South Tyneside Independents

Fellgate, Hedworth & Calf Close Advice Surgeries

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:15:35 +0000

Councillor Geraldine White
The South Tyneside Independent representative for the Fellgate, Hedworth and Calf Close ward on South Tyneside Council, Councillor Geraldine White holds regular advice surgeries for local people where she is available to meet and discuss their concerns.

Details of Councillor White’s programme of advice surgeries for the period May 2011 – April 2012 will be announced shortly but in the meantime if anyone would like to speak to Councillor White or would like to arrange a home visit please do not hesitate to contact her on 0191 454 3614, or email her at cllr.geraldine.white@southtyneside.gov.uk

Councillors Steve Harrison and Linda Hemmer
Councillor Geraldine White works closely with Councillors Harrison and Hemmer, both of whom are also independent representatives for the Fellgate, Hedworth and Calf Close ward. If you would like details of when and where they hold their advice surgeries please contact Members Support on 0191 427 1717 or at membersupport@southtyneside.gov.uk

THANK YOU FOR VOTING

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:43:41 +0000

A big thank you to everyone who voted independent in the South Tyneside council elections on Thursday May 5^th.

The South Tyneside Independents contested 5 seats including Westoe and Chichester were South Tyneside Independents group leader Councillor Jane Branley was defending her seat. We are delighted to announce that she was re-elected for another 4 year term. In the other 4 wards contested by the South Tyneside Independents our candidates came second.

Elsewhere Linda Hemmer was elected as a ‘stand alone independent in Fellgate, Hedworth and Calf Close. This ensures that the ward remains a 100% independent after South Tyneside Independent Councillor George Waddle stood down for health reasons.

Another notable achievement was the vote achieved by independent candidate John Robertson in Primrose who amassed 767 votes to finish second. This was an exceptional result given the fact that John only decided to stand for election about four weeks before the election and had to take a week out of his campaign due to a prior holiday commitment.

Although we have not managed to remove any additional Labour Councillors this time, we were heartened by all the support we received including from many new voters. The South Tyneside Independents will continue to speak up for everyone across South Tyneside on the matters that concern us all, and hold South Tyneside Council and the ruling Labour group to account.

Beacon and Bents Advice Surgery

admin — Sat, 07 May 2011 05:07:01 +0000

Councillor Ahmed Khan, the South Tyneside Independent Councillor for South Tyneside Council’s Beacon & Bents ward will be holding his next weekly advice surgery on Saturday 14th May 2011 at South Shields Central Library, Prince Georg Square. Residents who want to speak to Councillor Khan about any concerns they have can meet him at South Shields Library (in the training room) from 11am to 12noon.

Anyone who cannot attend the surgery and would like to speak to Councillor Khan can contact him on 07827 305 162. Councillor Khan is also happy to make home visits to the elderly or disabled residents on request.

Councillor Khan’s details are also published on the Council’s website: www.southtyneside.info and he can be contacted by e-mail: ahmed.khan@southtyneside.gov.uk

You can also leave a message for him by calling the Members’ Support Section, Town Hall, South Shields, Tel: 0191 424 7302.

Westoe Advice Surgery

admin — Sat, 07 May 2011 04:21:02 +0000

The South Tyneside Independent councillors from South Tyneside Council’s Westoe ward will be holding their regualr weekly advice surgery at South Shields Central Library, Prince Georg Square ((in the training room) on Saturday 14th May (11am – noon) when at least one of them will be on hand to deal with any queries or concerns residents may have.

Anyone who cannot attend the surgery can leave a message for Cllrs Jane and Allen Branley on 0191 456 0152 or email them at: cllr.jane.branley@southtyneside.gov.uk; cllr.allen.branley@southtyneside.gov.uk

Messages can also be taken by the Members’ Support Section, Town Hall, South Shields, Tel: 0191 424 7302.

