Is bigger really better for Teesdale, Teesdale Mercury

Is bigger really better for Teesdale

Feb 13, 2008

WITH Barney Liar in his sick bed, it has fallen to deputy editor STUART LAUNDY to step into the breach and fill his size 10s for the week. So here goes...

STRANGE as it may seem, I'll miss Teesdale District Council when it's no longer here. Not because I think it's doing a bang up job and giving me great value for my tax pound.

No, I'll miss it because unlike the greater powers that be, I do not think big is beautiful.

Abolishing the County Durham districts may seem the obvious thing to do from an office in London, but it certainly isn't as far as I'm concerned, sitting in my living room in Staindrop.

For a start, does anyone honestly believe that taking away a tier of local government will result in us all paying less council tax?

According to this year's bill, Teesdale District rakes in almost £180 from me.

So hands up all those who think my 2009/10 bill will be £180 lighter, given that TDC will no longer be with us?

You too, eh? I didn't think I was alone.

So I reckon that for the same money, we'll all see a lot less representation, which means a much smaller say on affairs in our area.

Under the new-look unitary authority, Teesdale will be served by just six elected members.

Currently, there are more than 30 councillors on Teesdale District Council. It may not be a perfect system, but it means people who know the area are taking the decisions.

In the super-council future, decisions affecting us will be taken by people who have probably never been to Barney or Middleton, let along the less well trodden parts of the dale (although how much would you like to bet that a series of ‘familiarisation' events - including refreshments, lunch, the use of a luxury bus and, of course, a sizeable allowance on the old expenses sheet - will be near the top of our new super-councillors' agenda?).

No, for me, small is beautiful.

I like the idea that when you're out on the street, you're quite likely to bump into your local councillor and can take him or her to task over an issue of pressing importance.

Come the revolution, our six elected members may live in the dale, but you'll never see them.

No, they'll be leading a parallel existence in the Durham bunker!

And while on the subject...

SPEAKING of local politics, when I moved to the dale from Scotland last year, I was quite surprised to discover we had a Labour MP.

I had always thought of the dale as a conservative sort of an area (both with a big and little ‘c').

My mistake. I had assumed, rather rashly as it turned out, that an area as distinct as Teesdale, would have its own MP.

But district and constituency boundaries are distinctly different and it seems we are lumped in with Bishop Auckland.

The combination of rural and urban issues this throws up must make for an interesting life for Ms Goodman.

Happy days are here again!

MEANWHILE, on the sporting front, the nights are now drawing out - it's light until after 5pm. And so, obviously, for a good number of us it's time to observe a yearly ritual.

For some it involves a stepladder up to the attic. For others it's a case of delving into hitherto unexplored areas of the wardrobe.

Yes, despite the snow on the ground, it's time to unearth the cricket gear.

Being the dedicated sportsmen we are, we will have lovingly thrown our kit in the bag last September, and there it has lain, with the autumn mud still on the boots and with a unique musk, the result of that last shower that we played through "because it's a long time until April".

It took me until Thursday to recover from the first week's nets.

Aching ankle and throbbing knee notwithstanding, I am hoping for better this time, although the early signs are not good.

In the excellent facilities of a Newton Aycliffe school, my batting has been universally hopeless so far, much to the delight of team mates.

But as I told when the stumps went over for the third time, who wants to peak on February 3!

First published in the Mercury February 6, 2008