PRIDE IN PONTELAND


MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT 2011


COUNCIL MEMBERS

Robin Ramsay
David Butler
Eileen Armstrong
Joyce Butcher Christine Caisley
Archie Cave Alan Chilton
Peter Cowey Richard Hutchinson
Alan Mee Carl Rawlings
Liz Thompson



Clerk to the Council
Kathleen Mavin

Deputy Clerk
Jeanette Dodd

Assistant Clerk
Christine Holleyman

PONTELAND TOWN COUNCIL
MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT 2011 SUMMARY

Vision
Provide services and support that will promote PRIDE IN PONTELAND

Change
This year we suffered the sad loss of Councillor Mel Armstrong whose input to the council we sadly miss. We have welcomed Christine Caisley who was elected to fill the vacancy on the East ward.

Partnership Working
Much of our work is carried out in conjunction with others. This includes work in the Park [with the Friends of Ponteland Park], Community Cleaning [with the County], Youth work at the High School, Ponteland Community Partnership [for Pont News and Views, and the Forum, Darras Hall Estate [for speed monitors], the Civic Society and small grants to several local organisations. A major involvement for the council is the Northumbria in Bloom for Ponteland. This latter event was supported by several local businesses.
Other aspects of our work
We maintain the play areas at Callerton Lane, Twizell Place, and Guardians Court as well as the Park. A major project this year has been the completion of the retaining wall at Fox Covert Lane. Much work is involved, responding to numerous documents from national, regional and county, local planning submissions, and discussions with the local police and Highway authorities. We also represent the community view on various outside bodies.
Work has continued on the development at Merton Way with the County and the developer.
General
The precept has been retained at the same level of £336,000 for 2011-12
The council holds over 50 meetings a year. The public is welcome to attend our monthly council meeting and fortnightly planning meetings. There is a question and answer session at our monthly council meetings.
The community’s thanks must go not only to the council and its staff but to any resident who has helped to improve the quality of life in Ponteland. This year the Community Service award goes to Margaret Stainsby for her work with FOPP
There still remains much to do if we are to achieve our vision of
PRIDE IN PONTELAND.

PONTELAND TOWN COUNCIL
MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT 2011

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Annual Meeting of Local Government Electors. This is the fourth year of the current council and the third as a Town Council. I have much pleasure in presenting the Mayor’s annual Report for 2011

VISION AND AIM

PRIDE IN PONTELAND
• The Council’s aim is to supply, and encourage others to deliver services and facilities that will promote Pride in Ponteland.

COUNCIL
• Quality Council serving over10, 000 residents [We obtained our re-accrediation this year. This process has to be made every 4 years.]
• Progressive thinking and being proactive.
• Operate on an a-political basis
• Provide a range of local services such as :-
(i) litter picking,
(ii) gritting,
(iii) grass cutting,
(iv) gardening
(v) minor building services
(vi) play areas
(vii) maintenance of the Park

I hope by a review of some aspects of our community life and our involvement to show the strength of our community and how the Town Council is contributing towards the improvement of the quality of life.

Councillors and Staff
This year, sadly Councillor Mel Armstrong passed away. We have missed his tremendous contribution to our work. Christine Caisley was elected as councillor to replace Mel.
The work places considerable demands on staff and councillors. During the year we have over 50 meetings which all require agendas and minutes as well as the implementation of decisions as well as many ad-hoc meetings. In addition we have representatives on various outside bodies such as Ponteland Community Partnership, Airport Consultative Committee and Library Committee.
If you are interested in our activities the Monthly council meeting and the planning committee are open to the public so that you can actually see us at work. There is also a question time before each monthly council meeting where written questions are considered and hopefully a full answer can be provided.

Unitary Council
A consequence of the unitary authority has been the creation of new local [town/Parish] councils in the South East of the county. These are of a large size e.g. Ashington is one of the 10 largest local councils in England. Initially a unifying plan of duties was spelt out with the aim of producing fairness over the county. However because of the lack of political will or lack of overall control progress has been very limited and there is still a high degree of unfairness. Thus in Ponteland there are services provided by PTC which elsewhere are provided by NCC and vice-versa. The situation is also becoming muddied as NCC are talking about local councils carrying out work as agents of NCC. If implemented it will inevitably require increased local councils costs to administer. Initially they would probably be run at a profit locally but with the passage of time the county could reduce payments. This situation however it progresses is going to increase local budgets with little if any reduction in county precepts. It could however result in an increase in the quality of services and at least local money is being spent locally.

