West Rainton and Leamside Parish Council - Telephone: 07368 964142

West Rainton Parish Council

West Rainton and Leamside Parish Council

ROAD CLOSURES AND DIVERSIONS

By

Durham County Council has introduced a new system called One Network that makes Road Closure and Diversion information available to residents, businesses, and motorists via the web on your mobile phone, tablet and computer as well as through the  Sat Nav system in your vehicle.   Click on the email icon on the left top of the page and register an account either as a private individual, business person, etc from the drop-down list.

Visit the One Network.   This link is included in the “Useful Links” section of this website.

As well as using the searchable list, the One Network mapping system can be used to check live information regarding road works in your area. To do this you simply type the address in the search bar and select the period of time you are interested in (Today, 2 weeks, 3 months, 12 months).

Another useful feature is the ‘Alerts’ feature which allows you to receive email alerts within in defined area every time new road or street works are recorded. You can set the system to tell you only if the works are high, medium, or low impact and choose to receive email notifications daily, weekly, or monthly. Simply register with One Network and select your preferences.

In addition to the above, the One Network system can provide you with a whole host of additional information with new information being added frequently.

For further information on how to set up your account and receive email alerts please watch the YouTube video.

BAG AND BIN THE POO CAMPAIGN

By

Did you know that 24% of the UK adult population have a dog? That’s over 10 million pet dogs producing over 1,000 tonnes of waste each day!  That weighs as much as 200 elephants or 100 double decker buses!

Dog mess affects everyone. It is unpleasant to see it lying around on pavements, in play grounds and other public green spaces. It’s even more unpleasant to step in or to go through it with a pushchair or wheelchair!

As well as being a nuisance, dog mess is unhygienic and can spread disease. It also unfortunately gives dog owners who do clean up after their dogs a bad name. It is the law to clean up after your dog!

We know that most dog owners in the village are responsible and clean up after their pets, but we also know many don’t.

We are running this communication campaign to remind all dog owners about the importance of picking up after their pet to try and ensure the dog mess generated in our village ends up safely in the bin.

The good news is it’s very simple to keep the streets and our public green areas clean.

As part of this campaign, stickers and posters are being rolled out around the parish to encourage all dog owners to act responsibly and to, “please pick up & bag the poo – any public bin will do” (general black waste bins or the dedicated red dog bins).   The posters are available here to download if you think you need one near you.  Mobile Phone Poster v2  The Poo Fairy Poster v2

In addition, you are also encouraged to report irresponsible dog owners to Durham County Council (DCC), the dog fouling enforcement authority.

This can be done online at: www.durham.gov.uk/dogfouling or by calling: 03000 261 000.

If you can, tell DCC:

  • The Date and Time of the dog fouling incident
  • The Location
  • The description of the dog and its owner,
  • The dog owners name and address ( if known)

The reporting of incidents helps DCC to identify the “hotspot” areas across the parish which can then trigger more regular patrols by enforcement officers. Irresponsible dog owners could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80, or prosecuted and fined up to £1,000, if they don’t clean up after their dog. Reporting of incidents may also help identify the need for additional bins in some locations.

Be a responsible dog owner and clean up after your pet

NOTICE OF UNCONTESTED ELECTION

By

The closing date for nominees wishing to stand for election for the scheduled Parish Council election on 6 May 2021 was 9 April.  Only 3 nominees were received by Durham County Council for the 9 places available and consequently, there will now be no need for an election to be held. The 3 nominees duly elected as Parish Councillors, uncontested, are:

Maureen Boettcher, Ian Haddick and Avril Wallage.    

The first meeting of the new council will take place at the Annual Council Meeting to be held in May 2021.  The first item on the agenda will be to appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair for the year. This will be followed by the nomination of council representatives to serve on other bodies and monthly routine council business.

The remaining 6 vacancies on the parish council can be filled through a co-option process. The Parish Council will consider the process and timescales for this at its Annual Council Meeting so look out for further details on the Parish Council Notice Boards and the Website. In the interim, anyone interested in becoming a parish councillor should contact Mark Ramshaw, Parish Clerk at westraintonparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk or Tel.07900 800 540

The formal Notice of Uncontested Election issued by the Returning Officer is available here.   West Rainton and Leamside Parish

NATIONAL INSURANCE SCAM WARNING

By

An urgent warning has been issued to every single person with a National Insurance number in the UK after a surge in calls were reported trying to falsely steal information.

It is concerning for millions, as everyone in the UK is sent a National Insurance number before their sixteenth birthday – this helps with applying for jobs, and identifies you with HMRC and the DWP.

More than 1,000 complaints have been made to Action Fraud, with victims reporting they have received an automated telephone call, during which they are told their “National Insurance number has been compromised”.

They are then instructed to “press 1 on their handset to be connected to the caller” in order to supposedly fix the issue and get a new National Insurance number.

Once connected to the “caller”, victims are pressured into handing over personal details – which scammers claim is to enable them to receive a new National Insurance number.

However, giving the criminals your personal details will enable them to commit fraud using your credentials and information.

“If you have any doubts about what is being asked of you, hang up the phone.

“No legitimate organisation will rush or pressure you.”

How to protect yourself from fraudsters

If you receive an unexpected phone call, text message or email that asks for your personal or financial details, remember to 

  • STOP – take a moment and think before parting with your personal information or money
  • CHALLENGE – could it be fake? It’s OK to reject, refuse of ignore and requests for personal of financial details.
  • PROTECT – contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud

There is a simple, short, Friends Against Scams online training video can be accessed by clicking the link below.

https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/durham-elearning

Be Aware and Take Care.

#ScamAwareness

NEW PLANTERS – A BIG THANK YOU

By

As many of you will have noticed, we have a number of new planters throughout the Village. There are 15 in total. These have replaced the old wooden barrel planters and supplement the existing square black planters.
These planters, made from recycled plastic, are very robust and very heavy! Consequently, the logistics involved in getting these filled, planted up, and then putting them into position was always going to be a challenge.
This was achieved with the invaluable help and support of two of our local farmers:
 Angus Lowrie kindly agreed to take delivery of the planters, topsoil, and gravel at Field House Farm. The planters were stored there until they could all be filled and planted up.
Moving and putting the planters into the various positions around the parish required the use of a tractor, trailer, and forklift truck, and Angus working with another local farmer, Tom Swinburn, who kindly agreed to help.
So a massive thank you to both Angus and Tom for the use of their premises, machinery, and time in working together, in a voluntary capacity, to support the Parish Council with this Community Project

Council Launches Virtual Support Hubs to provide help to Local Communities

By

People are advised to accept help from friends, family and neighbours where possible, but anyone in need of extra support can find a list of local groups on the council’s website www.durhamlocate.org.uk or fill in our Coronavirus help form at www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help
Those enquiries will be directed to our virtual council hubs, staffed by AAP workers and council volunteers, who will assess any requests for information and provide appropriate help to residents.
Alternatively, help can be accessed by emailing help@durham.gov.uk or calling 03000 260 260.

The full press release can be viewed here.     COVID-19 27 March Community

CEMETERY PROTOCOLS

By

New protocols for our cemetery come into force on 1 March 2019.   They have been introduced to improve the appearance of the cemetery and to ensure that it is a safe and tranquil environment for all visitors.  Details of the new protocols are available at the Cemetery Guide for Users section on the home page of this website.

Our address:

62 Trevelyan Place
Peterlee
SR8 2NL

T: 07368 964142
E: West Rainton and Leamside PC

Our location: