april 2014 - darlington together

Hello and welcome to the Apriledition of Darlington Together

Spring is traditionally the time of freshstarts and new beginnings. This April, wewelcome Ian Williams, our newDirector for Economic Growth.

Ian will be responsible for attractinginvestment to Darlington to increasethe number of businesses and jobs. While we’vealready had successes in this area including thedevelopment of Central Park and moving 400jobs to the town centre with the new offices forthe Department for Education, I’m positive thatIan will be able to build on this and helpDarlington become an even better place to liveand work.

April sees the start of a packed calendar ofevents for Darlington’s arts and culture scenewith Darlington Arts Festival, the JabberwockyMarket and Darlington Jazz Festival, as well as aninteresting approach to borrowing pieces of art!Visit pages 24 and 25 to find out more.

I’m pleased to hear that the Festival ofThrift is returning to Darlington inSeptember. Twenty seven thousandpeople from all over the countryattended the first event at LingfieldPoint last year, learning many interestingthings about sustainability along theway. There’s more information on page22, and we’ll be keeping you updated

with all the latest news.

Finally, don’t forget that your refuse and recyclingdates will be changing with the Easter BankHoliday – more details are availableon the back page of themagazine, as well as onwww.darlington.gov.uk.

Cllr Bill Dixon MBE(@BillDixonDton)Leader of the Council

Darlington Borough Council | 17

Welcome to thismonth’s magazine forDarlington Borough

MP’s surgeriesJenny Chapman: MP for Darlington. Walk-in surgery will be held on Friday 25April from 9:30 - 10:30am at theConstituency Office, 40a Coniscliffe Road,Darlington, DL3 7RG. E-mail: [email protected]: 01325 382345

Phil Wilson: MP for Sedgefield. Theoffice is open between Monday to Friday,9.30am - 5pm. Appointments can bearranged by calling 01325 321603 or e-mail [email protected]

APRIL

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18 | www.darlington.gov.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF

STREET SCENEwww.darlington.gov.uk/streetsceneTel (01325) 388777

COUNCIL TAXwww.darlington.gov.uk/counciltaxTel (01325) 388373

HOUSING BENEFIT AND COUNCIL TAX SUPPORTwww.darlington.gov.uk/benefitsTel (01325) 388514

HOUSING AND REPAIRSwww.darlington.gov.uk/housingTel (01325) 388542

HIGHWAYS, TRANSPORT, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHwww.darlington.gov.ukTel (01325) 388799

01325 380651

[email protected]

We’re moving to a new website in April.

Visit www.darlington.gov.ukto find out more (or scan the QRcode). We’d love to hear your

feedback!

CONTACT US

St George’s Day: Are you organising any eventsto celebrate St George’s Day?If so, let us know by calling01325 388151 or [email protected] we can help you promotethem. There will be a toast toSt George on 23 April at theMarket Cross at 12noon.

Darlington's newest skatepark isnow finished: 4Motion skateparkofficially opens this month following atemporary closure while the second half ofthe park was built. The park is based atFaverdale Industrial estate and caters forBMX, inline skates, scooters andskateboards. For more information andopening times visitwww.4motiondarlington.org

Check out Facebook and Twitter: Did you knowDarlington Libraries are now on social media? Find them onfacebook or twitter for all the latest news, events and facts.

Help forService menand women: The Royal BritishLegion haschanged itscontact details.You can call themon 0808 802 8080 (calls arefree from UK landlines andmain mobile networks) or visit:www.britishlegion.org.ukThe Royal British Legionsupports Service men andwomen, veterans and theirfamilies.

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Our new customer service centreopens this month. It’s a one-stop shopfor residents who need advice on allareas of Council business fromcouncil tax and business rates tohousing benefit.

Customers can also get financial advicefrom Darlington Credit Union and legaladvice from the Citizens Advice Bureauwhich are both part of the new centre.

Based at the Town Hall, the new centre ismuch bigger than the old one and hasmore private booths, as well as four self-service points which will help to keepwaiting times down.

Ada Burns, Chief executive of the councilsays: “It’s fantastic to have an up-to-datecentre which can serve our customers well. Weaim to provide a quick and convenient servicefor residents and businesses.”

