This is an election-free(ish) zone today. It has to be since I was working on this edition yesterday when the polls were still open and have set the timer so that you receive this via email at 6am.
Unless you’re not a subscriber, of course. If that’s the case, why haven’t you signed up like all these good people so that you too can get every edition delivered straight to your inbox twice a week?
I’ll have some sort of election post script for you on Monday (I’ve started publishing the second edition on a Monday rather than a Sunday. Do you prefer that? Please let me know).
I do, however, have an update on combined authorities, or mayoral strategic authorities (MSAs) as they are now known, and why we could be seeing a lot more Deputy Mayors around, even though you won’t have to vote for them.
Also this week, there’s the community in the rare position of deciding whether they welcome a wind farm or not - rare because the NIMBY factor has already been stripped out of the equation.
There’s a follow-up to last week’s story about healthy life expectancy figures (how can we have a society where a woman in Hartlepool will be in poor health NINETEEN YEARS before a woman in leafy London?) and the finger of blame is being firmly pointed at housing.
And we have a big green energy investment announcement in Blyth, a clickbait photograph (not a headline for a change), a bid for the Olympics, dramatising the peerless Harold Evans, bad news and good news from Nissan, Puffin cams and an Eyes & Ears TV ad from 1976.
Waiting game
As North East mayor Kim McGuinness awaits the outcome of the elections to see which council leaders will join her round the table at the next combined authority Cabinet meeting, another option has opened up to her - deputy mayors.
The English Devolution Bill, which passed into law last week, not only gave the North East the status of an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority (the capital letters are important) but gave mayors the power to appoint commissioners in seven areas of competence - transport and infrastructure; skills and employment; housing and strategic planning; economic growth and regeneration; environment and net zero; health and public service reform; and public safety.
The Government guidance says the commissioners would be expected to add specialist capacity and support delivery, and be styled as deputy mayors within their specialism - a model broadly similar to how the London mayor appoints deputies.
BUT…
It’s optional. Mayors do not have to appoint any commissioners and there’s no indication that this is in the mind of Mayor McGuinness - although she has called on the expertise of Amanda Bailey (child poverty) and Jamie Hardesty (tech and AI) in the past. In any case, the commissioners would be delivery-focused and the Cabinet of council leaders would remain the decision‑making body.
Still, interesting times ahead though.
Landmark investment
Port of Blyth has announced a £100m investment aimed at ensuring the region is at the centre of the green energy revolution.
Chief executive Martin Lawlor said: “This is a landmark moment for the Port and for the wider region. The Battleship Wharf expansion will ensure we have the infrastructure, capacity and capability to support the next generation of offshore wind and clean energy projects.
“With strong backing from our regional partners, we are taking a significant step forward in driving sustainable growth, creating jobs, and reinforcing Blyth’s position at the heart of the UK’s energy transition.”
Two into one
The bad news: Nissan has announced it is cutting 900 jobs in Europe and consolidating production in Sunderland to one line. The good news: The jobs of the 6,000 production staff on Wearside are safe.
The move leaves the second production line available for another manufacturer to come in and build their own cars - and it is understood that several companies have been spoken to, including Chinese giant Chery, owner of the Jaecoo and Omoda brands.
“Although I take a well-known daily local newspaper, there is information and articles in E&E which I have not previously seen. I appreciate the questioning tone of E&E and in particular its independence”
Balanced view
A wind farm can generate heated debate - especially when one is planned near you. Just this week former PM Rishi Sunak voiced his opposition to the Hope Moor scheme in his constituency which could power 135,000 homes.
It will be interesting therefore to see what comes out of the early stage discussions around a proposed wind farm in Northumberland which could power 115,000 homes a year.
The reason I say that is because the people who live in and around the villages of West Woodburn, Elsdon and Kirkwhelpington have already been living with the Ray Wind Farm for 10 years. Energy company Vattenfall is now proposing Ray II on adjacent land.
Vattenfall, a company wholly-owned by the Swedish state, set up a Community Benefit Fund which has received a total of £2.5m in the past decade. The fund has supported over 200 local groups with community grants. The biggest award so far has been £350k to assist with the roll out of full fibre broadband.
It has also funded a red squirrel ranger, supported the mountain rescue service, backed projects to enhance local peatland, bought equipment for seven local schools and funded their trips and extra curricular activities.
