Introduction

Your Council has 21 Councillors – 8 representing the Grange and the Colliery and 13 representing the Village – and are as follows –

The Village
Sheila Appleton
John Burton
Lily Burton
Denise Davison
Michael Davison
George Terrans
Bernadette Thompson
Julie Thompson (part year)
Keith Thompson
Paul Trippett
Andrew Varty
Christine Varty
Rita Welsh (part year)
Grange/Colliery
Anderson Chapman
Eileen Dickinson
George Elliott
George R Elliott
Mary Elliott
Lucy Hovvels
Margaret Hughes
Derrick Redden

The Council Chair and Vice-Chair for the year were Christine Varty and Derrick Redden respectively.

Income

For the year in question the Council raised income as follows –

Council Tax
Cemetery Fees
Allotment Rents
Grass cutting contracts
VAT Refund
Other
£149975
£3470
£385
£12158
£4281
£72

In considering the level of Council tax for the year the Council took into account the general rise in inflation and the need to increase financial support to Trimdon Community College in order to avoid its closure and to increase general maintenance of the environment in line with the findings of the Environmental appraisal for the parish as prepared by the former Sedgefield Borough Council.

Expenditure

Apart from the salaries of the part time Clerk, 2 permanent full time grounds maintenance staff and 1 summer part time temporary worker, the Council is responsible for the following –

Maintenance of the football fields and cricket pitch at the Village Community Centre
Cutting the Village Greens on the Front Streets
Cutting the football pitches at the Grange
Cutting the grassed area on the land attached to the former Community Centre at the Colliery
Cutting the Millennium Green in the Village
The cemetery
The flower tubs around the villages
The grassed areas at the Village Junior and Infant Schools and St William’s Primary School (this work is paid for by the schools concerned
General maintenance of the play areas in the 3 villages
Financial support to community groups.
Maintenance of the 3 allotment sites in the Parish
Maintenance of bus shelters

Overall the Council’s expenditure included –

General supplies
Contractors (grass cutting
Cemetery maintenance
Allotments
Machinery (purchase maintenance)
Wages
Administration costs
Insurances
Skerne Play Park security
Council van and grass cutters
(lease and fuel)
Grants were given as follows –
Village Community College
Grange Community Centre
Colliery Community activities
Village Hall
National Play Day
Trimdon Utd Juniors FC
Learning Library
Trimdon Youth Club
St Mary Magdalene Church
St Alban’s Church
United Methodist Church
Miners Banner Association
Poppy Day
£5905
£6247
£5340
£1670
£2595
£63578
£7524
£4735
£1845
£8804
£11600
£1025
£1000
£1000
£1000
£170
£100
£1000
£424
£100
£100
£100
£50

Traditionally the Council has given financial support to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

As the CAB has its own financial problems we have agreed not to give a grant as there was no way to guarantee that the service would continue to be provided in the Parish.

We have however agreed to pay the costs of the CAB when attending in Trimdon by the payment of its expenses directly to the Village Hall, whose premises it uses, thus ensuring the continuation of the service to local residents.

Other activities

The Council also works in partnership with all the local schools, community centres and village halls by providing assistance when possible free of charge.

It reviews planning applications and comments in ways that will protect or enhance the Parish.

The Council also regularly meets with the local Police and raises issues relevant to its area, particularly with reference to anto social behaviour and drug related offences.

Many local issues of provision are solved following intervention by your local County Councillors where Durham County Council is the provider of service.

The Council is represented on the Management Committees of all the Community Centres and Village Halls, the Sedgefield District Relief in Need Charity, the John Airey Trust and a number of Parish Council management related groups.

Council Spending in the Future

In November 2010 the Council was informed that Durham County Council was to suffer significant reductions in its expenditure (£135m over the following 3 years) as a result of the National Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

There was a distinct possibly that the Village library would close as well reductions in financial support to the Village Community College.

As it happened the library was reprieved for 12 months but financial support was withdrawn from the Village Community College and the cost of caretaking and cleaning was withdrawn from the Grange Community Centre and the Village Hall in Trimdon.

Former Car Park at Myrobella

The Council has ensured that the car park at Myrobella, the former home of Tony Blair remains as a public asset available to the local community.