GAMP is the Great Aycliffe & Middridge Area Action Partnership, one of 14 Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) set up by Durham County Council (DCC) covering the whole of the County.

GAMP allows Residents, Service Providers, and Elected Councillors, in the Parishes of Great Aycliffe and Middridge, to work together to identify and tackle local issues. GAMP receives an annual Area Budget from DCC, and County Councillors have a Neighbourhood Budget, and a Member Initiative Fund; additional sources of Funding are often available.

GAMP is run by a volunteer Board, comprising 7 Public Representatives, 7 Elected Councillors (County and Great Aycliffe Town Councillors), and 7 Partner Representatives from Local Service Providers (Police, Fire, Health, Business, Local Authority, Voluntary Sector and Social Housing), which meets in public six times a year. The Board is supported by a Coordinator (currently Brian Riley) and Support Staff provided by DCC.

Normally GAMP principally operates in three Priority Areas which are determined by Local Residents by voting:-

(a)    In person at the annual GAMP Forum Event (which is widely publicised)
(b)    Electronically, if they are registered on the GAMP Database.
(c)    In addition, this year Meetings were held at local Secondary Schools to allow their Pupils to take part.

However, currently GAMP’s only Priority is COVID-19 Recovery.

Each year Local Organisations are invited to submit Project Proposals which address the current Priorities. These are vetted by the GAMP Coordinator (and his Staff), and then considered by a Ranking Panel (comprising 2 Public Representatives, 2 Elected Councillors and 2 Partner Representatives). Projects are scored according to their perceived viability, and fit to the current Priorities; these scores, and the available funding, basically determine which Projects will be supported, although the final decision is taken by the GAMP Board.

Currently, Parish Councillor Tony Towers represents Great Aycliffe Town and Middridge Parish Councils on the GAMP board.

 

If you have any questions about GAMP please do not hesitate to contact him (see the Parish Council/Members Web-page).