October 6th 2021 the 'nasty party' levelling down day

 

The hype regarding the first Tory 'red wall' win in 2019, Blyth Valley, has almost faded into living memory.

The Government in support of their new member of Parliament, Ian Levy kickstarted a press rhetoric campaign to brag about what they were going to deliver for this forgotten borough. Followed with all the promises to level up and smash the north-south divide. Two and a half years on they have delivered nothing but grief in an area suffering from an excess of ex-industrial blight.

On October 6th 2021 the Tories will deliver their first present to 8000 of their constituents in Blyth Valley by slashing their benefits down to align benefit claimants with average old age pension payouts, pensions which Baroness Altmann a former pensions minister described as "the lowest in the developed world".

They are then planning to push forward with their Elections Bill to disenfranchise many of those whom they are about to punish by cutting off their democratic rights if they can't afford to pay for specific identity papers. When linked with an increase in national insurance payments drawing in those still working in the 60 to 67 group you will see how close to the 'nasties' this current government has slid.

These cuts won't only affect those on benefits, it will damage jobs in the retail and service sectors as 8000 families will struggle and massive pressure will be placed on the shoulders of children as well as the volunteers at food banks, church groups set up to help those in need and the citizens advice sector as debt encompasses families quite rapidly.

If you're affected by these cuts or know someone who is, ensure you get in touch with your local Conservative Councillor to help put pressure on your impassive member of Parliament whose habits have become to follow Johnson's hand when voting.

Back to school won’t be the same this year!

With the news that over a third of Universal Credit claimants across South East Northumberland and the Rural Coalfield have had to borrow to survive over the last eighteen months and thats without the removal of the £20 per week UC uplift things don’t bode well for the  future for families and children particularly where child poverty, fuel and food poverty have become a growth industry along with loan sharking and all of the problems that can bring to your door.

Ian Lavery MP and Northumberland Labour Groups team have been out in the press explaining the need to retain the universal credit uplift, with Ian Lavery demanding Parliament be recalled to debate the shocking damage that the removal of cash from the pockets of those in need will cause to a society already damaged by  some of the greatest numbers of covid cases in the UK.

Prior to this time of tragedy for families, 43% of children in Newbiggin by the Sea suffered from deprivation and poverty and with that figure expected to grow from mid August it is estimated that almost 60% will be dragged into the Conservatives number crunch as the Government deserts those in need, making back to school in September a dreadful experience for many families.

With the Government wanting to drop the term austerity and hide it behind some ‘fix it’ promise that will never be more than standard rhetoric, the number crunch and that's what it will be, will bypass the real lives of people as this Government seeks express delivery in paying back borrowing to cover pandemic costs faster than any Government elsewhere in the world. Johnson's policies don't just affect children and families as they are about to slash another election promise and leave OAP’s sitting behind real inflation as they are hell bent on abandoning the Triple Lock on pensions.

The latest ‘fix it’ from the leader of the fifth richest nation in the world should really say ‘We will fix it to be the nation who attacks children, the elderly and vulnerable in our society so that those who have, from anywhere across the globe can languish in our low tax haven (or if your big and rich enough pay no tax at all) and not worry about the cost of an NHS as privatisation will take the burden of treating the poor from the pockets of the rich’

Retail sector predicting very profitable recovery for Manor Walks.

 

The future of Manor Walks in Cramlington looks to be bright as the retail press expect it to leap back into profit very quickly after June 21 and outperform many traditional shopping centres across the region.

 

Northumberland County Council’s arms length company ARCH bought Manor Walks on behalf of the then Labour controlled Council in 2019 when it was put onto the market by its former owners. They then invested and marketed the centre widely, maintaining and increasing jobs within the sector.

 

The purchase was bitterly contested by Northumberland Conservatives with local Councillor Wayne Daley going into print with the question of “Who would buy a forty year old shopping centre”. Its been such a good purchase that when Deputy Leader after 2017 Wayne Daley didn’t sell it on.

 

With experts in the retail sector releasing information they expect one in every10 shopping centres in the UK face demolition.

