Residents and local councillors are celebrating the installation of new playground in Blackie Park in Sunderland’s Ford Estate which is due to open on Wednesday this week.

Local people in Ford Estate are celebrating the installation of a new playground on Blackie Park, five years after the old play park equipment had to be removed due to vandalism.

The new playground has been installed using Section 106 funding given to Gentoo who own Blackie Park.

Local Lib Dem city councillor Steve Donkin, alongside colleagues Martin Haswell and Julia Potts, had been pushing Gentoo to get the playground installed after missing their original planned install date of Winter 2024.

The new play park is now due to open on Wednesday 25 February.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat councillor for Pallion and Ford Estate Steve Donkin said:

“This new playground being installed is fantastic news for residents in Ford Estate. The old playground was very popular and it was a real blow to the area when it had to be removed following a spate of vandalism. Now that we finally have this new playground available for the community I am sure it will be busy and much loved by local families day in day out.”

Local Ford Estate resident and Chair of the Communities Together Sunderland West residents association in the area Emma Neale commented:

“It’s been a long road to get what we needed for our community, by communicating with families over social media and in person to ask what they wanted. They all asked for something that would be accessible for all and long lasting. We started consulting with Gentoo and Sunderland Council to make sure we achieved those goals.”

Residents of Saint Gabriels have backed a campaign calling for a grit bin to be installed on a Sunderland street after winter weather chaos.

Almost 50 people have backed a local councillor’s petition calling for a grit bin to be installed on Belmont Road in the Saint Gabriels area of Sunderland after pedestrians and motorists were left struggling to get in and out of the estate during recent wintry weather.

Opposition Lib Dem city councillor Julia Potts has gone door to door collecting signatures on a petition calling on Sunderland Council to install a grit bin on Belmont Road which sits on a gradual slope.

This is on the back of chaos during recent snowfalls when residents were unable to exit the street on to Priory Grove and nearby Chester Road after skidding on the un-gritted road in snow and ice.

Pedestrians were also impacted with pavements not gritted leaving many stuck at home until the snow and ice melted rather than able to get to appointments or the shops.

Commenting after submitting the petitions, Liberal Democrat councillor Julia Potts said:

“I appreciate that the council can’t grit every road and can’t put a have a grit bin on every corner but, streets like Belmont Road, which are through routes in the centre of an estate, and on a slope, need to have a grit bin. The local Lib Dem team asked for a grit bin before the wintry weather and the request was denied by the council, this petition shows the strength of feeling in the area and I’m calling on the council to think again and install a grit bin on Belmont Road.”

Wearside Liberal Democrats are calling for Parliament to be relocated to Sunderland to save costs and put politicians in touch with the real world outside London.

Opposition Lib Dem councillors in Sunderland are calling on Parliament to be relocated to Sunderland to save money and get MPs into the real world.

It comes as proposals put to MPs say refurbishing the Palace of Westminster could cost almost £40 billion and take 61 years – all at the same time the Government is saying there is no money for everyday services.

Under the proposals, a full temporary relocation of MPs and peers out of Westminster would take between 19 and 24 years and cost up to £15.6bn. The alternative option, keeping Parliament operating in the building while works are carried out in stages, could last 38 to 61 years and cost as much as £39.2bn.

In the meantime, the Palace of Westminster is already costing taxpayers £1.5 million a week just to keep it functioning, despite serious issues including failing heating systems, sewerage problems, asbestos and major fire risks.

Wearside Liberal Democrats say that if Parliament has to be moved out during the works, or permanently, it should leave London altogether and save money and deliver real economic benefit to the North East rather than simply relocating within Westminster.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grindon and Thorney Close Stephen O’Brien said:

“If Parliament has to move, then stop messing about. Don’t shuffle MPs across the road and pretend that’s reform. Move Parliament to Sunderland. It would be much cheaper and would put jobs, investment and national decision-making where it’s actually needed.

