Compromise and collaboration needed
NO-ONE involved in the political grandstanding currently being played out in County Hall emerges with any credit from this affair.
With politicians on the national stage held in such low esteem, working together on the difficult and complicated task of setting a balanced budget against the background of the worst recession in living memory should have been an opportunity for our county representatives to set their party allegiances to one side for the greater good of the county.
Perhaps we should have known better.
Instead the budget meeting last week was dominated by political point scoring.
It was clear from the outset that the opposition groups were in no way minded to supported the budget put forward by the Lib-Dems.
And yet it is claimed that any alternative proposals put forward by the Tories and Labour would put the county council at ‘unacceptable risk’ if the measures were implemented.
Trying to find more than £20 million in savings was never going to be easy.
And with no party enjoying an overall majority in the county, the only way forward is collaboration and compromise.
It is to be hoped that when it comes to a reconvened budget meeting next week, the needs of all those who have made Northumberland their home are at the forefront of the minds of our elected representatives.
This is what matters - not who is the best at playing party politics.
Published Date:
17/02/2010
Modified Date:
17/02/2010
Bringing out the best in folk
AT home or abroad, adversity brings out the best in people from Berwick and the surrounding areas.
Last month, we reported on how folk rallied round to help those less fortunate who were left stranded or housebound by the winter snows.
This week, we report on the efforts being made to help those whose lives have been devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.
The ‘Rock for Haiti’ night at The Maltings was a swift response organised by the Rotary club. Originally, the evening’s entertainment had been planned as a sister event to the popular ‘Young Musician of the Year’ competition.
Bands came from both sides of the border, one even travelling up from Amble to take part.
Supporters turned out in force and by the end of the night there wasn’t a spare seat in the house.
As one organiser put it: “The young folk have done Berwick proud.”
Let’s hope this weekend’s activities in Seahouses and Berwick are equally successful.
Dangerous drivers, not danger roads
AN interesting survey claims that the Berwick to Duns stretch of the A6105 is among the most dangerous in the country.
The stretch of the A1 from the Scremerston roundabout to that at North Road was also classed as being medium to high risk, according to the Road Safety Foundation.
However, as an old sage once said, there is no such thing as a dangerous road - only dangerous drivers.
If anything, this study has highlighted the need for those who get behind the wheel to be extra vigilant when driving throughout north Northumberland and the Borders.
Going to the wall
AND while on the subject of accidents, another survey, this time from an online insurance company, reckons that if you’re driving through Berwick, walls are likely to jump out in front of you as the town has one of the worse records for accidents involving collisions with walls.
Published Date:
03/02/2010
Modified Date:
03/02/2010
Watch the pennies
WHILE the country may officially be out of recession, residents in north Northumberland continue to keep a close eye on every penny.
And so should our town and parish councils, especially those which have agreed sizeable increases in their precept for the coming year.
In Berwick-upon-Tweed, the town council will cost tax payers in Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal the best part of £100,000.
Although this forms only a small part of the overall council tax bill (about £24 for a Band D tax payer) it is not an insubstantial amount of money.
Residents will expect this money to be spent wisely.
They will expect to see tangible benefits for the areas in which they live.
And they will expect decisions on which projects are to be supported to be openly debated and fully scrutinised.
Coun Isabel Hunter declares the precept is still low compared to other areas.
That may be the case - but it is still almost twice as much as last year.
Democracy in action
SO much for local democracy then.
When the new unitary county council was introduced, one of the fears raised was the possibility of decisions being made without the views of local people being supported.
Such a case has arisen with the planning application for affordable homes in Tweedmouth.
All three local councillors who might have been expected to speak up for those opposed to the scheme - Brian Douglas, Dougie Watkin and Anthony Murray - had to withdraw from the planning meeting because they serve on the board of Berwick Borough Housing (BBH), the applicants.
Mind you, given their connection to BBH, had they been allowed to take part in the debate, presumably they would have supported the application.
Amble councillor Robert Arckless described the situation as ‘rather unfortunate’ and admitted that the lack of local knowledge when looking at the proposals was not a good state of affairs.
We couldn’t agree more. Steps should be taken to ensure local opinion is heard at far off County Hall.
Published Date:
27/01/2010
Modified Date:
27/01/2010
Missed opportunity
LEAVING the politics of the situation to one side, (they are adequately dealt with in Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s letter elsewhere on this page) it is disappointing that one of the casualties of the recent cold snap was the public meeting due to be held in Berwick on the proposed 2010-2011 budget for Northumberland County Council.
Due to be held on Wednesday, January 13, the weather was judged just too bad to expect officers and elected members to travel north.
As has been well documented, the council faces a difficult task in getting the books to balance, needing to make savings of anything up to £30 million.
Given that all views on the budget have to be submitted within the next few days, there seems little likelihood of the meeting being rearranged.
This is unfortunate to say the least.
Not only will electors in Berwick miss out on the chance to talk directly to those charged with setting the budget, they will miss out on the chance to put their case for where cash should be spent.
The effectiveness of these budget consultation meetings was highlighted by that held in Ashington.
A forceful argument was put forward and the town’s leisure centre, which appeared likely to fall victim to the cuts, was saved.
After the meeting, the county council’s executive member for culture - Berwick’s own Isabel Hunter - announced that the £155,000 that would have been saved by axing Ashington Leisure Centre would now have to be found from somewhere else.
In Berwick, a forceful argument was expected to have been put by supporters of The Maltings for the county council not to cut its grant.
Sadly, they - and others who had points to make - can now only do so by letter or by lobbying.
