Borderlands? It’s Northumberlands debt accrual and working outside conventions that will lead to Cramlington and Morpeth’s decline

 

Northumberland County Conservatives have over the last seven years drifted from convention and taken no notice of their own splinter group, its past chair of audit or national voting trends when deciding to run down services to its residents and concentrate on the delivery of glamour projects.

The realisation has just begun to dawn on Glen Sandersons team at County Hall in Morpeth that his reliance and promises that the Borderlands combined authority was going to deliver cash to regenerate towns in Northumberland when its funding promises had been getting shallower month by month is another pipe dream?. Especially when residents across the County were seeking a joint statement supporting the improvements needed on the A1 and the A69 to help both business and expand work opportunities on both sides of the border. Councillor Sanderson failed miserably to deliver on that score.

What was he and his advisors thinking when the Counties residents voted twice to support Labour Mayors for both the sub-region and the whole North-east region? When coupled with his major debt accrual which he began racking up even though it was predicted that funding was going to be difficult as the former Governments levelling up schemes begin to slip into oblivion under a prudent Labour chancellor.

His wish to get re-elected on the delivery of the Northumberland rail line from Newcastle to Ashington is being questioned not only for the massive debt its accruing but also for the fact that his Council have agreed through planning to open a 4000 student FE college in Ashington that will drive commercial investment in the Town, they also have to agree a new local plan with additional housing numbers that have been issued by Government. Its expected that extra housing will possibly sit near the new stations to house those who require access to jobs within the Tyne and Wear area without accruing emissions zone costs or tunnel fees.

Councillor Sanderson both as a former portfolio holder which included transport and as the Council Leader ignored the pleas from his own party splinter group from Cramlington and his former chair of his audit panel who both sought additional local trains on the east coast mainline to protect Cramlington, Morpeth and Berwick in a future with undefined domestic transport needs and costs that the new railway will relieve for towns along its lines.

His stance has meant that the GRIP studies required to fully open a Morpeth to Bedlington Station link and bring an on to Newcastle scheme forward has been put on the back shelf adding to the fear of decline for towns outside this corridor.

His latest press spin to try to blame the new government for the lack of regeneration progress in Bedlington and Ashington due to his unwillingness to court either of Labours combined authority mayors, instead he has made statements that it’s because he is waiting to hear the future of the Borderlands funding is despicable in itself. He is in danger of being outmanoeuvred for funding by other regional councils due to his intransigence to accept the voting trends of his residents who spoke overwhelmingly through the ballot box and the wider north-east to support a Labour regional mayoralty which has the responsibility for regeneration.

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