News and events

Council Meeting

The next meeting of the Wheatley Hill Parish Council will be held on Monday 10 June 2013 at 6.00pm in the Heritage Centre.

All Members of the public are invited to attend and there is the opportunity for you to have your say. Please come along. You can access the agendas and minutes of previous meetings as soon as they are publicly available.

New Parish Council

The new Parish Council met for the first time on 13 May 2013 at the Annual Parish Meeting and Annual General Meeting. Morris Nicholls was again elected as Chair and Eleanor Carr was re-elected as Vice Chair. There is one new Parish Councillor, Jake Miller.

Twenty Twelve Mosaic officially unveiled

A mosaic created by residents spanning the generations of two former pit villages was officially unveiled on 21 May 2013.

The mosaic, celebrating the history of Wheatley Hill and Thornley has been erected in the foyer of Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre.

St Godric's RC Primary School secured lottery funding of £8,376 to create the artwork, while various community groups contributed a further £2,000.

Pupils from Wheatley Hill and Thornley primary schools, as well as more than 20 groups were also involved - with 337 people, aged from 1 to 84 taking part.

Among those at the ribbon-cutting were Nancy White, 84, and Joel Tateson, 18 months - the oldest and youngest people to place tiles and William Maddison, 43, who attended the most sessions.

The mosaic includes the former pits of the villages, Rockhall Farm, village churches, Thornley Hall Farm, Wheatley Hill Children's Centre, Wheatley Hill pond and a pit pony.

Citizens Advice Bureau

The Citizens Advice Bureau will be holding a fortnightly session at the Greenhills Centre from 5 June to the end of August 2013. The sessions will be held on a Wednesday afternoon between 1pm - 3pm. There is only 6 slots available per session and tickets are available from the reception at the Greenhills Centre.

Council approves 2013/14 Budget

Wheatley Hill Parish Council approved its budget for 2013/14 in the sum of £126,378 at the meeting of the Parish Council held on 28 January 2013. This represents a reduction of £4,916 and is the first budget to be approved under a new financial regime for town and parish councils.

The introduction by Central Government of a new Council Tax Support Scheme to replace the current Council Tax Benefit Scheme significantly changes the calculation of the tax-base upon which Council Tax is calculated. Town and parish councils are no longer financially independent and are reliant upon Central Government grant support to compensate for the loss of tax-base. The grant support is paid to the billing authorities who may redistribute part to the towns and parishes although they are under no obligation to do so.

Durham County Council as our billing authority has agreed to redistribute the relevant part of the Central Government grant for 2013/14 but has also determined to remove the double taxation grant previously paid to the Parish Council.   

Wheatley Hill Parish Council will receive Council Tax Support Scheme grant of £35,747 which is deducted from the Council's budget to produce a precept requirement of £90,631. This results in a Band A and Band D Council Tax for 2013/14 of £101.94 and £152.96 respectively which represents an increase of 9p and 14p per week.

Wanted - Volunteer Drivers

Wheatley Hill Community Association needs volunteer drivers to assist with their daily Meals on Wheels service.

Volunteer drivers are urgently required to deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly in the local community. Volunteers will need their own transport and a standard mileage rate will be paid.

Drivers are needed Monday – Friday between 11.30am – 1.00pm.

If you think you are able to help please contact the Centre direct.

Hilary Jamieson
Operations Manager
Wheatley Hill Community Association
The Greenhills Centre
Stephens Terrace
Wheatley Hill
DH6 3JS
 
Tel:- 01429 820214
email:- hilary.jamieson@greenhillscentre.co.uk

Pact Meetings

PACT meetings (Police and Communities Together) have been developed to ensure that you have a chance to engage with local Police officers from your beat team and tell them your concerns. This is your opportunity to influence what the Police focus on, where you live.

You can find out more about PACT by ringing Durham Constabulary on 101 or logging onto www.durham.police.uk 

PACT meetings are held in Wheatley House at 6.30pm on the following dates:-

19 June 2013
17 July 2013
14 August 2013
11 September 2013
9 October 2013
13 November 2013
11 December 2013

Vacancies

There are currently no vacancies in the Office of Parish Councillor.

Parish Council Elections

The next Parish Council elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. Please contact electoral services on 03000 261212 or email electoralservices@durham.gov.uk for further information.

Neighbourhood Policing - Wheatley Hill

The neighbourhood policing team is made up of police officers, police community support officers and special constables. They work with local people to find out what matters most to you in the area you live. They work together with the community and other partners to tackle local problems and help improve the quality of life for local residents.

The current priority for Wheatley Hill is anti-social behaviour on the Front Street on a Friday and Saturday night between 18.00 and 22.00 hours. This is a policing priority that local people agreed with your policing team. You can have some influence on future policing priorities by attending your next PACT meeting. 

Your neighbourhood policing team regularly hold PACT meetings and PACT drop in sessions to give you the opportunity to have some influence on the policing of your neighbourhood. The purpose of the meetings is:

  • To talk to your neighbourhood policing team about issues that concern you.
  • To receive updates from members of your neighbourhood policing team regarding progress made in resolving issues.
  • To involve all members of your community in improving quality of life in your neighbourhood.

