I believe my Substack woes are over. At least Substack have told me they are.
Last week, I was rather alarmed when a couple of issues arose just hours after I pressed the button to accept paid subscriptions for the first time (well, it was the first birthday of Eyes & Ears after all).
So, I’m pleased to say that paid subscriptions are definitely open.
I should stress that this is not a paywall. Everyone will continue to receive everything I publish. It’s just an opportunity for people who see a value in what I do to make a donation that is equivalent to a small glass of wine a month (I don’t like coffee).
The way the wind’s blowing
The UK’s first offshore wind farm at Blyth is 25 years old this month. At the time it was considered world-leading and capable of powering around 3,000 homes.
Fast forward to today. Turbines can now be installed in greater numbers, at taller heights and in deeper waters, and the technology is far more powerful.
One turbine from the recently completed Moray West offshore wind farm can generate more than three times the power output of the entire Blyth offshore wind farm, according to independent energy and climate think tank Ember.
And, 25 years after that milestone event, more than 100 pupils and students joined Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and North East mayor Kim McGuinness at the Government’s first clean energy jobs fair at Port of Tyne yesterday in what is expected to be the first in a series across the country.
The mayor said on her LinkedIn: “25,000 people in the North East already have a great job in green energy. In the next 10 years we’ll double that. Today, Ed Miliband and I met the generation who know wind turbines mean jobs and should never be part of the culture wars.”
Creative zone
A new Creative Mayoral Development Zone is being set up to unlock the next phase of development in the Riverside Sunderland regeneration programme, including the first phase of the Crown Works film studios.
That was the major takeaway from this week’s North East Combined Authority Cabinet meeting which also approved extending the cap on bus fares at £2.50 until March 2027.
Cabinet also agreed to move forward with the transition of NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) into a new regional tourism body, provisionally named Experience North East England, as a hub‑and‑spoke model to coordinate marketing, product development, and event strategy across the region.
It START-ed here
A pioneering programme developed in Newcastle to give trainee surgeons earlier access to robotic systems is to be rolled out across the country.
The Surgical Training in Advanced Robotic Technology (START) programme gives doctors an opportunity to develop specialist knowledge, skills and expertise using multiple systems at a key stage in their career.
Professor Alan Horgan, consultant surgeon, clinical lead for the national START programme and director of the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre, said: “Robotic-assisted surgery is a rapidly developing area of expertise and has the potential to transform patient care and enable faster recovery with fewer complications.
“We’re delighted that a surgical training scheme designed in Newcastle has led to the development and launch of the START programme. The programme will be a key step in supporting the NHS to build a pipeline of surgeons equipped with the necessary skills for robotics surgery in the future.”
Peer group
There were 34 new peers appointed to the House of Lords this week including former Durham University Council chair Joe Docherty, a trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and chair of the Northern Powergrid Foundation, and Nick Forbes, the former leader of Newcastle City Council.
Other notable nominations for peerages include former swimmer Sharron Davies and Richard Walker, chair of supermarket chain Iceland, who used to be a Conservative but has switched allegiance to Labour.
See Lords postscript at the end of this edition
Hold the line
The successful reopening of the Northumberland Line has attracted the attention of developers. The phones are ringing “off the hook” at the council’s planning department, elected members of the North East Combined Authority scrutiny committee were told.
Councillors were presented with a range of benefits including an influx of Ashington pupils to Newcastle College and the carbon emissions saved because of fewer car journeys.
Not so fine
Durham Reform councillor Andrew Harrison is contesting a £40,000 penalty notice issued against his company Churchills Management for hiring an illegal worker. The married employee is of Thai descent and has been living in the UK for 10 years. They have a British husband and a child with dual British/ Thai citizenship.
Another Durham councillor, Paul Bean, is now representing the Crook ward as an Independent following a Reform UK disciplinary process into social media posts criticising asylum seekers and the party.
Missed deadlines
I can’t claim to know a lot about spreadsheets. I am much more familiar with deadlines. So, I know it’s not good that four of the 16 organisations in the country that have failed to publish audited accounts to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for 2023-24 are from the Tees Valley.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), along with South Tees, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool development corporations, are on the naughty step. But it’s more serious than that because TVCA has already been warned that audit failures are a barrier to further devolution powers coming its way.
As for the spreadsheets, TVCA’s Audit and Governance Committee (AGC) are due to formally receive auditor EY’s draft report today, with Peter Morris pointing out in North East Bylines that that’s conditional on them being able to hold a quorate meeting - it’s been five months since the last one, he points out.
Announcement protest
The Red Hall and Lingfield ward is one of five ‘left behind’ communities in Darlington which will receive a share of the council’s £19.5m Pride in Place funding over the next 10 years.
A by-election was held in the ward yesterday and Conservative councillors plan to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman because they feel the funding announcement breached pre-election rules.
Your carriage awaits
A holiday home with a difference is up for sale. Built in 1978, it sleeps four, has gas central heating, a separate shower room and toilet, a fully-fitted shaker-style kitchen and its own WiFi network - and it’s travelled up and down the country a fair bit.
The home in question is a converted 23-metres long Stannington Pullman carriage that used to serve inter-city routes to London. It now sits close to the East Coast Main Line, five miles south of Morpeth - on a track that was in the original Mission Impossible film (I’m not making this up).
Co-owner Emma Williams, a health and safety consultant, said: “It’s been a brilliant project to create, especially with the amazing response we’ve had from our guests over the last three years, but it’s now time for the train to pull out of the station and find a new place to stop.” They’re looking for offers of around £70,000.
