Community Governance Review

Northumberland County Council is consulting residents about the existing arrangements for Parish and Town Councils, and whether they need to be changed. Changes could include separating or altering the boundaries of an existing Parish or Town Council, changing the electoral arrangements (e.g. the number of councillors), or grouping parishes under a Common Parish Council. It only takes a few minutes to complete the online questionnaire and your opinion is important. If you have any questions about the consultation, which runs until 30 April 2026, call 01670 624 811.

Parish Council Meeting

The next meeting of Carham Parish Council will be on Monday 9 March 2026 at 6.30 pm in St Cuthbert’s Church, Carham. You can find the agenda and minutes of previous meetings on our Meetings page.

Parishioners’ questions are answered before the main meeting proceedings begin. If you have a question for the Parish Council, please send this to the Parish Clerk in advance of the meeting. The Parish Clerk can ask the question on your behalf or, if you attend the meeting, you can ask your question in person.

New Bus Service for Carham Parish

A new cross-border bus service is set to begin on 2 March 2026 that will run along the B6350. Service 34, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, will run twice a day in each direction between Kelso and Duns, via Carham, Wark and Coldstream. Service 34A, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, will run three times a day between Kelso and Wooler, via Carham, Wark, Coldstream, Cornhill, Branxton, Kilham and Kirknewton. Timetables and maps are below, in pdf format. This new service is the result of consultation with residents and has been made possible, after many months of work, by County Councillor Mark Mather, Northumberland County Council and Scottish Borders Council.

Service 34 timetable and map

Service 34A timetable and map

Libraries Consultation 2026

Northumberland County Council has launched a consultation on how it will deliver the Northumberland Library Service in the future. Residents, community groups, businesses, members and non-members of Northumberland Libraries can give their views on the future of libraries, including opening hours and the mobile library service; using new technologies; how the service works with communities; and how it delivers events, activities and information. Details of the proposals, and the survey itself, are on this page. If you would like to ask questions in person, there is a drop in session at Wooler Library on Wednesday 11 March from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm, and one at Berwick Library on Wednesday 18 March from 11 am to 1 pm. The closing date for the survey is 13 April 2026.

Dogs and Public Spaces

Northumberland County Council has introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order for the control of dogs. Among other things, this excludes dogs from all enclosed children’s play areas, which means that they are not allowed into Wark play park. The order also requires a person in charge of a dog that defecates on land to which the public are entitled or permitted to have access, to remove the faeces. If convicted, a person not complying with the order will face a fine of up to £1,000. See the full notice here

Parish Council Meeting

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday 12 January 2026 at 6.30 pm in St Cuthbert’s Church, Carham. You can find the agenda and minutes of previous meetings on our Meetings page.

Parishioners’ questions are answered before the main meeting proceedings begin. If you have a question for the Parish Council, please send this to the Parish Clerk in advance of the meeting. The Parish Clerk can ask the question on your behalf or, if you attend the meeting, you can ask your question in person.

Proposed Bus Service

County Councillor Mark Mather has been working with bus service providers on both sides of the border to establish a new bus route that will serve Carham and Wark. Following feedback from residents, changes have been made to the timetable originally circulated in August. It has not been possible to make all the changes suggested by residents as the bus has limited availability around school times, when it is needed for the school service. Councillor Mather is happy to receive comments on the revised timetable. Please email him using this link. It is expected that the new service will begin in early 2026. Bus passes will be valid on both sides of the border.