King of Northumberland’s realm has shifted, His once loyal subjects are sadly missing out?

 

In a recent social media report the Deputy Leader of Northumberland County Council in a conversation with a long serving independent councillor from Berwick upon Tweed named Councillor Glen Sanderson the Tory Leader on Northumberland County Council as the ‘King of the County’.

King Glen has always centred his realm on the Town of Morpeth where residents have been linked with the Tories for quite a number of years as regular improvements have been delivered that people want. Glen has now shifted his ‘royal favor’ away from his once loyal base into untraditional territory and has lent his sovereign bestowal to the rival town of Ashington.

His highness has been subject to several claims and regular photoshoots showing him at every opportunity he gets to boast that he was responsible for spending £336.4 million on bringing the Northumberland line to Ashington, ignoring his loyal subjects in Morpeth who expected as was promised a number of years ago this new line to terminate at Morpeth and run through to Newcastle on a more regular basis as it picks up residents who dwell in the deep South-east of the County.

His shift of benevolence towards Ashington also includes a huge new further education valued at £52m that has been situated as close as physically possible to the terminus of the Northumberland Line along with a new cinema complete with a row of restaurants costing an extra £16m. Both projects are being organised using his delivery vehicle Active Northumberland.

A number of Morpeth commentators have illustrated their social media output laced with the knowledge that food outlets are disappearing from Morpeth and its surrounds while his highness is investing public money to develop a night time economy outside of the bounds of their town.

Spending £400m+ on the Town of Ashington with no spin off benefit for Morpeth doesn’t just stop there. He has gone public on the next expensive phase of the Northumberland Line in that he is going to fund an extension to Newbiggin by the Sea at huge expense that will leave Morpeth wallowing in the growth of poverty as it falls in his objectionable plans to hack back on his Morpeth based workforce in an austerity drive to force through his plans through a most peculiar package of prudence.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4pqz98vpeo

https://northumberland.ac.uk/the-college/our-campuses/new-ashington-campus/#:~:text=Ashington%20Campus%2C%20Berwick%20Campus%2C%20Kirkley

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/people/morpeth-restaurant-thanks-customers-after-permanently-closing-its-doors-8551367

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/lifestyle/food-and-drink/morpeth-restaurant-the-townhouse-announces-closure-as-owner-hints-towards-new-plans-5612922

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/25749838.tomahawk-confirms-sudden-closure-morpeth-restaurant/

No Drill Baby Drill! As Northumberland chaotic Reform Councillors turn their back on Farage Energy Policy?

Following the unbelievable antics of Reform UK members at the County Council AGM when as a body they defied their Group Leader and ultra right wing Deputy Leader chosen by Reform Central Office, broke ranks and voted themselves out of all positions of responsibility. 

It appears they have sunk to new lows in the eyes of their top wealthy Brexiteer denier ranks who sit like Greek Gods controlling all from the new site for Mount Olympus, Millbank Tower 21-24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP where it’s believed both their counting house for members fees and huge donations from international speculators along with their Russian training school for ex Conservative MPs is sited.

Those lows have illustrated to Farage’s black tee shirt brigade that Northumberland Reformers have drastically lurched to the left of UK politics and now sit closer to Labours North East Mayor Kim McGuinness than prospector in charge Richard Tice.

They are so sure of themselves that the under the counter deputy leader of the Northumberland sub-reform group, Rick Baker has smashed the shackles put on by Millbank Tower and come out against Farage’s only policy he hasn’t denied blabbing about: that of his personal and his Party support for Trump’s ‘Drill Baby Drill’ policy heaving a massive NO towards all of the left wing party’s yeses of support with Labour, Greens and LibDem getting as close to net zero as possible over the next decade.

In recent weeks a close working relationship has developed between the Crown Estates, North East’s Labour Mayor and her combined authority partners to develop a 462 turbine wind farm offshore from the Port of Blyth. 

