Northumberland County Council has announced a major sell off of community assets in various towns across the county to raise funds not just for the £80 million new County Hall in Ashington but now for its hugely expensive £83 million purchase of the 40 year old Manor Walks shopping centre in Cramlington.
Among these community assets the residents of Blyth were amazed to see that their Miners Welfare community centre has been put up for sale to the highest bidder.
Local Conservative campaigner, Ian Levy, said, “I have been talking to residents in Kitty Brewster who just cannot believe that Northumberland County Council could even think to sell of their community centre.
Residents have been telling me how this building is a part of the heritage of Blyth and how it was actually paid for originally through the contributions from generations of Blyth miners.
This is a part of the heritage of our town and I will be writing to NCC on behalf of residents to find out if there are any plans to preserve the pit wheel and the other artefacts relating to Blyth town’s history that are in the building.
People are asking me how can it be possible for a County Council to even contemplate selling local buildings which were constructed by hard working local people. What state must the County Council finances be in if they are having to stoop to this level.
It does seem extraordinary that the current County Council can be shutting down essential local services whilst, at the same time, splashing out vast sums of taxpayers’ money on a shopping centre in Cramlington.”
Leader of Northumberland Conservatives, Coun Peter Jackson, added, “It seems as though Blyth, along with many other towns in the county, has been let down by this Labour-run County Council.
It is clear that Labour cannot be trusted with our county’s finances as it continues with its huge vanity schemes at the expense of all residents. We will all be paying off the debts which Labour have been running up for years to come with forced sell offs like this one and with cuts to local services.
There will be a clear choice in the County Council election next May.”