PLEAS HAVE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS
AS one of your correspondents pointed out last week, the News Guardian's letters page is a valuable forum for debate on local issues.
Some of your contributors have recently used it to put questions directly to me and, although I'm reluctant to take up too much space, I feel they deserve an answer.
Firstly, Anne Telford asks why I am opposed to the locating of a new library in the town centre shopping mall. The answer is simple. I am not.
In fact, I happen to believe that the shopping mall would be an ideal location for a new library. The council has already held discussions with the developers of the mall to see if this would be feasible and these discussions will continue.
Secondly, Leisel Mortimer puts a number of detailed and technical questions to me regarding the council's budget, which are very similar to questions raised by one of our local Labour MPs and some of our Labour councillors. I am sure this is just a coincidence.
Leisel asks if the money to be put into reserves will be used to fund pet projects or future tax cuts. The answer is no. The money has, by law, to be used to repay the deficits and overspends I inherited on my election. Leisel is however, correct to point out that the entire council tax rise will be going to repay these overspends, and that no increase would be needed, had it not been for the incompetence of the previous Labour administration.
The increase in National Insurance, which is costing the council £1.3m, was known about last spring and has been built into our budget projections since then. However, this does not help us. We still need to find the money, and knowing about it in advance doesn't lessen the pain for the taxpayers. And we have received no extra money from the Government to pay for it.
Leisel claims that the Government settlement includes money for road repairs. Actually, the government settlement cuts the amount of money for road repairs by £800,000.
Finally, North Tyneside is a member of the Association of North East Councils, a Labour controlled organisation. Together with my Labour colleagues on that organisation, we have been lobbying the Government for a better deal for the north east.
Sadly, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The Government settlement completely failed to address the needs of the north east, so much so that the Labour deputy chair of the association described it as scandalous.
The chairman of that organisation, who was selectively quoted by Leisel, actually went on to say that "Council tax rises in the region are likely to be in excess of eight per cent, as a result of the poor settlement."
Although this year's council budget takes place against a difficult backdrop, we are keen to be open and honest with residents about the true position. That's why we are launching a consultation exercise on the budget and the level of council tax, something which has never previously taken place.
The consultation paper is on the council's website at www.northtyneside.gov.uk and I hope that your readers will let us have their views on it.
CHRIS MORGAN
Mayor of North Tyneside.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO COUNCIL HOUSES?
THE majority of tenants within North Tyneside will be blissfully unaware that the future of their housing is now being decided with little or no involvement, interaction or discussion with them.
Labour, unknown to either the tenants or opposition councillors, commissioned consultants DTZ Pieda to carry out an independent stock option appraisal.
When I discovered this report had been discussed by the new administrations at their first cabinet meeting and because of Mayor Morgan’s manifesto promise of “No wholesale stock transfer” I immediately contacted the News Guardian who broke the news of a possible sell off.
This was vehemently denied by both Labour and Conservatives alike and dismissed as simply following Government directives and Morgan stood by his guarantees. Then last December former tenants representatives and members of the housing involvement groups were invited to a closed meeting at the Town Hall, allegedly in an effort to seek their views on the stock appraisal and to ask how best to involve all of the tenants in consultation.
What we were subjected to was a professional presentation of the single option of arms length management - admittedly other options were mentioned but because of the council's dismal rating from the Housing Inspectorate, the truth is that stock transfer is not yet a possible option, so this leaves only PFI, which, according to DTZ Pieda, the independent consultants, had been considered and dismissed as a non starter.
The rules for stock transfer are very specific, contained within the DETR 2001/02 housing transfer guidance for an applicant, along with the new rent reforms. Since then of course the arms length management option has been included, all are designed to phase out council housing.
The guidelines state that first a council registers their interest by summarising their proposals. In the past under the tenants choice authorities balloted their tenants first, now the DETR openly discourages this practice and advises that the mechanism is put into place first - and part of that mechanism is the commission of an independent tenant advisor, whose role is supposedly to guide and explain rules and address the tenants' fears.
They can hardly be classed as independent as they are hired and commissioned by the council and there are many examples of tenants dissatisfaction in areas where they have been involved. Now, like the previous invite in December to former tenants representatives and members of the housing involvement groups, we are once again invited to a series of three meetings on February 12, 13 and 14 with housing management, again allegedly to seek our views, this time on the working brief for an independent tenants advisor.
Of course, meanwhile, there has been no mass consultation and the majority of tenants remain blissfully unaware that behind their backs this council is deciding the future of their housing with only the minimum consultation with a selected few. As for the findings of the report, well they have yet to make it available to the tenants and apparently we are not alone for even the opposition councillors, including Labour who commissioned the report, have yet to actually see it.
Strange - I recall Coun Muriel Green actually calling for that report to be made public (if it existed) in your paper- well it does exist. So why has it not?
TERRY HARDING
Goathland Avenue,
Longbenton.
PLEASE DON'T DELAY IN IMPROVING OUR STREETS
HOW many lessons will it take for us to learn that building more, bigger, faster roads leads only to increased traffic growth? (Reduce traffic chaos report; News Guardian Thursday, January 30).
Didn't the M25 teach us anything? Wow! A new motorway all the way around London - the end of traffic problems and congestion! Finally, no more frustration for the motorist - help is on its way!
But what happened in reality? More cars, more congestion, a six-lane motorway filled to capacity, congestion all the way around. The proposed new Tyne tunnel looks awfully like a link in an identical strategy for Tyneside!
The truth is that the only way we can relieve congestion is by encouraging more people to walk, to take the train or bus, or simply not to travel. And what are we doing instead? - evidently not making it more pleasant for people to walk, take the train or take the bus - no, putting money into making it easier and more convenient for more people to drive!
