Whinfield News

Whinfield News This page is ran by Cllr Jamie Bartch & Cllr Andy Keir, they are active all year round not just election time.

Promoted by Cllr Jamie Bartch and Cllr Andy Keir on behalf of themselves, both at Junior Unionist Club, Kendrew Street, Darlington, DL3 6JG.

05/06/2026

🏠Whinfield Estate Inspection

👥Sophie and Sara were out on the Whinfield Estate this morning

👍They will be reporting a couple of fly tips and will be asking street scene to look at the weeds

😊It was great to speak to a few residents this morning whilst the sun was shining

WHINFIELD RESIDENT UPDATE 👇 SPARROWHALL DRIVEFollowing today’s call-in, we want to set out the facts before more misinfo...
04/06/2026

WHINFIELD RESIDENT UPDATE 👇 SPARROWHALL DRIVE

Following today’s call-in, we want to set out the facts before more misinformation is spread.

✅ The Council confirmed it is not prioritising brownfield sites over greenfield sites for new council housing.

✅ The Council confirmed that nothing mandates this development to happen on Sparrowhall Drive. Therefore it requires the Labour council to choose to build here. This was the advice we were given back in 2022 when we chose not to.

✅ While the site is included in the Local Plan, the Council’s own officer confirmed that Labour does not have to build here.

✅ Darlington Borough Council owns the land. If the Council chooses not to sell it, these homes cannot be built here.

✅ The Council’s planning lead confirmed that a private developer could not build on this site unless the Council agreed to sell the land.

✅ The housing waiting list figures used to justify the scheme are open to interpretation, and the figure of around 1,000 applicants is not necessarily reflective of demand in Whinfield alone.

The most important point is this:

Building on Sparrowhall Drive is a political choice, not an inevitability.

Labour repeatedly tried to hide behind the Local Plan, but when challenged, officers confirmed that inclusion in the Local Plan does not force the Council to build on this site. If Labour wanted to stop this development, they could.

We will be sharing further information and video updates in the coming days.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support this campaign and made their voice heard.

Cllr Jamie Bartch
Cllr Andy Keir

At the start of the meeting it became clear that the council were withholding vital information about their decision mak...
04/06/2026

At the start of the meeting it became clear that the council were withholding vital information about their decision making process hiding important communications from the councillors.

They are refusing to explain why they are rushing this through before the local plan review is concluded.

It stinks this was further backed up by the below. 👇

14:37 - call in meeting

The council just confirmed they are not prioritising brownfield sites ahead of developing in green field sites. This is despite them owning brownfield sites which they could prioritise.

04/06/2026

Just a reminder today is the day of the scrutiny meeting call in to scrutinise the councils decision to build council homes on Sparrowhall Drive.

Members of the public are welcome the meeting except the when it moves into part 3 which may contain commercially sensitive information and therefore the public will need to be excluded the meeting is at 2pm in the town hall you can see the agenda here:

Cllr Bartch popped into the town hall for a planning meeting today. Arrived in the sun left in a storm. Did anyone else ...
03/06/2026

Cllr Bartch popped into the town hall for a planning meeting today. Arrived in the sun left in a storm. Did anyone else get caught out?

01/06/2026

My laptop is now back and I am able to properly access emails.

01/06/2026

Rain or shine you can find Andy and Jamie out in Whinfield say hello or give us any complaints we’re here to hear them.

Food waste recycling collections are due to begin this week! and residents who have received their food waste caddy can ...
01/06/2026

Food waste recycling collections are due to begin this week! and residents who have received their food waste caddy can now start separating food waste from their general rubbish.

We know that many residents have expressed frustration about this change and the way it has been introduced. As the new arrangements begin, we hope the scheme operates smoothly and that any issues are addressed quickly by the council.

Items that can be recycled include fruit and vegetable peelings, fish and meat bones, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, leftovers and out-of-date food.

When your kitchen caddy is full, tie the liner and place it in the outdoor food waste recycling bin. The food waste bin should then be presented for collection on the same day and in the same location as your household recycling.

Residents should also note that recycling collections will move to a weekly schedule from next week.

Further information about the new arrangements, including details of how to report a missing food waste bin or caddy, is available on the council’s website by searching for “food waste”.

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