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Cllr Dick Cains My FAQs |
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When and where can I meet with you to discuss my problem or query?
I hold regularward surgeries once a month. Future dates and locations, including a map, are available by clicking on the Norton West link in the left column of this page. You can always contact me by telephone or email using the contact details to the right of this text.
Why has the light in my road still not been repaired?
Defective street lights are regularly reported to Care for Your Area by your Councillors, members of the public and the Care For Your Area inspectors when spotted as part of their normal duties.
The location of the faulty light is passed to the Council's contractor - Dave Webster whose team will inspect the light and carry out any necessary repairs e.g. replacing the lamp if it has blown.
If the problem is due to a failure of the electricity supply Dave Webster will report the fault to Integrated Utility Services (IUS) which is an arm of Northern Electric Distribution Ltd (NEDL) which is responsible for NE's underground distribution cables.
IUS have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Council which says that they will aim to repair faults within 20 working days but in practice this is meaningless as maintaining a supply to domestic and commercial properties takes priority over street lighting. There are usually a couple of dozen outstanding requests for reconnection of supply (more in winter time) and they are actioned in the order in which they were reported - though if it is found that heavy digging machinery is needed for a particular light it may have to go back to the bottom of the list.
There are no sanctions which the Council can apply to NEDL and they have a monopoly - we just have to be patient.
What are the local schools?
The Glebe Primary and Crooksbarn Primary are our local primary schools. Children from our area would normally attend Blakeston Community School from Year 7 onwards. For admission queries or general problems please contact the head teachers at the schools. Contact details for the schools can be found by following the link to schools information in the related content section to the left of this text.
Can't anything be done about horses fouling our area?
There is no equivalent of the "Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996" for horses. This is because dog faeces carry Toxocaria Canis, which can be passed on to human beings especially children with disastrous consequences but this is not the case with horses. Putting it crudely, you wouldn't shovel dog droppings on your rhubarb crowns but you would horse manure. I can remember the time, not so long ago, when you had to know someone who was in the know to get hold of even a carrier bag full of horse manure.
The worst example is around the Municipal Buildings in Stockton due to its proximity to the Police Station where the police horses are brought to start patrolling.
Despite being born and bred in the country I have never owned either a dog or a horse but people who know these things tell me that dogs can be trained to "go" in the owners garden before setting off for its walk. Horses on the other hand (despite Roy Rogers and Trigger) are incredibly stupid and cannot be trained to do anything (including "go" on command) which isn't part of their normal activities.
In Middlesbrough there is a riding school where those who ride horses are issued with a tabard with a number, a plastic bag and a shovel. Any rider seen by the public not using the shovel has his number taken, is reported to the school and is not allowed to ride again. The farms in our Ward are livery stables - they give board and lodge to horses owned by other people - the riders are the owners and cannot therefore be sanctioned in this way.
When Ann & I were in California we saw a horse pulling an open carriage in a park. It had a bag strapped to its rear end to collect droppings, we haven't similar regulations.
Useful Contact Details
| Council Offices | 393939 | | Street Lighting | 526769 | | Care for Your Area | 391959 | | Animal Welfare | 526575 | | Road Signs | 391959 | | Norton Library | 528019 | | Splash (swimming pool) | 527272 | | Registrar of Births etc | 527720 | | Citizens' Advice Bureau | 607445 | | Univ. Hospital of North Tees | 617617 | | Norton Community Police | 363021 | | Community Police | 306616/7/8 | | The Education Centre (Norton) | 527665 | | Bulky Waste Collection | 391959 | | Civic Amenity Centre | 391959 | | Public Transport Timetables | 0870 608 2608 | | Bus Passes | 397106 | Secretary Crooksbarn Residents' Association | 558377 | Secretary Glebe Residents' Association | 890704 or email to phillip.charlton @ntlworld.com |
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