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At a Meeting of Whorlton and Westwick Parish Council
On Tuesday 6th July 2010
Mr. Colin Hodgson, Deputy Area Engineer, had come from Durham County Council to speak to those present about the roads and repairs, etc. He told those present about the restrictions that are at present
being enforced and the fact that DCC cannot afford to resurface a
whole road surface. Patching has to be the only option at present,
and though the road surfaces have been marked up the repairs will
not take place until September time. He spoke about winter gritting
of the C44 and how this would be looked at, but he doubted whether
the C44 would be on the list for gritting.
It was a most interesting visit and the clerk will write to thank him
for his visit.
PresentCllr. David Kinch (Chairman), Cllr. Neville Dawson, Cllr. Colin
Cummins, Cllr Ian Wilkinson and Cllr. Martin Saville
Apologies There was an apology from Cllr George Richardson
The only other person present was Miss Cherry Simpson
Minutes of These had been circulated and the minutes of the AGM for
Last meetings Whorlton and Westwick and the Minutes for the meeting
on 18th May were signed as correct.
MattersPlay Area Surfacing:
ArisingDue to poor communication the surface to renew the safety
tiles under the swings in the play area will have to be paid
for by the parish council as the form that the Chairman had
filled in and returned to James Rowlandson has been mislaid.
When the surfacing appears at the end of July WWPC will pay
for it and get the money back when the grant money appears later
on.
Cllr Wilkinson asked about the Net Ball Basket. Cllr Tully had
inspected it, as had the Chairman, and it was decided that it could
be safely put up in the play area.
6 Grange Terrace:
Since the last meeting the clerk had reported that the house seemed
in need of some repairs and it was reported to DCC at Teesdale.
The parish council received a somewhat scathing letter stating that
in future the clerk should contact the estate agent and report any
problems to them.
Castlebeck Care – Wall:
The clerk wrote to Tom Wilson after the last meeting. The reply
stated that there had not been the funds left over after the new
windows had been put in, but next year there will be a fund
set up for the repair of the wall. The Chairman felt that the cost
quoted by Mr. Wilson for the repair of the header stones on the
wall was somewhat large.
Other Bench at the bus stop:
Matters Mr. Peter Everitt had very kindly offered to build and install a
bench for those who wait at the bus stop. His letter was read to
the meeting. Mrs. Trevor will sent a copy of the letter to Durham
county Council to a Mr. Tony Leckonby and ask his permission
for the bench to be installed.
Councillor Vacancy:
There had been no application for an election to select a new
Councillor. The Chairman asked the clerk to construct a notice
to be put on both notice boards stating that there is a vacancy and all written applications before the end of July will be considered at the
next meeting by all the present councillors.
County Durham Plan:
Various articles had appeared in local papers implying that DCC
Intended to build 16 houses in Whorlton in the field opposite the
The Bridge Inn. The first members of the council for WWPC knew
About it was from an article in the Teesdale Mercury. The Chairman,
Clerk and Cllr Saville had been to the Forum Meeting at which Graham Reed and another officer from DCC appeared and they were
given a very frosty reception by various village officers. Winston was
informed that 164 houses could be built in it. As a result of the forum meeting the chairman asked Mrs. Trevor to contact Graham Reed and
organise a special meeting of WWPC for 19th July so that this matter could be discussed.
The Chairman will be unable to attend an open meeting to be run by
DCC in the Witham Hall on Tuesday 13th July 2010 so the clerk will
go and collect any more documents that appear to be relevant.
The WWPC Website:
The Clerk has been continuing to work on the website, finding the
Google site very difficult, she has enlisted the help of an expert so this may be sorted fairly soon. Cllr Wilkinson is interested to take the
information regarding the setting up a Quality Council to the next
Village meeting. The newsletter and website all add up to part of the
requirements needed to set this up, the parish council can offer help but it is done by the entire village so this may be a good opening.
Lease for the Village Garden:
The lease has to have a second signature, the Chairman will ask
Cllr Tully to sign.
Bus Shelters:
The clerk had received a letter from DDC asking about all the bus
shelters in the parish. The parish does not have one bus shelter, and
the officer whom the clerk spoke to said he would look into the question of a bus shelter by Whorlton Grange.
There is anxiety about where the westbound bus stops on the corner,
And it has been suggested that the bus is asked to stop half way up the
pavement along the Steadings wall. This to be examined.
Cllr Dawson remarked that the bus is still very irregular and very often
has a problem before it gets to its destination in Darlington. The last letter written by the clerk has not been answered.
There was nothing to sign
Date of next meeting:
The date of the next meeting was set for
Tuesday 28th September 2010 at 7pm
28th September 2010
David Kinch
Chairman