Former BBC Look North Editor Andy Cooper has been looking back at his days as a trainee in a smoke-filled newsroom of the late 70s. Newspapers were being sold in their tens of thousands, not just for the news but the small ads – jobs, flats to rent, cars for sale.
We’ve lost a lot since those days - but the thing that worries Andy the most is the threat to local democracy.
“A democratic society requires knowledge and understanding to thrive,” he says. “We can’t turn the clock back to 1978, but we can try to reverse the decline. Ignorance is not bliss.”
Six months after hosting an AI conference and saying we need to embrace artificial intelligence, MP Ian Lavery wants a moratorium on the development of data centres - it just doesn’t sound like the new PM is very keen on that idea.
There’s been a lot of headlines and national conversation about mayors being given the power to impose a tourist tax or visitor levy - and our two have opposing views on the subject.
It’s unlucky 13 for Reform in Durham - that’s the number of councillors they have lost since sweeping to power in May last year. It didn’t take a Sky News investigation to let us know that all is not well.
Finally, finally we have heard from the two companies responsible for the great nurdle disaster in the Tyne. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that, beyond the platitudes, they had next to nothing to say.
Brian Aitken
Editor
‘Press pause, PM’
The region needs to embrace artificial intelligence or get smashed to smithereens. Those were the words of MP Ian Lavery at a major conference in Blyth just over six months ago - an event he organised and was sponsored by QTS, the company behind the building of a massive data centre at Cambois.
This week the member for Blyth and Ashington spoke at Prime Minister’s Questions and asked for a moratorium on the development of data centres in his constituency after plans were announced for a third facility within a few square miles of each other.
“With tech billionaires driving the deployment of AI, many of my constituents are concerned about job losses, misinformation and the infrastructure needed to support this technology,” said Lavery. “In Sleekburn and Cambois three vast - and I mean vast - data centres are proposed on scarce industrial land that could be used for other industries that create far more local jobs.”
Andy Burnham declined to issue a moratorium and said data centres had the capacity to bring in additional outside investment: “From this Government’s point of view, we have a policy that AI growth zones will allow local authorities to retain 100% of business rate growth so that it can benefit communities.”
Taxing times
Call it a visitor levy or a tourist tax, it doesn’t matter - Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has no plans to introduce one while North East Mayor Kim McGuinness most certainly does.
The government announced that mayors will be able to introduce a levy on overnight stays as part of a devolution drive to shift power out of Westminster - although this “freedom” does not extend to mayors being able to introduce a flat fee. It has to be a percentage of the accommodation cost.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “A visitor levy could help us bring major international events to our region, back local businesses, improve visitor attractions, build on the 90,000 jobs already in this sector and unlock opportunities that come from a thriving visitor economy. Most importantly, the money raised here would stay here, helping us invest in the future of our region rather than waiting for Whitehall to do it for us.”
13 - unlucky for some
Whatever is going in within the ranks of the Reform group on Durham County Council?
In May last year the party seized overall control of the council by taking 65 of the available 98 seats. Since then 13 have left the Reform ranks. Others are understood to be considering their positions, according to investigative journalist Jamie Roberton.
A Sky News investigation ‘Inside the chaos at Reform’s flagship Northern council’ would not have made Nigel Farage’s week feel any better.
Deputy leader Richard Tice said: “This is more garbage and claptrap from disgruntled councillors, some of whom were accused of bullying during their time in the Reform UK group. Sky’s failure to recognise the huge successes we’ve achieved in Durham - including having one of the lowest council tax rises in the country - in favour of a blatant hit piece from ex Reform councillors is embarrassing.
“For ex Reform councillors to waste valuable police time on pathetic complaints is just juvenile.”
Worth the wait?
At last, they have spoken - they’ve just not said anything that amounts to very much. I’m talking about the operators of the two ships responsible for millions of nurdles spewing into our waters after a collision at the Port of Tyne eight weeks ago.
That’s eight weeks in which we haven’t heard from BG Freight Line, owners of the berthed container ship BG Orange which had the tiny plastic pellets onboard - and under maritime law’s ‘polluter pays’ principle they should be footing the bill for the clean-up and seeking redress from others afterwards.
Their first call, you would expect, would be to Cadeler, operators of the Wind Orca which hit the side of the BG Orange and sliced open containers “like a can of beans”.
BG Freight Line is “naturally concerned”, it takes “all environmental matters incredibly seriously” and is “always committed to acting responsibly”. You can read the company’s statement to the Shields Gazette here. Cadeler had an equally Teflon reply.
The Eyes & Ears edition on August 7 took a close look at the issue of the use of ‘single bags’ in nurdle transportation, regulation, insurance, and long-term ecological issues.
£150m start-up help
Chancellor John Healey has unveiled a £150m fund designed to support university spin-outs and other emerging businesses in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. It’s a new fund but not new money as the fund will be drawn from the British Business Bank’s existing budget.
