Longstanding Lib Dem Councillor steps down

Former Redcar & Cleveland Council Leader Eric Empson has today announced his resignation from the council.

Eric, who will be 85 next month, has represented Ormesby on the Council since 1989, initially on Cleveland County Council and later the borough council. He led the council from 2003 to 2007, when the Council achieved a 4-star rating.

But Eric feels the time is right to step back now.

Eric said:

“After discussions with my doctor I feel my health will not allow me to continue to represent the people of Ormesby and Nunthorpe to the full.

“I was proud to serve as Leader of the Council. It was a special privilege to represent my fellow citizens in local, regional and national forums.

“I would like to thank the people of Ormesby and Nunthorpe for electing me, and thank everyone who has worked with me as a councillor.”

Councillor Chris Abbott, Liberal Democrat Group Leader at the Council, said:

“I thank Eric for his excellent hard work over the years. His experience and wisdom will be missed by many.”

Lib Dem Group Chair, Councillor Irene Nightingale, who also represents Ormesby ward, added:

“It has always been a pleasure to work with Eric in helping local constituents. Local residents will miss his dedication in representing their interests.”

Labour's wrecking amendment ruins debate on Post Office Closures

Pictured below L to R Cllr Glyn Nightingale, Ian Swales Lib Dem PPC

for Redcar, Cllr Eric Empsom campaigning at Lazenby Post Office

under threat from Labour Government cuts.

Yesterday we proposed a motion calling on the Council to campaign against proposals to close four Post offices in the Borough of Redcar & Cleveland it read:

This Council notes with concern that the following Post Office branches are proposed for closure as part of the Post Office Area Plan:

Charltons, Charltons, Saltburn-By-The-Sea.
Moorsholm, 44 High Street, Moorsholm, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
Lazenby, Lazenby Post Office, 23 High Street, Lazenby, Middlesbrough.
Park Avenue, Park Avenue, Redcar.

And resolves to campaign vigorously against the closure of these important local facilities and to send in objections to Adrian Wales, Network Development Manager, c/o National Consultation Team, Freepost Consultation Team.

This Council further resolves to do all it can to assist in finding a suitable franchisee who is willing to take on a Post Office facility at Roseberry Shopping Centre, which is on the list of those to be retained by the Post Office.

Proposed by Councillor Chris Abbott
Seconded by Councillor Glynis Abbott

Unfortunately the debate was restricted to a very few minutes and the controlling Labour Group introduced a wrecking amendment which we could not support. This amendment was factually incorrect and deleted the important need to campaign for the restoration of the Post Office in the new Roseberry Shopping Centre at Redcar.

We had hoped the Council would be unanimous in supporting our motion but clearly the controlling Labour Group prefer to be mischievous and misleading rather than genuinely campaign against cuts their colleagues in the Labour Government have forced upon us all.

Eyes down for more investment in unmade streets

A walk to the bingo will be a lot smoother for pensioners in Brotton and Lingdale thanks to Redcar and Cleveland Council's £1million additional investment to tackle unmade streets.

Community Campaigner Norma Morris is pictured, left, with Brotton Ward Liberal Democrat Councillors Val Miller, centre, and Kay Walker in one of the unmade streets on the Park at Brotton which could benefit from the funding.

Pensioners in the two East Cleveland villages have given the thumbs-up to the start of work in tackling unadopted streets in an ongoing investment that has already allocated £1.3million to tackle 19 schemes across the Borough.

The Council's Cabinet Chairman Councillor Eric Empson, whose portfolio covers the commitment to target unadopted highways, is delighted with the results - and the promise of more to come.

"We began the three-year programme of improvements in April, 2004 and so far 19 schemes have been completed or are nearing completion," he explained.

"The adoption of these roads has to be a benefit not just to the people living there, but to the whole village or town. We have had positive feedback from every piece of work we've carried out.

"The success of the programme has brought numerous requests from residents across the Borough and a further £1m will be allocated over the next four years to try and meet the demands."

Funding of £250,000 has been provided for works to be undertaken in Brotton and Lingdale during 2007/08 and engineers are in the process of drawing up and prioritising a list of possible schemes to take to consultation with councillors and residents.

Brotton ward councillor Kay Walker, a regular at the Thursday afternoon community bingo at the Village Hall, said: "The work is going to be very popular, not only with pensioners, but also young families."