“Westminster can magic up £40 billion for itself but they say there's not enough money to invest in our local councils, for disabled kids or public transport to name just a few. These London-centric Labour party priorities show just why we need to move Parliament somewhere more in touch with the real world and real people’s lives.

“We’re told year after year that families, public services and councils must tighten their belts, while Westminster writes itself a blank cheque. People can see the contradiction — and they’re sick of it.”

Sunderland City Council is being accused of a lack of transparency over rip off parking fees which have cost drivers over £400,000 in the last 3 years.

Sunderland councillors have hit out at Sunderland Council and parking app RingGo over a lack of transparency over ‘convenience fees’ and SMS reminder charges totalling over £400,000 in 3 years.

Opposition Lib Dem city councillor Martin Haswell is calling for Sunderland Council and parking app RingGo to be more transparent about charges to drivers for so called ‘convenience fees’ and for SMS reminders.

A freedom of information request by Wearside Lib Dems has revealed that between April 2023 and November 2025 drivers in Sunderland Council car parks and parking spaces have been charged £428,744.45 by parking app RingGo for the convenience of using the app to pay for their parking, as well as for getting text message reminders.

Commenting after unveiling the figures, Liberal Democrat councillor for Pallion and Ford Estate Martin Haswell said:

“Sunderland Council and RingGo are ripping people off with these added fees for paying to park using an app or to get a text message reminder. These rip off charges are not easy to spot in the app and don’t feel like they’re fair.

“To add insult to injury, in many city car parks ticket machines are out of service or have been removed and drivers are forced to use the RingGo app and then have to pay a ‘convenience fee’ for the privilege.

"It's bad enough that the Council is proposing increasing parking charges this year and has scrapped the ‘free after 3pm’ scheme in city centre car parks. Forcing people to pay extra to use the RingGo app just helps encourage people to go and shop or eat elsewhere instead supporting great local businesses here in Sunderland.

“The council need to speak with the operator of the app, insist the fees are more transparent and that it is clear for drivers that they will be charged to use the app rather than pay at a machine. Drivers should be able to easily opt out or opting out should be the default and they can instead chose to pay the extra charges opting in. The current approach is just unreasonable.”

A petition signed by 456 residents of the Ford Estate and Pallion areas of the city are demanding a U-turn on recent changes to Stagecoach’s 10/11 bus routes which will leave local people stranded and damage footfall for shops on St Luke’s Terrace.

Opposition Lib Dem councillors in Sunderland are demanding a re-think on recent changes to the 10 and 11 bus routes serving the Pallion and Ford Estate areas of the city.

The revised route has reduced services to key residential facilities for older people including Dovecote Meadows and Havelock Court/Havelock House, which together accommodate over 250 independent living residents. Staff who depend on the service for onward travel have also been affected, with reports of missed connections and increased travel costs.

Local traders, particularly on St Luke’s Terrace, have voiced concern that the changes will reduce footfall and harm small businesses. Many pensioners previously relied on the bus to collect their pensions from the local post office, and are now facing new challenges and distress due to the altered service.

A petition signed by 456 local people will be handed into Sunderland City Council at a meeting of all 75 councillors this evening urging the local authority to work with Stagecoach to find a solution.

Highlighting the strength of community feeling, the petition was organised and signed by 456 people within just seven days, demonstrating widespread opposition to the changes. The petition is being presented to Sunderland City Council, the North East Regional Mayor, the CEO of Stagecoach, and the CEO of Nexus.

Commenting, Lib Dem councillor for Pallion and Ford Estate Steve Donkin said:

“The alteration to the bus route, implemented on 25 January, has had a significant negative impact on the local community, affecting residents, students, and workers alike.

“Elderly and disabled residents are among those hardest hit, with many now facing increased isolation and hardship due to reduced accessibility and the additional financial burden of alternative travel options. It’s just not good enough”

One local resident, Mr Carter, shared his personal experience, saying: 

 “I am disabled and can only walk a short distance. The change has removed my ability to access a convenient stop, leaving me reliant on taxis I can ill afford. My wife is also struggling, and this decision has created real distress for us both.”