How to contact your Neighbourhood Policing Team 

Peterlee Police Station
St Aidan's Way
County Durham
SR8 1QR

Telephone: 101
Fax: 0191 375 2610/2560
e-mail: peterlee@durham.pnn.police.uk

If you are interested in knowing about crime rates in your area then the Police have developed a new site to allow you to access this information. Why not check out the site by clicking on the following link and typing in your postcode or address.

Local crime information

Food Donation

Did you know that one in every four people live below the poverty line in County Durham.

Durham Foodbank provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis, but hey rely on food donations.Please give what you can. To find out where your local drop-off point is call 0191 303 7559 or visit www.durham.foodbank.org.uk

Number for Non Emergency Calls New Police Telephone

There is now a new Police telephone number to help you report crime locally. 101 is the number to call when you want to contact your local Police - when it's less urgent than a 999 call. 101 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

101 has been introduced as part of the government's wider work to improve access tot he Police, ease pressure on 999, and help to efficiently and effectively tackle crime and disorder.

Examples of when to call 101 include:-

  • your car has been stolen
  • your property has been damaged
  • you suspect drug use or dealing in your neighbourhood
  • reporting a minor traffic collision

You should continue to call 999 when it is an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. To contact the Police for any other reason, call 101.

Calls to 101, from both landlines and mobiles, cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day you call, or how long you are on the phone. 

Wheatley Hill History Club - Forthcoming Events for 2013

All History Club meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month in Wheatley House, Woodlands Avenue at 7.30pm. Costs £1.50, including refreshments and raffle tickets.

29 May - Tom Hutchinson - Stan Laurel - The Early Years

26 June - Sarah Zissler - The work of the Great North Air Ambulance

31 July - Tom Gibson - The story of the Graf Spee

August - No Meeting

25 September - Jo Bath - North East Witchcraft

28 September - Local History Day -Wheatley Hill Workingmens Club

30 October - Arthur Dodds - The Gunpowder Plot

27 November - Rebecca Dinsdale -Orange, Green and in between - the story of the Irish in Northeast England

December - No Meeting       

Provision and Maintenance of Dog Bins

The Parish Council has installed 3 dog bins throughout the village. These are located at:-

  • Junction of Woodlands Avenue and Sandwick Terrace
  • Opposite Watson Close
  • Quilstyle Road

If you are aware of a bin near you that is not being emptied on a regular basis, please contact us.

Free Poop Scoop bags are provide by the Parish Council to all residents living in Wheatley Hill. The bags are available at the Heritage Centre.                                 

How to get a salt bin refilled

Each Durham County Council salt bin has a unique reference number on it.

If you are aware of a salt bin that is empty and needs refilling simply call the Highways Action Line on 0191 370 6000 or email HAL@durham.gov.uk and quote the unique reference number. 

Neighbourhood Warden Service

Neighbourhood Wardens are working to improve the quality of life for residents by reducing the level of anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime. They tackle environmental problems to improve the local environment and promote community involvement and social inclusion, especially among young people. They also deal with stray dogs and enforce legislation around dog ownership.

The wardens work closely with the Police, Fire service, other enforcement agencies and other council service providers to deal with issues of concern to residents.

Wardens carry out regular patrols and deal with any issues they encounter or which are reported to them.

They can be contacted on 03000 261 018 and for residents in Wheatley Hill they need to choose option 2.

They work Monday - Thursday 9am to 8pm, Friday 11am to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday 4.45pm to 10pm.

Welfare Rights

The Welfare Rights service can help with questions and problems on a wide range of benefits and entitlements, such as Social Security and Tax Credits:

  • Providing advice and information about benefits and tax credits.
  • Checking your benefits to make sure that you are getting all the benefits you are due.
  • Representing you at appeal tribunals and afterwards.
  • Getting advice on starting work and the benefits and credits that can help you back at work.

If you have a benefit query or need advice you can contact the Welfare Rights Service on 0191 3708787 or email welfare.rights@durham.gov.uk

Housing and Council Tax

You can apply for Housing and Council Tax benefit in either of the following ways:

  • Complete an on line application form on the Durham County Council web site www.durham.gov.uk/benefits
  • Contact the Benefits Service on 03000 262000
  • Contact the Council Tax Service on 03000 264000

Report dog fouling

If there is a problem with dog fouling in your area or you see someone failing to clean up their dog's mess, let us know, giving as much information as possible, such as:

  • date and time
  • location
  • description of the dog
  • dog owner and if possible their address

This information will be passed to the Neighbourhood Wardens to make enquiries and take the necessary action against the offender. All reports are dealt with in confidence.

If a pavement or verge is badly fouled, the problem can be reported to Durham County Council who can arrange for the mess to be cleaned up and/or arrange for an officer to patrol the area in an effort to catch the offenders.

You can report dog fouling to Streetscene on 0300 026 1000 or email help@durham.gov.uk

Please encourage your family and friends to be responsible, it will help us keep County Durham clean.

Registered Trader Scheme

The Registered Trader Scheme was set up by Durham County Council in an attempt to reduce incidents of bogus traders which often target vulnerable members of our communities.

Durham County Council Trading Standards Service has over 100 local businesses, including plumbers, decorators, gardeners and personal care services signed up. The Registered Trader Scheme is an excellent way to help protect people from unscrupulous traders and will promote confidence when choosing a trader to employ.

For more information on the Registered Trader Scheme or to find a trader's details please see Registered Trader Scheme

 

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