NEWS FLASH! COUNCIL FAT CATS SPEND THOUSANDS £££s ON LEGAL ACTION IN THE USA

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:33:19 +0000

A SMILING FAT CAT! The public are believed to be paying his legal bill in the USA

This man, Cllr Iain Malcolm, is the leader of South Tyneside Council. South Tyneside Council is pursuing legal action in the USA. This may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. This money is being spent in pursuing an anonymous blogger called Mr Monkey.

Mr Monkey regularly attacked Cllr Malcolm and while the South Tyneside Independents in no way support such anonymous attacks we condemn the use of council taxpayer’s money to pursue legal action in California to reveal the identity of the said Mr Monkey.

Over the past 18 months the South Tyneside Independents have been trying to find out the following;

Who authorised the investigation
Why is it being carried out
How much it has cost

As usual every possible obstacle was put in our way. In August 2010 we asked the Chief Executive of the Council these questions directly. The answers were vague,

He didn’t know
He had a duty of care towards Council employees
He would let us know

At this meeting the Chief Executive promised to tell us how much the council had spent. We are still waiting!

We can now let you know the following;

The investigation began in the USA in April 2009 [who knows when it began in this country!]
The plaintiffs are Cllr Iain Malcolm, [leader of Council and a director of the Newcastle Airport Board. He was one of several people to have approved millions in bonus payments to 2 fellow directors. Cllr David Potts [disgraced former Conservative group leader who in January publically stated he was resigning after a foul mouthed rant about a local MP. He also claimed £3000 in council allowances whist on a 3 month trip to South Africa. The council are still waiting for his letter of resignation but in the meantime he is claiming £1000 a month in allowances. Cllr Anne Walsh Labour Councillor for Biddick & All Saints [wife of South Shields Labour Party member and close confidant of Cllr Malcolm, Mark Walsh] and Rick O’Farrell [a senior council employee in charge of regeneration]
The Council are using a very expensive firm of lawyers with worldwide offices including in Washington and Silicon Valley. Visit http://mwe.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/about.home/index.cfm
The legal action is being conducted through the San Mateo Superior Court in California. For a full list of hearings etc visit http://openaccess1.sanmateocourt.org/openaccess/CIVIL/default.asp (click on the Case Number Search icon and type in 482779 in the blank case number box. Then click on the Case Number box that appears for a full list of all hearings.
The council have now issued a subpoena against Twitter demanding information about Councillor Ahmed Khan’s twitter site on the 14^th April 2011. The council wants access to Cllr Khan’s personal twitter records which could compromise the privacy of council whistleblowers and reveal the identity of residents (many of whom are vulnerable) who have asked Cllr Khan to deal with their problems and concerns, including cases of domestic violence, elder abuse, neighbour disputes and complaints about the council.

When we found out what was currently going on we approached the Chief Executive of the Council once again. This time he said;

He didn’t know anything about it
After getting a team of Council officers on the case, he confirmed that the council had issued a subpoena against twitter and that the council was targeting Cllr Ahmed Khan.
He refused to give us a formal response to our query until after Thursday May 5^th. Coincidentally the date of the local election!

The Independent Alliance is not suggesting that any officer of the Council has acted in any way in an improper manner. We are suggesting that the whole investigation is politically motivated and that the political motivation could have come from the top, Cllr Iain Malcolm. Cllr Malcolm came under harsh criticism on the Mr Monkey site as did the three other plaintiffs. We are surmising that Cllr Malcolm was prepared to do anything to stop these attacks.

