Amble Town Council Report #150
Meetings
Town: 9th Jan, 13th Feb, 13th March, 10th April, 15th May at 6pm. Council Office
Amenities: 30th Jan, 27th March, 29th May at 6pm. Council Office
Councillor Vacancies: Your Town Council Needs You!
If you are passionate about Amble, have lots of ideas to share or would just like to get involved in shaping the Town then please consider joining the Town Council. There are currently two Councillor vacancies available and we would love to hear from you.
Toilet Refurbishment Programme
Councillors have met with officers of the County Council to discuss a better provision than originally intended for both sets of toilets in Amble. This will come at an extra cost to which Amble Town Council are expected to contribute. It is hoped that with this enhanced design and provision that the toilets will be more suited to the ever-growing needs of a larger community and a busy tourist destination.
Community Asset Transfer Decision
The Council is sad to say that after intensive investigation and discussion they will not be entering into a Community Asset Transfer of Edwin Street school building from Northumberland County Council. Cost analysis has shown that the costs of renovation and sustainable running costs are too great for a small Council to realise.
Members are disappointed, but feel that our residents deserve something fit for purpose that will last for many years.
Council has endeavoured to get information about the various venues in the town which could host groups of people wishing to follow an interest/hobby etc.
Surprisingly there appear to be quite a few more vacancies than was initially thought. Check out our website for the current list of venue availability.
Bus shelters
We hope to hear soon if our application for remedial work to some of our older shelters has been successful. We plan to renew the roof at Church Street, repaint some walls, redo the floor and perhaps change the seating. The small shelter on Acklington Road will have the frontage extended for better access. Council will also be considering whether to place benches in some of the other shelters.
Percy Drive
Following the incident on the footpath between Priory Park and Hauxley Grange, our renewed pleas for action here resulted in N.C.C. and Persimmons looking at the area with a view to attending to the various faults. We send our best wishes to the casualty for a speedy recovery. It’s such a shame that after months of pleas, someone had to be hurt before action happens.
100 Years – Unveiling of Amble War Memorial
On 10th May 2025, we are hosting a commemorative event to mark the 100-year anniversary of the unveiling of the Amble War Memorial and Clock Tower. We are keen to trace any direct descendants of E.M Lawson (Landowner), W Burton (Architect), R Carse (Contractor) and Whittle & Son (Sculptor). If this is you or your family, please get in touch!
Trees
Following the storms last year and the recent tendency for stronger wind speeds, concerns have been highlighted nationally about tree conditions. There have been lots of incidents of trees falling onto houses or into roads causing lots of damage and even some cases where people were injured. Council are responsible for the trees at the West Cemetery and those in the Memorial Gardens. These are inspected by a qualified tree specialist at approx. 18 month intervals so as to see their condition in the different seasons. Any recommended actions are undertaken as soon as possible by a tree surgeon so that the safety of all is maintained as far as possible.
Councillors Corner
As you can read above, there are Town Councillor vacancies. As a new member, it has been fascinating seeing what goes on behind the scenes and hearing about all the amazing work that different organisations do here.
Some things are high profile. Meanwhile, others happen quietly in the background. A lot of the work is carried out by volunteers and all voluntary organisations need more people to take an active part. It’s what makes our brilliant community tick.
Of course, some of our work as Town Councillors is listening to you and helping you with your issues. However, often those issues we hear about are the responsibility of external bodies, especially Northumberland County Council, and we always do our best to get these addressed by applying pressure.
On behalf of the Town Council, I wish you a Happy New Year.
Cllr Ivor Rackham
TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES, FOURWAYS 2, AMBLE. NE65 0DT Tel: 01665 714 695 www.amble.gov.uk