Remember you can pay bills and find outabout Council services online atwww.darlington.gov.uk

At yourservice

Darlington Credit Union is a financial co-operative. It offers people an ethical way tosave, safe in the knowledge that all money isrecycled within the community to offeraffordable loans to local people.

Your savings are guaranteed in-line with the FinancialServices Compensation Scheme and you can accessthem anytime.

Tony Brockley, CEO Darlington Credit Union says:“We’re a local alternative to big banks and being underthe same roof as council services makes us a veryconvenient option. We’d encourage people to open anaccount and save with us as well as coming to us for aloan rather than going to pay day lenders.”

Spotlight on Darlington Credit Union

Sue Pickering and Pam HodgsonCustomer service advisors

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Now in its third year,Foundation for Jobs continuesto deliver work opportunities

for young people across the Borough.Already, more than 1,000 young people havebeen helped into apprenticeships and workthrough the scheme that sees theCouncil working with DarlingtonPartnership and the Northern Echo.

Creating opportunities for young people iscrucial for the local economy as a highly skilledworkforce is needed by local employers inareas such as engineering.

Alongside the success of Foundation for Jobs,another local scheme, Encouraging Engineering,aims to support young people as they worktowards a career in engineering.

Eligible students have received up to £3,000 per year bursary plus paid summer placement of 10 – 12 weeks at £14,000 pro-rata.

Students from Carmel College, QueenElizabeth 6th Form College and DarlingtonCollege recently took part in an open daywhich was hosted by Cummins Engines topromote the Encouraging EngineeringScheme. Professional engineers from severalcompanies involved in the scheme gave thestudents an insight into their day-to-dayworking lives followed by a tour aroundCummins Engines’ factory floor.

The Encouraging Engineering Scheme is now in its fifthyear. Funded by the BAT Legacy, it seeks to addressthe issues of an ageing engineering workforce and isaimed at undergraduate students studying a four yearMechanical Engineering degree at university. Thescheme is open to students who have studied at aDarlington-based college. Eligible students can receiveup to £3,000 per year bursary plus a paid summer

placement of 10–12 weeks of approx. £14,000 prorata as well as mentoring from professional engineers.

Encouraging Engineering is a partnership between theCouncil and some of Tees Valley's largest engineeringemployers. As the scheme has grown, morecompanies have joined including MTE Ltd, CumminsEngines, DeepOcean UK, Henry Williams Ltd andTracerco.

Ron Davison, Technical Director at MTE Ltd, said:“MTE is proud to be part of what we believe to be a veryimportant ingredient in the development of young peoplein the North East.“It makes a valuable contribution to rebuilding thetechnical engineering skill base within the country.”

There are now 10 students on the scheme with twograduating this year both of whom have been

Engineer a good

Encouraging Engineering

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We’d love to hear from local engineering companieswho would like to become involved in the scheme andoffer summer placements to students.

If you are a student and would like to apply for the scheme,you will be able to get further information from your college.

Businesses who would like to get involved please call 01325388943 or email [email protected]


Here’s what some of the EncouragingEngineering students had to say:

“The projects were both small and large scale

which really made me feel like I wasbeing a great help to the company.Overall, I found the experienceinteresting and enjoyable.”

Ben Appleby on Tracero

“My work experience was very productive this year… I even got to design a new set ofpunching tools as part of one of

my projects.” Sam Jones on Henry Williams

Ltd. “..it gave me a good insight into what to

expect in the future if I choose acareer in sub-sea engineering.”

Andy Dockray on DeepOcean

UK

career

successful in being offered full-timeemployment by local companies oncompletion of their degree. Studentplaces on the scheme are limited butwe are hoping to get more localengineering companies on board inorder to create more placementopportunities.

Councillor Chris McEwan, DarlingtonCouncil’s lead on economy andregeneration, said: “To ensure ourengineering firms continue to flourish theyneed to attract the best young people.This scheme aims to ensure Darlingtondoes not suffer a brain drain where highlyskilled young people feel they need tomove away to fulfil their ambitions.”

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It’s official –the Festival of Thrift is returning toLingfield Point on Saturday 27 andSunday 28 September!