While this in it’s self is understandable what is totally unacceptable is this;

The whole issue has been top secret
Any information forthcoming has been as a result of our investigations as with Newcastle Airport debacle
The Council refused to investigate other blogs who libelled Independent supporters
It has been impossible to find out how much all of this is costing, but rest assured Cllr Malcolm and the other plaintiffs are not paying for it

In this local election we would ask you to think carefully when casting your vote and try to decide whether:

This is an appropriate use of Council tax payers money when council workers are being paid off in their hundreds, council services are being scrapped and fees and charges are being increased
This issue should have been referred to elected councillors so they could have expressed a view of whether the investigation should take place
This issue is politically motivated and Council officers have been instructed to carry it out by leading Labour political figures
It is justifiable for a councillor to be spied upon possibly because he has been an outspoken critic of the Labour group
This is an infringement of freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of association.
This is an attempt to identify the whistle blowers who supplied information about Newcastle Airport

If you have any doubts about whether this investigation should be taking place we ask you to think very carefully about how you vote. If you are interested in;

Open local government
Decisions made publicly and not in secret
The spending of tax payers money being clearly accounted for and not used for personal vendettas
Questions raised with the Council being answered promptly and openly

Current vacant council housing list – valid until 11th April

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:09:15 +0000

This week South Tyneside Homes are advertising the following properties for rent.

