Tag: council

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Newcastle residents could be told to recycle fewer items

“Confused” residents could be told to recycle fewer items after costing council bosses £500,000 by putting the wrong kind of rubbish in their bins.

Newcastle rubbish and recycling bins – Photo courtesy BBC News Tyne & Wear/ Google

BBC News Tyne & Wear has reported the following story:

“Newcastle City Council said it was considering limiting its efforts to a small number of items that are “very clearly able to be recycled”.

The local authority must cover the cost of removing the wrong type of rubbish, such as nappies or food waste.

Contamination can also result in recycling being sent to landfill.

Nick Kemp, cabinet member for the environment, told a scrutiny panel meeting on Thursday: “It is quite a complicated area for something that should be very simple. We are looking at a revised strategy.

“We are looking at potentially identifying a smaller number of items that are very clearly able to be recycled.

“It may mean that more items that could be recycled actually go to landfill, but there would be less contamination.”

In March it was revealed contamination issues cost the authority half a million pounds in 2017/18.”

The above news item was reported on 26 October 2018 by BBC News Tyne & Wear and you can read the story on their website.

See also our earlier news story on Newcastle City Council waste strategy consultation

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Newcastle waste strategy consultation

Newcastle City Council wants to hear residents views about waste.

The council wishes to gather the views of residents, businesses and stakeholders on how we manage waste in Newcastle.

The following announcement has been made by Newcastle City Council:

“Having asked for residents’ and businesses’ views on our proposed priorities for the Newcastle upon Tyne Waste Strategy in the first stage of our consultation, in this next stage we want to get people’s views about the specific actions we are thinking of taking to ensure that the Waste Strategy Action Plan will deliver the outcomes we want.

The Waste Strategy is being developed based on several key areas:

  • Behaviour change and education
  • Enforcement
  • Food waste
  • Markets and technology
  • Operations and planning
  • Partnerships, public and private
  • Recovering value from waste
  • Recycling and composting
  • Waste prevention, including reuse


To help us ensure we meet our outcomes, we want your views on the actions we are thinking of taking to achieve our goals for each of these key areas. You can find out more about this here: Newcastle Waste Strategy Consultation Stage 2 Information 2018. 

Please give us your views by taking part in our online survey, before 31 October 2018.”

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

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Landlord fined for allowing property to deteriorate

A landlord has been fined for allowing his property to become an eyesore.

Newcastle City Council had received reports about the state of Cristopher Cleghorn’s Gosforth property, including complaints about broken windows, overgrown gardens, broken fencing and piles of rubbish built up around the property.

The council’s Public Protection and Neighbourhoods team visited the property and served Mr Cleghorn with notices to repair the house, but he failed to comply.

Cleghorn pleaded guilty to an offence under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 at Newcastle Magistrates Court and was fined £1,000, ordered to pay £467 in costs, and made subject to a remedial order requiring him to carry out the work as previously instructed.

Cllr Nick Kemp, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This prosecution shows that landlords cannot flout regulations which exist to help residents and neighbourhoods.

“This vacant property was left unkempt, had a stockpile of rubbish creating a nuisance for neighbouring residents and became a beacon for anti-social behaviour in the area.

“Landlords have a responsibility to maintain standards at their properties. Our Public Protection and Neighbourhoods team made every effort to contact this landlord and gave him ample opportunity to act before legal action was brought.

“His continued refusal to sort this mess out and his subsequent prosecution should serve as a warning to all other landlords in the city.”

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

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Mobike exits Gosforth and High West Jesmond

The cycle-sharing scheme Mobike UK has cut Gosforth and High West Jesmond from its operating area in Newcastle.

The announcement of the reduced operating area in Newcastle came in September 2018.

Users of the mobile app were presented with a new map of the operating area when they logged in on their smartphones.

Image courtesy Evening Chronicle (from a Mobike UK handout – September 2018) “Mobike is reducing the size of the designated cycling area in Newcastle and Gateshead. The blue line was when we first launched; the light grey area was where we expanded; the darker area is the ‘new’ operating area.”

Mobike UK launced with a fanfare in October 2017.

Having expanded the initial area of operating in February 2018 to include High West Jesmond, Gosforth and other areas in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, the latest change severly restricts the operational area in the city.

Read our Feb 2018 article: Mobike extends to High West Jesmond & Gosforth

Mobike previously expanded to Gosforth & High West Jesmond

Mobike UK itself issued a blog posting in Feb 2018 promoting its expansion in Newcastle noting that it was:

“expanding its successful scheme in Newcastle to respond to increasing demand from the city and its residents.”

“The expansion follows discussions between Mobike, local authorities and councils. Newcastle has made significant investment in cycling infrastructure in recent years, thanks to it becoming one of the UK’s eight ‘Cycle Cities’ and its ambition to support sustainable travel. New cycle lanes and routes, both inside and out of the city centre, make Newcastle a perfect Mobike city.”

Now High West Jesmond & Gosforth are cut out from cycle scheme

Removing High West Jesmond and Gosforth means that residents can no longer take advantage of bikes in their local area.

