Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Cllr Beall My News

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Roseworth Ward - Latest News

Library Services to stay
I would like to scotch the rumour that Roseworth is losing its library service. Despite Government cuts, the Council is committed to maintaining, indeed improving, library services. However, it operates services from too many costly buildings so is looking to bring under one roof, compatible facilities that are close together.

Those of you who have visited Stockton Central Library can see an excellent example of how this can work. So, the idea of bringing together the library and Redhill Children’s Centre is being considered. This may entail some new build to offer a more modern setting. There will be a period of consultation with library and centre users and other interested parties in the coming months before any final decision is made. Please take the opportunity to make your views known.

North Shore Health Academy
Like many of you, I was extremely disappointed to read about the recent poor Ofsted report on the Academy. Although the school is outside of Local Authority control, the pupils are still our young people and should not be abandoned. That’s why I have supported the Council’s offer of assistance to the school and are hopeful that they will now accept. What’s more, the appointment of Bill Jordan CBE as temporary Principal is welcomed. He comes with a good reputation for turning round schools in challenging circumstances and excellent experience as the Head of Dyke House in Hartlepool for 19 years.  I do hope he can be equally successful here.

In the meanwhile, work has started on the £17.8 million replacement building (including the MyPlace youth facility) in Tilery which will be ready for young people to start learning there next Spring.

www.nshacademy.org.uk/

Ward Walkabouts
These have started again after the winter months. The next one involving Councillors, Neighbourhood Police, council staff and Tristar Housing is to take place on:

14th June - Blakeston Court
25th July - Little Ragworth & Ravenscar Rd area

The purpose of these is to identify any problems on site and decide who is best able to put things right. Residents are invited to join us or talk to us on route.  All start at 10:00am

Rosebrook School - Room/Playing Field Hire 
Did you know  that you can hire a room and/or the school playing field at Rosebrook School at competitive prices and cheaper still for voluntary/community groups. Ring the school (during term time) on 677985 for further details.

Youth Bus returns to Roseworth
In response to resident requests for 'more things for young people to do' and requests from young people themselves, we have secured the return of the bus staffed by the Council's Youth Service.  It is situated at Roseworth shops car park each Wednesday night between 6:00pm - 8:30pm.  The first session on 18th January saw 18 young people taking advantage of its facilities in a safe, warm environment. It also provides the opportunity to register for a range of off site half-term activities. See the flyer for further information.

It's Your Park
In response to resident requests over the years for play facilities for the estate's children, the Council secured £86,000 funding from various sources to undertake the first phase of the Redbrook pocket park.  Residents also had the opportunity to shape what was being provided, for example, the addition of lighting.  This has proved to be very popular and the park is well used, particularly out of school hours.  As in other places in the Borough, a minority of youths have targeted the park and the surrounding area for abuse.  Police, the Council's Enforcement, Anti-Social Behaviour and Youth Services have been quick to respond to neighbour complaints/concerns and have had some success in nipping this in the bud.  You may have heard about the group of 5 teenagers who had been made to clean up their own graffiti from fencing in the area - there have also been some other arrests.  Parents are often shocked to hear what their children get up to away from the home, so we ask ALL parents to co-operate to preserve this valuable community resource.  The message to consistently give is "It's your park, so look after it".

The Council will work with the Roseworth Residents Association and Roseworth
Community Partnership to try and secure funding for further phases of development.  New safety surfaces have been installed for some of the play equipment.  Neighbourhood Police and Enforcement say reports of anti-social behaviour by youths have greatly reduced since the initial spate when it first opened.

Renew Your Postal Vote
All postal votes must be renewed after 5 years. If yours needs renewing, you will receive a form and clear instructions on what to do.  Its an easy process but you must return the completed renewal form or you will lose your postal vote. 

If you haven't already got a postal vote but would like one or you wish to register to vote,  please contact the Council's Electoral Services on  (01642) 526196, or by emailing electoral@stockton.gov.uk, or by printing off an application form from www.stockton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/electoralregistration

All voters have a right to have a postal vote if you so choose.

