The Annual Town Meeting will take place at 6pm on Monday 9 March in the Dawson Room, Woodleigh.

The Notice and Agenda for this meeting can be found by clicking here.

There is a  councillor vacancy in the East Ward of Barnard Castle Town Council, which will be filled by co-option.

Council agreed at its meeting on 20 January 2020 to invite suitably qualified candidates (who must be residents of the parish, be occupied in the parish, or live within three miles of the parish) to submit a formal expression of interest, stating their suitability on (no more than) one side of A4.  As a guide, the Council uses the NALC specification of the duties and time commitment anticipated of members of the town council. Please read the document on this link and demonstrate how you meet the specification in your submission.

You may also consult the NALC publication ‘The good councillor’s guide’, which provides a clear overview of the legal framework for the town council and the role of councillors.

Anyone submitting an expression of interest by noon on Tuesday 10 March 2020, will be invited to attend the Council meeting at 6pm on Monday 16 March 2020, which will be held at Woodleigh. Expressions of interest will be circultated with the Agenda for the meeting.

Candidates will be offered two minutes to state their suitability, in turn, with the order determined by a draw.  Members will then be offered an opportunity to question the candidates together.  At the conclusion of the question and answer session, members may either resolve to proceed directly to a secret ballot or may resolve to exclude press and public (including the candidates) pending a debate on the suitability of the candidates.  The co-option will be decided by the achievement of an absolute majority.

If you have any questions, please contact the council by:
email (clerk@barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk) or
phone (01833 690970).

 

Barnard Castle Town Council has appointed a new clerk.  And he’s a Clark: Martin Clark.

Following a recruitment campaign which saw interest from across County Durham, the town council has announced that its new Town Clerk from April will be Martin Clark.  Martin is currently clerk to three local parishes and holds the Certificate in Local Council Administration, which he was the first clerk in Teesdale to achieve.  Martin has been active with local councils for the last 10 years.  His background is as a civil servant with the Department for Education.

Prior to becoming a Parish Clerk Martin had just over 2 years as a councillor for Teesdale District Council and was also an active member of his local council, Etherley Parish. Martin is a lover of music (rock!) and follows his beloved Chelsea with a passion.  He enjoys getting involved with the community and is not averse to getting his hands dirty!

Town Mayor, Councillor John Blissett, welcomed Martin’s appointment, “Martin comes with an impressive track record of getting things done in the challenging world of local councils.  He knows the rules we must live by and the expectations of organisations like the county council we work with.  He really impressed the panel and the council voted unanimously in favour of his appointment.”

The next meetings will take place in Woodleigh on Monday 16 March 2020:

17:30     Planning
18:00    Full Council

Agendas and previous minutes can be found on the ‘Agendas & Minutes’ page of this website.

 

The Town Council wants local people to highlight problems caused by Highways England’s decision to divert traffic through town from the A66 for four weekends starting on 25 January. Tag your pictures and stories #BarneyBlitz.

It has been announced by Highways England that there is a scheduled road closure on the A66 between Scotch Corner and Rokeby due to road maintenance and improvement. The road will be closed for the following four weekends: Jan 25-26, Feb 1-2, Feb 8-9, and Feb 15‑16.  Non-HGV traffic will be diverted over County Bridge.  HGV traffic will be diverted over Abbey Bridge and all traffic will be diverted through town to the A688. Both bridges and the Market Cross have suffered damage from traffic for years. These weekend diversions will also disrupt local roads for residents and visitors.

The Town Council wants to press the case for a better solution for diverting traffic from the A66 with Highways England and Durham County Council. It needs your evidnec of the damage and disruption that may come form these diversions. Post these on social media with the tag #BarneyBlitz or email the council using BarneyBlitz@barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk

Barnard Castle Town Council requires part time attendants for the Mini Golf Course on Scar Top, Barnard Castle.  Successful applicants are required to work as one of a team of attendants covering weekend shifts from April until the start of November and daily shifts during school holidays.

Main duties include supervising daily operation of the course, clerical tasks, cash handling and dealing with the public.

Benchmark pay is set at the National Minimum Wage for those aged 21-24 (£8.20 ph from 1 April 2020). Successful candidates aged 25 or over would be paid at the National Living Wage rate (£8.72 ph).

To view a job description for this post please click here.

Please apply by forwarding:

• a copy of your CV with
• a covering letter giving reasons why you think you would be suitable for the post.  This should include any previous experience of working with members of the public, cash handling and working as part of a team.
• please also provide contact details for someone who would be able to comment on your suitability for the post.

Closing date for all applications is noon Wednesday 12 February 2020 with interviews to take place in the week commencing Monday 17 February 2020.

Applications to be forwarded by post to:

The Town Clerk
Barnard Castle Town Council
Woodleigh
Flatts Road
Barnard Castle
DL12 8AA
01833 690970

Or by email to: clerk@barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk

There will be no Wednesday market on either Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

The final market day of 2019 is on Wednesday 18 December.

The first market day of 2020 is on Wednesday 8 January.

The Town Council’s office at Woodleigh will close at 4:00pm on Friday 20 December 2019 and re-open at 10:00am on Thursday 2 January 2020.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Pre Appeal Press Release October 2019

The town council holds a 30 year lease to manage the Demesnes.  As landlord, Durham County Council is holding a public consultation session on proposals to replace the equipment in the Demesnes Play Area, which is now at the end of its useful life.

The consultation to help with selection of new play equipment will take place in:

St Mary’s RCVA Primary School, Birch Rd, Barnard Castle DL12 8JR on Wednesday 18 September at 3 pm.