Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Remote meeting

Contact: Heather Bowers 

Items
No. Item

101.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Dunbar and Richards.

102.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 261 KB

Minutes of the meeting of the Cramlington, Bedlington & Seaton Valley Local Area Council held on 17 February 2021 as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that theminutes of the meeting of the Local Area Council held on Wednesday, 17 February 2021, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

 

103.

POLICING AND COMMUNITY SAFETY UPDATE

Inspector Jonathan Caisley will be in attendance to give an overview and answer questions about policing and any community safety matters in the local area.

Minutes:

Inspector Caisley was not present at the meeting.

104.

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

To reply to any questions received from members of the public which must be received in writing 5 days in advance of the meeting.  Questions can be asked about issues for which the Council has a responsibility.  (Public question times take place on a bimonthly basis at Local Area Council meetings: in January, March, May, July, September and November each year.)

 

As agreed by the County Council in February 2012, the management of local public question times is at the discretion of the chair of the committee.

 

Please note however that a question may possibly be rejected if it requires the disclosure of any categories of confidential or exempt information, namely information:

 

1.    relating to any individual;

2.    which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual;

3.    relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person

4.    relating to any labour relations matters/negotiations;

5.    restricted to legal proceedings

6.    about enforcement/enacting legal orders

7.    relating to the prevention, investigation of prosecution of crime.

 

And/or:

 

·       is defamatory, frivolous or offensive;

·       it is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of this or another County Council committee in the past six months;

·       the request repeats an identical or very similar question from the same person;

·       the cost of providing an answer is disproportionate;

·       it is being separately addressed through the Council's complaints process;

·       it is not about a matter for which the Council has a responsibility or which affects the county;

·       it relates to planning, licensing and/or other regulatory applications

·       it is a question that town/parish councils would normally be expected to raise through other channels.

 

If the Chair is of the opinion that a question is one which for whatever reason, cannot properly be asked in an area meeting, he/she will disallow it and inform the resident of his/her decision.

 

Copies of any written answers (without individuals' personal contact details) will be provided for members after the meeting and also be publicly available.

 

Democratic Services will confirm the status of the progress on any previously requested written answers and follow up any related actions requested by the Local Area Council.

Minutes:

No public questions had been received.

105.

PETITIONS

This item is to:

 

a.    Receive any new petitions: to receive any new petitions. The lead petitioner is entitled to briefly introduce their petition by providing a statement in writing, and a response to any petitions received will then be organised for a future meeting;

 

b.    Consider reports on petitions previously received: no reports are due to be considered at this meeting;

 

c.     Receive any updates on petitions for which a report was previously considered: any updates will be verbally reported at the meeting.

Minutes:

No petitions had been received.

106.

LOCAL SERVICES ISSUES

To receive a verbal update from the Area Managers from Technical Services and Neighbourhood Services in attendance about any key recent, ongoing and/or future planned Local Services work for the attention of members of the Local Area Council, who will also then have the opportunity to raise issues with the Area Managers.

 

The Area Managers have principal responsibility for highway services and environmental services, such as refuse collection, street cleansing and grounds maintenance, within the geographic boundaries of the Local Area Council.

Minutes:

Members received an update from Michael Carle which covered the following main points:-

 

·         Large areas of tarmac patching on roads and cycle tracks following the bad weather. Further work was planned for the A192, Holywell (Pre SD), Broadlaw, Annitsford, Fisher Lane, Cramlington and Mindrum Way, Seaton Delaval

·         Drainage improvements had been carried out on the A189 Spine Road and Horton Road

·         Flags to Flex was being carried out at various locations

·         Tarmac resurfacing work would be done at Hawthorn Nurseries, Holywell and at Acomb Avenue, Seaton Delaval.

·         Tarmac patching preparation work had been completed at Crammond Way, Cramlington, Blagdon Terrace, Cramlington and Cateran Way, Cramlington. Preparation work at Cherry Tree Drive, Bedlington was expected to be completed before April.

·            He updated members on the winter services delivered during the recent spell of bad weather in February. Feedback had been very positive during and after the event and he thanked everyone involved for their efforts.

 

Members asked a number of questions including:-

 

·            Councillor Flux commented on the excellent work carried out on Sudberry Way but asked why the other area had just been patched. Mr Carle advised that there was a scoring system for work to be done but he would check this out and respond.

·            Councillor Bowman welcomed the work which had been done on Acomb Avenue but queried why the full length was not being done as he had understood that the whole area would be as in the plan to residents. Mr Carle replied that his team worked to plans produced by the Integrated Transport Team. He would check out the position regarding the wider area as it was possible that the works were being phased.

·            Councillor Daley echoed the thanks to the winter services staff for their recent efforts and commented that potholes were getting repaired very quickly. He urged members to report potholes if they saw them and not leave it to someone else. He also felt it was important that manhours should be referred to as workforce hours. This would give a more positive message and encourage people into jobs they were good at regardless of gender. Language could sometimes put people off.   

·            Councillor Hepple welcomed the quick responses he received to queries he had raised with the team.

·            Councillor Swinburn commented that all of the work done in Cramlington Village had made a big difference as it hadn’t been touched for some time. He referred to an area at the top end of Dudley Lane and the main road which went past Sainsbury’s and the roundabout. He had repeatedly reported potholes in this area, which did get filled, but it looked like the sub surface had fallen away and the road was sinking. This was one of the busiest sections of road in Cramlington and there were very big ruts where the buses stopped. Recent work on the kerbs had been destroyed by buses. He asked if this could be looked at more carefully instead of just keep filling in the holes.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 106.

107.

MEMBERS LOCAL IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES - PROGRESS REPORT pdf icon PDF 352 KB

To receive a progress report.  (Report attached as Appendix A.)

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the progress report be received (copy attached to the signed minutes as Appendix A.)

 

108.

LOCAL AREA COUNCIL WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 156 KB

To note the latest version of agreed items for future Local Area Council meetings (any suggestions for new agenda items will require confirmation by the Business Chair after the meeting).  (Work Programme attached as Appendix B.)

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the latest version of agreed items for future Local Area Council meetings be noted (work programme attached to the signed minutes as Appendix B.)

 

109.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 21 April 2021 at 4.00 p.m.

Minutes:

Wednesday, 21 April 2021 at 4.00 p.m.

 

110.

URGENT BUSINESS