Alnwick Town Council news round-up

Coun Alan Symmonds has been re-elected as the Mayor of Alnwick and he expressed his delight and honour at continuing to hold the role.
The Mayor of Alnwick Alan Symmonds.
Picture by Jane ColtmanThe Mayor of Alnwick Alan Symmonds.
Picture by Jane Coltman
The Mayor of Alnwick Alan Symmonds. Picture by Jane Coltman

Coun Lynda Wearn has been elected as Deputy Mayor of Alnwick.

The two were elected at last week’s Alnwick Town Council AGM.

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More information is being sought before the town council can consider an offer to take on an important community building.

As previously reported by the Gazette, the county council has offered the town council the chance to take over the ownership of the sports hall on the vacant and former Lindisfarne Middle School site.

This transfer would be done for free, but the town council would have to take responsibility for maintenance and the running of the facility.

At last week’s town-council meeting, clerk Bill Batey told members that the county council wants to progress the future of the Lindisfarne site – including the buildings and playing fields – as a matter of priority, but he advised members to seek more details before a decision is made about the sports hall.

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He said: “At this stage we haven’t had anything other than a verbal offer. We haven’t had any details and we don’t know exactly what’s on offer to us.

“Does it include the car park or the grassed area or just the hall itself, does it include the caretaker’s services, who occupies it, how often is it occupied, what condition is it in, what’s the running costs, and how does the sports centre fit in with what is planned for the other parts of the site?”

Coun George Mavin felt it was a shame that not many councillors attended the Alnwick Mayor’s Civic Awards ceremony. But it was noted that there was another meeting on the same night, which some members were at, while Coun Martin Harrington said it was difficult for councillors, especially those who are self-employed, to be at everything.