Analysis suggests that up to 70 of Britain's 700 shopping centres could be demolished after being hit by the pandemic, on the back of the rise in online retail.

 

A report in the national press stated "Many shopping centres have been left too long and need a radical rethink," said Stephen Springham, the head of retail research at property advisory firm Knight Frank, who estimates that about 10% of shopping centres are no longer viable. He also believes a further 20-30% - about 200 - will need a significant overhaul, with shops retained but parts of the centres converted to other uses.

 

Local Data Company (LDC) figures show that at least 30 shopping centres are at least half empty, including five with more than 80% of shops vacant. A further 34 have 40-50% of shops vacant. LDC commercial director Lucy Stainton said: "There are fresh opportunities for how this space could be used such as flexible offices or community spaces. Likewise, the independents sector has remained comparatively resilient and, where shopping centre space has typically been dominated by chains, landlords might look to engage newer brands creating more diverse schemes by return."

 

Northumberland Labour business spokesperson, Councillor Lynne Grimshaw told us, “I’m pleased that Manor Walks is expected to rise from the retail ashes quite rapidly and begin to serve its communities even more than it has done through the pandemic although Manor Walks has achieved a lot through that time period as its extremely popular, has good car parking and is close to the City of Newcastle without the hassle of city pressures”.

 

“Looking across the sector, chains that disappeared and have been hit hardest by on-line trading should begin to reappear over the next couple of years. People love to actually see feel and try on clothing and look at the items they wish to purchase without having to trail to post offices and supermarkets to return online goods they are disappointed with.”

 

“I was good that online shopping was in place over the last fifteen months, but its only part of the market and both elements of the sector will find balance, for the sake of jobs I hope finding that balance is as rapid as possible.”

County Council upsets Ashington residents who will now have at least 1000 cars parking near their homes?

 

Looking at social media it appears that a major one day music event will be held in People’s Park Ashington during August 2021.

 

It’s said that an expected 5000 people will attend the event and that tickets are on sale at £25 each.

 

The ‘white noise’ on the social media airwaves from local residents doesn’t appear to be anti a music event but the people who live in that part of Ashington are very concerned about health and safety and car parking.

 

People’s Park for those who aren’t local yet read this blog, is an open field complete with football pitches and a magnificent recently supplied by the Local Town Council Children’s play area. It does have two small car parks but no where near the space required to park the number of cars locals expect.

 

It’s believed that the event is being advertised with a drinks licence but no one is aware of a consultation with local people over the issue of a licence by the County Council to hold this event.

 

Social media is also asking if the local FA officials know that 5000 people will be trampling over the football pitches just before the kick off of the new Covid free season.

 

The new Leader of the County Council Glen Sanderson needs to make sure things have been issued legally and properly and that we nutters will remind him that 5000 possibly drunken revellers rampaging around a residential area and an estimated 1000 cars strewn outside peoples doors is not good PR for his embryonic administration and that he like Boris Johnson’s exposure in the Dominic Cummings revelations can’t go into hiding and pooh pooh Ashington’s residents and he will have to explain to young parents if the children’s play area gets damaged how he is going to repair any vandalism as he and his group have pushed through an £8.3M budget cut.

 

Are you insured Councillor Sanderson?

Nutters looking at last days unpopular regime?

Newbiggin by the Sea town council appears to be at a crossroads today!

Many of the characters who have dominated the council since 2009 are attending their last meeting this evening.

But will their last meeting lead to this Council closer towards being reported to the ombudsman or will it leave its second biggest decision ever (after bog-gate) to the new Council to be elected on May 6th.

The alterations to Milburn Park and its surrounds were put out to a consultation earlier this year. We nutters are not aware of the results of that consultation but we do hold the information that the consultation period was extended to 30th April 2021!

Tonight the last meeting of the Council has been called as an extraordinary meeting and unless the nutterly calendar has altered and the world has shot forward 48hrs then the date is 28th April.

We are led to believe that even though covered by the Nolan Principles the Town Council’s members wish to talk about and possibly make decisions regarding Milburn Park prior to the closure of its real time consultation. But hey ho after bog-gate what do we expect from these people who will try to run away from the responsibility on May 6th by not standing again to face the music.