The first Festival of Thrift (the first of itskind in the UK) took place in September2013 and was a massive success. Anestimated 27,000 people visited over theweekend—taking part in workshops,enjoying the entertainment and doing abit of thrifty shopping!

Visit www.festivalofthrift.co.uk whereyou can find out more about the festivaland sign up to receive all the latest newsand updates.

Do you have unwanted furniturethat you don’t need anymore?

Do you want to donate it to bereused? Do you want to help peoplein the local area? Does it still have firelabels attached? If the answer is yes…then there are two organisations inDarlington that can help!

FRADE and Kings Church are bothregistered charities specialising infurniture reuse and recycling. Theyare supported by Darlington BoroughCouncil, and both run non-profitfurniture reuse and recyclingschemes to reuse surplusfurniture forcommunitybenefit.

FRADE:To arrange a collection free of chargecall 01325 357379 or drop off at 'The Green House', 14-16 Leadenhall Street.

Kings Church:To arrange a collection free of chargecall 01325 469884 or [email protected] drop it off at theirwarehouse at Prospect Place fromMon-Thurs, 10am-2pm.

Thriftiest festival in townreturns this September!

Spring is in the air...Time tocleanyourhome!

Save money on your energy billsSign up to the Big CommunitySwitch and you could save moneyon your gas and electricity bills.Visit page 26 to find out more.


PICTURE: DAVE

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Following our successful bid for £2.4 million ofgovernment money, work has started to repairthe landslip affecting the A67 road betweenPiecebridge and High Coniscliffe.

The road is an important link between Darlington andTeesdale so we’re working to fix it as soon as possible.This will cause some disruption, but in the long term itwill provide a safe and reliable road for residents,businesses and tourists.

Pipes carrying water to more than 100,000 homes inTeesside run underneath the road so we’re working withNorthumbrian Water to make sure water supplies arenot affected.

On the road to recovery

What is the diversionroute?While the road is closed, the diversion route is theB6275, B6279 Staindrop Road, B6280 Carmel RdNorth and A67 Coniscliffe Road and vice versa.

The A67 will be closed between the Ulnabyjunction and the B6275 junction. Ulnaby lane willremain open.

Durham Lane will be closed throughout workswith the exception of access for residents. Therewill be no way through and it will in effect be a cul-de-sac.

Access for pedestrians (including dismountedcyclists) will be maintained at all times wherepossible.

How will public transport be affected?Arriva Bus services 75, 76 and 76A will run a halfhourly service diverted via Staindrop Road. A taxibus will run from High Coniscliffe to Darlingtonfor the bus route cut off by the closure.

For further information contact Jonathan Gall(Project Manager) on 01325 388751.

Keep up-to-date at:www.darlington.gov.uk/carlbury

The work is happening in three phases:Phase one which saw Northumbrian WaterLimited carry out tests, completed ahead of time.

Phases two and three will see the road closed fromMay 2014 until April 2015.

Phase two: Northumbrian Water Limited willdivert pipes out of the unstable section of road tomake sure water supplies are not affected.

Phase three: We will work to stabilise the 387mof unstable embankment and road.

Map

: Chris M

oran

dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:01

There will be something for everyone as the second-everDarlington Arts Festival gets underway later this month.The Festival promises to be bigger and better, with music,film, visual art and much more in venues across the town.

As well as the Jazz Festival, the Art Lending Library andJabberwocky Market, there will be many other events including: anarts showcase in the Market Place on Sunday 11 May, a Black andWhite Film Festival at the Forum, writing masterclasses and areading of 'Under Milk Wood' which was written by Dylan Thomas.

The Festival is organised by Darlington for Culture with supportfrom various organisations and businesses including CreativeDarlington. Visit www.darlingtonforculture.org for moreinformation.

Darlington Arts Festival Late April and throughout May

Following the success of last year’s event,Jabberwocky Market is making a welcomereturn to Darlington.

The exciting line-up includes productions of 'Shame'by John Berkavitch, '97 years' by Jo Hellier and 'MajorTom' by Victoria Melody at partner venuesDarlington Civic Theatre and the Mercure KingsHotel. For children and families, Mr Doom andMrs Bloom's Story Emporium will be free ofcharge in the town centre market.

Jabberwocky Market has been brought toDarlington by Battersea Arts Centre and Luxi,with support from Creative Darlington.

Tickets cost from £7, and areavailable from the Civic TheatreBox Office.

For more information and a full itinerary ofevents, visit:www.jabberwockymarket.org.uk. Jabberwocky Market is also on Twitter (@JabbMarket) and Facebook(www.facebook.com/JabberwockyMarket)

Jabberwocky MarketThursday 15 to Sunday 18 May

Find out more about what’s www.whatsoninthen

If you’re organisin you can list of charg

Darlington is in April an

There’s lots going on over the organisations come together craft and culture in the tow

there’s something


dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:01

The Art Lending library willallow art lovers to borrow a

work of art from Crown StreetLibrary throughout May.

The lending library is made up of wooden crates,each containing an artwork that people can takehome with them, free of charge. Designers SophieDyer and Sebastian Gorton Kalvik have created a liveonline map that will show in real time the journeysthe artworks take as they spread throughout theBorough.

The project will launchwith a processionthrough Darlingtontown centre onSaturday 3 May. Theonline catalogue will beavailable to view fromMonday 21 April andborrowing will begin onMonday 5 May.

Darlington is the first venue on a nationwide tourthat will see more than sixty works of art by nationaland international artists become available for loanfrom libraries and other venues across the country.

The Art Lending Library project will also includemany free events. Visit:www.artlendinglibrary.org.uk

More than 20 bands from the local, national andinternational Jazz scene will play over a longweekend, with performances at Voodoo Café, TheForum and the Head of Steam Railway Museum.There will also be a Jazz and improvisationworkshop taking place.

Bands and musicians taking part in thefestival include: Darlington Big

Band, The Al Wood Nine, MarkNightingale and Djangologie.

Darlington Jazz FestivalThursday 24 to Sunday 27 April

Visit www.darlingtonjazzfestival.co.uk for more details.

what’s taking place by visitingnthenortheast.co.uk

ganising an event, an list it free

f charge.

Art Lending LibrarySaturday 3 May to Thursday 5 June

n is ‘full of art’ l and May!

Mar

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er the next couple of months as ether to celebrate music, arts,

he town. Whatever you love, ething for everyone.


dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:02


Switch on and save money!

DID YOU KNOW? In our firstswitching event, over 80 householdsswitched energy supplier, saving acombined total of over £16,000!

Do you look after a child for someone whoisn’t a relative? Do you know someone who hasbeen looking after a child that is not their ownfor over 28 days? If so, you need to let us know.

Private fostering is when a child under the age of 16(under 18 if they are disabled) is being cared for bysomeone who is not their parent or a close relativesuch as a grandparent, brother/sister or aunt/uncle,for a period of 28 days or more.

We have a responsibility to make sure all children inDarlington are looked after properly. If we are toldabout a private fostering arrangement, we will checkthat the arrangement is okay, make sure the child is

happy and offer advice and guidance tothe person who is looking after them.

Most private fostering arrangementswork absolutely fine, but things cansometimes go wrong. If they do, wewant to be there to help.

To report a private fosteringarrangement, please contact the MASH(Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) on01325 742020.

You can also visitwww.privatefostering.org.uk for more information.

Keep us in the loop when itcomes to private fostering

We’re offering you another opportunity to take part inthe Big Community Switch – a collective energyswitching scheme where you could save money onyour energy bills.

Householders can join for free – even if you rent or have apre-payment meter. Businesses and Voluntary & Communityorganisations can join for free too.

The more people that take part, the better the savings couldbe!

Register for free, and with no obligation to switch, untilmidnight on Monday 9 June.

Visit www.darlington.gov.uk/bigcommunityswitch

For personal one to one support to register, call Phill atDarlington Citizens Advice Bureau on 01325 256999 (ext. 122).

You will need a copy of a recent bill in your or your partner’sname (or your organisation’s name) to register.

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Monday 7 AprilRun Xplorer ..........................South Park Clock Tower ...........10:30am – 12:30pm (F) No booking

Family Indoor Rounders ....Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm (F)

Trampolining ........................Dolphin Centre ...........................2:30 – 4:00pm 5 – 16 years

Mini Tennis............................Dolphin Centre ...........................2:30 – 4:00pm 5 – 11 years

Family Table Tennis.............Dolphin Centre ...........................1:30 – 3:30pm (F)

Tuesday 8 AprilLunch Time Run ...................Town Hall .....................................12:15 – 12:45pm 16+ years (A) No booking

Tri Golf ..................................Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm 5 – 11 years

Trampolining ........................Dolphin Centre ...........................2:30 – 4:00pm 5 – 16 years

Family Badminton ...............Dolphin Centre ...........................2:30 – 4:00pm (F)


Wednesday 9 AprilRun Xplorer ..........................West Park ....................................10:30am – 12:30pm (F) No booking

Lunch Time Run ...................Town Hall .....................................12:15 – 12:45pm 16+ years (A) No booking

Gymnastics ...........................Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm & 2:30 – 4:00pm 5 – 16 years

Trampolining ........................Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm & 2:30 – 4:00pm 5 – 16 years


Thursday 10 AprilLunch Time Run ...................Town Hall .....................................12:15 – 12:45pm 16+ Years (A) No booking


Basketball .............................Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm 7 – 16 years

Netball ...................................Dolphin Centre ...........................12:30 – 2:00pm 7 – 16 years

Badminton ............................Dolphin Centre ...........................2:30 – 4:00pm (F)

Friday 11 AprilFamily Table Tennis.............Dolphin Centre ...........................1:30 – 3:30pm (F)

Family Bike Ride..................South Park Lakeside Lodge.....10:30am – 12:00pm (F)

Saturday 12 April Run Xplorer ..........................South Park Clock Tower ...........10:30am – 12:30pm (F) No booking

Week Long Diving CampsDolphin Centre (Limited Space) £10.00 for the week camp

Diving Camp 1: Monday – Friday 7 to 11 April ....................8:00 – 9:00am 5 - 16 years

Diving Camp 2: Monday – Friday 7 to 11 April ....................9:00 – 10:00am 5 - 16 years

Come along and try lots of sport and activity sessions this Easter with Sports

Development. To book your place (£1 per session, excluding diving camps)

call 01325 254370 or email [email protected]

The Easter Extravaganza 2014

The Dolphin Centre

has fantastic facilities for all the familyVisit the Pool –which hosts fun inflatable Sessions, a diving pool and slides!

For the little ones there’s the Under the Sea soft play centre to let off some pent up energy.

Adults can visit the Dolphin Gym or grab a coffee or a bite to eat at the Bar Bistro.

For more information on the Dolphin Centre’s facilities visit www.darlington.gov.uk/dolphin

(F) – Suitable for Families

(A) – Adult Session

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MORE than 70 soldiers from 50th(Northern) Signal Squadron, 32 SignalRegiment will exercise their Freedomin Darlington town centre on Saturday26 April, to mark the renewal of theceremonial honour given to theRegiment by the Borough.

The Royal Signals (Northern) Band willperform in the town centre before the eventat Joseph Pease Place at 12.15pm. Members of the unit; along with The RoyalSignals (Northern) Band will parade throughthe town and then convene in the MarketSquare, where Army personnel civicdignitaries, invited guests and members of thepublic will gather to witness the historicFreedom of the Borough Ceremony.

Formal speeches will be made and the MayorCouncillor Charles Johnson will inspect thetroops and salute the occasion. The OfficerCommanding will then present the Mayorwith a gift and the Mayor will present theSquadron with a scroll to mark the occasion.

To round off the event there will be a formalsigning of the Queen Victoria DiamondJubilee Record Book, which contains much ofthe history of the town and signatures ofRoyalty, and other dignitaries who havevisited the town.

Parade SignalsFreedom of the Borough

The event marks the 45th Anniversaryyear of the Freedom but also co-incideswith the centenary commemoration ofthe First World War.

Temporary road closures in the town centrewill take place during the event – these willbe advertised in advance through road signs.

As part of 32 SignalRegiment the Squadronprovides vital UKresilience informationand communicationssystems support to 15(North East) Brigadeand the EmergencyServices during timesof crisis and hasrecently providedoperational support tothe 2012 OlympicGames, the 2013 G8summit and otheremergencies such asflooding, industrialaction and outbreaks of disease.

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Arriva’s Sapphire bus service is provinga hit in Darlington. Since December,there has been a 7% increase in peopleusing the service to get around andpassengers have taken to Twitter topraise the route which has seen a 23%improvement in customer satisfaction.

Operating on route 7, between Darlington and Durham, the busesoffer free WiFi, electric charging points and e-leather seats withextra leg room. They are driven by dedicated Sapphire driverswho have completed extra customer service training.

Thanks to grant funding from the Council, the buses boast anaudio-visual announcement system to help visually impaired peopleand those with hearing impairments to travel more independently.

Councillor David Lyonette, Darlington Council’s Cabinet Memberfor Transport, said: “The Sapphire service is making great strides inimproving people’s view of bus travel. The audio announcement system isa fantastic addition that helps disabled people, and those that don’t usethe bus regularly, to travel with more confidence.”

Bus route is a real gem

Dust off your bunting, dig out your trestle table, rustle upsome party food and get ready for Darlington’s Big Lunch onSunday 1 June.

It will be a Sunday lunch with a difference as thousands of people inthousands of streets across the UK get together for a Big Lunch.We’d love as many people as possible in Darlington to get involved.

How to set up a party:• For information about road closures and delivering an event safelyvisit www.darlington.gov.uk/pesag. Get in touch with us aboutfinding a venue or for more advice, [email protected] before 14 April.

• Get inspiration and order your Starter Pack (which containsinvites, posters and more) from the Big Lunch website:www.thebiglunch.com

• Ask your neighbours to help by bringing along food and drinks• Make up some fun party games!

The Big Lunch is an ideal way to getto know your neighbours in a fun andfriendly way and bring your streettogether.

The Big Lunch is a national initiativestarted by the Eden Project whichaims to bring together communities.It is Lottery funded and sponsored byAsda, Halifax and B&Q.

@Jadeelouie: Feel like I've just boarded a plane@arrivanortheast #sapphire

Darlington’s Big Lunch – Sunday 1 June

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The Business Growth Hub is aninnovative new building that willsupport up to 64 new and smallbusinesses in Darlington with stateof the art business accommodationat any one time.

Based on the Central Park EnterpriseZone site and close to the railwaystation, the Business Growth Hub willprovide Grade A office space and one-stop support services for small andmedium sized businesses.

During its lifetime, the Hub will supportthe creation of at least 25 newbusinesses and 350 new jobs, seeingaround 200 businesses occupy thespace. The £6.6m project has beensupported with funding from theEuropean Regional Development Fund(ERDF) (£3.3m) and the Homes andCommunities Agency (HCA) (£3m).

The project is being managed by TheCouncil who applied and received thefunding for the scheme. Constructionwork is expected to last around 12months. Once open, the Hub will beoperated by the North East BusinessInnovation Centre (NE-BIC) Ltd/Tedco,an organisation with proven expertise inmanaging and developing Innovation andIncubation Centre sites.

Darlington’s ground - b Work is well underway on a number oflarge scale developments that will seehundreds of jobs created in Darlington.

The steel framework is now in place for theDepartment for Education (DfE) offices behindthe Town Hall that will see 400 jobs move to thetown centre. Last month saw the first spade breakthe ground for Darlington’s first ever BusinessGrowth Hub.

The Hub forms part of the wider regeneration ofCentral Park within the Tees Valley EnterpriseZone; a site targeted at digital companiesalongside biologics and advanced engineering. It ishoped the facility will kick-start enterprisedevelopment on the site and will set the scene fora new commercial and business centre close tothe railway station, the education hub ofDarlington College and Teesside University andclose to the town centre.

Work starts on Business Growth Hub


dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:04

David Jackson(Covered Market Butcher) –“It’s bound to have a beneficialeffect on the town centre having400 extra people in town everyday, if they’re in the town centrethey’ll nip in at lunch time like theTown Hall staff do.”

Stefano Foffano(Foffano’s Restaurant, MarketSquare) – “We are happy;obviously the development willbring more people into the town.We look forward to welcoming theDepartment for Education staffinto our restaurant at lunchtimes.”

