HEXHAM’S MP Guy Opperman has called for an end to a Northumberland County Council decision which he says is discriminating against Tynedale residents.

Thousands of people have now backed calls for the council to reinstate statutory notices, which are a legal requirement for road closures, footpath diversions and some planning matters, into the pages of the Hexham Courant with immediate effect.

Since December the notices relating to Tynedale have only been appearing in the Northumberland Gazette , a publication based in north Northumberland, which has a negligable circulation in the district.

Thanks to the support of Tynedale communities, nearly 2,500 people have now signed a petition which will be presented to council officials as part of the Your Right to Know campaign.

Dozens of residents, local councillors and community groups have also written to the council independently to demand answers on the issue.

Many are outraged at the erosion of transparency and accountability the removal of the notices represents.

In correspondence with the Courant , the council’s chief executive Steve Mason has made it clear he considers the legislation surrounding the subject to be “outdated and outmoded”.

He has also claimed the decision has “only an imagined impact” on local democracy.

But Mr Opperman said the strength of public feeling demanded a rethink.

He said: “I am extremely disappointed that the local authority has not changed its mind on this.

“I’ve had many constituents contacting me expressing their upset and disappointment that Tynedale is deliberately being discriminated against.

“This is affecting many local applications and affecting residents’ lives.

“It remains the case that what the council is doing is utterly wrong and the sooner this decision is reversed, the better.”

gemma.brown@hexham-courant.co.uk