In addition, the National Wealth Fund has signed strategic partnerships with mayoral authorities in the North East, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool City Region to help develop and grow project investment pipelines.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: “We’ll be working with the team at the National Wealth Fund on major regeneration projects that will visibly change the face of the North East, to roll out transport upgrades and to attract more jobs investment here.”
New hosts at Fenwick pub
Newcastle-based Full Circle Brew Co will open its first pub when it takes over the Golden Flake Tavern in Fenwick, the department store’s collaboration with another iconic North East brand, Greggs.
Full Circle, which operates from Hoults Yard, already has links to the pub, having brewed the exclusive collaboration beers for Greggs.
Founder Ben Cleary said: “There’ll be plenty of Full Circle on the bar, but we also want to use the space to champion other brilliant independent breweries.” Food will come courtesy of Newcastle street food vendor Peckin’ Order.
School sale
The former Durham High School site has been put up for sale by administrators just weeks after the independent school’s controversial closure. Our columnist Bob Hudson had this to say about it in the July 6 edition…
Yes, but…
PD Ports chief executive Paul Foreman hailed it as a significant milestone when the port handled the shipment of 5,000 vehicles from China this week.
“With deep-water access, established automotive handling facilities and excellent connections to major markets across the north of England, Teesport is ideally positioned to support vehicle import and logistics operations at scale,” he said.
The arrival of Jaecoo and Chery vehicles, as well as the first 1,300 Lepas plug-in hybrid cars to enter the UK market, came on the day that Jaguar Land Rover announced it was looking to reduce its workforce by about 4,000 over two years, as part of an effort to save £1.7 billion.
Energy drive
Mayor Kim McGuinness has launched the North East Energy Accelerator, a £3.95m programme designed to turn local energy ideas into projects that deliver lasting benefits for local people and the environment.
The scheme includes a £2m fund to help local projects access specialist technical, legal and commercial expertise, an £800,000 capital fund for community-focussed clean energy projects and training and support for people developing new schemes.
The aim is to help more local clean energy projects move from good ideas into reality. In doing so, communities will be able to generate more of their own clean energy and keep more money circulating locally.
A quick word
Newcastle councillor Daniel Astley has been expelled by the Reform UK party shortly after apologising for social media posts in which he made offensive comments about Muslims. Group leader Steven Rutherford said Astley had been expelled because of his prior membership of the far-right Homeland Party. Plans have been approved to create a dedicated blood donation centre on the ground floor of the Faber building in Sunderland. Northumberland councillor John Allen, who was expelled from Reform for online comments and then lost his seat for failing to turn up for a single council meeting in six months, has decided to stand as an independent candidate in the by-election he triggered. The future of outdoor swimming in Northumberland has been secured after the county council agreed to spend £1.1m on upgrading Haltwhistle’s swimming pool which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Hartlepool council leader Graham Harrison is stepping down after just four months in the role. The Reform councillor said a recent change in his personal circumstances meant he was no longer able to commit the required time.
Fringe benefits
The Mercury Prize came to Newcastle last year, Sam Fender taking the glory at the Utilita Arena… but there was something else, too.
As Adam MacDonald, project manager at North East music development agency Generator, recalled: “Last year, we headed into the unknown with the creation of the first-ever Mercury Fringe and the response from music lovers and the wider music industry across the North East completely blew us away.
“What made it so special was the collective enthusiasm of artists, venues, partners and audiences across the city. It showed exactly why Newcastle is such a brilliant home for the Mercury Prize.”
It made sense to use such a high profile national event to showcase the wealth of talent in the city and region… so, since the Mercury Prize is coming back, it’s happening again. David Whetstone has all the details in Cultured. North East.
Training doors open
The first trainees have begun courses in a £250m adult skills programme, designed to boost job opportunities in construction, manufacturing, tech, foundational roles and the fast‑growing green economy.
The Adult Skills Training Programme is part of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ New Deal for North East Workers, and the £80m‑a‑year investment will target support at adults with low qualifications, people facing health barriers, women entering technical fields, care‑experienced young adults and those seeking to progress in work.
It follows collaboration between the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, colleges, training providers, local authorities, employers and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
Business bites
MMC Research founder Natasha McDonough has been elected president of the NECC, succeeding Deborah Walton of Palintest. Northumbrian Water’s Louise Hunter was appointed vice president. Chief executive John McCabe told the AGM that the Chamber is on course to end 2026 ahead of budget and ahead of 2025 having delivered a £160,000 revenue improvement on the previous year. Talking of the Chamber, Karbon Homes, which owns and manages 34,000 properties across the North East and Yorkshire, has become the latest Partner member. UK Land Estates MD Keith Taylor is stepping down after 23 years with the business to take up the role of Executive Chairman. As part of a planned succession, property director David Gibbs is taking over day-to-day leadership duties. Blyth-based robotics manufacturer Tharsus has reported a “challenging” year with a fall in revenue and profits. Founder Brian Palmer said the company continued to invest and had made “clear progress in improving its commercial focus and positioning the Group for sustainable growth”. The estimated value of the Crowne Plaza hotel has dipped from £12.2m to £9.7m, according to Newcastle City Council’s draft accounts. Members of the scrutiny committee were told that the four-star hotel, taken over by the council 18 months ago to recoup a near £40m debt, is delivering the “expected level of return”. The historic Lemington Glassworks site in Newcastle is being developed by Pink Storage. There will be 380 containers. Customers will be able to book units online and receive immediate access through a unique PIN code, while number plate recognition will allow them to drive directly to their container. Newcastle-based Advanced Healthcare Group has expanded its Scottish operations by buying two more mobility equipment providers. Sunderland-based Land Digital has secured investment of £705,000 which will allow the company to create jobs and strengthen the rollout of its barrier-free tolling and parking platform.
