Lanchester and the Derwenstide District Council Elections

Now that the Stanley Town Council is to be set up, Derwentside District Council must discontinue in that Town Council’s area any expenditure for which a Parish Council is expected to be responsible here in the existing Parished parts of Derwentside. This would make it possible for the District Council’s Council Tax precept to be reduced.

All candidates for election to Derwentside District Council from Parished Wards should promise to vote against any District spending in Stanley which a Parish Council would have to meet in their own Wards, and to vote to reduce the District’s precept accordingly.

Furthermore, Derwentside District Council (among other bodies) needs to recognise the existence of widespread and serious poverty here in Lanchester. For example, there are more people dependent on benefits in Lanchester than the entire population of Burnhope, where by no means everyone is poor.

I do not want cuts in Burnhope or anywhere else. But I do want the poor members of our relatively rich community in Lanchester to have at least the same chances as the rich members of relatively poor communities elsewhere. I have been arguing this with Alex Watson and others for years.