All of that means the residents are perfectly placed to weigh up the pros and cons of living beside a wind farm because NIMBYism is taken out of the equation.
Olympian effort
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has confirmed that the Government wants to bring the Olympics and other big sporting events such as the Ryder Cup back to the UK.
That is good news for the multi-party coalition of northern mayors, led by the North East’s Kim McGuinness, who formally asked the Government (Eyes & Ears 13.02.26) to commit that any future UK bid for the Olympics be anchored in the North.
Health and housing
An intriguing follow up to last week’s story about Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) figures - the ones that showed that a woman in Richmond-upon-Thames could expect to live a life free of pain, surgery, medical attention and regular medication until she was 70 - while in Hartlepool the average age was only 51.
The report from the Health Foundation (Eyes & Ears 01.05.26) also contained the shocking stat that the HLE is below the state pension age in more than 90% of the country.
The drop in the UK’s overall healthy life expectancy is explained through many causes: obesity, alcohol, drugs, suicide, chronic disease, poverty and widening inequality. But one of the most powerful causes sits atop them all, says The Conversation: housing.
“Where and how people live is one of the main factors explaining how health risks are created and distributed across society.”
High rents force people to cut back on heating, food, medication, transport and social participation. Poor housing quality directly shapes health - cold, damp, mould, disrepair, poor ventilation and unsafe homes are directly linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular risk, mental health problems and reduced wellbeing.
Isn’t it time we stopped the ‘right to buy’?
A quick word
Amazon has begun drone deliveries to customers within a seven and a half mile radius of its fulfilment centre in Darlington. Packages have to weigh less than 2.2kg and withstand being dropped from a height of 12ft - but they can arrive within two hours of being ordered. The second edition of the Northumberland Guide has just been published. It comes with the backing of the region’s tourism body, Visit Northumberland, which has endorsed the publication as the official guide to the region. You can see it in all it’s page-turning glory by clicking here. Wildlife rescue charity Pawz for Thought has been granted planning permission to build a wild animal veterinary referral centre at its base in Sunderland. A century-old register with details of 900 North East volunteers who signed up to serve in World War I has been bought at an auction in Derby by the Durham Light Infantry Friends and it can now be seen in The Story in Durham.
Puffin cam returns
A Northumberland puffin picture show which attracted a worldwide audience last year is to be re-run this summer. The National Trust has once again switched on its live, remote cameras on the Farne Islands. Streaming from www.nationaltrust.org.uk, the production will co-star guillemots, as Tony Henderson reports.
Royal recognition
Five North East companies have been awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise. Express Engineering Group was recognised in the international trade category for outstanding short-term growth. Prudhoe-based OpenWorks was recognised in the same category for its global reach.
Water testing innovator Palintest won an award in the innovation category for its Kemio sensors. Technology and IT business Forfusion was successful in the promoting opportunity category for its work in developing talent and its support of Armed Forces personnel. Inflo Group, founded in 2016 by four experienced auditors who saw a gap in the market to simplify processes for other auditors, was also recognised in the international trade category.
Business bites
Arlington Real Estate has received approval for its West Hartford Park development in Cramlington, which could see 2,000 jobs created and generate more than £150m of investment into the North East economy. The North East Business & Innovation Centre (BIC) has been appointed as managing agent for Sunderland Software Centre, Evolve Business Centre and Washington Business Centre by Sunderland City Council. Gateshead-based Northern Print Solutions has acquired Consett company Design Xpress. A six-month feasibility study has been launched to examine how driverless freight technology could operate along the Teesport to Teesside International Airport corridor. A proven problem solver with more than 25 years' experience launched full-service business consultancy service 5 Circles in Newcastle earlier this week. More than 120 guests packed Bealim House to hear Maxine Fox outline plans to supercharge growth across the North East. Investment in new equipment has helped Samson Executive Jet Centre, based at Newcastle International Airport, get off to a record-breaking start to the year. The latest results from Caddick Construction, which opened a base in Durham last year, showed record turnover of £375m, up 8% year on year, with £4.5m profit before tax.
1976 Eyes and Ears ad break
You’ll have heard of the expression ‘using a sledghammer to crack a nut’. This Public Information Film on road safety from 1976 uses a hammer to smash a peach - a graphic visual metaphor for what can happen when a car and human body collide.
