the noble
Lord, Lord Graham of Edmonton, for his memorable contribution to the debate. He mentioned Newcastle, and I know that he will be as pleased as I am that the Renwick memorial will feature on one of the Royal Mail's new stamps to be published in a few weeks' time.......
Gosforth eFocus is brought to you by
David Down, Pauline Allen and Robin Ashby
Liberal Democrat Councillors for Parklands Ward
Reporting email :
pauline.allen@newcastle.gov.uk
Henry Gallagher, Peter Legott and David Slesenger
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Liberal Democrat Councillors for East Gosforth
Reporting email : henry.gallagher@newcastle.gov.uk
Jackie Slesenger, Bill Shepherd and Nick Cott
Liberal Democrat Councillors for West Gosforth
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