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BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Wildflowers planted for £75 after Stockton Council quotes £2k
Councillors spent £75 of their own money to plant wildflowers in a village after being quoted more than £2,000 by a council. The three Conservatives said they took matters into their own hands when they were quoted £2,300 by Stockton Council to plant wildflowers on land at the junction of Birkdale Road and Darlington Road, Hall, Niall Innes and Jason French said they wanted to "deliver a colourful and environmentally friendly project themselves, without the sky-high costs proposed". The Labour-run council's environment lead Nigel Cooke said it would cost much more for the council to complete the job "properly" and maintain the patch. The councillors, along with Stockton West Conservative MP Matt Vickers, bought wildflower seeds and a seed spreader for £75 and prepared the ground and sowed the seeds said the four-figure sum "simply doesn't add up" while Mr Innes said it was "mind blowing that we've been able to achieve this for just £75".French said this year's planting was a trial and, while admitting they are "not master gardeners", they hope to improve coverage next year as some areas "are a little sparse". Care For Your Area had provided annual wildflower planting since 2017, but costs rose over the years to the latest figure of £2.38 per square metre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Cooke said he was "not going to criticise councillors for doing work in their own time" but was "a little bit taken aback" by the criticisms of the authority. He said: "There's a lot of work in planting wildflower seeds. They have to prepare the area."Each area the council does needs two separate treatments of herbicide. Then the team have to return to rotavate the area and return again to spread the seeds."Then they'd come back at agreed intervals to pull weeds up."Clearly that's a lot more work than just buying a seed spreader and spreading a few seeds on the ground. So it costs money." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
ABC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council accused of attempts to intimidate members
The executives of a New South Wales Aboriginal land council have denied attempting to silence members who have made allegations of nepotism and financial mismanagement. Members of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC) in the state's Central West have made claims of a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest within the organisation. In April more than 40 people signed a petition of no confidence in executive staff and called for an investigation. OLALC has subsequently sent letters to several members, accusing them of misconduct and banning them from attending meetings. OLALC said the two matters were unrelated and that the letters were sent to a very small number of members in response to specific incidents after staff reported being bullied, threatened or abused. The no confidence petition was organised by OLALC member Jason French, who received correspondence last week accusing him of verbally abusing an employee in 2022 and barring him from attending meetings. "It was an incident regarding [mail] we kept receiving at my dad's address years after he had passed," he said. "Nearly three years later it all of a sudden pops up a couple of weeks after they received this petition? " They just want to silence people that speak up and question their actions and their motives behind what they're doing within the land council. " OLALC's chair and chief executive have not responded to the community petition. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) In March more than 30 OLALC members walked out of the annual general meeting after representatives for the chair and chief executive refused to answer questions. The petition outlines a "lack of transparency and accountability" regarding agreements between Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) and the land council, which share board members and executive staff. Members expressed growing concerns about "potential conflicts of interest and nepotism within the leadership structure" and called for the appointment of a forensic auditor to investigate financial activity within OLALC over the past seven years. The petition was sent to OLALC's board and the Office of the Registrar, which administers land councils. It requested the OLALC board call an extraordinary meeting to vote on the motion. Les Powell says he received a threatening letter after signing the petition. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) 'An attack to shut us up' The ABC has seen letters sent to four members banning them from attending future meetings, though the correspondence states that access to the land council office can be restored if the members undertake appropriate training and commit to stop behaving in an aggressive way towards staff. Les Powell received a letter accusing him of being "demanding and intimidating" to two staff, which he said was "devastating". "I refute those accusations," he said. "It's obviously an attack to shut us up." Neil Ingram Sr also signed the no confidence motion. "OLALC are not in line with Wiradjuri cultural protocols or the Land Rights Act," the elder said. Neil Ingram Sr says land councils belong to the members. ( ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett ) Mr Ingram Sr received a letter accusing him of being "loud, abusive and angry" to an employee, which he denied. He said the letters followed a pattern of intimidation towards OLALC members who spoke out. "I got the letter from the [legal] officer who is exercising his power, control and authority over me," Mr Ingram Sr said. " Our members are not allowed to ask questions, which to me is very sad and very dangerous. " Before Mr Ingram Sr signed the petition he had filed formal complaints with the Office of the Registrar and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. In one complaint he alleged the OLALC chair threatened to "uppercut" him at a member's meeting. Mr Ingram said he had not received any response to his complaints. The letters state that access to the Land Council office can be restored if members undertake appropriate training and make a commitment to stop behaving aggressively to staff. Family ties 'irrelevant', chair says OLALC chair Jamie Newman said the land council had a responsibility to protect its staff and denied the letters were intended to intimidate members. "The letters were sent to a very small number of members in response to specific incidents where staff reported being bullied, threatened or abused," he said. " Everyone has the right to a safe workplace. " The staff members who alleged they were bullied were the children of the chief executive and the legal officer. Mr Newman, whose niece is on the OLALC board and whose son stepped down as vice-chair in February, denied claims of nepotism and conflicts of interest. Jamie Newman says people who have issues with the council's governance should put their hand up for election. ( ABC News: Hugh Hogan ) "The land council board is democratically elected by its members and where they work or who they are related to is irrelevant," he said. "If members are dissatisfied with the composition of the board we encourage them to nominate for election." Mr Newman is also the chief executive of the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS). He said only three board members worked at the OAMS and that "overlap" between the services was inevitable. An OLALC extraordinary meeting was called on April 26 to be held on May 15, which met the requirement of 21 days' notice under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. The public notice did not refer to the vote of no confidence and said the meeting would "solely" provide members with information about an "independent governance review", which it claimed was an initiative of the board. In a statement the Office of the Registrar's principle legal advisor told the ABC that the registrar was satisfied the OLALC board was addressing members' concerns. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council declined to comment for this story.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Marion County residents ordered to evacuate homes due to wildfire threat
The Brief A mandatory evacuation has been issued for parts of Silver Springs as wildfires burn near the Ocala National Forest. Roads are closed, and reunification efforts are underway at a local Winn-Dixie. Officials urge residents to evacuate immediately and avoid the area until the fire is contained. SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. - A mandatory evacuation has been issued for residents in the Silver Springs area of Marion County due to an active wildfire. What we know A mandatory evacuation order is impacting homes along NE Highway 314 between East Highway 40 and SE 1st Street Road due to an active wildfire. The fire, which is part of a trio of active blazes burning in the Ocala National Forest, has prompted road closures and emergency response coordination among local and state agencies. The Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is assisting with evacuations, and AlertMarion notifications, including reverse 911 calls, have been sent to residents in the danger zone. What we don't know Officials have not released the exact size or containment status of the Silver Springs Fire. There is no confirmed timeline for when SE Highway 314 will reopen or when residents may be allowed to return to their homes. The causes of the three fires in the Ocala National Forest have also not been publicly confirmed. The backstory The Ocala National Forest has experienced heightened fire activity recently, with dry conditions and breezy weather contributing to the fire's spread. The area, prone to wildfires during Florida's dry season, has been under increased surveillance by fire authorities. Previous smaller brush fires in Marion County have strained local resources in recent weeks, setting the stage for a more serious emergency. What they're saying The Florida Highway Patrol is coordinating with the Florida Forest Service on all road closures. "Motorists are advised to use extreme caution if traveling on State Road 40 and County Road 314," said Lieutenant Jason French, of the Florida Highway Patrol. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the Florida Forest Service, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
