Reform UK Dunston Hill & Whickham East Ward

09/10/2026

Old School Close, Dunston – Concerns Over Landscaping

I was really pleased to see the former Dunston Hill School site being brought back to life with new homes for young families. I was particularly encouraged by the plans to retain and incorporate features of the old school into the landscaping, helping to preserve some of the site’s history.

This development also has a personal connection for my family. My wife attended the school, and my great-grandfather was the local lollipop man back in the 1960s.

However, after taking a walk around the new estate, I was very disappointed to see the condition of the landscaping. It appears that the green spaces and planted areas have not been properly maintained since the houses were built.

What concerns me most is that residents are paying a maintenance fee for this work, so they are entitled to expect the upkeep of their estate to reflect what they are paying for.

I have now written to Riverside seeking answers about who is responsible for the maintenance, why the landscaping has been allowed to deteriorate, and what action will be taken to put things right.

Residents deserve answers, and they deserve to see the standard of maintenance they are paying for. I will update residents when I receive a response.

09/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EsCK6GRrC/

09/10/2026

Great to see the toilets tidied up with a lick of paint.

I would like to make it clear that I fully recognise and appreciate the volunteers who have given up their time to open and close the toilets during the school holidays and at weekends. They deserve our thanks, and I have never claimed that Reform volunteers were responsible for opening them.

However, as ward councillor, I also have a responsibility to speak up for residents. While the volunteers’ efforts are appreciated, we need to look at the bigger picture. The toilets and café need to be available on a regular and reliable basis so that families, children and visitors can make full use of Chase Park.

Chase Park holds the Green Flag Award, which recognises high standards of park management and the provision of appropriate, well-maintained facilities. Toilets are specifically included in those criteria.

This is not about political parties taking credit. It is about working together, supporting our volunteers and ensuring Whickham residents get the facilities they deserve. I will continue to raise these concerns constructively because our park matters to our community.

09/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18BKVDvX8M/

THE GATESHEAD GRAFFITI MURALS 🎨

We've seen a lot of discussion from residents about the new 'official graffiti 'murals being installed in Gateshead and wanted to set out our position clearly.

The murals are being funded through the £1.5 million Pride in Place Impact Fund, with £300,000 allocated to public art projects across the borough by the previous Labour administration.

We fully respect the artists involved and recognise that opinions on art are subjective. Our concern is not with the artwork itself, but with the decision to spend £300,000 of public money on mural projects when many residents continue to raise concerns about issues such as graffiti, anti-social behaviour, neglected public spaces, litter, fly-tipping and deteriorating local infrastructure.

The funding did not specifically require £300,000 to be spent on public art. In our view, a significant proportion of this money could have been directed towards projects that deliver more practical and lasting benefits for communities across Gateshead.

We also recognise the frustration felt by many residents who regularly report unwanted graffiti and vandalism, often waiting long periods for it to be removed. Against that backdrop, some people understandably question whether funding large-scale graffiti-style artwork sends the right message.

To be clear, this is not a criticism of the artists. It is about political priorities and how public money is allocated.

The decision to fund these projects was approved by the previous Labour administration, not the current Reform UK administration. We simply believe residents have a right to know how these decisions were made and to judge for themselves whether this represented the best use of £300,000 of public funds.

As always, we welcome your views. 👇

07/10/2026

Started getting the toilets in Chase park painted we just need to see them open on a regular basis along with the Cafe.

06/10/2026

I carried out my third estate walkabout in Dunston Hill with our local Neighbourhood Housing Officer.

It was good to get out on the estate and see first-hand what needs attention. We identified three or four empty flats where the gardens need tidying before they can be re-let, along with a few litter issues and a small amount of anti-social behaviour.

I’ll be following these issues up with the relevant teams to make sure they are dealt with.

These regular walkabouts are important because they allow us to spot problems early, listen to residents and keep pushing for improvements across Dunston Hill.

If you live on the estate and there’s an issue you think needs attention, please don’t just put up with it. Let me know about it. Whether it’s rubbish, overgrown areas, repairs, ASB or something else affecting the community, your concerns matter and help us identify where action is needed.

01/10/2026

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122137129467345780&id=61590373417087

RACISM HAS NO PLACE IN GATESHEAD!

Back in May, we announced that we would govern Gateshead borough without regard to race, s*x, gender, physical capabilities, s*xual orientation or any other personal characteristic.

Our heartfelt conviction is that ALL our residents deserve to be treated equally and with decency and respect.

We also said that we won’t support or promote groups which are socio-political. That means campaigning/pressure groups organised around shared political, social or ideological goals. These groups exist to influence policy and often ally themselves with political parties and other movements.

One disadvantage of such groups is that, by their nature, they highlight DIFFERENCES between our residents rather that portray everyone as being UNIFIED. This is against our philosophy of treating everyone as equals.

We’ve been approached by an organisation called Show Racism The Red Card. They’ve asked that we light up the Millenium Bridge in the colour red on 16th October, to support them. We won’t be doing this. Why?

Show Racism the Red Card’s activities are socio-political and therefore support for them would be outside our policy of treating all residents as equals. Be assured, however, that we’re committed to equality across race, as the composition of our own councillor team demonstrates.

Show Racism the Red Card is an overtly party-political group. The activities of their Chief Executive began in groups backed by the extreme left-wing group, Militant. His posts on ‘X’ are openly critical of Reform UK, calling us a “very, very dangerous organisation”. And yet, he now seeks our support. He is closely associated with the Labour Party and claims that racists are emboldening us. He has also stated that people need to mobilise against Reform UK. He continues to stand by these comments.

So, by his actions, the Chief Executive of Show Racism the Red Card has already alienated 2 of the region’s major councils because of his partisanship.

For our part, though, we will continue our policy of equality of opportunity and treatment for ALL our residents, irrespective of race or any other personal characteristic.

30/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GMasxh467/

HOW DESPERATE IS THIS?

You might have heard the deafening silence at Andy Burnham's speech at the Labour Party Conference this week, when the man holding the 'Clap Now' board fell asleep.

Now, this email from Labour to their supporters has come into our possession.

It says:

"Please ensure you actively promote and praise Andy Burnham's speech across X.

This speech MUST BE DESCRIBED as:

"Truly exceptional, visionary, inspiring, invigorating, beautiful, powerful, courageous, statesmanlike, refreshing, heartfelt, authentic, unifying, intelligent, thought-provoking, necessary, timely, historic, transformative and a blueprint for the future"

Please like, share, repost and respond positively. Challenge and REPORT ANY CRITICISM".

So, a mixture of desperation, dictatorship and something a little more sinister!

Clealry, Labour has the mindset of a hive. Individuality is gone and a common belief is being enforced on their members.

Now, this is the kind of mind numbing, sycophantic and tribal rubbish that the Gateshead Liberals and Greens have also signed up to, in establishing their alliance with Gateshead Labour. Is this Libagreen Party really what their voters signed up for?

25/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HnYCi3wui/?mibextid=wwXIfr

25/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19T7Vm7Jey/?mibextid=wwXIfr

DUNSTON PARK CCTV

The new CCTV camera is due to be installed this Tuesday, an important step towards helping tackle antisocial behaviour and protecting our park.
We will update once the work is completed.