Details	Reference
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Anderson Street, Woodbine South Shields NE33 2PB 1 Bed Lower Flat Communal Gardens Electric Storage Heating £60.61 Suitable for single person or couple	0035000390000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Borrowdale House, Wear Court, South Shields NE34 0NN 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat (2^nd floor) Communal gardens Gas central heating £91.79 inc warden and service charges Suitable for single person or couple aged 60yrs or over, or 55yrs and over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1610700112026
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Bunyan Avenue, Biddick Hall,South Shields,NE34 9HZ 2 Bed House Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £66.96 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	0231000260000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Cheviot House, Pennine Grove, Boldon, NE36 ONN 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat Communal Gardens Communal Heating £81.56 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 years and in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support, an assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1160300172028
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Claypool Court, Parkway, South Shields NE34 1XD 2 Bed House Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £72.66 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	0329500110000
Landlord –NomadE5 Coppergate Court, Hebburn Colliery, 4 Bed House, Open front garden, private rear garden Gas Central Heating £90.15 Suitable for family with 3 or 4 children. Maximum occupancy 6 people	NOE50035
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Dean Road, South Shields, NE33 5JZ 3 Bed Upper Flat in Block Communal Gardens Gas Central Heating £73.46 Suitable for family with 2 or more children , or family with 1 child and access to depend children or single person with access to 2 or more dependent children. No domestic pets.	0429003270000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Farding Lake Court, Marsden, South Shields,NE34 7BT 1 Bed Lower Sheltered Flat Communal Gardens Communal Heating £84.78 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 years if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support, an assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0561500023005
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Farding Lake Court, Marsden, South Shields,NE34 7BT 1 Bed Lower Sheltered Flat with walk in shower Communal Gardens Communal Heating £84.78 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over if in receipt of DLA aged 55 years or over. For independent living with on site support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0561500023006
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Farding Lake Court, Marsden, South Shields,NE34 7BT 1 Bed Lower Sheltered Flat with walk in shower Communal Gardens Communal Heating £84.78 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 years and in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0651500023014
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Forth Court, Churchside, South Shields NE34 NP 2 Bed House with stairlift and ramped access Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £67.10 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children, preference will be given to applicants who require these adaptations	0597500220000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Glasgow Road, Scotch Estate, Jarrow NE32 4AP 1 Bed Lower Flat Shared gardens Gas Central Heating £62.90 Suitable for single person or couple	0642000670000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Grays Walk, Biddick Hall, South Shields NE34 9LT 3 Bed House Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £69.63 Suitable for family with 2 or more children	0668000260000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Hogarth Road, Whiteleas, South Shields NE34 8HG 2 Bed Bungalow with wet room no bath Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £71.54 Suitable for couple, where one or both persons are aged 60 years or over	0774000280000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Holbein Road, Whiteleas, South Shields NE34 8RS 1 Bed Lower Flat Shared gardens Gas Central Heating £61.12 Suitable for single person or couple	0775000010000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Huntcliffe House, Gerald Street, South Shields NE34 8RG 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat (1^st Floor) Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £92.50 inc warden and service charges Suitable for single person or couple aged 60yrs or over, or 55yrs and over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with on site support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0631010002023
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Inverness Road, Scotch Estate, Jarrow NE32 4JT Lower Bedsit Shared gardens Gas central Heating £57.24 Suitable for single person	0812001800000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Julius Court, Mile End Road, South Shields,NE33 1TN 1 Bed Upper Floor Shelter Communal Gardens Communal Gas Central Heating £85.17 Suitable for single person or couple where one or both are aged 60 years of age or over or if aged 55 years of age or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1008001022022
Landlord- NomadE5 Kestrel Lodge, Saville Street, South Shields,NE33 2PT 1 Bed Ground Floor Flat Shared Garden Gas Central Heating £81.01 including water rates Suitable for single person or couple aged 30 years or over	NOE50036
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Landseer Gardens, Whiteleas, South Shields NE34 8HS 1 Bed Lower Flat Shared gardens Gas Central Heating £61.12 Suitable for single person or couple	0873000730000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Lawson Avenue, Jarrow,NE32 5UF 1 Bed Bungalow with wet room and ramped access to front of property Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £67.66 Suitable for single person or couple where one or both persons are aged 60 or over	0886000150000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Lincoln Court, New Town, Hebburn NE31 1JS 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £89.86 Suitable for single person or couple where one or both are aged 60 years of age or over or if aged 55 years or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0913500100000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Marigold Walk, West Harton, South Shields NE34 0AL 2 Bed House Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £68.82 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	0965500380000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Martin Hall, Croft Terrace, Jarrow NE32 5UZ 1 Bed Lower Sheltered Flat with walk in shower Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £87.41 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 years if in receipt of DLA, for independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets.	1037500012008
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Martin Hall, Monkton Terrace, Jarrow NE32 5UZ 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat (no lift in building) Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £87.41 includes heating, cleaning and warden services Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over or 55years or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with on- site support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1037500012023
Landlord – South Tyneside Council McIntyre Hall, High Lane Row, Hebburn NE31 1SX 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £96.61 Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over or aged 55 years if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0753000312022
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Melbourne Gardens, Brockley Whins, South Shields,NE34 9DH 2 Bed House Private Gardens Gas Central Heating £66.41 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	1002001190000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Nolan Hall, Concorde Way, Jarrow NE32 5BD 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat (no lift in building) Communal gardens District heating £88.06 includes cleaning, warden and heating charges Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 and in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0370500472018
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Nolan Hall, Concorde Way, Jarrow NE32 5BD 1 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat (no lift in building) Communal gardens District heating £88.06 includes cleaning, warden and heating charges Suitable for single person or couple aged 60 years or over, or over 55 and in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	0370500472030
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Porlock House, Low Simonside , Jarrow NE32 3QZ 1 Bed Lower Sheltered Flat (7 properties available) Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £86.96 includes warden, heating and cleaning charges Suitable for single person or couple aged 60yrs or over, or 55yrs or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1182500072002
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Porlock House, Low Simonside , Jarrow NE32 3QZ 2 Bed Upper Sheltered Flat Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £101.08 includes warden, heating and cleaning charges Suitable for couple aged 60yrs or over, or 55yrs or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1182500072017
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Quarry Lane, South Shields,NE34 7RD 1 Bed Bungalow with walk-in-shower Private gardens Gas Central Heating £64.45 Suitable for single person or couple where one or both persons are aged 60 years or over.	1199001000000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Railway Street, Hebburn NE311HH 3 Bed House Private gardens Gas central Heating £75.05 Suitable for family with 2 or more children	1210000180000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Simpson Close, Boldon Colliery,NE35 9JP 2 Bed House Private gardens Gas Central Heating £73.29 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	1343000150000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Spenser Walk, Biddick Hall, South Shields NE34 9NF 3 Bed House Private gardens Gas Central Heating £74.75 Suitable for family with 2 or more children	1378000250000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council St Marks Way, Laygate, South Shields NE33 4QL 2 Bed Upper Flat in block Communal gardens Gas Central Heating £61.92 Suitable for couple, family with 1 or 2 children or single person with access to 1 or 2 dependent children. No domestic pets	1292800810000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Thames Avenue, Calf Close,Jarrow,NE32 4DE 2 Bed House Private gardens Gas Central Heating £70.06 Suitable for family with 1 or 2 children	1491000100000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Thomas Bell House, Simonside, South Shields NE34 9AP 1 Bed Upper Shelter Flat (1st floor) lift in building Communal Gardens Communal Gas Central Heating £87.18 inc. Warden and service charges Suitable for single person or couple where one or both are aged 60 years of age or over or if aged 55 years of age or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1286500132016
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Thomas Bell House, Simonside, South Shields NE34 9AP 1 Bed Upper Shelter Flat (2^nd floor) lift in building Communal Gardens Communal Gas Central Heating £87.18 inc. Warden and service charges Suitable for single person or couple where one or both are aged 60 years of age or over or if aged 55 years of age or over if in receipt of DLA. For independent living with onsite support. An assessment will be required. No domestic pets	1286500132032
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Turner Avenue, Whiteleas, South Shields NE34 8JG 3 Bed House with walk in shower Private gardens Gas Central Heating £76.19 Suitable for family with 2 or more children	1548001100000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Wharfedale Drive, Dean Road, South Shields NE33 5LA 1 Bed Lower Flat Communal Gardens Gas Central Heating £57.23 Suitable for single person or couple	1661002000000
Landlord – South Tyneside Council Whiteleas Way, Whiteleas, South Shields NE34 8HB 1 Bed Lower Flat Shared Gardens Gas Central Heating £61.12 Suitable for single person or couple	1675001070000