As far as we are concerned the law is the law and unlawful decision making is still a crime and the ombudsman can report these members if they take an unlawful decision to the Police even after they have left office. So can members of the public.

Its our nutterly advice that tonight the Council should simply have an extraordinary goodby glass of sherry make covid safe gestures to each other and go home.

Leave the decision making to the new Council after May 6th!

Endemic Poverty across Northumberland won’t be eased by Tories not reporting on food poverty in its urban and semi rural areas.

 

Recent Government and newspaper reports on the state of poverty across regions and left behind urban and ex industrial semi rural environments illustrate how the rush to omit Northumberland’s most deprived Wards from the Tory led Councils report on food poverty will open wounds which will never heal.

National news that before rent reduction the North East of England has over 15% of families suffering problems of endemic poverty was released last week by the Government. Critics who work in the arena of poverty action and Northumberland’s Labour Councillors vocally responded to the reports claiming they are a blind to hide the truth, that the release is premature and that the figure is set to rise sharply in May as new benefit claimants are added to the list for the first time in over a year.

Northumberland County Council through its legal responsibilities towards childens and families ran a short term task and finish group earlier this year chaired by the Tory Councillor Wendy Patterson. The minutes of the meetings have just been made available to Councillors and those who represent the most poverty stricken Wards in Northumberland are up in arms with the papers.

Councillor Liz Simpson who represents Newbiggin Central and East Ward which is home to the highest number of children living in homes suffering persistent poverty in the County went public on social media about the reported minutes pointing out how biased they were against Wards where poverty has become endemic over the last decade of Tory Government’s.

We contacted her and asked her what her thoughts were on the matter and she told us “I couldn’t believe the results of the task and finish groups report and how biased it is towards reporting on wealthier areas to show that poverty among families and children isn’t a real problem under a Tory Council”

“Wards with extreme poverty levels like Newbiggin by the Sea from Prudhoe, to Berwick are omitted from the report in favour of looking at low food bank use in places like Ponteland, Warkworth and Morpeth, its a political cover up.”

 “Labour Councillors have been asking for a report to be taken to Cabinet which signposts people towards being able to claim the new weekly food vouchers to help those in need, instead we have a report going to the new cabinet after the elections which will cloud the real issues of a Council where towns making up almost 60% of the County have families and children caught in both the poverty trap and suffering lower than average educational achievement primarily caused through the lack of action on the ground over the last decade from Government for a national relief plan for forgotten places.”

To claim the new benefit, Councillor Simpson explained If families meet the criteria, they can get free vouchers or payments every four weeks to spend on cows' milk; fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables; infant formula milk and fresh, dried, and tinned pulses. They are known as Healthy Food Vouchers.

Pregnant women and those with children aged under four are eligible for the coupons if they receive Child Tax Credit and if their family's annual income is £16,190 or less; Income Support;

Income-based jobseeker's Allowance; Pension Credit which includes the child addition; or Universal Credit and if their family's take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment.

Councillor Simpson also said that in poor areas we have low levels of internet access and my fear is that having to apply for these vouchers on line via the NHS has led to the massively low take up from those in need. The web site for the form is via this link https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply

Its easy if you're eligible or you know someone who is. Please tell them about it and if you can, also help those who need help get online to claim.

 

 

Milburn Park is what us locals call the tennis courts

 

After all the rumours, posts on social media, here it is in black and white!!!!  No consultation with the public, no consideration of what the community have been through this last year, no thought to the fact Newbiggin needs repair work in a lot of places, the beach needs to be managed it's turned into a hill and is pushing onto the prom.  Nothing  not one thing that would actually benefit residents!!!  I am furious!!   

 Report of the Town Clerk

Council 17 March 2021

1. Project Plan 2021-24 and Partnership development

1.1 Against a background of lockdowns, Pandemic restrictions and home working in most

organizations for the past year there has been some progress in developing the Project Plan

in line with the Town Council’s expectations following last year’s consultation.