Councillor Steve Kay, who represents the Lockwood ward, which covers Lingdale, said: "We can also hail the investment as an accident prevention scheme as there have been several senior citizens involved in nasty falls. It's not surprising as they have tried to negotiate treacherous unmade streets, full of potholes and covered with loose material.

"I'm delighted that the people of East Cleveland have been given a real say in how this project has evolved and we're looking for more improvements to come over the next 12 months. No-one can deny they are needed."

To date, streets throughout the Borough have benefited from the scheme, including streets in Redcar, Guisborough, Loftus, Boosbeck, Moorsholm, Aysdalegate, Charltons, Lingdale and Dunsdale.

Redcar & Cleveland Council maintains position as a top performing Council

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has maintained the highest overall performance rating for a Council with an Audit Commission assessment of ‘four stars’ and is judged to have plans in place to continue ‘improving well’.

The Assessment, which took place at the end of last year, looked at how each of the Council’s main services are performing, how well the Council is being managed, how it manages its finances and achieves value for money, as well as what progress the Council has made over the past year and the plans it has in place for the future.

Cllr Eric Empson, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Chairman, said: “This is a significant achievement which should be celebrated by residents, partner organisations and staff alike.

“The Audit Commission’s assessment of the Council as a four-star organisation is real evidence of the sustained and continuous effort by staff and partners throughout the Borough to improve services for the benefit of local residents and businesses.

“What is really gratifying is that despite the growing demands against the budget and the increasingly challenging criteria of ‘The Harder Test’, we have maintained our status as one of the top-performing Councils in the country. We would like to thank residents, partner organisations and staff who helped us to achieve this excellent result.”

The Commission singled out a number of achievements for particular praise:

- Good performance levels have been sustained and services are improving in areas prioritised by local people, including increasing employment.
- Early Years provision is good and performance by 11 year olds continues on an upward trend.
- Adult social care services help more people to live at home and benefits claimants are dealt with more accurately and promptly.
- Rapid progress is being made in improving local housing services.
- Environmental performance is strong with targets for waste and recycling significantly exceeded.
- Libraries perform well against national standards.
- More people access services through the contact centre, one-stop shops and Libraries.
- The Council engages well with young people and progress has been made in delivering equality in service provision.
- Support services have been brought back in-house during 2006 and a
Council-wide project is underway to deliver improvements at lower cost.
- Value for money is good and statutory plans are robust.
- Improvements to performance and financial management offer a sound basis for continued improvement.

Cllr Glyn Nightingale, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, said: “What has been accomplished in the past year is tremendous. However, as a Council, we are determined to continue to improve and respond to residents’ priorities.

“We, along with our partners, will build on recent work to tackle the challenges of crime and anti-social behaviour and we are exploring how we can further address health improvement, social care and the quality of our local environment.

“Our work in these areas, alongside significantly increased investment in education and the creation of future employment opportunities, means that we are looking forward to the future with renewed confidence.”

Millions of pounds to deliver hundreds of jobs in the Borough of Redcar & Cleveland

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is celebrating today having secured £10.9 million of Government funding which will create over 450 jobs and transform business and employment opportunities throughout the area over the next three years.

The money, part of the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, will be used to increase the number of self-employed in the area by 480 and support the start-up of over 200 new businesses and 8 new social enterprises.

Communities Minister, Baroness Andrews said: "The Local Enterprise Growth Initiative aims to encourage a step-change in economic activity in some of the most deprived areas in England. I am impressed by the huge response to LEGI and the genuinely deep understanding of local issues demonstrated by many bids and the strong role set out for local partnerships in delivering change.

"Following a very tough selection process I am convinced that the winning proposals will be able to make a real difference and drive enterprise forward in partnership with the private sector. LEGI is a vital element in turning around the lives and prospects of some of our most disadvantaged communities in an economically sound and sustainable way."

Councillor Eric Empson, Chairman of the Cabinet, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “This is simply fantastic news and we are delighted that we have secured Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding of £10.9million to invest in our most deprived areas over the next three years.

“Redcar and Cleveland has always been one of the north’s best kept secrets; we have an incredible heritage of world-class industrial enterprise and now the area is establishing itself as a potential world-leader in new energy and recycling industries. This funding provides us with a real opportunity to harness potential and build an exciting and dynamic future for residents.”