If you are interested in one or more of these properties you will need to express your interest by putting in a bid for the property(s) you are interested in by Noon on Monday 11th April 2011.

To bid for a property you will need to be on the Housing Register and must be eligible for the property you are interested in. Details of eligibility can be found at the end of each advertisement and on the letter you received from South Tyneside Homes when you first registered.

If you are not on the Housing Register you complete an application form by following this link

Expressing an Interest (bidding)

If you would like to bid for a property you can do so in any of the following ways:

On-line at:
http://cbl.southtynesidehomes.org.uk/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=openaccess-live/ibsxmlpr.p?docid=login

By Telephone:
Call Centre on: 0800 177 7006
(Monday – Friday 8.00am – 8.00pm and Saturday 9.00am – 1.00pm) or Housing Offices on: 0191 423 4000

By Text:
Text YC followed by your housing application number and the reference number for the home(s) you are interested in to: 077862 00802

By E-mail to:
yourchoice@southtynesidehomes.org.uk

In person at:
Landreth House
Boldon Lane
Parkway
South Shields
NE34 OAJ

Hebburn Civic Centre
Campbell Park Road
Hebburn
NE31 2SW

Candidates for the council elections

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:04:49 +0000

A total of 78 candidates, representing political parties and independents will be contesting all 18 wards on South Tyneside in the council elections on Thursday May 5th and the South Tyneside Independents will be contesting a number of these wards. Details of our candidates and the wards the they will be standing in are:

Jim Hodgson – Beacon and Bents
Kathleen Sheerin – Biddick and All Saints
Kraig White - Horsley Hill and Westoe Crown
Graeme Slator - Monkton
Jane Branley – Westoe and Chichester

Below is the full list of candidates who will be contesting the elections.