1.2 While understandable in the national circumstances it is still disappointing that so few

schemes are yet on site as anticipated although several should be during the Spring. There

has therefore been little expenditure in the current financial year so the revised 3-year

Project Plan shown in the Appendix contains the carry-forward of those current allocations.

Members should also show ongoing commitment with future contributions from the Town

Council up to 2024 to add match funding.

1.3 While work has continued with various partners to progress the regeneration of Milburn

Park to include vastly improved play facilities; beach huts; accessible bankside boardwalk;

observation platform all are at different stages of development with some requiring further

grant contributions. These should accelerate throughout this year.

1.4 Recent support from Economy and Regeneration Service at the County Council and

impending grant applications has focused attention on the need to formalise and

strengthen local community arrangements. It is felt that the time is now right to build on

recent joint working and support and commence the formation of a local partnership

Coastal Community Team as encouraged by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and

Local Government to continue to build on:

Enhancing the attractiveness and accessibility of public areas;

Providing increased community facilities;

Promoting the visitor economy;

Encouraging sustainable uses of heritage/cultural assets;

Creating links to support the growth and performance of the retail sector.

All of which fit well with the Town Plan and will be supported by and build on the Economic

Plan developed by Newbiggin Community Ventures Newbiggin Community Trust and County Regeneration and agreed

as part of the Neighbourhood Plan process.

1.5 Newbiggin by the Sea has is an ancient coastal settlement and as a seaside town has a

very strong coastal community and coastal economy which needs to be identified to

external funders. There are Coastal Community Teams for the coastline areas of Amble,

Berwick and Blyth. It is suggested that the Town Council lead on the formation of a CCT 

with Newbiggin Community Ventures, Newbiggin Development Trust, initially working with County Regeneration Service and subsequently

look to bring on-board appropriate business interests and stakeholders.

RECOMMENDED that the Town Council:

i) Agree the carry forward of project allocations and the extension of the 3-Year

Project Plan 2021-24 as shown in the Appendix 1;

ii) Confirm delegated authority to the Town Clerk to make payments of contributions

to schemes as appropriate;

iii) Confirm that the partnership working for the regeneration of Milburn Park and the

town be accelerated with cross support of individual projects;

iv) Agree the formation of a Coastal Communities Team as outlined in the report.

 

Dodgy Tories Spinning Like Tops More leaked emails from the Morpeth’s Collander.

 

 

Why should public funds be used to bail out
shocking Tory decision making?

 

Councillor Bridgett to Councillor Oliver:

Dear Cllr Oliver,

 

Please forgive me for having taken 36 hours to respond to the evidently rushed proposals that went through the cabinet on Tuesday morning that switched the funding of the bailout of Advance Northumberland from using COVID-19 funds (as agreed at the cabinet meeting on the 23rd February) to using funding from budget underspends in the 2020/21 financial year.

 

Something didn’t sit quite right with me when you casually mentioned in your preamble that the £11.1 million going into this reserve fund to bail out Advance, was coming from “finance and corporate service budgets”.

 

As someone who actually read the 50 page report, based on what I had read in that report at the time, it sounded like you were being very liberal with the truth.

 

So, you’ll forgive me if I did not take what you had said at face value. I have since spent the last 36 hours seeking clarity and fully researching the matter further.

 

And would you believe, it is exactly as I thought and had originally interpreted the report.

 

For those members of the council who may not have seen the report and for those members of the cabinet who maybe haven’t read it properly either, the report can be found by following this link to the council website:

https://northumberland.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s2140/Financial%20Performance.pdf

 

You see, the money to bail out Advance is no longer coming from unringfenced COVID-19 funding but is instead coming from budget underspends as outlined on page 4 of the report.

 

Now would you believe, the biggest contributor to those underspends is not actually the “finance and corporate services” budgets as Cllr Oliver might like you to believe but is in fact the Adult Social Care & Commissioning budget. To the tune of over £8 million.

 

Now as I understand it and I have sought clarification on this, the total budget underspends within the council are around £18 million.

 

And as agreed at cabinet only 36 hours ago, rather than invest that underspend in “Recovery Northumberland” and use it to improve council services as we come out of this pandemic and as I think the general public would expect us to do.