Councillor Vera Moody, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: "This is great news. LEGI funding will help local people pursue their talent for enterprise and exploit the opportunities that exist.

"We have worked with our schools, businesses and a wide range of public and voluntary sector organisations to develop proposals to inspire, encourage and support people to start and develop successful businesses which will transform our community.

"We know this will not happen overnight, but with LEGI funding and the commitment of local people and organisations we will make rapid progress."

Working in partnership with public and private sector organisations the funding will provide a targeted programme of business development and support for Greater Eston, West Redcar and East Cleveland residents.

This will focus on four key areas, including:

Enterprise in Education – the funding will provide enterprise co-ordinators in three schools - Eston Park School, Redcar Community College and Freebrough Specialist Engineering College – who will lead a programme of teaching, mentoring and enterprise awareness raising to tap into the potential of young people and generate confidence in their ability to build a thriving business and exciting future for themselves; to support this ‘can-do’ attitude there will also be funding available for budding entrepreneurs to start-up businesses on the school site.

Harnessing the Passion – the north-east can suffer from the perception that the area is lacking dynamism and economic drive – this perception will be challenged. Passion, ambition and ideas can be harnessed and channeled into the creation of thriving businesses. Business development funding will be made available for researching new business ideas and ‘leading light' mentors will provide business savvy with the aim of increasing the number of self-employed by 480.

Enterprise Growth – with the aim of creating 450 new jobs in the next three years, new businesses will be supported in securing business premises, getting involved in the right business networks and taking full advantage of the opportunities on offer to open up supply chains and tender for new business.

Social Enterprise – increasingly public services are now provided by suppliers to the public sector. A new Development Trust will be set up with the aim of creating and supporting 8 new social enterprises over the next ten years, with significant commitment from Primary Care Trusts and the private sector already secured.

Enterprise Marketing – marketing will be undertaken to demonstrate to regional and national audiences that Redcar and Cleveland is an area of massive potential where businesses can thrive. This will boost new investment and interest in the area.

Partners in delivering the programme Alliance & Leicester Bank, Business Link Tees Valley, Chamber of Commerce, Redcar & Cleveland College of Further Education, the Community Network, Eldonians Ltd, Eston Park School, Federation of Small Businesses, Freebrough Specialist Engineering College, PD Ports plc, Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust (PCT), Redcar Community College, Redcar & Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency (RCVDA), Redcar Racecourse, Working Links Ltd, UK Steel Enterprise Ltd.

Council's anger over Labour's Race Course stance

Redcar and Cleveland Council's leader Councillor Eric Empson has today condemned the Authority's Labour opposition for its "irresponsible" stance against Lord Zetland's vision for the future of Redcar Racecourse.

And Councillor Empson is calling on the Council to expel Labour from the membership of its multi-party Redcar Racecourse monitoring group.

Councillor Empson expressed his concerns as a question and a motion were delivered for debate at a meeting of the Council at Eston Town Hall on Thursday, November 30 which clearly breaks the Group's mandate to be an information-gathering forum first before making any decisions.

Councillor Empson said: "We have not decided to support a move to Dunsdale because we don't know the facts - and neither does the Labour Group leader Councillor George Dunning.

"We are behaving as all responsible politicians should behave, doing our best for the town, and until all the facts are known and we have a proper opportunity to talk to Lord Zetland, no-one knows the negotiating issues.

"However, we are being constantly bombarded by Councillor Dunning's irresponsible behaviour, which is blatant electioneering. In my view, it can have only one outcome - Redcar will be left with nothing and there will be no new course, either, because Lord Zetland will become completely disenchanted with our Council.

"So I believe it is time to act and say, We did believe the Labour group could act as a responsible opposition, listen to the facts, start a sensible debate and move forward. But they are absolutely incapable of doing that so the sooner we eject them from the monitoring group the better. And I can assure everyone that Councillor Dunning's motion will not succeed on Thursday."

Councillor Dunning's motion says: "This Council is concerned at statements made following the emergency general meeting of the Redcar Racecourse board on November 3, in particular that new board chair, Lord Zetland, is committed to future closure of the current Redcar racecourse, development of this whole greenfield site and proposed relocation of racing to a mega-course on green belt land at Dunsdale, near Guisborough."