At one point the cycle racks at the Ilford Road Metro station (platform towards the coast and airport) regularly had the distinctive orange Mobikes available, as illustrated in the photo below from 2 August 2018. 

Mobikes parked at Ilford Road Metro station on 2 August 2018

However, despite the fine weather, for much of the school summer holidays there were no orange Mobikes available at all at Ilford Road Metro station – the picture on 4 August 2018 illustrates the lack of bikes.

All gone – even before the official announcement of the exclusion of High West Jesmond from the cycle-sharing scheme, there were no Mobikes at Ilford Road Metro station on 4 August 2018

Our Twitter account @highwestjesmond notified Mobike UK of the lack of bikes at Ilford Ropad Metro station on 4 August 2018 and we received a reply that stated “thanks for letting us know – we will get bikes back to this area soon”.

Mobike UK responds on 6 August to previous tweet from @highwestjesmond notring lack of bikes on 4 August 2018

The shrinkage in the operating area in Newcastle in Sept 2018 follows a decision by Mobike UK to withdraw completely from Manchester.

 

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Newcastle Allotment and Garden Fete 2018

Budding gardeners and green-fingered enthusiasts are invited to show off their gardening skills once again at the annual Newcastle Allotment and Garden Fete, organised by Newcastle City Council in partnership with the city’s Allotments Working Group (NAWG) .

There is a small charge of £3 per exhibitor and for this you can enter as many classes as you wish, children’s classes are free. Prize money will be awarded to the best exhibits on the day, so please feel free to enter prior to staging on Saturday 1st September (see attached schedule).

Staging day on Saturday 1  September

A fun filled weekend for family & friends, starting on Saturday 1st September through to Sunday 2nd September 11am – 5pm , including, live music, funfair rides, inflatable football, Active Newcastle, children’s crafts, Kirkley Hall Zoo, climbing wall, face painting , smoothie bike, raffles, stalls selling a wide range of flowers, produce and preserves, advice on bee keeping and organic gardening and much more, all taking place within the beautiful setting of Leazes Park, Newcastle’s oldest park, close to the city centre.

Keith Rogerson, chairman of the AWG, said: “There will be a full range of flower, vegetable and fruit classes, including the popular and prestigious 2 Pot Leeks Challenge Cup, plus produce classes for jams, chutneys and wine.”

Public show on Sunday 2 September

The public show starts at 11am on Sunday 2 September, when the main marquee will be officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle (Cllr David Down) and finishes at 5pm.

All entrants must stage their exhibits on Saturday 1st September between 10am – 4.30pm, ready for public viewing on the Sunday.

For more details, contact Newcastle Allotments Officer, Mark Todd, on 0191 278 7878.

The above news release was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

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Newcastle’s first female GP honoured

The first female GP in Newcastle who campaigned for children’s and women’s health has been commemorated when a plaque was unveiled in her memory.

Dr Ethel Williams, the first female GP in Newcastle upon Tyne, lived in Jesmond

Ethel Williams was also reputedly the first woman in the North East to drive her own car – and service it.

Jesmond resident

Williams (1863-1945) lived at 3 Osborne Terrace, Jesmond, where Lord Mayor of Newcastle Cllr David Down unveiled a plaque in her memory on Wednesday, July 18.

Among those at the unveiling were members of the Workers Educational Association which championed her case for a plaque.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Public Health, Cllr Kim McGuinness, said: “Newcastle is a city with a rich heritage and a history of striving for equality. Ethel Williams’ remarkable story is part of that.

“This year we celebrate 100 years since some women got the vote. Commemorating great women who played a part in making the city the great place it is today is part of that celebration and it’s fantastic to see Ethel Williams honoured.

“Our blue plaques are designed to draw attention to the great sons and daughters of Newcastle so future generations can learn about them and be inspired and to keep drive our great city forward.”

Plaque unveiled at 3 Osborne Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne – photo courtesy Newcastle University

Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr David Down, said: “In many respects Ethel Williams was a woman ahead of her time. She vigorously campaigned for women to get the vote and as a GP did a huge amount to improve the health and well-being of women and children.”

Set up her own GP practice

Williams attended the London School of Medicine for Women and graduated in 1891, but had to gain her internship abroad in Paris and Vienna, as women could not train in British hospitals.

Such barriers, and her belief in the need to supplement medical care with social reform, led to her active involvement in the suffragette movement. Though never militant, she withheld her taxes in 1905 – a year before she set up her own GP practice.

She co-founded the Northern Women’s Hospital in 1917 and, when she retired in 1924, she left her practice to another female doctor, Dr Mona MacNaughton. By this time there were 14 female doctors practicing in Newcastle.

She died in 1948 and Ethel Williams’ Halls of Residence was opened in her memory in 1950 at Newcastle University.

Williams was an active member of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. A banner from the Mud March in which she took part is on display in the Ethel Williams Collection in Newcastle University’s Robinson Library.

She was also a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. In 1915 she was due to travel to a conference in The Hague but was prevented from doing so by the Government.

Williams went on to become a Justice of the Peace, a member of Newcastle Education Committee and co-founder of the Monkton Home for Mental Defectives, the Northern Women’s Hospital and the Medical Women’s Federation.

 

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