Durham AAP picks four priorities (From The Advertiser Series)

Durham AAP picks four priorities

2:52pm Wednesday 5th December 2012 in Durham By Mark Tallentire, Reporter (Durham)

A COUNCIL forum has indicated its priorities for the next year.

Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP) selected four policy areas for special attention in the financial year 2013-14 at a meeting in Durham Town Hall on Monday, November 19.

Those picked were: city centre issues, supporting the voluntary and community sector, activities for children and young people and supporting the vulnerable.

The first three will be continued from the current year, while supporting the vulnerable is a new priority.

Climate change and villages’ development, which are priorities currently, will not be continued.

Around 90 people voted from the 550 on the AAP’s forum list – about half on the night and half in advance.

Co-ordinator John Murphy will now report on the four areas to the AAP’s board.

The board does not have to adopt the forum’s preferred priorities but it is expected it will do so.

AAP chair Councillor Amanda Hopgood said the meeting had gone well and the process had been open and fair.

“It was disappointing to have the number (of people) we had turn up for the forum. I would love to have more public engagement and so I would encourage people to engage,” she said.

The next AAP board meeting will be held in Durham Town Hall on Wednesday, December 12, at 6pm. Members of the AAP forum and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Durham County Council set up 14 AAPs across the county after becoming a unitary authority in April 2009.