I selected the ad not because I thought you might like to see the destruction of a perfectly good piece of fruit but because of the name: it’s called Eyes and Ears - It’s Your Lookout.
THE WIDER VIEW
Nacho man
This is an election-free(ish) zone today given that the polls only closed at 10pm last night, but I couldn’t not mention Nacho Nigel.
That is the nickname being given to Reform leader Nigel Farage after he made a late decision to cancel a planned appearance on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg rather than face questions about the £5m donation he received from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Nacho stands for Nigel Always Chickens Out, an acronym he may be quite happy with since it brackets him along with his good mate the president of the USA, Taco Trump, who was saddled with that nickname a year ago for his threats and climbdowns on tariffs (Trump always chickens out).
Farage’s decision to pull out of the Kuenssberg show came as an embarrassment to his GB News colleague Martin Daubney, who tweeted a photo of the show’s original line-up, showing Farage with Zack Polanski, Kemi Badenoch and Labour’s Heidi Alexander.
He taunted Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not turning up. “Where’s Keir Starmer,” he messaged. “The Tories, Reform and Greens have put up their leaders for the final big media round… are they keeping him in the cupboard?”
Some fashion statement
Amazon billionaire Jeff Bozos was the main sponsor of this year’s Met Gala, New York’s big fashion night of the year which features a whole host of celebrities and has been hosted by Anna Wintour - she wears Prada - since 1995.
It’s customary for the mayor to attend - but not Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the man who recently urged King Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India. He did more than send his excuses, however, as Erica Wagner says in the Observer.
While the likes of Beyonce, Madonna, and Kim Kardashian were posing for photographers, the mayor sent out a series of social media posts championing New York’s threatened garment trade.
Individuals highlighted by Mamdani included Hafeez Raza, originally from Pakistan, who learned to sew at 10 and now runs a shop in Brooklyn. The mayor’s final slide showcased two former Amazon warehouse workers who met organising for the Teamsters union for fair pay and better working conditions. One addressed the company’s leadership: “If your kid worked at Amazon, what type of benefits would you want them to have?”
I took the bait
The fella waving in the screenshot above is Finn Russell, one of the most gifted players in world rugby. He is Scottish and plays for Bath. Gregor Townsend is manager of the Scotland team and has a part-time consultancy role at Newcastle Red Bulls.
I got rather excited at the prospect of such a star name playing at Kingston Park next season. I suspect that’s what they (‘they’ being The Scotsman in this case) wanted me to think given Russell’s central position in the picture and his gesture that could be taken as a wave goodbye.
It turns out that it’s the player clapping who is leaving Bath. No offence or disrespect intended, but I am far less excited at the prospect of former Scotland international Chris Harris returning to Newcastle to continue his playing career.
Clickbait is “the use of sensationalised or misleading headlines to capture attention and drive clicks, often by exploiting curiosity, emotion, or shock value”. I’m pretty good at avoiding it. But I got suckered here by the photograph, not the headline. Does that still make it clickbait?
“The high quality of the articles and the breadth of regionally relevant topics make this an essential read for staying informed about what’s happening across the area. I’ve been a free subscriber since the very beginning, and the content has only continued to get better. It’s clear how much value it provides, and I now feel it more than deserves paying for”
Truth matters
The BBC has commissioned a six-part factual drama which will focus on Sir Harold Evans’ editorship of The Sunday Times where he led a team which fought for the victims of Thalidomide, uncovered the truth behind what was the world’s worst air disaster, and faced down treason charges in exposing Kim Philby as one of the most successful spies of the 20th century.
Evans graduated from Durham University in 1952 and was a campaigning editor of the Northern Echo for six years before leaving for Fleet Street in 1967.
Dragon Slayers will be based on research, published accounts and interviews with those who knew and worked with Evans – including his widow, the editor, author and journalist Tina Brown, and the Evans family.
The announcement came as the fourth Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit got underway in London this week - an invitation-only gathering of top journalists, editors and media leaders, co-hosted by Brown, Reuters and Durham University.
It champions investigative journalism and fearless reporting in a world plagued by disinformation and threats to press freedom. It’s alternative title is Truth Tellers - and God knows we need a lot more of them.
When I was a teacher in Hartlepool, my head - Eric Pidd - said that his neighbours in Hall at Durham were Harold Evans and future folk artiste Jake Thackray!