South Shields wards

List of candidates for the Local Government Elections 5 May 2011
Ward	First name	Surname	Description
Beacon and Bents	Peter Jeffrey	Elliott	Independent
	Ali	Hayder	The Conservative Party Candidate
	James	Hills	British National Party
	Jim	Hodgson	Independent
	Lawrence Jonathan	Hopkins	The Liberal Party
	Audrey	McMillan	The Labour Party Candidate
	Bill	Troupe
Biddick and All Saints	Brian	Gilchrist	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Tom	Pigott	The Labour Party Candidate
	David	Selby	The Liberal Party
	Kathy	Sheerin	Independent
Cleadon Park	Tamara	Alani	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Colin	Campbell	Independent
	George	Elsom	Independent
	Doreen	Purvis	The Labour Party Candidate
Harton	Melanie Ann	Baker	The Liberal Party
	Rob	Dix	The Labour Party Candidate
	Marilyn	Huartt	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Lawrence	Nolan	South Tyneside Progressives
	Terence	Smith	Independent
Horsley Hill	Enid	Berry	Liberal Democrats
	Ross John	Huartt	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Vivienne	Mahon	Independent
	Iain	Malcolm	The Labour Party Candidate
	Kraig Anthony	White	Independent
	David	Wood	The Liberal Party
Simonside and Rekendyke	Michael Henry	Clare	The Labour Party Candidate
	Peter	Foreman	British National Party
	David Mark	Moore	Green Party
	George	Smith	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Carole	Troupe	Liberal Democrats
West Park	Lynne Anne	Graham	British National Party
	Vicki	Grist	Green Party
	Marjorie Mary	Robinson	South Tyneside Progressives
	Edward Anthony	Russell	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Lindsey Anne	Tolson	The Liberal Party
	Joyce	Welsh	The Labour Party Candidate
Westoe	Lynne	Barber	Green Party
	Jane	Branley	Independent
	Anthony	Dailly	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Patricia Melvin	Hay	The Labour Party Candidate
	Joseph William	Stephenson	The Liberal Party
Whitburn and Marsden	Sylvia	Spraggon	The Labour Party Candidate
Whitburn and Marsden	Elizabeth Jane	Turnbull	The Conservative Party Candidate
Whiteleas	Ernest	Gibson	The Labour Party Candidate
	Margaret	Haram	Independent
	Christopher	Taylor	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Christopher Harold	Thornton	British National Party

Jarrow wards

List of candidates for the Local Government Elections 5 May 2011
Ward	First name	Surname	Description
Bede	Fay	Cunningham	The Labour Party Candidate
	Tom	Defty	Independent
	Tony	Gair	Green Party
	Oliver	Wallhead	The Conservative Party Candidate
Boldon Colliery	Ian Jason	Diamond	Independent
	Ileene	Gilchrist	British National Party
	Stewart Thomas	Hay	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Sherie	Murphy	The Labour Party Candidate
Cleadon and East Boldon	Joan	Atkinson	The Labour Party Candidate
	David	Lawson	Independent
	Lilian Jermain	Milne	South Tyneside Progressives
	Donald	Wood	The Conservative Party Candidate
Fellgate and Hedworth	Ian	Armstrong	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Linda	Hemmer	Independent
	Maureen	Scott	British National Party
	Moira	Smith	The Labour Party Candidate
Hebburn North	Ian	Harkus	The Labour Party Candidate
	John Norman	McKie	Liberal Democrats
	Anna	Robinson	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Martin Joseph	Vaughan	British National Party
Hebburn South	John Dagg	Coe	The Conservative Party Candidate
Hebburn South	Eddie	McAtominey	The Labour Party Candidate
Monkton	Alan	Kerr	The Labour Party Candidate
	James	Milburn	The Conservative Party Candidate
	Graeme	Slator	Independent
	Susan Heather	Troupe	Liberal Democrats
Primrose	Pete	Hodgkinson	Independent
	Anthony James	Lanaghan	The Conservative Party Candidate
	John	Robertson	Independent
	Ken	Stephenson	The Labour Party Candidate

Horsley Hill and Westoe Crown Advice Surgery

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:07:19 +0000

Councillor Gordon Finch, the South Tyneside Independent councillor representing the Horsley Hill ward on South Tyneside Council will be holding his next advice surgery for local residents on Wednesday 11th May 2011.

He will be available to meet local people from 5pm to 6pm at Sea View Primary School, Horsley Hill Community Campus and will be happy to speak to local people about their problems or concerns, including any issues about housing renovations in the area.