While we are sure all views submitted will be taken into account when setting the budget, will they be given the same weight as those put at the public meetings which have been held?
Published Date:
20/01/2010
Modified Date:
20/01/2010
Community spirit to the fore
PROOF this week, if it were needed, that faced with adversity people rise to the challenge - and succeed.
Proof also that community spirit is alive and well in north Northumberland, whether it is helping to keep elderly neighbours fed and warm; collecting prescriptions for those unable to get out or banding together to clear roads where the gritters feared to venture.
‘It seems as though this big freeze has brought out the best in some of the good hearted people around here,’ writes Susan Thorkildsen, from Wark. A sentiment echoed by many throughout the area.
Piece of history we didn’t want to make
UNFORTUNATELY, one victim of the weather was the Tiser!
For the first time in living memory, the paper - along with a number of others including our sister titles The Berwickshire News and Southern Reporter - printed at Sunderland did not hit the shelves on a Thursday.
The vans bringing the papers north were stopped south of Berwick in the early hours of last Thursday morning and a combination of roads closed due to snow and vehicles being stuck meant the distribution company which delivers the titles was unable to get them here.
Apologies to all readers - we hope that picking up the paper a day later did not spoil your enjoyment.
What of the walls?
A CONSULTATION document setting out a number of options for the future of Berwick’s town walls has been published. The spectre of health and safety looms large over the exercise - fears of prosecution are raised if the status quo is maintained. Let us hope common sense prevails so we can continue to enjoy this unique part of our heritage.
Published Date:
13/01/2010
Modified Date:
13/01/2010
Quality of life
IF ever there was proof needed of the old adage ‘there are lies, damned lies and statistics,’ it comes in the form of a quality of life survey from the Halifax.
Out of 408 local authority areas analysed - including the area covered by the former Berwick Borough Council - it would appear we in north Northumberland have a lot to endure, coming in 250th place!
This will no doubt come as a surprise to many folk who have chosen to make the northern most reaches of England their home - precisely because of its quality of life!
As with all areas, there are good points to living here as well as the inevitable downsides.
We enjoy one of the lowest rates of burglary in the country, but on the other hand we also have well document low wages and among the lowest levels of home ownership in the country (although why whether you own or rent your home should affect quality of life is something of a puzzle).
But it does seem something of a pointless paper exercise to draw up a table of based on ‘quality of life’ without having experienced life in the area.
Looking back on a tough 12 months
LOOKING back over the past 12 months, it’s been a pretty tough year, starting with the closure of Post Office branches in rural areas and ending with continued uncertainty on the employment front.
The much vaunted barbecue summer failed to materialise - floods in July instead - and the future of how council services are provided in north Northumberland continues to provoke much debate, which will no doubt rumble on for a good while yet.
Whatever the future holds for 2010, let us take this chance to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
Published Date:
30/12/2009
Modified Date:
30/12/2009
Uncertain times
LOOKING through this week’s paper, the scale of the financial problems facing Northumberland County Council becomes abundantly clear.
In the county as a whole, leaders a now unable to give a firm commitment that frontline services will be maintained to their current level in the coming financial year as savings between £20 and £30 million are sought.
The scale of the cuts could mean between 400 and 600 jobs lost - and that’s on top of the 800 which went earlier this year in the switch-over to the new unitary authority.
Closer to home, transport contracts to get children to school are being renegotiated leaving parents uncertain of arrangements for the future, again as part of the wider cost cutting exercise.
Bosses at The Maltings have come out fighting after it emerged they are faced with a 7.5 per cent cut in their funding for the coming year, urging supporters to voice their opinions as part of the budget consultation process.
All of which means there will be many families who enter the Christmas period in a less than festive frame of mind and can only look forward to an uncertain start to 2010.
Stating the obvious about county life
A LENGTHY report into life in the county from something called ‘Oneplace’ has just been published.
It tells us that, yes, Northumberland is actually quite a nice place to live with pretty decent schools, a low level of crime compared to other areas but that we could do with more affordable homes. Oh, and the council is hard up.
So exactly what was the point of yet another body telling us something we already know?
Published Date:
16/12/2009
Modified Date:
16/12/2009
We're on the road to nowhere!
DO you ever get the feeling that you’re being trapped in?
If so, it’s hardly surprising, given the misery being heaped upon north Northumberland motorists by the current round of roadworks.
Fresh from one lot on the A1 just south of Scremerston, there are now major works causing traffic to be diverted through Belford.
But hang on - what about the ongoing work to improve drainage in Belford?
There have been traffic lights up in the village for weeks.
Not surprisingly, this has caused a certain amount of outrage in the village as those attempting to get to the shops find there is nowhere to park so that the HGVs diverted off the A1 can pass through the narrow streets.
Never mind - traffic can avoid the slog north on the A1 by using the A697 through Wooler.
Oh, hang on a minute, there’s two weeks worth of roadworks just started there as well.
A convoy system is in place to get drivers through, but motorists are warned to expect delays.
Still, if all else fails, there’s the A68.
Well, as long as you don’t mind battling through 14 weeks worth of bridge repairs just south of Jedburgh.
Is this what is meant by ‘joined up thinking’?
Election fever!
IT’S not exactly a referendum on Europe or the chance to choose a new prime minister, but Spittal goes to the polls next week to elect a new town councillor.
It may only be a poll to elect a representative onto the bottom-most rung of local government, but we would urge the several hundred voters in the Lower Spittal ward to make the effort and turn out.
Published Date:
02/12/2009
Modified Date:
02/12/2009