Amble Town Council Report #151
COUNCILLOR VACANCIES
We are pleased to welcome a new Councillor. Arthur Hume is a very welcome addition to the team. Cllr Hume will represent the West Ward.
NORTH EAST ENGLAND FIELD OF REMEMBRANCE
Organisations and individuals are invited to create a remembrance piece for the North East England Field of Remembrance. The piece should have the name of who made it on it and the maximum size would be 3 feet by 2 feet or 3 feet diameter. The types of materials used are down to the maker. The N.E. Field of Remembrance will be planted up on 31 October 2025 with the actual Remembrance service being held on 1 November 2025. All are welcome to attend the service on the day. The field will be open for a further two weeks.
BUS SHELTERS
We hope to hear if our application for remedial work to our older shelters has been successful. We plan to renew the roof at Church Street, repaint some walls, redo the floor and perhaps change the seating. The small shelter on Acklington Road will have the frontage extended for better access. We agreed to install seating bars within the shelters that can accommodate them; unfortunately, the area on High Street and the north side of Church Street is too narrow as it would impede disability access and some baby carriages.
WEST CEMETERY
The water at Amble West Cemetery has been turned off until April. Water is available from the water butt next to the office building. Apologies that it was recently empty due to someone wrenching the feeder downpipe out.
We will soon be having some work done to the kerbs surrounding the West Cemetery fountain. It is hoped to create more space here which should allow for easier turning onto the drive and less damage by larger vehicles.
The 2025-2026 cemetery fees have been agreed at Full Council. Whilst these may seem quite high, fees for Amble West Cemetery remain considerably lower than neighbouring cemeteries. Interment fees charged cover the contractor’s fee plus an administration charge whilst Rights fees go towards the continued upkeep of the cemeteries.
DOG FOULING
ALL dog owners are asked to make sure they pick up their dog’s waste. Numerous complaints have been received regarding the amount of dog waste throughout the town. We need to take a pride in our town and make it a pleasant place to stroll in. Enforcement officers have been informed. Offenders will be prosecuted.
PARKING RESTRICTIONS
Albert Street
The parking restrictions at Albert Street have been deregulated and this area can now be used for parking if necessary. In order for parking restrictions to be enforceable there has to be both the road markings and a yellow ‘no stopping’ sign otherwise they are not enforceable.
Proposed Parking Restrictions, Leazes Street/Newbrough Street Junction, and Ladbroke Street to Harbour Road
The Town Council has submitted no objection to the proposal for double yellow lines at Leazes Street to Newburgh Street junction and also from Ladbroke Street to Harbour Road junction. It is hoped this will ease congestion in this area.
TOILET REFURBISHMENT PROGRAMME
Councillors have met with officers of the County Council to discuss the provision for both sets of toilets in Amble. Council felt more was required and held an onsite meeting. We await new specifications and figures but are expecting to be asked to contribute some money towards the final costs. It is hoped that with this design and provision that the toilets will be more suited to the ever-growing needs of a busy tourist destination. An approach suggesting changing rooms for cold water swimmers was too late for this programme but may be considered in the future.
LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN
It is encouraging to see resurfacing of Leazes Street within the NCC local transport programme for 2025-26 and also works to High Street. We have asked for more information on the High Street works. We continually raise concerns with regards to pot holes that are blighting our roads.
ELECTIONS
The May elections are approaching. These are usually less well supported by voters than general elections. Some people think they are unimportant. However, there are good reasons you should use your vote.
Firstly, your local Town and County Councils have a much larger bearing on your daily life than Parliament.
Secondly, it’s all about choosing the people who want what’s best for your area. Therefore, voting for the person who will best support your community is essential. Moreover, most local councillors are not career politicians and although it’s good to know what your councillors believe in, political affiliations are far less important than at national level.
The third reason is the most important of all: you are doing your bit for our democracy, which is central to our culture.
So, please take the time to either fill in your postal ballot or stroll to your polling station on 1 May. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
VE DAY FUND
2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This will be commemorated nationally on Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 2025. To help communities celebrate the occasion, Northumberland County Council had allocated £10,000 to create a VE 80 Community Fund. The purpose of this special fund was to enable non-profit making community and voluntary groups, schools, local charities, parish and town councils, and churches within Northumberland to apply for grant funding to help them to take part in celebratory events to mark the anniversary.
Grants of up to £250 were available and successful offer letters will be sent out requesting bank details by 11 April. We would love to hear of any event planned for Amble which we could publicise on our community hub webpage at www.amblecommunityhub.co.uk.
TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES, FOURWAYS 2, AMBLE. NE65 0DT Tel: 01665 714 695 www.amble.gov.uk
