Category: Politics

Andrew Husband has played down a warning from Mr Farage that council staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives should seek “alternative careers”, saying abolishing such departments immediately would be “naive” and staff should not be concerned.  The new councillor set to be tasked with running the local authority has outlined how his party…

In his first interview ahead of next week’s crucial annual council meeting, where Reform’s considerable overall majority of 65 councillors will be on show, Andrew Husband told The Northern Echo that his party has a clear list of objectives it wants to achieve while in power.  The new councillor set to be tasked with running…

The Great North has been unveiled at an event in Leeds, bringing together mayors and regional leaders to unlock the economic potential of the north in key sectors such as clean energy, defence, advanced manufacturing, and creative industries. The new body is chaired by North East mayor Kim McGuinness and has been backed by the…

Teesside Magistrates’ Court approved an application from the multi-agency Hartlepool Community Safety Team in respect of 27 Lowthian Road. The order will remain in place for three months, and costs of £1,834 were awarded. The court heard how the tenants allowed criminal and anti-social behaviour to occur.  The magistrates were told that neighbouring residents had complained about drug…

Kim Tserkezie, who played Penny Pocket in the popular CBeebies show, shared her support for the petition on Instagram by writing “Signed!” She joins other well-known actors, including Cherylee Houston, Rosie Jones, and Liz Carr, in backing the campaign. The petition is an open letter to Keir Starmer, pleading with him to oppose the government’s…

Council leaders have been criticised for approving proposals to restructure the constitution and not prioritising residents’ concerns.  The Labour Party, which controls Darlington Borough Council in partnership with the Liberal Democrats, was told “the wolves are at the door” after Reform’s recent success in this month’s local elections.  Reform recently gained 65 seats on Durham…

Liberal Democrat councillor Jemma Joy said there had been “various flip flopping” by Redcar and Cleveland Council in respect of car parking charges at sites it operates around the borough and it appeared to have no coherent strategy. The council has U-turned more than once in recent years over the introduction of parking charges in…

The ruling Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition approved amended rules to allow chair and vice-chair positions to be appointed at Annual Council – the first meeting at the start of the local authority year.  Darlington Borough Council said committee chairs and vice-chairs are currently appointed at the initial committee meetings, meaning key members are not…

‘The Great North’ – a partnership bringing political leaders together to ‘unlock the North’s economic potential’ in areas such as energy, defence and advanced manufacturing and creative industries, was announced today. Kim McGuinness, North East mayor and the group’s chair, says it will look to create jobs. She said: “The time has come for a resurgent…

In many ways, this is the logical next step of the devolution journey that begin just over 20 years ago when the North East rejected a regional assembly. The assembly was rejected partly because it was too bureaucracy heavy, but the mayoral model is leaner and through the Great North, the region can gain a…