1960s ad break
Youngsters with guns in a bar - it can only be a classic Milkybar Kid advert from the 60s. The first one was screened in 1961 and there have been 10 kids in total over the five decades the ads were running.
THE WIDER VIEW
Ignorance is not bliss
Former BBC Look North editor Andy Cooper has been reminiscing about his days as a trainee reporter in 1978. The busy city centre newspaper office with hundreds of staff, the smoke-filled newsroom, stories going from typewriter to front page within an hour, people queuing up to buy the paper from street sellers.
We’ve lost all that. But what concerns Andy the most is the threat to democracy.
“Local newspapers were a vital part of local democracy,” he writes in North East Bylines. “Of course, they still exist, but in far fewer numbers. Yes, today local papers also have an online presence, but stories are often geared towards a clickbait culture designed more for titillation than information.
“Some might argue that social media has replaced newspapers and we are as well informed as ever. To some extent that might be true. There is more round-the-corner news, if you look for it. But proper local journalism should offer much more than that. It holds society to account; it explains the implications of political and other decisions; and, importantly, the best of it finds out what others try to conceal.”
Even if local journalism could be restored to what it once was, he fears that years of decline means that millions of people who would once have kept across local events have long since lost interest, or become news-avoiders. The habit has gone.
So what next? “We have to start by building from the bottom,” he says. “Schools need to start teaching democracy and the importance of knowledge, facts and scrutiny. Social media companies need to be properly regulated.
“Then, I wonder if the BBC licence negotiations can take on a broader look at the media as a whole. The BBC already funds, at a cost of £8m a year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service to pay for journalists who cover local government and public services across the UK.
“Can this scheme be expanded to include investigative reporters? Should ITV play a greater role in sustaining local democracy? But increasing news consumption, via newspapers, online, podcasts or more traditional broadcasting, needs to be addressed.
“A democratic society requires knowledge and understanding to thrive. We can’t turn the clock back to 1978, but we can try to reverse the decline. Ignorance is not bliss.”
No experience, four days training - you’re a carer
How has the most humane work in our society been devalued and allowed to deteriorate for so long, asks James Bloodworth in Byline Times.
He spent several weeks working undercover as a domiciliary care worker while researching a book about low-paid work in Britain and, after answering a few rudimentary questions over the telephone, found it disconcertingly easy to land a job looking after some of the most vulnerable people in the country.
“After a short interview, I was invited to attend four days of training, during which we were taught, among other things, how to use a hoist, empty a catheter, administer medication, and what to do if we arrived at somebody’s house and found them lying unconscious on the floor. There were eight of us when the training began on the Monday. By Friday, two had dropped out.
“What struck me most during the weeks that followed was the extraordinary discrepancy between the importance of the work and the conditions under which it was performed.”
A typical visit on his rota was scheduled for 30 minutes - but that included travelling time. James soon began to understand why some carers developed little tricks for speeding things along.
“Most of the carers I met were decent people doing an extremely difficult job for very little money. The problem was that an employment system built around haste, insecurity, and parsimony had consequences that inevitably travelled downwards until they reached the person sitting in the armchair.”
One thing that stayed with him was the number of elderly people who just wanted them to stay for a few more minutes once the necessary tasks had been completed.
“What they really wanted was simply company. You could see the disappointment when we left - but somewhere else another person was waiting.”
The undercover work was 10 years ago. With Andy Burnham the latest prime minister promising to sort out the care system, better pay, training, and job security for carers are on the agenda. So too is greater integration between social care and the NHS.
“Much of this is welcome,” said James. “Some things have improved since I was working in Blackpool. Care workers are better paid in real terms than they were in 2016. The prevalence of zero-hours contracts in domiciliary care has fallen. Staff turnover, while still astonishingly high, has come down. Yet, much of the system I encountered remains recognisable.”
A ‘small’ difference
It turns out I grew up with the traditional ‘Mercator’ map of the world unaware that its proportions were wrong. It shows Africa to be similar in size to Greenland, for instance, when it is 14 times larger.
The United Nations has now voted to use the ‘Equal Earth’ map. There were 164 countries in favour of this change, six abstentions and only one vote against - the USA who argued that the UN should have better things to do than “debating map projects from the 16th century”.
Aside from the fact that the USA doesn’t go as far back as the 16th century, it is interesting to see how different media organisations headlined this change.
The Telegraph never fails to disappoint.