Last week's article by Charlie Burnell indicates methods that may eventually be introduced to curtail future traffic growth on Tyneside - namely cross-river tolls and parking charges. These are necessary, but the new tunnel proposal is a contradiction in that it would increase - not reduce - traffic.
And why do people drive in spite of congestion? Ever tried walking anywhere? The streets are a disgrace, the pavements uncared for, local shopping centres unkempt and unattractive, and the roads are difficult and dangerous to cross.
Only once we put our money into making streets attractive and safe, pavements car-free and local shops and transport interchanges pleasant and safe to be in, then we will see people out and about again on foot, and we will begin to restore a sense of community.
Please let's not delay. Our current road infrastructure and traffic levels makes life horrible for those 40 per cent of Tyneside households who don't have a choice - who have no access to a car. Life is equally horrible for the 60 per cent who have both access to a car and the good sense to leave it at home, and walk.
WENDY LOVE
Resident of North Tyneside'
Northumbria Group Living Streets
Member of Tyne Crossings Alliance.
DOES ANYONE THINK THAT THINGS HAVE GOT BETTER?
WELL, if nothing else, having a Conservative Mayor makes for interesting times.
Three weeks ago we had a Conservative criticising the Mayor for not realising how bad the council's finances were, then two weeks ago we had a Labour councillor attacking the Labour leadership for creating the mess in the first place. But Michael McIntyre's letter last week was the most intriguing of all.
I was at the meeting where the external auditors made a presentation and answered questions about their performance. Not only did they NOT say that there had to be £6.4 million in reserves they actually flatly refused to make any recommendation whatsoever when challenged to do so by Liberal Democrat councillors.
The £7 million overspend has occurred while the Conservatives were in charge because they have done nothing to prevent it.
If you look at the section of the accounts most influenced by the Mayor, Central Support, you see a very peculiar picture. For example, the press office (spin doctors) has overspent by £49,000. That's £49,000 more than Labour. Strange when you consider that the Conservatives, when in opposition, wanted them all sacked.
Here's another one, the Executive directorate. Remember them, the Conservatives put out a leaflet claiming that they'd all been sacked and replaced by a single chief executive. Anyway, they were heading towards an overspend of £12,000. To avoid this they were given £30,000 of airport profit, so now they will underspend by £4,000. That's right £14,000 has just disappeared. Of course it could just have gone towards their 11 per cent pay rise.
The actual overspend of all Central Support is £600,000. This is totally the responsibility of the Mayor. The savings to be made from closing the Linskill Centre and Wallsend people's centre are peanuts in comparison.
The forecast of a nine per cent rise in Council Tax is "optimistic" as most of the savings proposed are fiction and will not happen, so there is no more control over the finances now than there was under the previous regime.
Is there anyone in Whitley Bay who doubts that the car park will be built on? That the oversized first school to be built on Whitley Bay park isn't a herald of the two tier system? Is there actually anyone in North Tyneside who thinks that things have got better?
DAVID ORD
Liberal Democrat Councillor,
Northumberland ward.
BUSY GRITTERS
In reply to the letters you printed in last week's News Guardian referring to North Tyneside Council having "saved money" by not gritting the roads during the preceding week's bad weather, the Council gritted North Tyneside's roads as follows:
Wednesday, January 29: • 6pm - 10pm: All 240 miles of priority/bus routes gritted.
Thursday, January 30: • 5am - Early morning: all 240 miles of priority/bus routes gritted; • 9am - 6pm: gritting vehicles applied gritting where necessary to all priority/bus routes on two occasions; • 6pm - midnight: all 240 miles of priority/bus routes gritted twice; • midnight - 5am: two vehicles applied gritting where necessary.
Friday, January 31: • 5am - Early morning: all 240 miles of priority/bus routes gritted.
In excess of 300 tonnes of rock salt were spread and spreaders were manned and working throughout the period.
On Thursday, January 30, conditions were particularly difficult for gritting in the heavy snowfall between 2pm and 6pm with rush hour traffic and snow freezing on impact. The Coast Road became blocked and because of this other surrounding roads became gridlocked and gritters were caught up in this traffic, as well.
Your readers should note that at no time has the Council's winter road maintenance budget been cut and gritting was unaffected by budgetary pressures during the period that staff worked flat out to make the borough's major roads passable.
In summary the Council's gritters commenced gritting before the snow started in response to weather forecasts and the entire gritting fleet was working throughout the period without any consideration as to cost.
COUN ED HODSON
Cabinet Member for Environment
North Tyneside Council
INDUSTRY HAS A FUTURE AGAIN...
THE news that Swan Hunter could secure thousands of jobs from the order to build two new aircraft carriers is very good news as the News Guardian reported last week. The work will be a huge boost to the whole regional economy.
The Mayor, Chris Morgan, is correct to say that it is good news for North Tyneside. But as someone who has been involved in the campaign to win the work for some time, I hope the Mayor is not claiming credit in any way for the good news. It is true that in the past Swan Hunter and the council have worked together. It is not true that the Mayor played any role nor is there any evidence that he even backed the campaign.
This order is a great opportunity from this Labour government for workers in the yards and in the supply companies.
It stands in stark contrast to the actions of the last Conservative government which the Mayor actively supported - when they denied Swans naval work and the yard closed.
The industry has a future again, a future denied by the Conservatives then and one which they have done nothing to revive. Furthermore, if any future Tory government was allowed to make the promised cuts in public spending not only would it put these orders and jobs in jeopardy, but future orders as well.
J SKIVINGTON
GMB
View older pages