Waste Matters
I can confirm that despite the savings the Council is having to make, weekly bin collections and fortnightly recycling collections will continue.
Green waste collection will restart on your first recycling collection day after Easter.

The future use of Redhill Children's Centre
Following the public consultation, I am pleased to say that Redhill will be retained as one of the four children's centres which will be directly run by the Council.


New courses at Kiora Hall 
Kiora Hall offers a wide variety of courses for adults. These include art and craft, fitness, computer studies, creative media, woodcraft, gardening, English and Maths, and modern languages. Tees Achieve is currently enrolling students for courses at Kiora Hall and other venues across the Borough. To see what is available click here  www.stockton.gov.uk/citizenservices/learning/adulted/courses/  You can also call the enrolment and information line on (01642) 527904 or send an e-mail to tees.achieve@stockton.gov.uk

Promotion for Roseworth Councillors
Following the Council's Annual Meeting at the end of May 2011, I was appointed as the Deputy Leader of the Council, whilst also retaining the Cabinet responsibility for Adult Services & Health. Barbara has been appointed as the chair of the influential Children & Families Select Committee. Please be assured that our Borough-wide responsibilities will not detract from our involvement and commitment to local ward matters.

Roseworth in Bloom
Last Spring saw a wonderful floral display from the bulbs around the area. We are open to suggestions for further bulb planting for future years. In recent years, we have provided oak barrel planters to the Darlington Lane entrance to the Ward and at the Redhill Road / Durham Road junction.

We would like to do this for all entrances to the Ward. This is funded from a small environmental works budget for local use. We could do more, quicker, if we could get sponsors for the oak barrels, which cost about £75 each to provide and around £112 per year to maintain.

If you know of any business, group or individuals (including yourself) who would be willing to sponsor a barrel please put them in contact with us. In recognition of their support, we can arrange for a small plaque to be displayed on the barrels naming the donors.

In response to the severe funding cuts from central government, the Council set a budget to cover a £14.5 million shortfall in 2011 - 12, whilst holding Council Tax at its current level. This has been achieved by prudent financial management over many years, and savings identified from more recent reviews of all services.

The Council will continue to invest in major projects such as the £1.9 million refurbishment of Stockton Central Library and also support the widely desired restoration of the Globe and other significant improvements to Stockton Town Centre.  We are working hard to try to protect frontline services for our residents, particularly the more vulnerable.

New Windows on Order
Tristar tenants will be delighted to hear that all 1200 Roseworth properties will get new windows over the next 2 years.  The first 143 scheduled for the replacements will include properties on the following roads:

Darlington Lane Radlett Ave, Radnor Cl, Radstock Cl,
Ragpath Lane, Rainford Ave, Ravenscar Cres, Redcar Ave,
Redditch Ave, Rhondda Ave, Rhyl Cl, Ringwood Cres,
Romsey Rd, Rochdale Ave, Rochester Rd, Roxby Cl,
Royston Cl, Ruthin Cl and Ryde Rd.
 
Tristar staff will be making home visits to all those households affected in preparation for the actual work. This will more than fulfil one of the pledges made during the recent Council housing stock transfer to Tristar.

Tackling Crime Together
Although Roseworth has about average crime (and anti-social behaviour) levels in the Borough, our neighbourhood police are determined to reduce this even further. But they can't do it without your help!

Police and Ward councillors recently urged a resident's meeting to report all crime so that resources can be targeted to the right place and a case can be put forward for more if needed.

For contact details of your Neighbourhood Police Team, please visit the  'My Neighbourhood' link on the Cleveland Police website.

The Police are particularly keen to catch the off-road bikers but need our help identifying where they are kept so they can be seized. You can report confidentially to Dave Cannings or one of the other PCSOs, Chris Howe and Helen Pendlington on 306618. Likewise, the council's anti-social behaviour team hotline is 607943.

Dog Litter Bins
In the last year we have arranged for a further five bins around the Ward. Free litter bags are available from Tristar at Redhill shops. There should now be no excuse for owners not picking up. So please help keep our area clean by advising our patrol service on 526575 if you see any violations.

Cabinet Duties
In my role as Cabinet Member for Adult Services & Health, I regularly
get invited to the launch of various associated initiatives. This often
entails me having to be a guinea pig.