Government Legislation
A new aspect to our work has been the introduction of government legislative proposals which have taken up a considerable amount of administrative time. Although much has been made of the localism agenda {Big Society}, the impact on local councils has been in the opposite direction. Firstly proposals with regard to control of local authority precept were extended to local councils with central government control of local councils [over 10,000]. Fortunately after considerable pressure and submissions, the government accepted the impracticality of this extension and withdrew the proposal. Likewise the controls on local authority newspapers were extended to parish and community groups. Despite the completely different nature of such communications the government only backed down partially in permitting monthly publications but still imposed various detailed controls. Thus there is a possibility that in due course a publication such as PNV may have to be withdrawn. This has been run in conjunction with PCP at no cost to the PTC as a non-political communication which has been invaluable as a means of promoting community cohesion. There are various other measures in the pipeline which will simply add to our administrative load without any great benefit to local communities or residents.
Other items are disclosure of payments above £500. This should not provide any great difficulty provided disclosure on the website is sufficient. Freedom of information requests can sometimes become rather convoluted as requests are basically arising from disagreement with our decisions rather than merely seeking information.

Youth work
This year there have been problems in outreach work by the youth service in Ponteland. The reorganisation of the youth service has now been completed and we look forward to a much improved provision in the coming year.





Community cleaning
The main responsibility for maintaining the general cleanliness of the community [grass cutting, litter removal, graffiti removal, toilets etc] lies with the County. However in order to augment this work we have spent about £15,000 in the last year. This is achieved by using our own contractors as well as purchasing extra services from the County. We have established excellent working relations with the Neighbourhood Environmental Action team from the County. Litter unfortunately is always with us and we need all the help we can get to reduce its impact. The continued assistance of several residents in picking up litter is greatly appreciated and if this voluntary work could be extended it would make an excellent contribution to improving the quality of life in Ponteland. Thanks should also go to all those residents who help with the litter picks. On the same topic the planting at road junctions brightens up the road scene. Our thanks should go to those residents who have this concern for the community.

Community Halls
There are three community halls within Ponteland – Memorial, Merton and Dalton. We are able to provide essential support to these Hall which are not as well supported as they should be. They provide cohesion to the community and we are pleased to continue this vital support.
Good progress has been made towards establishing a close and sustainable venture with the Memorial Hall. It is hoped that this will bring forward a central location for the Town Council Offices and a sustainable basis for the maintenance of the hall. This will ensure the maintenance of the War Memorial and the car park which is also used by Park users.

Park
The maintenance and improvement of the park has benefited enormously with the involvement of Friends of Ponteland Park (FOPP). The results can be seen by anyone who uses the Park. This is our major asset and requires substantial investment if we are to retain and improve this much used facility. This year we carried out major works at Fox Covert Lane for a new retaining wall, substantial path improvements, and refurbished park entrances on Fox Covert Lane. This is also an outstanding example of partnership working. The amount spent on the Park by the council last year amounts to £102,815 and it is encouraging to see the continuing increase in the use of this facility.


Darras Hall Estate
Darras Hall celebrated their 100th year of existence. We have always made a small contribution to the maintenance of the Bridle Path. . This year we have also continued our co-operation with the sharing of the running costs of the speed display unit which subjectively still appears to have a beneficial effect. Joint provision was made to provide a cycle for the police in Ponteland to patrol the bridle path and similar areas.

Environment
The Environment group has been very busy with their efforts to improve the appearance of the community. Particular efforts have been made with regard to floral displays and this year’s display has been stunning. Our thanks must go to the Northumbria in bloom working group ably led by Joyce Butcher. Our thanks must also go to the contractors and last but not least our Clerk. They are also responsible for the Christmas lights which are provided by the PTC

Ponteland Local Partnership
We have continued to support Pont News and Views which is distributed to all residents. The Council is represented on the Editorial group and has also been able to help with providing significant financial support. This year the magazine has become self financing which is a reflection of the high standard of this product.
Although the fund application for the skate park fell at the final hurdle efforts are still ongoing to obtain the necessary funds

Grants
There are a number of small grants given to local organisations to help their work in Ponteland

Play areas
The council is responsible for Play areas at Callerton Lane, Twizell Place and Guardians Court.

Highways Group
The Highways group has renewed our efforts to try and implement various measures to mitigate the impact of traffic congestion. As you will be aware we have started to collect the views of the community and to persuade the county to carry out a study of the various proposals as a precursor to implementation of effective measures.

Planning
The planning group has been very busy over the past year. They have examined approximately 230 submissions, commented on 35, raised objections to 24 and spoken at meetings to explain our objections in relation to 16 applications. This is a difficult job as there needs to be valid planning restraints in order that a balance can be struck between individual freedom and community views. Our thanks need to go to the planning committee for their hard work.

Redevelopment
The re-development of Ponteland is very necessary if we are to remain as a viable and sustainable community for all. A major demographic challenge for all communities is the increasing age of the community. While facilities for older residents are important we also need to ensure that the need of other spectrums is met. A major requirement is to ensure the provision of affordable houses to rent as well as to buy. Given the costly nature of existing land within the permitted boundaries, serious consideration
should be given to the use of green belt land. Discussions at the forum meetings have indicated that as long as a coherent and lasting plan for provision of affordable housing is provided, such use might be accepted. While facilities such as nursing and sheltered housing are in the pipeline, there is also a need to ensure that carers are living in the community. While public transport may facilitate such provision it would be unlikely to meet the total need for such resources.
An important part of the exercise is the improvement of shopping facilities within the community to substantially reduce the need to use Newcastle facilities with all the travelling by car that such facilities entail. Regeneration of Merton Way has been making steady progress. Obviously once the extent of shopping increases, car parking will need to be retained for use by such shoppers. Use as a park and ride facility will cause problems that can only be solved by regulation. Even at present sensible and reasonable use of our free Parking provision needs to be maintained

