We are delighted to introduce a new, monthly column from Ferryhill’s Labour Durham County Councillors, Curtis Bihari and Peter Atkinson. The councillors will be providing the community with a regular summary of their monthly activities, beginning with a round up of last year.
2023 was a busy year for your local Labour councillors as we reported over 500 pieces of casework between the pair of us. These cases ranged from getting contaminated bins removed, fly-tipping and hedge cutting etc. We are always approachable throughout the year and will try our best to tackle your issues.
Over the past year we have seen a number of councillor projects come to fruition.
In February, we saw the regeneration of Mainsforth Sports Complex Car Park, cementing the venue’s place as one of the best sporting facilities in County Durham.
In the summer, we also oversaw the regeneration of Dean Bank Football Pavilion with funding towards solar panels. The panels will power the whole park, reducing our carbon footprint and cutting energy bills for the council and user groups.
Each area of Ferryhill also received a new Jubilee and Coronation seating bench to celebrate these joyous occasions.
The safer streets project was rolled out last year and we have seen the positive impact it’s had in such a short time. This project included the installation of home-security measures and ring door bells along with new CCTV to help tackle anti-social behaviour.
Between us we have supported 25 local groups and organisations with funding towards projects that have brought great benefit to Ferryhill. These include youth workers based at Ferryhill Ladder Centre, building improvements at Endeavour Woodcrafts and the installation of life-saving defibrillators across the town.
In the New Year we hope to see a number of outstanding projects delivered which include traffic calming measures on both the Broom Road and Wood Lane, the new play park to be installed in Ferryhill station and the regeneration of Dean Bank Bowls Pavilion.
We’re proud to support these fantastic projects and we can’t wait to deliver more in the New Year.
We’re also looking forward to another fantastic year of Ferryhill Town Council events after the success of last year. The highlight for us was definitely the brilliant fireworks and Christmas lights switch on, which was made all the better for having a real Christmas tree this year.
Wait until you see what’s in store for you in 2024!
As local councillors, we will continue to do our best to deliver for the residents of Ferryhill where we can. We know that there are outstanding issues, such as the trouble getting into the doctors, the fact our children are being taught in portacabins and the lack of police presence in the village. Councillors are not responsible for these issues but we will continue to lobby our MP and the government on your behalf and keep fighting to make sure your voice is heard.
All the best for the New Year. Councillors Curtis Bihari and Peter Atkinson, your Labour Durham County Councillors.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