Darren Syddall(Origins, Grange Road) –“I think it’ll be quite good, anyinflux of people and jobs to thetown centre is good for us;especially as we are opening anew coffee shop soon. This newbuilding in conjunction with all ofthe other development going onaround Darlington can only begood for the town.”

Councillor Chris McEwan, Darlington Council’s lead on economy and regeneration, said:“The new offices will bring 400 hundredextra people into the town every week.That’s more customers for our towncentre shops, cafes and leisure facilities.

It is a tough time for all retail sectorsand this development will help give towncentre businesses the boost they need.”

As work continues on the Department for Educationoffices in Darlington, we look at the positive benefitsof the new development for town centre businesses.

With completion set for early 2015, the £8m developmentwill accommodate around 400 DfE workers as they move outof their existing offices at Mowden Hall, ensuring that the 400jobs stay in Darlington.

As the building takes shape behind the Town Hall, DarlingtonTogether went out and about in the town to ask localbusinesses what they thought about the new development.

A frameworkfor the future

- breaking investments

Residents can track the progress of theconstruction work on Willmott Dixon’sTwitter account @feethamsoffice and alsoon the Council’s website:www.darlington.gov.uk/dfeoffices


dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:05

BANK TOP WARD Veronica Copeland (L) Tel: 358530; ChrisTaylor (L), Tel: 243298. Fri 18 Apr, King William StreetCommunity Centre 5pm-6pm. Wesley Court CommunityCentre, Rocket Street 6pm-6.30pm

CENTRAL WARD Jan Taylor (L) Tel: 243298; Malcolm Wright(L) Tel: 484374. Wed 30 Apr, Borough Road Nursery, 6pm-7pm.

COCKERTON EAST WARD Paul Baldwin (L) Tel: 362690Sue Richmond (L) Tel: 351538. Bryan Thistlethwaite (L) Tel:485466. Thurs 10 Apr, Cockerton Library 6pm-7pm.

COCKERTON WEST WARD Jan Cossins (L) Tel: 241124David Regan (L) Tel: 495258. Wed 9 Apr, Windsor Court 10am-11am. Thurs 10 Apr, Cockerton Library 6pm – 7pm.

COLLEGE WARDTony Richmond (C) Tel: 351538 IanGalletley (C) Tel: 07507904109. Wed 2 Apr, Abbey Junior School7pm-8pm.

EASTBOURNE WARD Bill Dixon (L) Tel: 486588 RoderickFrancis (L) Tel: 488173 Lee Vasey (L) Tel: 488513. Wed 16 Apr,Pilmoor Green Community Centre 5pm-6pm. Wed 30 Apr,Maidendale House 3pm-4pm.

FAVERDALE Richard Grundy (C) Tel: 266314. Wed 16 Apr,West Park Academy 6pm-7pm.

HARROWGATE HILL WARD Gill Cartwright (C) Tel:382276. Wed 7 May, Harrowgate CIU Ltd. Salters Lane North7.30pm – 8.30pm. Marjory Knowles (L) Tel: 265847 John Vasey(L) Tel: 488513. Thu 3 Apr, Classroom in the New Sports HallLongfield Academy 7pm-8pm.

HAUGHTON EAST WARD Chris McEwan (L) Tel: 283262Martin Landers (L) Tel: 07709804580. Sat 3 May, Asda Foyer10am-11.30am, Wed 7 May, Education Village, 6pm-7pm.

HAUGHTON NORTH WARDTom Nutt (L) Tel: [email protected] Beverley Hutchinson (L) Tel:262015. Sat 3 May, Asda Foyer 10am-11.30am.

HAUGHTON WEST WARD Nick Wallis (L) Tel: 488797David Lyonette (L) Tel: 464693 Andy Scott (L) Tel: [email protected] Wed 9 Apr, Salvation Army,Thompson St. 6pm–7pm, Sat 3 May, Asda Foyer 10am-11.30am.

HEIGHINGTON AND CONISCLIFFE WARD Gerald Lee(C) Tel: 314622 Paul Crudass (C) Tel: 374537. Sat 3 May, HighConiscliffe Village Hall, 10am-11am.

HUMMERSKNOTT WARDAlan Coultas (C) Tel: 350453Charles Johnson (C) Tel: 463712. Mon 28 Apr, Carmel College6pm-7pm.

