New steering group is created to help village action plan

Seven residents and six parish councillors make up the committee.

The main role of the group will be to manage the process of the Longhoughton Community Action Plan Review.

Members will draw up a draft list of issues and needs facing the community and ensure that all residents have an opportunity to express their views.

The group met last week for the first time and discussed their priorities for the village.

These included a new pub selling food and alcohol, more affordable housing and the need to re-establish the centre of the village in the area of the Co-op.

The next group meeting will be in March when the draft needs and issues will be finalised and decisions made on the methods to be used to obtain residents’ views.

Steering-group chairman, Coun Adrian Hinchcliffe, said: “The objective is to come up with an action plan to put developments or activities in place to meet the needs of the community. The action plan may be implemented over a number of years depending upon the degree of difficulty.”