Northumberland County Council should shelve its £40 million + move of its HQ to Ashington and save Haydon Bridge Fire Station

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/fight-keep-haydon-bridge-fire-10719386
The decision to close the Fire Station is clearly not supported locally and the fire station have played a crucial role in helping flood victims this last month. The Local Authority should think again - if they did not proceed with their insane decision to move from a perfectly serviceable building in Morpeth to a £40 million + new build in Ashington [which of course is even further away from Tynedale] then this decision would not be going ahead. This is all about choices and the Labour NCC are choosing Ashington over Haydon Bridge. I could not be at the meeting in the school last night because I was in the House of Commons in Westminster but I support the Haydon Bridge Fire Station. The local authority must think again.

Wark Bridge reopening ceremony on July 14 - a triumph for many locals

The top picture is the culmination of a meeting that took place in September 2009; it happened early on in my candidacy and this photo is one I really treasure, for it was a special meeting. In the top picture are the Monday Club a group of locals who liked to meet in the local pub and then decide how to improve their village. They decided that they were not happy with the state of the bridge, and that they would campaign to stop the bridge being closed. If we had not carried out the improvements the bridge would have become a pedestrian / cyclists bridge - see below - thereby cutting the Upper North Tyne community in half. It would have had a massive effect on trade, farmers, and the vibrancy of the village. The rebuild is down to many people - too numerous to name - but primarily due to the efforts of Councillor Edward Heslop, all the petitioners, and the people pictured on the bridge above. It is defintely a project worth the effort and they are having a formal reopening on July 14.
The cost, logistical issues, environmental impacts, and actual design are complex. However, I am pleased to say that the long journey is now over and the bridge is completed. Full credit to the engineers at NCC.

A final word on the group pictured on the bridge. They are what makes Tynedale, and particularly the Upper North Tyne, special. A collection of individuals whose attitude is positive, and full of why not, rather than the rules do not allow it. I lived in a cottage near Chipchase just over the bridge for several years pre and post election and know Wark and Barrasford well. The people are the best bit - albeit a couple of great pubs definitely help! I look forward to having a pint with the Wark Bridge Warriors soon. Their grandchildren, and the people locally should be very grateful to them, to Edward Heslop, and all the locals who made this happen.

Schools Funding announcement sees even more money for Northumberland

This must be the first Consultation ever where we in Northumberland have done better than before the Consultation: after the representations made by headteachers and governors we will now receive a 7.2% increase in April 2015 - I raised this in the House on Monday:
Guy Opperman (Hexham, Conservative)
A school funding revolution is taking place in Northumberland as the fairer funding consultation will lead to an increase in April 2015 of up to 7.2%. That is also a revolution for our governors, who, under the previous Government, were often consulted but always ignored. Will the Minister take this forward and ensure that we have fairer funding for all?

David Laws (The Minister for Schools; Yeovil, Liberal Democrat)
As my hon. Friend ingenuously points out, the funding reforms we are making will certainly help governors and teachers in schools. As a result of his campaigning and that of many other hon. Members we are introducing the fairer funding system next year. When we consulted on this, Northumberland was initially going to benefit to the tune of £10.6 million. I can say that the final settlement is that Northumberland will receive £12 million more to ensure that it is funded fairly in the future.

Vote Hope for Longhoughton in todays crucial Berwick By Election

John Hope will be an outstanding councillor on Northumberland County Council and I really hope he wins today. I am a big supporter, and discovered last Saturday how well known he is locally. Please get out and vote - Northumberland County Council really matters.

Guest Blog: Hermione Crisp, QEHS student, on why the cut to Post 16 transport is wrong

"Cutting post 16 transport will discourage many 17 year olds like me from pursuing further education

I am currently a student at Queen Elizabeth High School Hexham and take school transport to school. The new changes to post 16 transport will affect me very much, due to the fact that I have moved schools in order to take a subject that wasn’t available in my catchment area. Without this valuable service I would be unable to receive this education and would have to choose subjects that I was worse at and didn’t enjoy. This change would affect everyone who is pursuing a love of learning; these cuts will destroy many vocations.

