Stronger together
Three Parish councils join forces to make voices heard in super councilTHREE parish councils hope by merging they can have a bigger say when the unitary authority comes into force next year.
Witton-le-Wear, Wolsingham and Stanhope have formed an association to deal with issues affecting Weardale such as housing, employment prospects plus maintenance and improvement of health care.
The area is currently served by councillors at Wear Valley District Council, but many fear their voice will be lost once the bigger authority is formed.
Cllr Angela Bolam from Stanhope said: “We want to get the best we can for the people we represent, and by forming this association we combine our three smaller voices into a much bigger say.
“Obviously there will be some issues that only affect certain parts so of course we will keep our individual parish councils, but for issues affecting everyone we can get together and have a better chance of being heard.”
The association was formed last autumn and has already drawn up a list of vital priorities for the area. These include provision of affordable housing prioritised to local people, improve employment prospects, primary education and youth facilities and support for local business.
The group also wants to see more police patrols and higher visibility from officers, and will maintain and improve medical and ambulance services in the area.
The three councils have also highlighted the need for a permanent library at Stanhope and the preservation of Wolsingham’s library, and have uncovered a need for a household waste recycling centre in Weardale.
Cllr Ken Rogers from Wolsingham said: “We have established our views and objectives, namely to ensure that Weardale is not disadvantaged when the Unitary Authority is formed.
We have unanimously agreed that it is critical that Weardale has a strong unified representative group that can speak with authority, and influence decision-making within the new local government framework. We have therefore agreed to form an association of the three Parish Councils, the two County councillors for the dale, and existing district councillors representing the dale.
“It is also intended to invite representatives from appropriate community groups.” The association has also promised to: “Work in harmony for the greater benefit of the people of the community of Weardale, without fear or favour, for the different groups within the dale”, and will be “Independent of politics and show no favour on the grounds of race, sex, age or religion”.
The three councils are looking for feedback which can be registered at the appropriate parish council office.