A question from Councillor Mark Hannon to Councillor Chris Abbott, Cabinet Member for Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal, asks: "Can he explain why he is supporting the relocation of Redcar racecourse to Dunsdale when it is a successful community facility, which is improving in its racing programme, improving its financial performance and improving its diverse range of activities for the surrounding community and neighbourhoods of Redcar."

Councillor Abbott retorted: "The antics of the Labour councillors could lose us racing in Redcar forever. We lost the opportunity of top-class motor racing at South Bank some years ago because of their dogmatic, head-in-the-sand attitude.

"21st Century spectators demand first class sporting facilities. The present arrangements will not sustain racing in Redcar much longer. We must keep our nerve and remain open-minded. We have to be more ambitious for Redcar and welcome the opportunity to discuss ways to keep racing local."

Shopmobility returns to Redcar

Redcar and Cleveland Council has entered into a new partnership with a voluntary organisation run by local disabled people to ensure Redcar Shopmobility is back in business for users in time for Christmas shopping.

The Redcar and Cleveland Real Opportunity Centre (ROC) has secured Council funding for the next 18 months to revive the service, formerly run by the Redcar and Cleveland Disability Access Group (DAG), which was forced to close its doors on the Esplanade in September due to lack of funds.

The current Shopmobility members have all been notified about the good news and recruitment for staff is now underway.

The Council's Cabinet Chairman Councillor Eric Empson said: "Council officers and ROC have pulled out all the stops to get Shopmobility up and running before Christmas.

"As well as financial support, we are also helping with some equipment and building maintenance and repairs. Council departments are pitching in to get things moving on a safe and sound basis."

ROC Manager Jane Reast explained: "This is a busy and challenging time for ROC and our first priority is to get the doors open again.

"The Council has recognised the value of voluntary sector work and the public and economic benefit this partnership can bring. It has listened to local people and responded very positively. DAG has done a great job and given us a platform so we can develop."

ROC's other work will include a day resource newsletter and organising the Disabled People's Partnership Board, which will complement and enhance the Information and Shopmobility service.

Bright future guaranteed as Council clinches street lighting deal

REDCAR and Cleveland Council is predicting a very bright future for the Borough's residents after agreeing a £46million project to replace, upgrade and add to its street lighting stock.

Over 15,000 columns will be replaced - 85 per cent of the existing stock - and another 3,457 added in a phased programme across the Borough over the next five years, with a £1million a year maintenance budget in place for a further 25 years.

The Council has appointed David Webster Lighting, based in Hertfordshire, as its preferred bidder, through the Government-backed Private Finance Initiative scheme, with £21 million from the Government backed up by a £1 million a year maintenance commitment over the next 25 years from the Council.

The Council's Cabinet Chairman Councillor Eric Empson said: "This is a massive investment that has been waiting to happen for a very long time and will undoubtedly be endorsed by every one of our residents. The new columns will cut out 'light pollution' in many locations, which will mean the sky and the stars can be seen in all their glory.

"We are very pleased to announce that a major national company, David Webster Lighting, will be the preferred bidder for the project and, subject to successfully completing contract negotiations, will be delivering this vital service over the next 25 years."

The company's managing director Bertrand Richard said: "We look forward to working in partnership with the Council on this prestigious and exciting project to deliver a first class lighting service to the people of Redcar and Cleveland, creating safer and better-lit streets."

Councillor Empson, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development and Infrastructure, explained: "Our surveys show the importance the public places on street lighting, with its rating as the third most important service, behind waste collection/recycling and street cleaning.

"What the public may not realise, but we have acknowledged for some time, is that the majority of our lighting stock doesn't meet the European standards and thousands have now passed their 25-year life expectancy.

"We've even discovered that the space between them is too much - that's why we're not only embarking on a replacement programme, but also putting in thousands of new columns."

A contract is expected to be signed and sealed in the next few months, with work ready to start next Spring following consultations with residents and the Police to determine priority areas.

Eric Empson calls for an end to political bickering over the Coatham Links development

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Eric Empson, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development and Infrastructure has sent an open letter to local MP for Redcar, Vera Baird QC, calling for her to display real political leadership in ensuring a fair and open determination of the planning application for the Coatham Links development.

