Amble Town Council news: May-July
MEETING DATES:
All meetings at 6.30pm unless stated otherwise
TOWN: 14 July
CEMETERIES: 23 June (at 5.30pm) 21 July
FINANCE: 23 June 28 July 1 Sept
PLANNING: Tuesdays, as plans received
ALLOTMENT & PLAY AREA: 9 July (at 10am)
FLYTIPPING
Sadly, on the increase again – why after going to the trouble of loading into a vehicle what you want rid of, would you then dump it on the roadside, grass verge or in a back lane? Why not just take it to the nearby community recycling centre?
We live in a beautiful area and many people work very hard keeping it that way; it is so disappointing to find a minority who delight in abandoning everything from cardboard to cookers, from prams to bicycles, to clutter up our town. Please dispose of all your rubbish properly.
SERVICES
With massive cuts for years to come in the support grants from central government, NCC will be either trimming services or stopping some of them altogether. Recently talks were held with Members on the proposed handover of items which were previously NCC responsibility such as town seats, bus shelters, play areas; it is thought these may soon be followed by floral displays, dog bins, toilets and open grass areas to name a few.
None of these will be funded by NCC but will have to be paid for by an increase in your Parish tax. This affects all parishes in some way- even small ones are facing becoming responsible for village greens and cemeteries. We are determined all items should be in the best condition possible before handover.
A.O.N.B. for AMBLE
Members were disappointed to hear that including Amble in this area will not be considered for some years to come. Analysis carried out throughout the country suggest there are other places which have much stronger cases when the next update is considered. However we all know our area with its abundance of flora and fauna and magnificent birdlife is still a wonderful place to be and we will continue to extol its beauty to relatives, friends and visitors alike.
GARDEN & ALLOTMENT AWARDS
Judging of these will take place in early July with the awards event held at 6p.m. Friday, 22nd July at Trinity Methodist Church.
There are lots of wonderful garden displays on show as you walk about the town and many others are hard at work tidying their allotment and tending their vegetables – if one particularly catches your eye or impresses you, please pass the detail to your Councillor or the Clerk to enter it for the judging.
WARKWORTH CRICKET CLUB
The Town Mayor Cllr Leslie Bilboe, presented a cheque to Warkworth Cricket Club to buy equipment for the use of their Junior section and to help when they coach Kwik Cricket in Warkworth and Amble schools.
COUNCIL VACANCIES
Recently we have had a number of resignations for various reasons but hopefully by the time you read this we will be welcoming some new Councillors whose varied skills and knowledge will bring fresh outlooks.
The Clerk and Members are always willing to help and advise newcomers as unlike other voluntary bodies, we are governed by legal procedures which we must follow; many find these rather constraining and frustrating at first but soon adapt.
For a long time, Members have had to co-opt when vacancies occur but it was interesting that in the Central ward, 10 electors, as is their right, requested an election be held.
Previously elections had taken place at the 4 year re-election period and had been paid for by the former Alnwick District Council; the next one is due in 2013 alongside County Council elections but it is thought each Parish/Town will have to pay for their part of the election. Any bye elections expenses are the responsibility of the Parish/Town Council; we cannot even guess at the cost as we have never held one in recent years – but no doubt N.C.C. will soon let us know!
COUNCILLOR CORNER
Amble in Bloom. What is it?
I have noticed Amble people take great pride in their gardens and allotments, but the Town floral displays have started to decline over the past few years due to a general reduction in finance.
I would like to try and make Amble a candidate for Northumbria Coastal Bloom Awards. What to do? Thanks to the generosity of certain businesses plus a donation from Amble Town Council, sufficient funds have been raised to make a start; already a few dedicated volunteers have placed roses in the Memorial Square, flowers around the ‘fish’- south entrance of town and are in the process of putting hanging baskets along Queen Street.
The Future. Where next? Starting small gives time to identify areas that give an instant visual impact to the Town, such as the approaches, and perhaps areas used by both townspeople and tourists.
Volunteers are still required, the process will be quite long before we can achieve recognition, please offer your support in any way you can. Cllr Craig Weir
EAST WARD:
Robert Arckless,
37 Anne Crescent, Amble NE65 0QZ
Tel: 01665 711938
Helen Lewis,
11 Kennedy Road, Amble NE65 0QH
Tel: 01665 710429
Craig Weir
76 Priory Park, Amble
NE65 0HY
Tel: 01665 712342
WEST WARD:
Leslie Bilboe, (CHAIR)
10 The Close, Amble
NE65 0HZ
Tel: 01665 713364
Ian Hinson, (Vice-Chair)
11 Eastgarth Avenue, Amble. NE65 0LW
Tel: 01665 710583
1 VACANCY
CENTRAL WARD:
Rev. Velda Nicholson,
24 Glendale, Amble
NE65 0RG
Tel: 01665 713796
2 VACANCIES
TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES, THE QUAYSIDE, AMBLE. NE65 0AP Tel: 01665 714 695 ambletcclerk@btconnect.com
Elaine Brown (Town Clerk) Angela Burn (Clerical Assistant) 9:30-12 & 1-3pm Monday to Friday
Minutes available to view in Office or at Amble Library
