Amble Town Council round-up

But they have said that it is crucial to follow the correct procedures to get the complicated job done properly.

Clerk Elaine Brown said that things ‘are not moving very fast’ and the aim is now to submit an application to the War Memorials Trust for the next deadline of June 30, following expert advice and the approval of a draft schedule of work.

Coun Robert Arckless said: “I am beginning to worry about the timescale on this. It is turning out to be a great deal more complicated than we thought at the start, but we want to get it right.”

Coun Helen Lewis said: “We want the best possible repair. If we submit in June, it means that we are probably looking into next year now.”

A survey of speed-camera vans in and around Amble will be carried out.

Coun Martin Horn said: “I have got in touch with the mobile speed van people and they have said that, in the near future, there will be a study of the camera vans around Amble and the surrounding areas, which includes the one by Coquet Enterprise Park.”

He said that this will lead to a review of existing sites, while other locations where concerns have been raised, such as Percy Drive, will be considered.

After the meeting, he said that the number of times that the camera has been activated by Coquet Enterprise Park – close to where a new roundabout has been built as part of the Persimmon development at Mark’s Bridge – has reduced from 686 in 2011 to 365 in 2016.

There have been a few break-ins to boats at Amble Marina, PC David Donaldson said.

He told members: “We get to March/April and people come back into Amble and they open up their boats and report thefts that have occurred over the winter period.

“Reports include bulbs being taken from one boat and a fishing rod from another.”

He said police also tend to receive reports of thefts from allotments at this time of the year. He said: “We haven’t had a spate yet, but I expect reports of thefts over the next few weeks, which again could have happened over the winter.”

Coun Kate Morrison said that Amble Youth Project is looking for more funding, as it looks to the future. Despite this call for further cash, town and county councillor Jeff Watson, who is chairman of the group, insisted that the project is not in financial difficulty.

Councillors agreed that a public-access defibrillator is needed in the town centre. There are currently two in the town; one at James Calvert Spence College – Acklington Road site, and another at Amble Sports Development Centre (formerly Amble Boys’ Club).

Mayor Jane Dargue said the town’s new beginners’ running group has got off to a flying start. The weekly sessions are on Mondays, meeting at 6.30pm at Amble Sports Development Centre (Boys’ Club). Coun Dargue said there have been more than 20 people at the sessions.

Amble’s next community litter-pick will take place on Saturday, April 8, from 10am, and those attending will have the chance to win an Easter egg. Around 25 people braved the elements to help at the previous tidy-up on February 11, collecting 10 bags of rubbish in the process.

The town council has donated £100 to Alzheimer’s Research UK. It was mentioned at the meeting that Amble is a dementia-friendly town, while the town council is also dementia-friendly. Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading Alzheimer’s research charity.