Open door
There’s an open day at the Lit & Phil in Newcastle tomorrow as it reaches the end of its bicentenary year. If you’ve never been before, then this is the day to go. Check out their website litandphil.org.uk for details of free tours and a programme of talks and discussions.
At 1pm, Brian Rankin, author of Pursued by Bulldozers, will talk about the hugely talented but relatively unknown Gateshead artist Charlie Rogers, a man who was friends with Norman Cornish and was on more than nodding terms with LS Lowry.
This gives me another opportunity to commend to you a leisurely read by award-winning writer Michael Chaplin. When you can, you should:
Owner investigated
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed it is investigating suspected dishonestly by Sufe Miah, owner of Leeds-based Miah Law and Gateshead-based Hathaways Law.
Three years ago, he bought the 106-year-old Newcastle company Samuel Phillips Law which closed suddenly at the start of the month with the loss of all jobs.
Bridge gap
It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah’s campaign to have the Swing Bridge fixed in time for its 150th birthday in summer 2026 will be successful.
Newcastle and Gateshead councils’ Joint Tyne Bridges Committee was told that officials and the Port of Tyne, which is responsible for the bridge’s swinging mechanism, would meet in the New Year ahead of a feasibility study to determine the scale of the repairs required and their costs.
Members also heard about the ongoing inspection to determine exactly what repairs are needed to the Redheugh Bridge to deal with cracks and several areas of flaking concrete.
A quick word
Police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating after a worker from AV Dawson, the owner and operator of the Port of Middlesbrough, died in an incident at Riverside Park Industrial Estate on Monday morning. Three Go North East bus routes that account for almost 100,000 journeys each week are to go electric from early next year as part of North East mayor Kim McGuinness’ ambition to get rid of all diesel buses within a decade. Active Travel England has awarded the North East Combined Authority £16.2m based on its track record of cycling, wheeling and walking schemes. The Tees Valley Combined Authority’s rating has fallen, however, and is only getting £4.1m from the £626m national pot to upgrade and create new footpaths and cycle tracks. People on low incomes in County Durham will lose their council tax exemption under changes that will see most residents pay at least 10% of their bill from April. Cameron Hall and Jomast Developments have withdrawn a plan to build up to 700 homes at Wynyard, on Teesside. There were 730 objections on Stockton Council’s planning portal with no comments in support. A judge has dismissed an application from an alliance of Newcastle licencees for a judicial review into the council’s decision to grant a five-year planning extension to the STACK food and drink hub outside St James’ Park. Center Parcs’ seventh village in the UK has received planning permission from Scottish Borders Council. It will be situated between Selkirk and Hawick, 60 miles from Newcastle. Around 7,000 people with “no chance” of getting a council house are to be removed from Northumberland’s waiting list to give housing officers “double the time” to focus on “people that actually have a real housing need”. A second entrance to Newcastle Central Station, beside the International Centre for Life’s car park, has finally opened - but some of the other changes announced seven years ago have been scrapped.
Hotel deal
Ramside Estates has taken on a 150-year lease for the vacant St George Hotel at Teesside International Airport, which closed its doors in 2018.
Owner John Adamson said: “I’m hugely excited to have secured this agreement and the major opportunity this site provides. The appeal of the hotel can be seen in what’s happening in the wider Teesside area when it comes to projects like the freeport, the airport’s growth and the prospect of more flights in the future.”
Airport MD Phil Forster said: “This is a huge vote of confidence in our airport and securing the backing of someone with the stature, expertise and calibre of John is a big coup. We can now open a new chapter on the hotel’s future with some exciting plans to come in the not-to-distant future.”
Cruel theft
The Chronicle Sunshine Fund is an amazing charity that has done so much over the years to help youngsters with disabilities and their families. Each year collection boxes are placed on local Stagecoach buses, helping to raise around £10,000.
But Stagecoach’s Slatyford depot was broken into in the early hours of Monday morning and the collection boxes stolen. The charity has set up a JustGiving page in the hope of recouping some of the money.
Seeing The Light
Lumiere may have gone – from Durham at least – but welcome to The Light. That’s the name chosen for the building at Aykley Heads formerly known as the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery.
The new name’s certainly snappier than the old one and Durham County Council hope it describes the building’s future role as a beacon for creativity, arts and culture, as David Whetstone reports.
Tariffs bite
Donald Trump’s tariffs are behind the decision of Crafter’s Companion to lay off staff and close it’s warehouse in Newton Aycliffe - with a warning that other UK firms will be affected by the changes.
In August, the US removed the rule that allowed shipments valued at under $800 to enter the country duty-free. As a result, the company, founded by TV Dragon Sara Davies, moved 60% of its warehouse operations to the States.
Seven staff left the firm in October, while another seven will leave in January. Managing director Dianne Sharp said that the warehouse closure was a “disappointing decision” but that she is positive about the future. The company expects to recruit for five new roles soon.
Business briefs
Administrators have completed a pre-packaged sale of Newcastle estate agency Jan Foster to the founder’s daughter Angela Dennison. The majority of the 18 jobs have been saved and the new company, Dennison Property Services, will operate from one office in Gosforth. 1Energy and Sunderland City Council have agreed a £67m investment that will create a large-scale district heat network, distributing locally generated, low-carbon energy to commercial and public buildings through insulated underground pipes. Last Arrow Games - part of Pneuma Games Group - has opened a studio in Gateshead with an experienced team led by chief executive and Ron Ashtiani who said the company will “deliver bold and innovative next-generation game design”. The Apartment Group’s Whitworth Hall near Spennymoor has had a £2.4m refurbishment. Work on the wedding venue was supported by investment firm Develop North. