Category: Politics

Leaders at Stockton Council have agreed to use £1.34m from a funding pot towards the demolition job, which has been described by Middlesbrough and Thornaby East Labour MP Andy McDonald as “one of the most complicated demolition jobs of its kind ever performed in the UK”. This came as a leading independent councillor hailed vital…

It marked a significant development as Sir Keir Starmer continued to appoint MPs to various roles two weeks after becoming Prime Minister. Blaydon and Consett MP Liz Twist was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Keir Starmer, indicating her close working relationship with the Prime Minister. She expressed her enthusiasm on X (formerly Twitter),…

Last year, the steady stream of ASB casework coming into my office made it clear that, without decisive action, this problem wasn’t going away. I spoke with local police to get their view on how best to improve the situation – particularly in relation to the anti-social use of off-road bikes – and was surprised…

Councillor Gerald Lee issued an impassioned plea at Darlington Borough Council’s meeting on Thursday in the wake of County Durham’s controversial decision to scrap its climate emergency pledge.  The Conservative member for Heighington and Coniscliffe urged colleagues to put politics aside and join together in tackling the issue.  “Climate change is not a distant threat;…

The end of first hour free parking in the two centres, replaced with a £1.50 charge for three hours in February, was debated at a Stockton Council cabinet meeting on Thursday (July 17). It is being reviewed after just a few months following a petition and council motion calling on leaders to reverse the policy,…

There are still places available for the Ask Me Anything question time, but in case you are unable to make it, The Northern Echo is inviting its readers to submit questions as well. The event, the first of its kind, is to be chaired by the Echo’s Chris Lloyd, and although it is really about…

Happy memories of Sunday lunches there as a kid growing up in Aycliffe in the 1980s and 1990s, when the pub was in full swing. But also anger and frustration – that this set of buildings, which made up the world’s first railway station, had found themselves in such a sorry state. It was clear…

This is a major issue. The decision to transfer that funding to Adult and Children Social Care is a tactic I am suspicious of. It portrays Reform as the guardians of care. I recall reading not so long ago a Reform councillor questioning a child’s suitability for care. The councillor might not have been from…

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington reportedly doubled down on comments about racism she had previously apologised for. Ms Abbott has lost the whip a day after Rachael Maskell, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan. A Labour Party spokesperson said Ms Abbott has been suspended “pending an investigation”. “We cannot comment further while…

Council leader Carl Les defended his decision to remove 30-year-old councillor Keane Duncan from his role as executive member for highways and transportation after the decision was brought up at a full council meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Cllr Duncan, who represents Norton, was replaced in a recent reshuffle of the Conservative-run council’s executive by Councillor Malcolm…