Council now plans to finish job in one stint

At the start of the month, we reported how Northumberland County Council is working on a scheme to renew footpaths on High Street and Market Place which have become uneven, and a trip hazard, particularly for the many elderly people who shop in the town.

But a week later, it was revealed that only half the job was to be completed during the current phase of work.

Wooler’s ward councillor, Coun Anthony Murray, had discovered that the section of High Street to be relaid only ran from Market Place up to Butler Court on one side and Glendale Road on the other, leaving a long stretch untouched, which he says has been suffering anyway since the Co-op moved to the other end of the town centre.

A county council spokeswoman said the authority did intend to do the whole job – but in two phases, with the second set to take place in the next financial year.

However, Coun Murray said: “I know it’s a costly exercise, but I think they could have done the whole lot in one go.

“The lads working on it are doing a fantastic job, creating as little disruption as possible for people. They are doing it really well, but it’s awful to think they are only going to do a part of it.”

And now, it appears that the county council agrees, as the authority now plans to complete the work in one phase.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “We have listened to what local people have said and agree that completing the work in one go is the right thing to do.

“We’ve re-looked at the work schedule and are going to bring the second phase of the work forward. The job is due to be completed in one go, by the first week in December.”

Originally, the first phase of work was due to take around four weeks to complete.