Category: Politics

Leaders on Stockton Council’s cabinet were told how parents were choosing not to take up early learning places offering 15 hours of funded childcare per week. Working parents of children from nine months to four years old can get 30 hours of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year. This has recently expanded from…

The proposal to change the use of Elton Moor Farm off Darlington Back Lane, Whinney Hill, Stockton, from agriculture to a wedding venue for up to about 100 guests has been submitted to Stockton Council. The plan is retrospective as the site and buildings have already been used for weddings, with work completed in April…

The proposal to change the use of Elton Moor Farm off Darlington Back Lane, Whinney Hill, Stockton, from agriculture to a wedding venue for up to about 100 guests has been submitted to Stockton Council. The plan is retrospective as the site and buildings have already been used for weddings, with work completed in April…

I’m pleased to see that the Government has made the decision to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years. Alongside this, the National Living Wage and the Minimum Wage have been increased helping out those people most squeezed by the cost of living, and the Government will transfer the £2.3bn reserve of…

The Reform-led local authority faced criticism from rival councillors during a debate on plans to reduce the amount of council tax support provided by the council.  Changes to the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) mean the working-age residents will pay at least 10% of their bills.  Reform said the changes are necessary due to…

Communication could be improved to avoid “duplication and families having to repeat their stories to different professionals”, and partners could take a lead with families with whom they had built up relationships, “rather than just referring them to the council services all the time”, Stockton Council’s people select committee heard. And one committee member has…

Wes Streeting praised grieving families who have spent years campaigning for the probe into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS mental health trust as he met them in Darlington this afternoon (December 11). He ordered a full statutory inquiry into the trust, praising families and The Northern Echo’s “tenacious” reporting for convincing him…

A full statutory inquiry will be held into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) mental health trust, Wes Streeting announced today (December 11), after years of calls for action over what he described as its “negligence and failure”. The region’s MPs joined him in praising families who have spent years campaigning, saying the probe…

The vote will take place in the Red Hall and Lingfield ward on Thursday, December 11 and will be the first since an all-out election in May 2023.  Former councillor Amanda Riley stood down from the role in October due to ill-health.  The current makeup of the council consists of 23 Labour, 13 Conservatives, six…

The two separate proposals are expected to be discussed at Stockton Council’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday, December 10. Planning officers have recommended both plans be approved with conditions. The first plan is an outline scheme from ELG Planning for 11 self-build plots on a paddock south of Manor Close, Wolviston. It attracted 51 letters…