The Mayor’s Report for 2009/2010
to Hexham Town Council

The Town Council continues to focus on the well-being of its citizens and on the amenities and services available in the town. First a few facts...

To give this report some shape I reflected on the inaugural speech that I gave a year ago.

• Hexham’s population (at June 2008) was 12,679 of which 47.8% were men and 52.2% women.
• The estimated weekly income for a Hexham household generated by its working population is £550 net of tax and National Insurance.
• As far as business is concerned it is impossible to state accurately the number of VAT/PAYE registered businesses, estimated at about 800, given that so many Hexham businesses are situated in Sandhoe Parish. The consensus is that to arrive at a true picture of enterprises in an area it is necessary to at least double this figure in order to take into account the businesses operating below VAT thresholds.

My theme then was SYNERGY and the need in my view to work more closely and coherently with other bodies in the Town. I still believe in the importance of synergy and thanks to the co-operation between this Council and Hexham Community Partnership, Hexham Business Forum, the Civic Society and (a new player on the block) Central Tynedale Community Forum, I am pleased to report positive progress.

HEXHAM COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
With the Community Partnership we have now developed a Town Diary on the website which is open to all organisations in the Town so they can publicise their events and ensure no avoidable clashes occur: this is working well but still needs more publicity.
HCP are also our partners in this year’s Armed Forces Day (26th June 2010) and have developed inter alia Shrovetide and Hallowe’en events and, this year, a St George’s Weekend to the extent that our Market Place is alive with a significant “happening” every five weeks or so, plus monthly Farmers’ Markets.
The Partnership very much adds to the well-being of our community and their work in the regeneration of the East End of Hexham - based at No. 28 where they have started a Credit Union - is an exemplar. An important new development is that our Partnership (together with Prudhoe CP) has taken on an Employability Advisor who will be supporting the “hard-to-reach unemployed” and be based in Hexham on Monday and Tuesday. I am very pleased that we have continued to fund the Partnership again this year.

HEXHAM BUSINESS FORUM
The Business Forum have now come forward wishing to become involved in the Town’s Christmas Lights programme, possibly as members of our Working Group and as financial contributors. This year they also, following a plea from your Mayor, financed a bus to operate between the Regatta and the Town Centre in a bid to bring the two centres of activity together. The Forum has also agreed to provide Union flags (1000) to hand out on Armed Forces Day.

HEXHAM CIVIC SOCIETY
The Civic Society contributes greatly to the Town in its efforts to maintain high standards, especially in our shopping streets, and, to hold ourselves and NCC to account, they have recently been pressing (quite rightly) for more information on proposals for the Bus Station site. The Society takes a very close and informed interest in planning matters. One of the duties of this Council is to respond to consultations on planning applications; it is notable that we rarely lodge an objection. Therefore when we do, it is disappointing to see it disregarded. I point to the Boots signage on the former Pattinson’s Chemist shop and the atrocious appearance of the Iceland shop.
I would like to see representatives of HCS attending the Town Council meetings and raising matters that they feel of importance so we can formally address them.
Incidentally this Council does applaud and support the traders of Market Street in their efforts to improve their street with tasteful banners and seasonal decorations.

COMMUNITY FORUM
Central Tynedale Community Forum started at the behest of the County Council and, currently being hosted by HCP, is starting to find its feet, I have to report that I am especially heartened by the new faces that are involved in this organisation, all with talent, energy and ideas. We can look forward to their increasing involvement in the life of the town.
You will recall that this Council supported the principle that a Forum should embrace the parishes surrounding Hexham as it was clearly felt that the town’s future and development as a shopping and social centre depended greatly on our neighbours; hence the title Central Tynedale, not Hexham. I’m pleased to report that so far Acomb and Humshaugh are our partners in the Forum.

CEMETERY and STAFF
As a Council our daily responsibilities have continued, principal among them our management of St Andrew’s Cemetery which this year again has received significant investment The toilets at the west end of the site have been completely refurbished and an electricity supply installed by our own staff (a saving of some £6,000 over the estimate from NEDL). An environmentally state-of-the-art sewage system has also been installed. The new office and meeting room there has now been completed, an improvement which has proved a boon to the effectiveness of our administrative function.
Burials in the past twelve months have averaged about seven per month and, although the running of the Cemetery is our largest budget item, our income has exceeded expectation in this last financial year.
In addition our team also care for the Abbey grounds, cut grass at the west end of the town and prepare hanging baskets etc.
It should be a source of pride for this Council that our sickness/absence record is 0%. This, compared to other authorities, is absolutely outstanding and our staff (whose average age is 53) are to be heartily congratulated.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The Christmas Lights Working Group again has overseen another successful display and our thanks go to Egger for their funding and donation of the centrepiece Christmas Tree in front of the Abbey; also to Working Group members, Hexham Independent Traders and staff and pupils of QEHS who dress up for the switching-on ceremony. This year pupils from Hexham Middle School played in the bandstand on a freezing night to entertain us. Well done all.

YOUTH MATTERS
Youth has always been a theme of HTC and we significantly support Hexham Youth Initiative each year from our Community Development Fund. In 2009 we supported Selefest, and in conjunction with The Rotary Club of Hexham instituted the JB Jonas Award for Hexham’s Young Employee of the Year.
Again local schools have been invited to attend a meeting of HTC. We all look forward to their freshness and enthusiasm and it remains a little embarrassing for us not to be able to live up to their expectations due either to finance or jurisdiction.
We welcome Selefest to Hexham again this year for, in spite of the withdrawal of County Council funding, the festival of music and youth is to continue; they have however not sought funding from this Council for this year 2010/2011.

