At this evenings Tynedale Local Area Council Meeting –
Gordon who Chairs this Council which was set up by the new administration to bring back democracy to the local communities made the following announcement.
This administration has some very difficult decisions to make in relation to the finances.
And what huge progress has been made in such a short space of time since the local elections in May 2017.
I recognise the difficulties and acknowledge the administrations looking at a range of options to both balance the books and support front line services moving forward.
One such proposal was to introduce parking charges at the Tyne riverside park & Prudhoe railway station.
From day one myself and Cllr Ken Stow have said openly that we can not support this and laid out our reasoning for this loud and clear.
We have set our aims for our wards to include improving leisure / tourism and employment opportunities in the area.
We decided to lobby the administration, listen to residents not just from Prudhoe but those from other parts of Tynedale on every day of the year since this was proposed and also listen to others such as Cllr Quinn (Bywell) who is here this evening and has supported us in various ways.
We suggested residents send their views directly to the decision makers, which did happen, giving clear objections rather than just saying they were against the proposal.
It is disappointing that some chose not to engage with us as the elected representatives of the area, and misleading information was circulated.
I am pleased that the professional approach we as elected members took was well received by the decision makers.
Showing yet again that this administration conducts consultations in a fair way.
Which has led to me making this announcement now
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‘Northumberland County Council has been consulting on introducing charges in Prudhoe Rail Station and Tyne Riverside Country Park in Prudhoe.
Local Conservative Councillors Gordon Stewart and Ken Stow have made strong representations to the council during this consultation. Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Local Services at the Council said “I have listened to Gordon and Ken and have sympathy with their concerns. This was a genuine consultation and we promised to listen to residents. I’m pleased to announce that we will no longer be continuing with our proposals in Prudhoe”.
Councillor Ken Stow, whose ward includes the two car parks said “I’m delighted that the Council has listened to the concerns of our residents and has dropped these plans. These car parks are important facilities for local people.”
Councillor Gordon Stewart added “This decision supports the exciting developments we have happening in Prudhoe.”.
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See previous information in relation to this consultation
Prudhoe Matters 