Save our post offices - Save our communities?

The last stage of the Post Office's 'rationalisation programme' comes to the Borough next month. They'll be carrying out a six-week consultation from 3rd July (right over the holiday period) on which village post offices should stay open. Their criteria will be based entirely on a limited 'business case' model - looking purely at the cost-effectiveness of the narrow post office services being delivered.

This was the main topic at the Borough Parishes Meeting on Weds (11th June) - with the Borough Council looking to support parishes in making their cases on the PO criteria, and avoiding a 'divide and conquer' which would see parishes competing with each other to retain their own post office.

Unfortunately - there wasn't anyone from the Post Office there - but David Stewart from NE Rural Affairs Forum argued strongly that post offices were often the centre of a whole range of wider community activities, which will be (and are) lost when they close. He also outlined a range of 'Plan B' options for running post offices in village halls, churches, pubs or running mobile post offices in conjunction with other services (eg health, libraries, IT centres, council one-stop-shops). You don't necessarily have to use the term 'community hub' if you don't want too.

As he said - the Post Office is run with a subsidy which Government is withdrawing - that subsidy could be taken up by other (or groups of other) more local organiasations eg in Essex where the County Council is picking up the tab.

So - outcome from the meeting (as far as I'm concerned) was that we need parish councils and villages to identify what services are broadly linked to or depend on the post office and will be vulnerable if the post office closes (or disappeared when the post office did close). This is then evidence - both for the narrow-focussed Post Office consultation and for the unitary authority, care trust, police, parish councils, belonging communities and anyone else looking to provide services to rural communities. A bit of co-ordination and co-operation could do wonders.

Incidentally - not quite the same problem with Morpeth Main Post Office, but it is very vulnerable too. The Co-Op franchise runs out in October. I gather there are two or three potential new franchisees, but there is apparently no obvious site (50 m2) in central Morpeth. Any suggestions?

Howard Road Zebra Crossing

As you may have seen in the recent ‘Focus’ newsletter, the County Council are planning to move the zebra crossing on Howard Road towards the Wellway junction as part of the traffic calming measures. This was an afterthought to the original scheme – and the County Council only consulted residents of Howard Rd, Howard Terrace and Greystoke Gardens on the move.

Of course, other people in the area use that zebra crossing – in particular parents taking children along Dark Lane to Goosehill School – so you should also have views on the plans to move it. It may be that there’s a need for two crossings on the road.

The formal consultation is over, but if you have strong views please contact John Mather (tel 533978 JBMather@northumberland.gov.uk) at the County Council and/or me urgently.

Consultation on Morpeth Cottage Hospital

The 'preferred options' for the future of Morpeth Cottage Hospital and 'improving health services in Morpeth' have been published for consultation. Cheery green and blue leaflets should be widely available - or else contact Diane Gonsalez tel 0191 219 6030 email diane.gonsalez@northoftyne.nhs.uk

There'll be public meetings - in Morpeth Town Hall - on
Weds 5th Sept at 2pm (with a publicity stall on the market too)
Mon 10th Sept ar 6pm

Deadline for comments is 5th October.

In essence the proposals are:

i) close the Cottage Hospital on its current site
ii) build a new NHS outpatient clinic in Morpeth - with increased capacity and more equipment (MRI scanner, X-rays, ultrasound, echocardiography) than currently at the Cottage Hospital
iii) provide patient beds for end-of-life care and for 'slow stream rehabilitation' in an existing nursing home in Morpeth
iv) transfer the stroke rehabilitation and other in-patient beds at Morpeth Cottage Hospital to a 'dedicated unit' at Wansbeck General Hospital

Consultation on Local Plan

Another consultation - this time ‘Local Development Framework Preferred Options’ – deadline for comments 31st March.

Don’t be put off – this is the Local Plan – probably the most influential policy the Borough Council sets – it last fifteen years and defines where and how many houses will be built, where and how much employment land will be allocated, defines the boundaries of the Green Belt – and sets the framework for all Planning Committee decisions.

The new process the Government has set up for the LDF is ‘death by a thousand consultations’ – starting with a consultation on how to consult! But it’s now getting more interesting.....

This document sets the outline high-level policies for Castle Morpeth 2006-2021 – and you’ll get one more bite at this cherry in the Autumn, with the ‘Submission Draft’ which really says “is this what you said?” bore it goes off the Government for approval. Then there’ll be various Area Action Plans (Morpeth, Ponteland, Coastal Villages), specialist Supplementary Planning Documents etc – which I’ll try to keep reported here – but this is the main strategy document.

That’s ‘Local Development Framework (LDF) Preferred Options’ – deadline for comments 31st March to LDF@castlemorpeth.gov.uk Its downloadable from the Castle Morpeth BC main website www.castlemorpeth.gov.uk .

It covers nine areas:
i) Development Strategy – where we build and where we don’t
ii) Housing – how many and where, and how we get affordable housing
iii) Employment & Tourism
iv) Retail & Services
v) Environment – including the new proposed Green Belt around Morpeth
vi) Heritage & Built Environment
vii) Energy Conservation, ICT and Transport – including rules for wind farm locations
viii) Planning Obligations
ix) and Monitoring & Implementation

Do have a look at it – and get in touch with me if there are any aspects you’d like to discuss….

Consultation on Community Strategy

Castle Morpeth Local Strategy Partnership is currently consulting on a Sustainable Communities Strategy. Deadline for comments 23rd March.

OK – it’s yet another consultation – and because it has to fit the Government ‘Sustainable Communities’ template, and has to be ‘aligned’ with the Northumberland Local Area Agreement (don’t ask – or rather do ask – but not just now!) – it comes across as high level, vague jargon.

But don’t be put off! This little strategy and the action plan that emerges from it is going to determine the priorities for how any money is spent in Castle Morpeth over the next few years. So have a look and make sure it covers the things you think are important

The strategy and response form etc are downloadable from the main Castle Morpeth BC website www.castlemorpeth.gov.uk

Deadline for responses – 23rd March – to Ailsa Coverdale ailsa.coverdale@castlemorpeth.gov.uk

Consultations

The great theme of modern politics is 'consultation' - from national government down to district councils everyone's doing it - and is often required to do it.

Often it is hard to find out about consultations that are happening, and whether they are important or not. I'm going to try to make things a bit more open by posting consultations that I think are important.

Of course - 'consultation' can mean many things including:

endorsement: this is what we're going to do - agree with us

validation: this is what we are doing - tell us how well we're doing it

options: eg you're going to get an incinerator in SE Northumberland - would you like it here, here or here?

consultation: tell us what you think, though we can't guarantee we'll change anything

scoping: we've appointed consultants but they don't know the area, can you tell them what they need to do

On the other hand - there are good and effective forms of consultation (like design by enquiry, village design statements) which are inclusive and do work if you get everyone affected involved from the beginning. Let me know if you can think of any ways the Council can make its consultations more effective.

Unfortunately – people don’t seem to respond to a general consultation with no clear proposals – but if there is a clear proposal – even if it’s an ‘Aunt Sally’ to be knocked down, they assume that it’s all cut and dried and the consultation is a sham. If we’re going to have real consultation – we’re going to need to re-educate people first.