Tenants demand cash for estate

People living in the Hardwick area of Stockton claim the borough council has repeatedly ignored their needs, while ploughing money into other parts of the borough.

Ninety-nine houses on the estate are being demolished and the residents who are left are demanding to have a say in what happens to the land.

One resident, Diane Wilkinson, said: "The council sent questionnaires out months ago asking what we would like doing with the site.

"We have no feedback and now the houses are being pulled down and we do not know what we are going to get.

"The council has said something about landscaping and planting trees but we need more than that.

"At the end of the day if they plant things like that they will just get dug up by the kids. The money could be better spent.

"What we need is new facilities and face-lifts for the houses."

The residents claim that Hardwick has a bad reputation, which it will not get rid of until it is given a new look.

Mrs Wilkinson said: "Lots of different areas are getting money and we are forgotten.

"We have an old community centre that needs work, there is nowhere for for the kids to go, and the council needs to do work on some of the empty houses so people will be able to live here.

"There's a lot of really nice people in the estate and they deserve what other people keep getting, but they just think there is no point in asking for help because we never get it."

A group of residents met council officer Michael Cook yesterday to ask for more funds for their area and councillors have denied ignoring Hardwick and its residents.

Councillor Steven Nelson said: "Newsletters were sent to every house in Hardwick with feedback from the questionnaires.

"We have held residents' open days and are continually consulting on the area. We have spoken to people in the past and are continuing talk."

He said money had been given to Hardwick via projects such as Joblink and SureStart