Action Groups Update - November 2024
Transport and Active Travel Action Group
Meetings planned with Ed Clark NCC, re use of the e-Cargo bike.
Resumed bus-stop surveys to see what progress – recent bus surveys: have found some improvements but also some are in worse state than previously. Need to follow up with NCC bus ambassador
Monica has sent out a survey through the Chamber of Trade to assess impact of limited public transport on staff recruitment – has had 20 responses to date.
SENRUG campaign for a rail service between Berwick and Newcastle.
Growing Communities Action Group
Caring for beds continues. 4 Apple trees ordered for the library bed. Joel and John planning the design and materials needed for the frames to espalier – mostly recycled.
Tweed Estuary Pollution Action Group
Algae monitoring every 2 months over autumn and winter, whereas every month in summer.
The outstanding FOI request was submitted to get info on whether the Environment Agency (EA) believe that any of the 350 approx annual spills from the 10 Combined Storm Overflows (CSOs) in the estuary are legal or not, and if not what are they doing about it. We strongly suspect some illegal spills i.e. when it's not raining. We already know from previous FOI requests, where we managed to obtain copies of the CSO licences, that it must be raining at the time of a spill to be classed as legal, plus some other criteria. We suspect rainfall detection and location is not rigorous. EA have already said they have not yet analysed data from Northumbria Water for 2022 or 2023 so the current FOI asks for analysis of 2021 data.
Warm Homes Action Group
Quiet day at the last Repair Café, so the information stall was quiet as well. We had a Team meeting last week, with various actions to pursue.
Zero Waste Hub Action Group
There will be no Repair Café in December.
Someone from the Repair Café team must take the lead on managing delivery of our next funding bid.