Fruity Friday - was an employee event encouraging bike exercise to
power a blender with the reward of a healthy fruit cocktail for the effort.

Scoot Safe - was an event to promote safer use of mobility scooters.
This included the launch of a 'Safe Scooter Manual' about getting the
best out of scooters and things to watch out for. Copies can be
downloaded from our website at www.stockton.gov.uk/scootsafe

People were also invited to try out the scooters in Stockton High Street.
As more people begin to gain the benefit from mobility scooters for their
everyday needs, Scoot Safe is a great idea.

Former Redbrook School Site - new homes occupied  
The last of the new homes built on the former Redbrook School site
are now occupied.  Both the tenants and those 'renting to buy' are
extremely pleased by their high quality and energy saving features.
The development - Redbrook Villas - was officially opened by Pat
Richie, the Chief Executive of the Homes & Communities Agency
on 11th March with our MP, Alex Cunningham, in attendance.

 
CCTV Success at Roseworth Shops
Since the CCTV camera was installed at Roseworth Shops in March 2010, the Police and Enforcement Team have reported a drop in incidents requiring their attendance.  We arranged this pilot project with the support of Roseworth Community Partnership and financial contributions from the Council, the Police, the Fire Service, Tristar, Roseworth Library and Redhill Children's Centre.  

The camera transmits high quality live pictures to the Surveillance Centre in the town who can dispatch Enforcement or alert Police control to attend any incidents.  Businesses and residents can also report any concerns on (01642) 528989 [24 hours].  We hope that this provision can be maintained as it gives people reassurance and confidence that it is safe to use the shops, particularly in the evenings.

All agencies are finding it hard to find money for ongoing remaining costs but I have arranged for the Council to underwrite the cost until the end of March 2012.

Working Together for Roseworth
Under the umbrella of Roseworth Community Partnership, Ward Councillors have brought together a range of local organisations to work with residents to identify and address local issues. These include the Council, the Police, the Fire Service, Health Services, schools and churches.

Jeff Horrocks (pictured right, above) Tristar Area Manager now chairs the Partnership whose work is supported by Haleen Ghafour from the Council.

Parallel to this, Roseworth Resident's Association meet monthly in St Chad's Church to discuss local issues. The Association provides a valuable link to the Community Partnership and is a great way for residents to influence services delivered in Roseworth. Their meetings are very informal and any resident is welcome.

If you have any questions about the association or general community activity, please contact James Hadman on 01642 733902 or email james.hadman@srcga.com  James is a Development Worker for Stockton Residents and Community Groups Association.

  
Former Roseworth Pub is now demolished.
Sad as we were to lose a pub with so many good memories for many, our campaign to have the eyesore of the derelict pub removed succeeded.  However, we have not been so successful in seeing it developed.

Although amended plans for the site were approved and instead of the 21 apartments, there will be 11 houses built for sale, the developers have been thwarted from building because of the economic downturn. Whilst waiting for work to start, I have arranged for a supervised group of adult offenders to tidy the site up as part of their payback to the community.

Help with Homework at Roseworth Library
Do your child need access to a computer or the internet to do their homework? Well Roseworth library on Redhill Road has 2 'homework' computers ready to use for young people aged 8 - 16 years old. You just need to fill in a short form to register your child / children before they can use them. Forms are available from the library.

The computers can usually be used for an hour at a time, but this may be reduced if there is a lot of demand. Staff are happy to help and guide children if needed. For more information call (01642) 528098 or E-mail - roseworth.library@stockton.gov.uk

Online Services - Report it - Apply for it - Pay for it
As well as the usual ways of contacting the Council for a service, a range of services can now be requested online. To find out more about the Online Services use the button toward the top of this page or click here www.stockton.gov.uk/onlineservices/ (For those who do not have home internet access, Roseworth Library provides free access and help).

I represent all of the residents living in the Roseworth Ward whatever their political allegiance. Local issues are considered on merit and nothing else.

Residents living in the Roseworth Ward are represented in the UK Parliament by Alex Cunningham MP.

Web Links

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