The Tynedale Community Partnership meeting was scheduled to cover a range of community matters, including policing updates, appointments to outside bodies, and a discussion on road safety in Ovingham. The meeting also included an informal session to discuss initiatives for healthy high streets and active travel.

Policing and Community Safety Update

Inspector Kate Benson of Neighbourhood Policing (Rural) was scheduled to attend to provide an update on policing activities within the Tynedale area and to answer questions from the Partnership members.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The Partnership was due to consider whether to confirm existing appointments to various outside bodies. These included the Northumberland Bus Board, where Councillor John Robert Riddle was listed as an appointee, and the Queens Hall Arts Trust, with Councillor Suzanne Holly Fairless-Aitken noted as an appointee. A vacancy was noted for the Prudhoe Community Partnership. These appointments had been deferred from a previous meeting on 16 September 2025.

Petitions

The Partnership was scheduled to receive any new petitions submitted by the public. Additionally, a report on the Twenty's Plenty for Ovingham petition was to be considered. This petition, which had previously gathered 87 signatures, requested the introduction of a 20mph speed limit in Ovingham.

The report on the Ovingham petition indicated that while the concerns of residents were appreciated, there were no current plans to introduce a 20mph speed limit throughout the village. The council's policy generally does not permit such limits on through routes, and recent speed surveys conducted in December 2025 suggested that speeding was not a significant issue at that time. The report noted that gateway improvements to the village had been completed in August 2025, and advisory 20 when lights flash signage was already in place outside Ovingham First and Middle School. According to accident data from Northumbria Police, there had been no personal injury collisions in the village in the preceding three years. The report recommended that the Community Partnership note the content of the report and support the actions proposed, which included no further improvements to address speeding concerns in Ovingham through the Local Transport Plan programme at this time.

Informal Discussion Session

An informal discussion session was planned to cover two key areas:

• Healthy High Streets: Representatives from the Regeneration Team were expected to be present to discuss initiatives aimed at revitalising high streets.
• Hexham to Corbridge Active Travel Corridor: Officers from the Strategic Transport Team were scheduled to attend to discuss plans for an active travel corridor between Hexham and Corbridge.

Public Question Time and Disclosure of Interests

The agenda also included provisions for public question time, allowing members of the public to ask questions on matters for which the Council has responsibility. A detailed procedure for the disclosure of members' interests was also outlined, in accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct. This included guidance on Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and Other Registrable Interests.