Anyone who cannot attend the surgery and would like to speak to Councillor Finch can contact him at home on 0191 455 5903.

AIPORTGATE: The Scandal That Could Cost You Millions

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:22:54 +0000

Since 2006 the South Tyneside Independents have attempted to get South Tyneside Council and more importantly the Leader of the Council, Cllr Iain Malcolm, to answer a series of questions about the finances of Newcastle Airport. The Council and Cllr Malcolm have always refused to answer any questions hiding behind such excuses as sub judice and that the business of the airport was not the business of the Council. Strange then that 7 north east councils, led by South Tyneside Council own 51% of the airport and that back in 2006 they pocketed millions of pounds in a one off ’windfall’ payments which can now reveal was from the proceeds of a £377 million loan that those same councils (led by South Tyneside) approved!

Councillor Iain Malcolm ... a non executive director of Newcastle Airport approved millions in bonus payments to two other directors

The South Tyneside Independents have also attempted to get the issues discussed in full Council Meetings only to have their attempts ruled out of order. Freedom of Information requests were also made and similarly stonewalled.

This attempt at secrecy and refusal to supply information resulted in the South Tyneside Independents approaching Northumbria Police and a series of meetings were held with senior officers from the Economic Crime Unit to discuss our mounting concerns. The South Tyneside Independents (and the police) also discussed the matter with the Audit Commission and after a number of lengthy discussions were told that this body had no powers to investigate Newcastle Airport even though 7 local councils own 51% of the airport. Their decision was based on the fact that the councils involved were not subject to public scrutiny because their shareholding is managed by a limited company (that the councils themselves established). The Audit Commission also stated that there was no other official organisation which could investigate the matter.

Cllr Jane Branley, leader of the South Tyneside Independents stated, ‘If it had not been for the determination of Cllr Ahmed Khan that would have been that. For nearly three years he has been carefully collecting evidence from a huge range of sources and has now made that evidence available to the public through a variety of media outlets.’ The evidence he has collated clearly shows that a massive cover up has taken place to ensure that the council taxpaying public of the northeast did not find out about the gross mismanagement of the Airport’s finances.

Cllr Branley added, ‘Thanks to Cllr Khan the public can now see how disastrous the situation is and can make their own judgements as to who was responsible. I personally hold Cllr Iain Malcolm responsible as one the Local Authority representative on the Airport Board. As he has constantly refused to explain his actions I can only assume he has something to hide.’

The South Tyneside Independents will continue the campaign to ensure that the public are aware of the extent of the financial mismanagement at Newcastle Airport. They will also work to ensure that those responsible are held to account. This will involve further discussions with the Police, the Audit Commission, the Financial Services Authority (due to possible insider trading) and the Serious Fraud Office. We will also work closely with North East MPs to ensure that the matter is raised at ministerial level and if relevant, that questions are asked in Parliament.

Cllr Khan stated, ‘The evidence now in the public domain is pretty damning and we think we are now in a position to help the Police re-open their investigation into what looks like fraudulent activity that could burden the hard pressed taxpayer with millions of pounds worth of debt for generations to come.’

The South Tyneside Independents called an Extraordinary meeting of South Tyneside Council and asked councillors of all political persuasions to support the following motion on behalf of the public:

‘This Council has no confidence in the Leader of the Council to carry out the Council’s business and calls upon Cllr Iain Malcolm to resign.’

The Labour Mayor decided to call the meeting for 9.30am on Friday 24th December 2010. Christmas Eve!

We suggest that this was a blatant attempt to either ensure that the meeting is in-quorate (not enough councillors in attendance to hold the meeting), or to ensure that there is no press coverage of the meeting. But despite the deliberate gerrymandering by the ruling Labour group, the South Tyneside Independents are determined that the people of South Tyneside (and the north east) have access to all the facts.

