POLITICAL battle lines have been drawn for the county council seats throughout Hexham. The Conservatives currently hold Hexham Central with Acomb and Hexham East with Coun. Trevor Cessford and Coun. Cath Homer currently incumbent. They will both re-stand for election in May’s election, and Hexham Town Council member Liam Panesh hopes to usurp current councillor for Hexham West, Independent Derek Kennedy, to make it a clean sweep for the Tories in the town. But Labour are looking to muscle in on the town too, and Penny Grennan, the party’s parliamentary candidate in the 2019 General Election, is looking to take the Hexham Central seat.
A £37m schools project in Hexham has helped to create more jobs and training opportunities for local people. A total of 79 per cent of those employed through project contractor, Galliford Try, on the job live within a 40-mile radius of the site and 18 of those are apprentices – gaining hands-on training to fulfil their own career aspirations. The project, spearheaded by Northumberland County Council, will see new school buildings for Queen Elizabeth High School and Hexham Middle School created on the same site. Coun. Guy Renner-Thompson, Northumberland County Council cabinet member with responsibility for children’s services, said: “As a council we are committed to providing the best opportunities for our children and young people locally and it is great to see this schools project is widening those opportunities by providing apprenticeships as well.”
Giant mural mooted as welcome to town centre A GATEWAY into Hexham town centre could soon host a giant mural depicting life in the town. Hexham’s deputy mayor Steve Ball is willing to seek funding for the ambitious scheme which would transform a “dirty, tatty side wall” of the town’s community centre, on Gilesgate. Coun. Ball, who is also chairman of Hexham Community Centre’s chairman of trustees, as well as a member of Hexham Town Council, said he wanted to gauge support for the scheme. He’s also keen find out what people want to be included on the mural, a project which could involve an artist in residence working alongside community groups.
Coun. Trevor Cessford outside the pavilion, at Acomb. A DECAYING sports pavilion is set to be transformed into a multi-functional community hub as part of a near £50,000 scheme. Built in around 1973, the pebble-dashed construction has served the village of Acomb for generations, acting as a changing facility for footballers at the nearby playing fields, and also housing a youth organisation. But while the need for the pavilion remains, it is in dire need of an upgrade both inside and out. Acomb Parish Council is working on an exciting scheme to breathe new life into the building. Refurbishment inside and out will include new fully-accessible toilets, with areas for wheelchairs, prams and pushchairs to park.