Reform members from Northumberland have wholeheartedly (apart from their Leader and Deputy) shown huge support for this project which will ensure that the mega rich royals get a massive share of the UK’s net zero energy market. They have shown no dissent against Kim McGuinness’s energy jobs increase, if fact quite the opposite as Rick Baker has put out a video showing his support for this project kicking Brexit Farage we’ll truly in his sensitive bits.

Then to cap it all, as a county group they have shown no dissent at all against a 2000 Job energy park being developed on a sensitive site at West Hartford a project Black Tee Shirt Central is completely set against.

With such a breakdown of support for their glorious leader Farage’s prime policy coupled with the mess his early success councils are in, his laughing boy pictures are sure to change as his media infused public drift back towards struggling through Brexit failures all brought about by him and the ultra right.

Job slashing Blyth Reform Councillor fails to change Towns History?

 

But he’s leading the revolt against his nasty party mates?

A recent social media comment from Reform UK’s David Swinhoe stated that  Labour bought Manor Walks in Cramlington in order to close down Blyth Town Centre.

As a man who Google describes as a person who’s heart lies completely in Seaton Delaval where he was a Labour Party councillor before palling up with local racists and neo nazis and running away from his former obligations and long term friends in Seaton valley has got his assumptions completely wrong, a regular problem with Reform councillors.

With your party responsible for slashing grounds maintenance jobs by pulling the plug on additional grass cuts  without any objection from you in  your mayoral position on Blyth Town Council your low standing in Blyths community has taken its expected nosedive.

But back to Manor Walks; According to press releases and Council minutes at the time of purchase where the only dissenter was the Tory Councillor Wayne Daley who called it a 60 yr old relic , Labours reason for asking ARCH to enter into purchasing manor walks was two fold, opportunity and to save it from closure.

History shows that Labour in Northumberland tried to share activity across the whole county with new council homes in Amble and Blyth, top class flood protection for Morpeth and in the Tyne Valley, a new bypass for Morpeth aiding South-east and rural coalfield residents to gain easier access to the A1. Labour also began the engineering studies to ensure the Northumberland line could be reopened. 

Labour also pulled the cat out of the bag by renewing and modernising a number of Leisure Centres to assist in bettering people’s health and while on the subject of health it’s openly reported that they bought out the PFI deal on Hexham General Hospital to stop its closure and set up a lower cost loan scheme which would lead to the eventual renewal of Berwick Hospital.

But back to the slur from Councillor Swinhoe and Blyth? The Keel Row in Blyth wasn’t made available for purchase so Labour bought the massive, becoming derelict Westgate house and opened it up into three large units, they brought a number of excellent showpieces onto Blyths fantastic former market place including a regimental freedom of the County, a fantastic showcase in the Tour of Britain cycle race where Blyth staged a finish at the market place and the unforgettable tall ships race which brought Blyths reputation up as a marine friendly town along with the first Blyth music festival which was embryonically kickstarted by Labour.

Since 2017 the Tories have done nothing but run down the Town, pulling down the Keel Row after lining Northumberland Estates pockets with cash not even attempting to forge a link with the eventually very successful Manor Walks in Cramlington centre to increase Blyths retail offer and then they decided to build a cinema on the market place that ranks as one of the least stylish monoliths in the North.

Pulling down the Keel Row a decision made by Councillor Glen Sanderson’s one party Tory cabinet and build an energy learning centre that could be built near either of Blyth's new stations to benefit students, means that Blyth Town Centre does not have the space to launch a recovery and if the hundreds of millions of new money and jobs do come then your slur of forcing people to shop in Cramlington will come true, but it will be completely down to you and your Reform buddies for not opposing this policy as the major opposition on Northumberland County Council!

So councillor Swinhoe you appear to have followed your party leader and let the wind blow your lips without reading up on what Labour did for Blyth, but what you and your new play pals did at this week's full council in Morpeth showed exactly what Reform are. 

Joining in with the shambolic showing of the Councils leader who allegedly broke long standing agreements your rabble broke away from your own parties county leader and deputy’s voting pattern and turned the meeting into chaos.

Keep it up it’s great comedy.