HURWORTH WARD Joe Kelley (LD) Tel: 266760. MartinSwainston (LD) Tel: 07535637060. Thurs 1 May, HurworthGrange Community Centre Library 6pm-7pm.

LASCELLES WARDWendy Newall (L) Tel: 251574. HelenCrumbie (L) Tel: 462642. Sat 12 Apr, Cleveland Bridge SocialClub 12 noon – 1pm.

LINGFIELD WARD Ian Haszeldine (L) Tel: 741508 LynneHaszeldine (L) Tel: 07950521511.Wed 9 Apr, Eastbourne SportsComplex, 6pm-6.30pm. Wed 23 Apr, Heathfield Primary School,6pm-6.30pm.

MIDDLETON ST. GEORGE WARD Doris Jones (C) Tel:332820 Steve York (C) Tel: 332025. Tues 22 Apr, Dinsdale Court6.15pm-7.15pm.

MOWDEN WARD Bill Stenson (C) Tel: 468249. Tue 6 May,Mowden Junior School 6.30pm-7.30pm.

NORTH ROAD WARDAnne-Marie Curry (LD) Tel:07531304050 [email protected] Fred Lawton(LD) Tel: 467413 Alan Macnab (LD) Tel: 482015 Wed 23 Apr, StThomas Aquinas Church Hall 1pm-2pm.

NORTHGATE WARD Eleanor Lister, (L) Tel. 254091 DorothyLong, (L) Tel. 355755 Wed 7 May, Reid Street Primary School,6pm-7pm.

PARK EAST WARD Paul Harman (L) Tel: 483259 CyndiHughes (L) Tel: 480975 Joe Lyonette (L) Tel: 263480. Fri 11 Apr,St. Columbas Church Hall 6-7pm. Fri 18 Apr, The ColeridgeCentre 6-7pm.

PARK WEST WARD Bob Donoghue (C) Tel: 352582 HeatherScott (C) Tel: 468547. Fri 18 Apr, 76 Carmel Road South 5pm-6pm.

PIERREMONT WARD Bob Carson (L) Tel: 240627 StephenHarker (L) Tel: 380039 Linda Hughes (L) Tel: 07904772387. Wed2 Apr and Wed 7 May, Reid Street Primary School 6-7pm.

SADBERGE AND WHESSOE Brian Jones (C) Tel: 332820.Tue 29 Apr, Sadberge Village Hall, 6pm-7pm.

E-mailing councillors: If you wish to e-mail your councillor their e-mail address is: [email protected]

For example, if you wish to e-mail Bill Dixon, type in [email protected]

• The only exceptions are Andy Scott (Haughton West Ward), Anne-Marie Curry (North Road Ward) and Tom Nutt (HaughtonNorth); their e-mail addresses are shown with their ward surgery details.


Please contact your local councillor if you have any issues thatare affecting life in your ward – they are here to listen to you. You can email, call and meet them face-to-face at regular ward surgeries. For more information visit www.darlington.gov.uk/wards

DARLINGTONTOGETHER

Key: (L) Labour (C) Conservative (LD) Liberal Democrat

Upcoming Committee DatesPlace Scrutiny Committee Wed 9 April 9.30am Committee Room 3

Efficiency and Resources Scrutiny Committee Thur 10 April 9.30am Committee Room 2

Health and Partnership Scrutiny Committee Tue 15 April 9.30am Committee Room 2

Health and Well Being Board Tue 15 April 3.30pm Committee Room 1

Adults and Housing Scrutiny Committee Tue 22 April 9.30am Committee Room 2

SACRE Tue 22 April 4pm Committee Room 1

Cabinet Tue 29 April 5pm Committee Room 2

General Licensing Committee Tue 6 May 9.30am Committee Room 1

Special Health and Partnership Scrutiny Committee Wed 7 May 9.30am Committee Room 2

Planning Applications Committee Wed 7 May 1.30pm Committee Room 2

Council Wed 8 May 6pm Council Chamber

dres0137_DT March 2014 18/03/2014 13:05

april 2014 - darlington together

Documents

darlington inseptember

darlington jazz festival

darlingtons arts

council tax

festival ofthrift

new beginnings

new website

half ofthe park