The Ambler Online

Well here we are with the last one of 2009, the Christmas Lights have just been switched on and we are being implored to get along to our favourite stores and get hold of all those bargains before they are all gone, providing you have got the budget!

One organisation that doesn’t have an adequate budget is Northumberland County Council who it seems is trying to save a massive £33m which does not bode well for local services. The extent of the cuts is still being debated and no doubt there will be a significant amount of horse trading before we arrive at the real thing but there is something about the current process that disturbs me – a distinct lack of leadership within the Authority. Where are the Chief Executive and all those senior Directors.This is a time for leaders!

At a recent meeting in Alnwick it was suggested that the budget to support the Voluntary and Community sector across the County was to be cut from £1.3m to £1m – a massive cut by any estimate but need it be so? Whilst the monetary value is £1m what should be asked is the real value of that investment on the ground. I would suggest up to 10 fold and without investment in the Third sector, some community organisation will fold and some communities will grind to a halt.

Yes, no doubt there are savings to be made, but what could it mean locally – for the Trust it may mean a loss of core funding support, the loss of the maintenance grant for Amble Welfare at a time when we are investing considerable capital sums after years of neglect. Such a loss of funding comes on top of Northern Rock Foundation being unable to continue to provide the support they previously did. Further to this, some organisations like our own rent property to the County and the closure of the Day Care Centre and Housing Office further threaten our income streams.

Perhaps the Authority could adopt a different approach to its budget deficit.Why not consider giving contracts to Third Sector organisations to deliver services in their own patch. Services could be maintained rather than cut and delivered more efficiently with better value for money, surely an option worthy of consideration.
We can only wait and see what the outcome is, but the sooner we know the better, to wait until late February for next year’s budget is really unhelpful and does not even allow time for organisations to meet their statutory obligations.

On a positive note, following representations from a number of businesses the Trust organised a meeting regarding Amble Industrial Estate or is it Coquet Enterprise Park – which is it? Anyway, we invited Officers from the Regeneration team, Asset Management and Planning. Officers from Planning chose not to attend, perhaps they may provide reasons in due course – but we still had a very productive meeting, dealing with general issues initially then individually with issues directly affecting a number of business operators. I think its fair to say everybody went away happy and its an event we might well repeat. This estate could be the lifeblood of the town - providing employment, training and expansion opportunities – we need to build on the positive engagement emanating from this event. You never know we might even see a Planner one day!

Further positive news, we are about to appoint Consultants to assess the possibilities re the Harbour Wall and the new access to the Pier is complete with usage good once again. On the subject of respect for others, Amble Welfare is becoming a victim of its own success and we shortly expect to complete the new entrance. However, residents of Acklington Road are being subjected to invasion of their property by footballs and those retrieving said footballs. If you use the MUGAS please respect the integrity of nearby properties whilst we try to find a practical solution to the problem which would not be a problem at all with more care and consideration.

Let’s hope we can avoid the weather that my friends in Cumbria have suffered recently and we can enjoy the run up to Xmas.
Have a good one from all at the Trust.

David Milburn
Executive Director, Amble Development Trust
davidm@ambledevelopmenttrust.org.uk

The views expressed in The Ambler and The AmblerOnline are not necessarily the views of the Editorial Team.
The Ambler is a project of Amble Development Trust