Residents in Dawdon will be joining forces with council workers to tackle green issues.
Durham County Council’s Community Action Team (CAT) will spend eight weeks in Dawdon from Friday 25 August, addressing concerns raised by residents and dealing with issues linked to housing, the environment and health.
The scheme involves the council’s staff and those of its partners dealing with empty properties to try and bring them back into use, clearing rubbish dumped in gardens and on village streets and helping with improvements to buildings and abandoned land.
Members of the community are being encouraged to get involved and let the team know which issues to focus on.
Council staff will be at Dawdon Youth and Community Centre on Tuesday 4 September, from 3.30pm to 7.00pm to get feedback from residents.
There will also be the chance for people to join weekly walkabouts with the team. These will take place on Thursdays 14, 21, 28 September and 5 October, and residents should meet at 10.30am outside the community centre.
Neil Laws, the council’s public health and housing manager, said: “We’re pleased to bring our Community Action Scheme to Dawdon and really want to hear from residents what they think our priorities should be.
“The session at the community centre and the walkabouts offer a great opportunity to do this, so I’d encourage as many people as possible to get involved and have their say.”
The CAT was set up in 2012 and has since worked in 23 locations across the county.
Its most recent destination was Wheatley Hill where 95 issues of concern were identified and addressed, mainly around accumulations of waste, drainage defects and risks to public health. Where necessary, statutory notices were issued to those responsible.
For more information about the CAT call 03000 261 016, email communityactionteam@durham.gov.uk or visit www.durham.gov.uk/CAT