TOWN-TWINNING
Hexham’s Town Twinning organisation continues and we must thank our representative Cllr. Jonas for his unstinting efforts in this regard. This year my wife and I visited our German Twin Town Metzingen for its October Weinfest and residents, including Cllr. Jonas, have just returned from a visit to our French twin town, Noyon.

REMEMBRANCE DAY
For ten years now the organisation of Hexham’s Remembrance Day has been managed by this Council. Here I must pay tribute to the organisational skills of our Town Clerk Derick Tiffin, the advice of the Remembrance Day Working Group and Hexham’s 41 Club who marshal the ceremony each year.
Remembrance Day in Hexham is always well supported by 39 Regiment Royal Artillery who add so much to the ceremony and who remind us of the sacrifices still being made by the men and women of our Armed Forces as the 39 Regiment have one of their batteries on continual service in Afghanistan.
This year we have agreed to grant the Regiment the Freedom of Hexham and this ceremony will take place on Armed Forces Day, 26th June 2010

HEXHAM in BLOOM
I am pleased this year to thank again those involved in Hexham in Bloom, part-funded by this Council and supported by our staff at St Andrew’s Cemetery. This group of volunteers, ably led by Roy Dallison, puts in an inordinate amount of hard work and planning which again this year has resulted in Hexham gaining a Silver-Gilt Award overall as well as nine individual Awards, four of which were Gold. The work this band of volunteers do adds not only to the attractive appearance of the Town with obvious commercial benefits – but also to that less tangible feeling of well-being we agree is so very important to us all.

TRANSPORT
Transport, as an issue, is ever under discussion in Hexham, whether it is parking, buses, signage or speed limits. As a Town Council we remain committed to freeing the Market place of parking eventually. Currently our County Council is considering giving the two car parks, (currently in public ownership and adjacent the Abbey) to the Church. This will be a lost opportunity for the movement towards a Market Place free of cars.
Public transport is becoming very much more popular with older members of our community as they are able to travel free, but how much longer will we have to wait for a Bus Station worthy of the Town?
We have seen one of the Town’s best residential areas blighted by 20mph signs, a Road Traffic Order created in a piecemeal approach and with little thought as to how it would be policed. Due consideration should have been given in my opinion to a blanket 20 mph order covering the whole of Hexham.

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL
This year the County Council, without prior consultation, sprang on us and Parish Councils across the County the choice of both managing and paying for our own playgrounds or being charged a management fee. I am pleased we chose the former as it will give us control of one of our own assets; we still await the County formally transferring these holdings to the Town. Next year we can expect the same moves on such assets as parks, open spaces and public toilets. These responsibilities will come at a cost to the Hexham rate- payer as the funding will not follow the service.
Furthermore there is the threat that funding for civic planting will cease: this will give this Council the stark choice of either empty flower beds or yet again another call on our rate-payers.

LEISURE and TOURISM
Tourism, leisure, culture, sport and play are all important factors in the life and well-being of the Town. For a town the size of Hexham to have its own theatre and cinema is a triumph and we are grateful to Queen’s Hall Arts and Hexham Community Partnership for their management of the theatre and cinema respectively. We as a Council support the Abbey’s bid for external funding to develop its Heritage Centre which we hope will contribute greatly to the attraction of the town. We are relieved that the management and financial responsibility of the Old Gaol and Moot Hall has been transferred to Woodhorn Museum which should secure the future of both these historic buildings.
Currently new football pitches and associated facilities are nearing completion at Duke’s Camp and on Tyne Green a new boat-house and changing-rooms (long awaited) are also nearing completion. We look forward to consultation on the proposed new playground to be constructed near the Tyne Green Golf Club.

BOUNDARY CHANGES
This year has seen the Boundary Commission turn its attention to Hexham, and apart from minor tinkering with the County Council Divisions of Hexham Central and Hexham West the biggest significant change has been the loss of some of our historic wards etc. We are to lose Hencotes and Elvaston Wards although in future we will have the same number of councillors (14). They will represent Gilesgate (incorporating Hencotes) with five members, Priestpopple (including Elvaston) with five members and Leazes will be unchanged with four members.

TOWN CLERK
On behalf of this Council I should like to record our thanks to our Town Clerk, Derick Tiffin, who for over 30 years has, in effect, run Hexham.
Derick, although notionally working only part-time, is on call seven days a week; emails and phone calls are responded to at all hours. In December for example, early birds will see him supervising the erection of the Town’s Christmas Tree at 5.30am!
Derick has given decades of unstinting service to Hexham: long may this continue. On behalf of the Council, Derick, I thank you.

THE FUTURE
The greatest challenge facing this Town Council lies in our relationship with the County Council and its Administration. For example, we learn (from the Hexham Courant!) that this venue, Prospect House, is to close this month. Where is the courtesy of due notice? Letter and emails from our Clerk receive no response. As previously mentioned, we expect other responsibilities to be transferred to us, without appropriate funding – but, as yet, no consultation has been entered into. Among other anxieties the future of our civic planting remains uncertain.

MY THANKS
Finally I should like to record my sincere thanks to Deputy Mayor, Rad Hare, who has given unstintingly of his time and energy this year. His support and work behind the scenes have helped me and this Council immeasurably.
And you, my fellow Councillors – thank you too for your support and for your contribution to the lively debates in this Chamber. It is sad to reflect that this could possibly be our last meeting here. I also thank you for the good work you do representing this Council on outside bodies and working groups.

TERRY ROBSON
Mayor of Hexham
10th May 2010