A grant given by Blyth’s UKIP PPC to a private company based in Blyth in his role as a Town Councillor has been challenged after it emerged that the business which wanted to buy a mini-bus was owned by a prominent UKIP supporter who had signed nomination papers for the UKIP councillor in the May 2013 local elections.

UKIP GRANT FACES CHOP

Grant given to private company in Newsham faces calls for ‘transparent’ investigation

 A grant given by Blyth’s UKIP PPC to a private company based in Blyth in his role as a Town Councillor has been challenged after it emerged that the business which wanted to buy a mini-bus was owned by a prominent UKIP supporter who had signed nomination papers for the UKIP councillor in the May 2013 local elections.

The business which provides mixed martial arts training for youngsters received grants totalling £3,000 for the mini-bus despite there being concerns that taxpayer’s money was being used to fund a private, profit making business.

Now Labour are calling for a ‘transparent’ investigation into how taxpayer’s cash has been allocated to the business called ‘Millenium (sic Millennium) Martial Arts’ from the town council which is cutting services in this year’s budget by over £37,000.

The company is co-owned by Mr Tony Cunningham who was also a signatory to UKIP nomination papers in last year’s local elections. The company is registered in Blyth. This has led to a charge of ‘hypocrisy’ being laid at the door of UKIP councillor and PPC Barry Elliott who has mounted a vocal campaign for councillors to spend their allocation in their own ward. Elliott represents Newsham ward yet the company is registered in Blyth.

Newsham ward Labour councillor for NCC Deidre Campbell said

“This is a grant to a private company which is seeking to make a profit from its business yet it seems to have been paid out at a time when the town council is cutting grants and projects by over £37,000 including £11,000 from community grants. At a time when cash is tight and many worthy community projects are feeling the squeeze UKIP have to answer why they think backing a business idea by their supporter’s ranks higher than supporting other projects? Councillor Elliott has been very vocal calling for councillors to spend their money in their ward yet now we find he’s backing a private, profit making business from Blyth when he represents Newsham. The town council needs to explain why, in an open and transparent way, taxpayer’s cash is being spent to prop up local businesses? That’s not what local people would expect.”   

Notes

MILLENNIUM MARTIAL ARTS

  http://companycheck.co.uk/company/08447959

Registered Office 4-6 KING STREET BLYTH NORTHUMBERLAND NE24 1LY

 

Labour councillor for Newsham and New Delaval Deidre Campbell has welcomed the news that Blyth will be the first town to benefit from the new £25m scheme to upgrade streetlights across Northumberland with new state of the art LED lights.

Blyth will be first to see new street lights as council plans to ‘light up the sky’

£25m LED street lighting project will mean spotlight on Blyth

Labour councillor for Newsham and New Delaval Deidre Campbell has welcomed the news that Blyth will be the first town to benefit from the new £25m scheme to upgrade streetlights across Northumberland with new state of the art LED lights.

The scheme will see 16,000 street lights replaced across the county with new eco-friendly and fully controlled LED lantern units. The scheme will see engineering giant Galliford Try Infrastructure roll out the new lights over a 4 year period.

It has now emerged that Blyth will be the first town to see the new lights and Labour Councillor for Newsham and New Delaval, Deidre Campbell has welcomed the news.

She said

‘This new scheme is yet another example of how Labour are investing to save across the county and it’s great news that Blyth will see the fruits of that investment first. Using new technology and smarter ways of working, we’ll see a saving to the taxpayer of over £200,000 per year when the scheme is implemented’.

Councillor Campbell has also reminded residents that if they’re having any problems with the existing street lights in the area then they can contact the council’s dedicated ‘online street light fault hotline’ which can be found at  https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=564

She’s also keen to remind residents that they can report day to day problems quickly and cheaply through the council’s website  http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/

Fly tipping - https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=587

Litter - https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=580

Dog mess - https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=dog_fouling

Potholes - https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=557

Anti-social behaviour - https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizenportal/form.aspx?form=990061

 

Small schemes matter

Small schemes matter

For an active local councillor, it's not just about the big projects that bring millions of investment into the ward or the town.

After speaking to residents Deirdre and the County Council have agreed funding for and implemented improvements to the new tennis courts at New Delaval Park.

UKIP want to make even deeper cuts to our NHS and charge you to see your local GP

National politics matters

REVEALED: UKIP are more Tory than the Tories.

 As more Tory MP join the queue to leave David Cameron and sign up to UKIP, it is clear that Nigel Farage’s party is even more Tory than the Tories themselves.

UKIP want to make even deeper cuts to our NHS and charge you to see your local GP.

Even David Cameron doesn’t go that far! UKIP also want to give millionaires yet another tax cut -on top of the one David Cameron has given them - which would put

over £100,000 in the pockets of 16,000 millionaires while families are suffering a cost-of-living crisis.

 

The partnership with Blyth Town Council to provide better environmental services has created six new full time jobs.

Keeping our promises

Through our development company, Arch, we have already seen some improvements to the town centre with the Morrisons redevelopment and the £660, 000 improvements to the Keel Row bus station.

Grants of £275,000 have also been invested in the town through the Townscape Heritage Initiative.
A restoration package has been proposed for the Poundstretcher store on Bridge Street to repair and conserve the outside of the building and is awaiting planning approval.

The partnership with Blyth Town Council to provide better environmental services has created six new full time jobs.

Actions speak louder than words Deirdre Campbell

Actions speak louder than words Deirdre Campbell - 'Councillors matter'

Deirdre Campbell is nothing less than forthright in her opinions about how to get things done in local politics.

'There's no substitute for persistence and hard work.'As a veteran councillor who served on Blyth Valley as well as Northumberland Councils,

Deirdre is often impatient, but never gives up.'We all know councils have to work with limited budgets as a result ofgovernment cuts.

 All we can do is look to build partnerships and negotiate funding, a step at a time.

 Sometimes it seems like a long process, but then good things start to happen.

Sometimes, like the investment we're making in renewable energy, it's the next step in something that started with Blyth Valley that contributes to the environment on a local scale.'

Labour Newsham

Delivering for Newsham

and New Delaval

Council announces improvements to estates Next April, Northumberland County Council and Homes for Northumberland

are planning to start work on a project which will involve upgrading the external wall finish to all the properties they own in your area.

 

Those properties with a pebbledash finish will receive a new render finish which will be pre-coloured providing an attractive long-lasting finish.

The scaffolding used to carry out the work will mean HfN can replace the gutters, down pipesand fascias at the same time.

 

In conjunction with this work, the council will programme a scheme to replace the paving and roads around the area, improving the environmentfor everyone. This will also include the replacement of some low level garden walls.

This is a significant investment in the area, made possible by your Labour councillor,Deirdre Campbell, working hand in hand with HfN to address the concerns most commonly raised with her.

Delivering for you where you live

One Nation

Labour

labour.org.uk