Councillor Empson, who is also Chairman of the Cabinet, said: "I have sent the letter in response to my increasing concerns that party politics are jeopardising the determination of the planning application for the development at Coatham Links.

"It does not help when the Labour Group switch sides only four days after the very same members voted publicly to support the scheme at a recent meeting of the Joint Strategy Committee."

In the letter, Councillor Empson openly challenges Ms Baird's recent support for the protesters against the development of housing and leisure facilities at Redcar and for their call for a Public Inquiry into the current planning application, suggesting the Council should itself call for an Inquiry.

He sets out: "As a lawyer with planning experience you know we cannot do this.

"Firstly, it is a matter for the Planning Committee acting independently and the Cabinet cannot take such a decision.

"Secondly, we cannot predict with any certainty what decision the Planning Committee will take. If they are minded to refuse then there is no point in an inquiry If they are minded to grant permission then it goes to Government Office for a decision on whether to hold an inquiry.

"It would be absurd for the Planning Committee to say we are minded to approve but by the way hold an Inquiry anyway because we need some political public relations.

"I am fully aware of the political motivation of much of the activity surrounding the proposed development at Coatham Links.

"It is in the interests of opposition party members to delay the decision on the proposed development - even when they support it in principle. Much of the public argument and scare-mongering surrounding the proposed development on Coatham Links is generated by these interests.

"I am now publicly asking for VeraBaird MP to put a stop to the party political wrangling and support local councillors in determining the planning application in a right and proper manner.

"The present scheme is the only show in town for the next five years that can bring real regeneration to Redcar. It should not be thrown away just to score party political points. The decision should be made on solid grounds, not on an unfounded assertion that the Council may not have the money it says it has.

"We might not be in this position if Vera Baird had not refused to speak to leading Council members for the past twelve months.

"We all owe this opportunity to bring about a fair and open debate to the residents who elected us to represent them and we owe it to the future regeneration of Redcar".

Response to Coatham protesters exaggerated claims

Printed below is a report issued to members of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council by the Council's Chief Executive, Colin Moore. It is in response to the seriously exaggerated claims about contamination made by objectors to the Council's proposed leisure and housing development at Coatham Enclosure:

"Persimmon is being advised by experts in these fields and the advice they have received has been submitted to the Council as part of their planning application.

"Two separate but related issues need to be addressed here. There is the issue of contamination of the site as a whole and then the allegation of sand being removed that is two and a half times the safe level for mercury, lead and arsenic."

The Site as a Whole

"The issue of contaminated land is an issue for all developments throughout the country. Some degree of contamination is to be expected on all brown field sites. That is why a thorough examination of this site has taken place and a report submitted as part of the planning process. The issue then is the nature of remediation required.

"The examination done for Persimmon by Encia Consulting is thorough, detailed and highly responsible as should be expected from a respected national house builder dealing with public authorities.

"The first headline from the report is that there is nothing on this site that presents any danger to existing uses. The issue is with “made ground”, that is soil imported or existing reworked. It goes on to say “This made ground contains sporadic, slightly elevated concentrations of some metals including arsenic, copper and zinc. These are considered to present only a slight risk to the proposed development.” The report goes on to discuss the remedial work necessary for the development to go ahead. This will be implemented in the final scheme and independently scientifically validated

"In other words the whole site does not have contamination but only parts of it. Where there is contamination it is only slight. There is no danger to anyone walking across the site or playing golf. There is a slight risk to new residential development if remedial measures are not taken. The view of Persimmon is that this is one of the cleanest sites they have had to deal with.

"I will now go into the detail of exactly what is on the site.

"Out of twenty samples tested there was one finding of Arsenic at two and a half times the Soil Guideline Value (safe in layman’s terms). It was found at 2.6metres depth. It was in unusual soil of brick and ash. For this to be a danger to health you would have to dig down 2.6metres (8 feet 8 inches) and somehow eat the brick and ash. You would probably have to do this repeatedly to have any affect on health. The 95 percentile analysis of all samples is at 21.2 parts per million, or just over the Soil Guideline Value (SGV) of 20 parts per million, this is the measure used to assess whether the site is contaminated.

"There is only one sample where mercury is above the SGV at 1.4 metres depth and is way below the two and a half times level claimed. All other samples are well below mercury’s SGV of 8 parts per million.