 

Instead, you have chosen to use those underspends to bail out the mistakes made by individuals at Advance Northumberland. Mistakes that went against the council’s shareholder representative advice, mistakes that were based on no visible external legal advice and mistakes that only got board approval after the actions had been taken and enacted.

 

But what really is disgusting about this whole thing is the fact that the Adult Services & Commissioning budget has only had these underspends as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Either from the revenue generated as a result of Covid or as a direct result of the council not having to meet the care home fees of some of the poorest, most vulnerable residents of Northumberland, who have sadly passed away as a result of COVID-19.

 

I am genuinely interested as to how you are going to deny this one or spin it as some sort of falsehood because the information is there for all to see in the publicly available report that went to Cabinet on Tuesday morning. 

 

To quote: "Due to the unprecedented level of turnover in purchased care in the first half of the year an underspend of £6.038 million is forecast".

 

Is "unprecedented level of turnover in purchased care" the administration's way of saying "the deaths of Northumberland residents in residential care as a result of Covid-19"? You don't need to respond. I already know the answer to that question - I've done my research!

 

Or the extra £101,000 that the council has generated due to "the increased level of vulnerable people who require help making decisions regarding their welfare and/or financial affairs."

 

I thought your attempts to use the Covid-19 funding for this were bad enough but is bailing out the mistakes of Advance Northumberland, with money saved on the back of some quite horrific and traumatising circumstances such as the loss of family members in care homes, really the way the residents of Northumberland and those husbands, wives, sons, daughters and grandchildren would really want that money spent? or would it not be better used improving our frontline services across the council to help them and us emerge from this horrific pandemic. Or better yet! Use it to help residents and businesses that have fallen through the cracks because of the criteria for other forms of support. 

 

I would say I am shocked but after the last 9 months, very little seems to shock me anymore.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Steven Bridgett

 

Councillor Sanderson to Tory Members:

 

 

Councillor Bridgett to Councillor Oliver response to above:

Well given that no one has been willing to respond to my email (below).

 

And the Leader of the council only feels it appropriate to communicate with conservative group members on this subject matter.

 

I will respond to the Leaders email to conservative group members.

 

For the benefit of those who are not members of the conservative group - I have attached a copy of the said email.

 

I will respond to the points accordingly.

 

1,) I genuinely could not care that there is an election on the way. What I am bothered about is the fact this council is proposing to use money that could be spent on council services in the forthcoming financial year, to bail out Advance Northumberland.

 

2,) You use the word "us" when referencing so-called instances of people allegedly having a go at the conservative group. I am not having a go at the conservative group! I have always found a majority of the conservative group to be decent individuals! What I am raising are issues and decisions that are being taken by a small number of the conservative group that impact this whole council and the services it delivers.

 

2,) As for the leaks, it's evident that they are also coming from within your own ranks! Perhaps some of your members no longer believing some of the denials and outright lies.

 

3,) So you've admitted there is a claim (we all knew anyway) and the reasons for that claim. And that you are evidently looking to settle that claim. What happened to the statement in the press that the council will vigorously defend this claim?

 

4,) So you're allegedly now not going to use underspend from within the Adult Social Care & Commissioning budget to meet the cost of the bailout for Advance. I'm not sure how this is possible given the levels of funding required but the fact you're willing to use funding from that department, along with Children's Services and Local Services underspend given that it is not possible to create the reserve fund to bail out Advance Northumberland without using underspends from those departments is appalling in itself.

If there are underspends, these underspends should be being used to support and improve our frontline services in the forthcoming financial year as we emerge from Covid-19. Or better yet, use this money to support local businesses that have fallen through the cracks in terms of support from the government.

 

It is these services that our residents care about! Not bailing out the council's own company because of the monumental mistakes that have been made as a result of certain decisions.

 

If you, as Leader, are happy with using council service underspends to bail Advance Northumberland (which is the exact decision the cabinet voted unanimously to do on Tuesday) rather than spending it improving our own council services or supporting local businesses, then at least have the backbone to come out and defend that decision! A decision that you voted in favour of.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Steven Bridgett