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STANHOPE PARISH COUNCIL

At a meeting of the Council held in Eastgate Village Hall on 1st April 2026

Weardale Gazette: Trusted source for local news, events, and community updates.

PRESENT:

Cllr M Brewin, Cllr Mrs S Thompson, Cllr D Craig, Cllr Mrs D Sutcliff, Cllr J Shuttleworth,  Cllr Mrs D Wright, Cllr Mrs C Burdis, Cllr Mrs S Smart, Cllr R Lawrie, Cllr E Buchanan

Cllr Miss J Carrick – Chairman, Susan Anderson – Clerk

Also Present:

Inspector Andy Reeves – Community Safety Responder

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Apologies for Absence

Cllr L Blackett, Cllr Mrs A Savory (asking a question at the NE Combined Mayors session at Bishop Auckland, Cllr P Turton

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To Receive Any Declarations of Interest from Members

None received

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Minutes of the meeting held on 4th March 2026

After attending the data protection training the wording has been changed in Minute No 11164 matters arising point 2.

Minutes were moved as a true and correct record and were signed by the Chairman

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Police and the Community

Inspector Andy Reeves and Tom Lowther Community Safety Responder

Cllr Miss Carrick welcomed Insp Reeves and T Lowther to the meeting. Insp Reeves grew up in Stanhope and went to Stanhope Barrington School and then onto Wolsingham School. He joined the Navy and served out in the Gulf War. After coming out of the Navy he joined the Police Force as a Detention Officer and was then promoted to Sergeant. He has also worked in the Control Room so knows exactly how that works. Insp Reeves helped with getting the fencing on the viaduct at Bishop Auckland and has a good success rate in rural crime. The quad bike thefts are known criminals and enquiries are on-going. Cllr Shuttleworth mentioned the quad bike thefts between August and February when its dark nights and inclement weather.  The Police Team now have shift patterns and every four to six weeks there is operation check point. The thieves move around between Cumbria, Scotland, York and back to Durham.

Cllr Mrs Smart asked if there were crimes that were not reported to the Police. Insp Reeves said that there are crimes that are not reported and that people need to report every crime so that he knows what is happening. People can pop into Stanhope Police Station or the 101 number can be called.

Cllr Mrs Sutcliff asked if there are enough ANPR cameras in the dale. Insp Reeves said that there are not enough cameras and yes, he would like more of them. In Teasdale there are some Rapid Deployed Cameras which can be moved around. Everything comes down to money and an ANPR camera is roughly between £5000-£7000. Cllr Mrs Sutcliff asked how do the thieves know when a new quad bike arrives at a farm. Apparently when a quad bike is stolen the NFU pay out quickly so that the thieves steal the quad and then go back in a few weeks to steal the new bike. Cllr Craig mentioned the motorcycle accident at Westgate and was wondering why the traffic could not have been turned around at Eastgate. The Police have to manage the scene within the line of sight so there are not the resources to have more police cars further down the road. The police motorcycles have been up the dale again educating drivers. Cllr R Lawrie and Cllr Mrs Thompson mentioned the concern of stealing kerosene and whether to leave the tank locked are unlocked and risk the tank been damaged. Cllr Brewin mentioned that Tom the Community Safety Responder is well liked in Frosterley and does a lot of Community Engagement. Cllr Miss Carrick thanked the Police for attending the meeting it was much appreciated.

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Matters Arising

  1. BUS SHELTER BY WILLARD GROVE, STANHOPE – The request has been turned down due to the existing site conditions, layout and dimensions.
  2. CAMBOKEELS SITE – The recent activity at the Cambokeels mine site involves trialling different treatment technologies to investigate whether they could be used to build full-scale schemes to treat polluting mine waters across England. A fence has been erected for safety reasons around the tipper structure. The WAMM programme is reviewing what may be required in terms of treating the mine water. An update will be provided to stakeholders later in 2026.
  3. NORTHERN LITHIUM – Mr Stringer has emailed the company to try and encourage them to engage with the Parish Council. An email has also been sent to them via their website.
  4. WEARDALE LITHIUM – An email has been sent via their website to see if any update is available. No reply has been received yet.
  5. BRIDGES AT ST JOHNS JOHN CHAPEL – The Burnfoot Bridge works are still being finalised. The main works will take place over the summer school holidays.
  6. PYE CLOSE BRIDGE, FROSTERLEY – The replacement at the Pye Close footbridge commenced this week
  7. NEWTOWN HOUSE AND STANHOPE TOWN HALL –  Both are in private ownership and the Town Hall is now up for sale.
  8. FOOTPATH 32 FROM WEST BLACKDENE TO NEWHOUSE – There is a finger post at the West Blackdene end but the footpath is not accessible across either of the landowner’s ground at West Blackdene or Newhouse. This has in the past been reported to the footpath officer. Resolved: Clerk to contact the footpath officer