"For lead there are two samples slightly above the SGV, one at 1.4 metres depth and the other at 2.6 metres depth being the same site of brick and ash as the arsenic anomaly. However when taken as a whole the concentrations encountered present negligible risk.

"In conclusion this leads to the best technical advice being that there is no danger to existing users and only a slight danger to a residential development, which can easily be remediated."

Removed Sand

"The key allegation is that McAlpines, in laying out a public footpath, have removed sand that is contaminated at two and a half times the safe limit for arsenic, mercury and lead. This is nonsense. Such inorganic contaminants as are known are well below the surface in made ground. They have only been identified in two locations over an area of 4.5 hectares (45,000 square metres). In addition the elevated concentrations were only found at depth (the shallowest being 1.4metres). There is therefore no basis for the claim that the sand removed is contaminated with arsenic, mercury and lead. The material removed by McAlpines is wind blown sand from the surface."

Conclusion

"One trial pit found one trace of one metal in one place at two and a half times the safe limit in deep unnatural soil. To extrapolate that into three metals being at that level in blown sand on the surface elsewhere on the site is an argument that cannot be sustained and is unscientific.

"There is no more significant risk to human health in the near surface deposits at Coatham than anywhere else on industrial Teesside and certainly not such as to require special measures in terms of its current use."

The report prompted the Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor George Dunning, to include the following in an email sent to all members of the Council: "I have to say on behalf of the Labour Group that we have had reassurances from top officers on the allegations of contamination at Coatham Common."

Also in an email to all members of the Council, Chairman of the Cabinet, Councillor Eric Empson wrote: "I am sure that my colleagues, and all right thinking Members of this Authority, are completely disgusted at the posturing and pontificating of people who have no interest in the future of Redcar and Cleveland."

Council and Arriva enroute to agreement

Redcar and Cleveland Council has held 'constructive' talks with bus operator Arriva North East to help secure improved services on a series of key routes across the Borough.

The Council's Main Overview and Scrutiny Committee will meet the company at a special meeting in Eston Town Hall on Thursday, July 6 to debate Arriva's new arrangements and the changes made since following detailed discussions between Council officers and the company's senior management.

Arriva has confirmed that, in response to customer comments, three service amendments have already been agreed - a commitment to run the 64A along the full length of Normanby Road, South Bank, a diversion via Skinningrove for the X56 journeys that end at Loftus and an additional school day only journey for the X56 to help students at Laurence Jackson School, Guisborough, to be introduced in September.

The Council's Cabinet Chairman Councillor Eric Empson said: "I am pleased to report that we have made meaningful progress in addressing our concerns with Arriva and these changes will certainly help.

"We are now looking forward to more open and constructive discussion with the company at our scrutiny session which, I am sure, will benefit everyone involved to have a clearer picture of the situation."

Arriva's commercial director Liz Esnouf, who will address the meeting, said: "We received a number of suggestions from customers and we're pleased that we've been able to make some changes which take these into account. It's really important people take advantage of these amended services as we can only run our buses where people will use them."

She added: "We find the continued dialogue with Redcar and Cleveland Council very helpful in further refining our commercial services. Working together to create the most effective network will benefit all.

"I hope we will reach a better understanding at the scrutiny meeting of what Arriva is working to achieve with our recent changes and welcome the opportunity to outline the pressures faced by bus operators with increasing costs and meeting passenger needs, while delivering value for money bus services."

Sea front shelters enjoy a facelift

Liberal Democrat Councillors Irene Curr and Josie Crawford do love to be beside the seaside - even more so now that their favourite seafront shelters have been given a facelift.

Sadly, vandals had wrecked havoc on the three Esplanade shelters, smashing windows, breaking panels and daubing the structures with graffiti.

Now thanks to funding from both the Council's Redcar Area Environment Committee and the Council's highways partner, Alfred McAlpine, the shelters are gleaming again.

Councillor Curr, the Committee's chair and, along with Councillor Crawford a Coatham ward councillor, said: "I think they look lovely. They looked really unloved with all the vandalism - now I'm really pleased they're back looking as good as new."

The Council's Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development and Infrastructure Councillor Eric Empson praised the five weeks work and said: "They're an asset to the town again. What could be nicer than looking out to sea in comfort and pleasant surroundings."