Crime
We are fortunate to live in an area where recorded crime is amongst the lowest in England. However the yobbish behaviour of a small group of youngsters and the inconsiderate parking remain as particular concerns. The police have provided greater contact by regular drop-ins at the Library and Broadway. There is also a regular meeting of the “Local Multi Agency Partnership Solving” Group (LMAPS) which has provided a useful venue for solving particular problems. This year we have completed the installation of the CCTV system which is used regularly by the police in their investigations.

Budget
The budget precept for 2010/11 was £336,000 which represents an annual Band D contribution for Ponteland of £62.07. Fuller details of the precept breakdown are included in annexe C

Community service award
As recorded above this work cannot be achieved by the efforts of the council alone. The community thanks must go to all of those residents who devote their energies either as individuals or through organisations to enrich the quality of life in Ponteland.
This year we are awarding the annual prize to Margaret Stainsby for her splendid work with the Friends of Ponteland Park.

Conclusion
I hope this review will provide you with an understanding of what we are striving to do.

What we have achieved so far has been the result of hard work by my fellow councillors and enthusiastic staff and contractors who have all gone the second mile. The grateful thanks of myself and I trust the community will make them feel it has all been worthwhile.

There still remains as always much to do if we are to achieve our aim of PRIDE IN PONTELAND.

ANNEX A

PONTELAND TOWN COUNCIL
WORKING PARTIES/COMMITTEES

ENVIRONMENT WORKING PARTY

Councillor Mrs E Armstrong
Councillor Mrs J Butcher (Chair)
Councillor D Butler
Councillor A S Cave
Councillor A Mee
Councillor Mrs E Thompson

NORTHUMBRIA IN BLOOM WORKING PARTY

Councilor Mrs. E Armstrong
Councilor Mrs. J Butcher (Chair)
Councilor A S Cave
Councilor A Mee
Councilor Mrs E Thompson

HIGHWAYS WORKING PARTY

Councilor Mrs. E Armstrong
Councilor Mrs. J Butcher
Councilor A S Cave
Councilor T A Chilton
Councilor P Cowey
Councilor A Mee
Councilor R G Ramsay (Chair)
Councilor C Rawlings

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Councilor D Butler (Chair)
Councilor T A Chilton
Councilor P Cowey
Councilor A Mee
1 Vacancy


Accounts Committee
Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Councilor Mrs. E Armstrong
Councilor Mrs. J Butcher
Councilor A S Cave
Councilor T A Chilton
Councilor P Cowey
Councilor A Mee
Councilor Mrs. E Thompson

ANNEX B

PONTELAND TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES ON LOCAL ORGANISATIONS

Library Consultative Committee Councilor T A Chilton
Rural West Group

Merton Hall Recreation Centre Management Councilor Mrs. E Armstrong
Committee Councilor Mrs. E Thompson

Ponteland Memorial Hall Committee Councilor Mrs. J Butcher

Richard Coates Education Foundation Councilor A Mee

Newcastle Airport Consultative Committee Councilor Mrs. J Butcher

Northumberland Association of Local Councilor P Cowey
Councils Executive Committee

Prestwick Pit Liaison Committee Councilor Mrs. E Armstrong
Councilor R G Ramsay

Ponteland Community Partnership Councilor R G Ramsay

Friends of Ponteland Park Councilor D Butler

Local Multi Agency Problem Solving Any Councillor may attend
(LMAPS)



PONTELAND TOWN COUNCIL

Precept Details 2010/11 Annexe C



ITEM 2010/11 2011/12 CHANGE COMMENT
Highways & Environment 86,920 101,360 14,440 Additional sums for gritting and projects
Park & Play areas 216,870 47,242 -169,628 Loan not reqd for slope protection, financed from reserves
Grants 48,570 86,145 37,575 Payments to PNV offset by income
General Administration 105,970 124,557 18,587 Increased staff resources and inclusion of pension contributions for first time
Other expenditure 19,670 16,796 -2,874 Payment for elections not required & other small reductions
Capital Reserve 15,000 18,600 3,600 Need to increase reserves to meet obligations
Total Budget 493,000 394,700 -98,300 See park above, loan not required
Income/Transfer from reserves 157,000 58,700 -98,300 Loan included in income for 2010/11 (not required)
Precept 336,000 336,000 0 No increase for 2011/12
Band D Band D
Ponteland [10871] 62.07 61.41 -0.66 Included Park, toilets, play areas
Morpeth[11092] 98.27 100.24 Excludes Park, toilets, play areas
Hexham[11446] 48.00 51.61 Excludes Park, toilets, play areas but includes cemetery
Prudhoe [11086] 57.55 61.38 Excludes Park, toilets, play areas but includes cemetery