31/12/03

The keyword for the future of Spennymoor in the 21st century is diversity. This means not only the vocational abilities of the people living here, but also enterprises that will employ them.

One of the future businesses could be in leisure and tourism with Spennymoor, through its location, becoming the eastern gateway to the scenic beauty of the Wear Valley, the Pennines and the Scottish Borders.

Leaving Spennymoor at 8am, a very pleasant circular car journey can be enjoyed via Stanhope, Hexham, Jedbergh, Kelso, Wooler, Rothbury and Tow Law, returning to Spennymoor at 9pm.

Another scenic circular car route will give great pleasure via Tow Law, Wolsingham, Stanhope, Wearhead, Nenthead, then crossing into Teesdale to return via High Force, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle or Woodland, Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor.

It is also pleasant journey by car via Tow Law, Wolsingham, Stanhope, Alston, Brampton and Dumfries, to the west coast of Scotland. Leaving Spennymoor at 8am you can arrive in Largs at 3pm and Loch Lomond at 6pm after driving through some of the most beautiful countryside in Great Britain.

Mr Scott states: "We should keep some of our shrinking countryside for recreational use." All future housing will have gardens tended by house owners who will take great pride in their handiwork as they create a balance between themselves and nature.

The future of Spennymoor will not be built on 'black gold' as in the past but the future gold will be in them thar hills. - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

AT the development control committee of Sedgefield Borough Council held on December 12, Councillor Ben Ord proposed and I seconded an amendment to an item which would allow the building of 230 dwellings at Carr Lane as part of the Whitworth Park development, which has been redefined from brown to greenfield status.

The amendment asked (as this represented a significant planning change) that the decision should be suspended pending public consultation, which would have included Durham Wildlife Trust.

Our amendment was defeated by Labour councillors. I am concerned that Government greenfield policy can be ignored and that the public are completely unaware of the change to greenfield status for the site.

This decision could set a dangerous precedent. - Councillor Martin Jones, Spennymoor Ward, Sedgefield Borough Council.

EUROPE

STILL the EU gravy train rumbles on. Rest assured this is one train that will never be short of passengers as it travels its plotted journey towards the EU superstate.

Britain's MEPs have voted themselves a 30 per cent increase in salary, (to be ratified), from the current £55,000 per annum to £72,000 (plus expenses of course).

This increase was proposed in true Orwellion 'double speak' language as a means of 'ending the gravy train image'. The increase is justified by supposedly ending the propensity to abuse expenses that currently exists. Currently, MEPs are allowed £160 per day for attending meetings, and business class air fares when travelling. Seemingly, it was common practice to sign the register as having attended a meeting then leave straight for the airport (fraud, plain and simple). As this point they would take the cheapest flights and, of course, pocket the difference. It is to stop these practices that they (MEPs) are to be asked to provide authorised receipts for actual travel taken, and to be more circumspect in their claim for meeting attendance.

UKIP's three MEPs voted against these obscene increases, as, to their credit, did all Conservative MEPs. Labour and Lib-Dem MEPs avidly voted for the increases. I'll leave you to make your own judgements. - Dave Pascoe, Press Secretary, Hartlepool Branch, UK Independence Party.

QUEEN'S MESSAGE

THE Queen's Christmas broadcast in part paid tribute to volunteer workers dedicated to helping others. Not a person in Ferryhill could help but feel pride that part of the speech recognised a group of Ferryhill volunteers headed by Rita and David Foster.

The couple were shown, on behalf on the volunteers of the Ferryhill Town Youth, meeting the Queen and Prince Philip to receive the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Services, then further film was shown of some of the 90 boys and girls playing football.

The honour for the volunteers was well deserved; working with 90 young people takes on an awesome meaning.

To be chosen from the hundreds of volunteers up and down the country puts Ferryhill Town Youth in the Premiership league.

As the advisors to the Queen reminded us, we have an exceptional group of volunteers who richly deserve our support. Congratulations to you all. - Friends of Ferryhill.

US RELATIONS

ONCE again the Labour Government has sold out to America. Last week the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that a 'memorandum of understanding' had been signed with the US to upgrade the North Yorkshire radar station, to the dismay of the North York Moors National Park Authority, which had not been consulted.

This will do nothing to improve the defence of the country, but rather make the area a prime target.

Last week the Government also ratified a new extradition treaty with the US, which is both one-sided and a departure from the accepted principles of reciprocity.

The US is no longer required to provide prima facie evidence to extradite British citizens for trial in the US. Evidence of identification is all that is required.

But we do not benefit from the same principle; our prosecutors will still have to make a prima facie case before US courts before an American citizen can be extradited and tried in the UK.

The Government has not made any rational explanation for this treaty. Why is it in British interests? Have we been sold down the river again? - Brian Fiske, Vice Chairman, Darlington Liberal Democrats.

ROAD SAFETY

I READ with interest your report on PC Clayton's campaign against vehicle speeding in Prospect Place, Barnard Castle. Let's hope that she has more success than our residents' association.

At least a year ago we wrote about this problem to Teesdale District Council. We asked why a mirror could not be erected or at least a concealed entrance sign put up.

This was not possible because 'it is not policy to put concealed entrance signs inside a built-up area'.

It was then suggested that the speed limit sign be re-sited further down the road. Again police response was that 'speed limit signs are at the town boundaries'. - WJ Bartle, Barnard Castle.