Here are some of the key points and there is more to come;

North East taxpayers could bear the brunt of a huge debt worth hundreds of millions of pounds after two airport bosses were paid sky-high bonuses for taking out a loan.
Seven North East Councils who own 51% of Newcastle International Airport Ltd agreed a £377m re-financing deal with the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2006.
The Leader of South Tyneside Council, Cllr Iain Malcolm was one of 5 members of a Remuneration Panel that agreed to pay Former chief executive Mr Parkin 2% of the deal and former finance director Mr Friis was to receive 1%.
The Airport is now suing its former legal advisers Eversheds in a desperate attempt to claw back some of the money paid out in bonuses.
The Airport currently owes RBS £325 million and is paying £19.5 million a year in interest.
The RBS loan deal was for a 7 year term and the Airport will have to re-finance again in 2013.
The Airport’s valuation and credit ranking has fallen and is likely to impact on any new re-financing deal. Councils were warned of this before approving the loan.
Nick Brown, former Labour Government minister for the North East and Newcastle East MP, said: “This is one of the great contemporary scandals. The behaviour of everyone involved is indefensible.”
The decision to approve the loan was decided at cabinet level (behind closed doors with the public and press excluded), rather than full council, where opposition parties could object and the matter be debated in full view of the public. Explaining the decision to keep it as a cabinet matter, one council official stated in an email: “It reduces the risk of opposition.”
Documents show that two authorities, Sunderland and Northumberland, felt the decision should go to full council as it “affects the taxpayer”. Newcastle, Durham, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Gateshead felt it should be kept as a cabinet decision.
The South Tyneside Independents have copies of internal e-mails discussing how to keep the decision to take out such a large loan out of the public eye.

What crisis? South Tyneside Council’s top 20 executives pay approaches £2 million

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:57:31 +0000

As part of the coalition Government’s Transparency Agenda, South Tyneside Council has been forced to reveal details of the salaries of its senior officers.

The information has revealed that in these difficult economic times, when South Tyneside Council is making hard hitting cuts, increasing fees and charges to the public and making hundreds of staff redundant, the wage bill for it’s top 20 senior executives is approaching £2 million pounds per year. This figure does not include employer’s pension and national insurance contributions, expenses, subsidised car loans (where applicable) or any additional ‘perks’ and is the equivalent of a 4% reduction in council tax .

The information provided below is based on a snapshot of the council’s senior executive’s pay as of 31 October 2010.

Martin Swales, Chief Executive – £152,229
Keith Harcus, Assistant Chief Executive – £94,758
Helen Watson, Corporate Director Children, Adults and Families – £109,535
Patrick Melia, Corporate Director, Business and Area Management – £106,988
David Crammond, Corporate Director Economic Regeneration (joined on 6th December 2010) – £109,955 (this post was vacant at 31st October 2010, but would have attracted this salary)
Paul Robinson, Head of Communications, Policy, Performance and Partnerships – £83,988
Alan Holt, Head of Strategic Partnership – £83,988
Mike Harding, Head of Legal Services – £50,612
Ron Weetman, Head of Sustainable Communities – £83,988
Stephen Moore, Head of Pensions – £83,988
Stuart Reid, Head of Finance – £78,037
Amanda Bradley, Head of Early Intervention and Safeguarding – £83,988
Jane Robinson, Head of Adult Social Care – £83,988
Keith Hannah, Head of Health and Social Inclusion – £83,988
Peter Cutts, Head of Social Inclusion and Achievement – £94,758
David Wright, Head of Economic Growth (joined on 4th January 2011) – £83,988 (this post was vacant at 31st October 2010, but would have attracted this salary)
George Mansbridge, Head of Housing Strategy and Regulatory Services – £78,037
Tony Duggan, Head of Culture and Neighbourhoods – £83,988
Rick O’Farrell, Head of Regeneration and Property – £83,988
Christine Smith, Head of Transition and Wellbeing – £83,988

It really does beggar belief to think that the Chief Executive of South Tyneside Council (England’s smallest borough council with a population of just 157,000) gets paid more than the Prime Minister who is ultimately responsible for the country’s entire population of around 60 million people!