The few other alternatives to school transport are less reliable; firstly, my parents are not capable of ferrying me in to school every day as they have jobs to work at. The public buses are difficult to catch at the right time and are expensive to use every day, as it is not only me but my sister too who would have to consider this option. The last choice is to walk to school, but seeing as this is 18 miles a day and six hours walking, I don’t think that is an option.

The financial pressure on families is a vast one, especially if there are families with more than one or two children in post sixteen educations. This new tax seems to be targeting lower income households and preventing them from receiving the best possible education available to them. This seems to be discouraging many post sixteen year olds from continuing in further education. Six hundred pounds a year and up, or fifty pounds a month, is a large burden to bear. Free school transport for post 16s is a necessity. It should not be used as a means of boosting local government funds. Which, perhaps they should consider when they use their personal chauffer."

Hermione is a student at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham and was our 3 day work experience student here in Westminster last week.

Two key meetings in Northumberland today

At 8.30 in Morpeth at County Hall is the Protest against the Teenage Transport Tax, and debate called to replace the meeting cancelled by the County Council.
Then in the afternoon at Prospect House in Hexham there is the Bus Station Consultation meeting between 2-7

"Part of the process of being a local councillor is being accountable to the electorate" - Pickles

Mondays Questions and Answer in the Commons:
Guy Opperman [Hexham]
"Not only has Labour-run Northumberland county council not frozen its council tax; it has cancelled its monthly full council meeting on the premise of saving money. We know that it is to avoid protest about the teenage transport tax and the lack of a local plan. Does the Secretary of State agree that democracy, debate and scrutiny are key pillars of a council that should not be scrapped?"
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 30 June 2014, c596)
Eric Pickles (The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; Brentwood and Ongar, Conservative)
"I think those Labour councillors will find that they can run but cannot hide from the electorate. Part of the process of being a local councillor is being accountable to the electorate. They should just stop hiding and face the facts."

Northumberland County Council have decided to get rid of Hexham Bus Station site

The Northumberland County Council have decided to get rid of the bus station; it is being taken away from the centre of the town. This will not be a popular decision amongst locals who were keen to retain the bus station, and organsied a petition of thousands: more details here:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/loosing-hill-preferred-option-new-7335937

F40 - will it be fair?

Education Question 2 today at 2.30 - I am hoping to ask the SOS for guidance on whether all schools will be fairly treated so that all schools receive a leg up not just the chosen few, as decided by the County Council.

The Northumberland County Council promises to eliminate potholes by June - how is it in your area?

For 5 years we have been trying to persuade the Local Authority to get serious about potholes, which are the bane of our lives in south and west Northumberland. To be fair they are beginning to do something about it: the County Council leader promised that he would "eliminate potholes by June 2014". However, it is important that any potholes are reported to the Council, your councillors or to my office. We will judge the Council on their actions by the end of June, but please let me know of problems. I am aware that parts of Haltwhistle, South Tynedale, Bellingham, Corbridge and areas to the west of Ponteland are particularly bad but all identification and help gratefully appreciated and it will be passed on. Full story of the Council listening to our claims of a pothole disaster zone here in the south and west and what they are doing about it are set out below:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/council-claims-target-clear-pothole-7247535

Northumberland County Council may move County Hall further east to Ashington

The decision in relation to County Hall is to be taken next week. If the result was the return of some services to Tynedale, and a better focus on the rural parts of the county, then many of my constituents would be very pleased.  However, the BBC reports that the proposal is to go further east to Ashington. The disconnect would actually get worse not better. More details on the story here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-26843925

Haltwhistle Academy will go ahead 1st September!

Wonderful news that Haltwhistle Academy has got the go ahead from Liz Truss, Education Minister, after huge effort from Mike Routledge, and all his governors. I am a huge supporter of the Haltwhistle Middle and First Schools. It is well led with outstanding teachers, parents and governors. I genuinely believe that the team of teachers, governors and pupils will take the school from strength to strength - particularly as they now will run their own show, without interference from the Local Authority. The obstacles put in the way of this school taking itself out of Local Authority control defied belief, but I am just very pleased that this school now has control of its own destiny.