Middleton-in-Teesdale and Newbiggin Parish Council
Community engagement
The Parish Council is always willing to listen to the views, concerns and interests of members of the local community.
There are several ways we try to reach out.
Councillors' surgeries
Since the start of 2019, the Parish Council holds a monthly 'surgery' to provide the opportunity for any resident to speak to a parish councillors about any concerns they have, any suggestion they'd like to make, or simply to find out more about the work of the Parish Council.
The surgeries are held at Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS) officer, on Chapel Row in Middleton-in-Teesdale. Posters advertising the date and time of surgeries appear in the village and the events are publicised on local social media. Eight of the surgeries are held in the afternoons (usually the last Friday of the month) and four are held in early evenings (to allow those who work to attend). Two parish councillors attend.
Following each event, the Parish Council publishes a summary of issues raised, in the following format:
Although surgeries have been temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, watch out for the poster announcing the date and time of the next surgery.
Annual Community Forum
Each year, usually in May, the Parish Council arranges a Community Forum. The aim of the Forum is to offer the opportunity for organisations to have a stall, display their work and chat to members of the public.
A formal part of the event has usually been the Annual Parish Meeting, at which local electors have the opportunity to raise and discuss any matters relating to the parish.
The Chairman of the Parish Council provides a report of what work the council has been doing over the past year, and its plans for the forthcoming year.
Feedback from the Community Forum events has been positive and they have attracted a good crowd which created a positive 'buzz'.
Parish Council newsletters
The Parish Council usually publishes a newsletter three times each year.
Visit the Newsletters page where you can view and download previous newsletters.
If you'd like to suggest that we feature a certain organisation or community group in the regular newsletter 'Spotlight on...’ feature, then please drop us an email with the details.