This week:

• I visited the Quayside on Sunday 2 to discuss the impact of the market on residents, and how it can be minimised, with the markets team. I also met with a resident who had contacted me about bins being abandoned in the alley near her home.
• I wrote to Quayside residents about the New Year’s Eve plans and the recent concerns about the area that have been raised with me.
• I objected to three licensing applications. One was for a new premises in the Grainger Arcade; one for an expansion of City Vaults / Whiskey Down in the Bigg Market; and the third for a new premises on Pilgirm Street. Local residents are concerned about potential noise and disruption from the new premises in Grainger Arcade and I share their concerns. I am also worried that any expansion in the Bigg Market and a new bar on Pilgrim Street would would increase the pressure in an area that is already designated as ‘special stress; due to the number of licensed premises and the associated crime and disorder.
• I had my monthly advice session at the City Library. A resident reported a number of abandoned bins on Jesmond Road and I contacted the refuse team to get them removed. They also alerted me to some faded yellow lines in their area, which can lead to unsafe and obstructive parking.
• I contacted the Chief Executive of Places for People, the landlord of Bewick Court, in the hope of getting progress for a residents who is having huge problems getting repairs done to their home.