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Correspondence Received

  1. A pothole was reported to DCC on the road between Eastgate and Rookhope. The hole has been repaired and the road will be patched by the end of April and resurfaced in the summer.
  2. A small cancer charity based in Spennymoor are currently supporting almost 500 families throughout the whole of the North east. They are contacting Town and Parish Councils where they are actively supporting families. They would like to discuss ways in which they can raise their profile and awareness in our community. Resolved: Clerk to ask for more information
  3. We have received an email from Savills who have been tasked with reviewing the portfolio of the Durham Diocese’s land. Bondisle Allotments falls under this and Savills are looking at the options of long-term ownership either by the Parish Council or Community Groups. The allotments would be gifted and the owner would be responsible for the site. As we are already responsible for all of the other allotment sites this one would be no different. This site is very popular and the tenants rarely give the plots up. A plot has recently been let and the couple have been on the waiting list for five years. Resolved: The councillors agreed for the Parish Council to take long-term ownership of Bondisle Allotments.
  4. A lady is trying to find out some details of who is responsible for a family members grave who is buried in Frosterley Cemetery. She has already asked DCC, the Diocese and The Story Archives but cannot find a registration of the grave itself. The lady has been given the contact details of someone who might be able to help.
  5. The Weardale Railway have applied to the Durham Combined Mayors Funding Programme. A letter of support has been sent.
  6. Cllr Miss Carrick mentioned that there is a bollard that needs repairing by the red brick house at Eastgate. This has been reported to DCC.
  7. Cllr Mrs Thompson mentioned that there are two bad areas of road just before and just after Harelaw, Stanhope. This has been reported to J Hodges. The road will be inspected shortly and the repairs should be done within 72 hours.
  8. An email was received looking for participants to help in a case study on Storm Arwen. The email was sent to all councillors. Cllr Shuttleworth has helped with this and Cllr Mrs D Sutcliff is also meeting her.
  9. DCC will be consulting on an interim Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) policy between Wed 25th March and Tuesday 5th May 2026.
  10. An email has been received from a resident who is concerned about the playing field at Coronation Avenue which is being used as a car turning point and access when children are playing.
  11. Cllr Turton had written to the MP concerning the price of Kerosene and how it is affecting rural areas. The reply that came back was sent to all of the councillors.
  12. Street light number 84 which is outside the Coop is on all day. This has been reported to DCC.

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Planning Matters

PLANNING PERMISSION

DM/26/00243/FPA

Removal of 2 no metal up and over garage doors and frames and insert timber framed double glazed six pane window and door sets within existing openings. Internal garage conversion to form larger utility and new study area.

8 Weardale House

Stanhope

NOTIFICATION OF PLANNING APPEAL APRIL MEETING 2026

DM/25/02027/FPA

FAR PLACE

SIDEHEAD

WESTGATE

Siting of ground mounted solar panels, together with the associated creation of hardstanding

(part retrospective)

Appeal start date 31st March 2026

Comments can be sent to the Inspectorate within 5 weeks and 2 days of the Appeal Start date.

The appeal documents are available for inspection at publicaccess.durham.gov/online-applications

Resolved: Clerk to send an objection letter

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Finance

1. WJP SOFTWARE has sent some information on the cost of new .gov.uk email for all of the councillors.

This is needed following the data protection course that we did and that councillors should not be using their own email addresses. The presentation from CDALC was sent to all of the councillors to watch.

The two options are :

Basic/Kiosk emails which are 2GB storage and web or mobile app based (not compatible with desktop versions of Outlook ) £26 per user, per year.

12 accounts would cost £312 + vat per year.

Standard Emails – which are 50GB storage and along with web and mobile are also compatible with desktop versions of Outlook.

£47 per user, per year

12 accounts would cost £564.00 + vat per year.

There would be no set up cost and would offer support to me and the councillors to facilitate the set up. Resolved: Councillor Shuttleworth will see if there are any alternatives

2. Bank reconciliation figures and audit figures will be sent during April to all councillors.

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New Matters for Discussion

  1. Cllr Mrs Burdis would like the car park at Frosterley cleaning up. There are leaves laid about and the self-seeding trees need to come out. Resolved: Cllr Shuttleworth will report this
  2. Cllr Mrs Thompson would like the drains clearing out up Stoney Path road, Ireshopeburn.
  3. Cllr Blackett was wondering if DCC will be providing the clear plastic bags which have to be used if the blue bin is full. Resolved: Clerk to contact DCC

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Clerks Business

  1. Four plots have been let at Westgate. There is a dumpy bag of rubbish on one of the plots that needs removing. The previous tenant cleared the rubbish off the plot and put it in the bag so that he could use the plot. He has no means of disposing of the dumpy bag. Further up one of the sheds is full of rubbish so the new tenant would like that removing. The previous tenant is deceased. Resolved: Clerk to ask S Makepeace. One plot has been let at Bondisle and that plot needs tidying. There is a plot at Crosshill that also needs tidying up before it can be let. There is a collapsed greenhouse frame on the plot amongst other things. The tenant has been emailed asking them to clear the rubbish off the plot.

MEETING CLOSED AT 8.35PM

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING IS WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY 2026 AT EASTGATE VILLAGE HALL

ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY COMMENCING AT 6.30PM

ANNUAL MEETING COMMENCING AT 6.45PM

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING COMMENCING AT 7PM

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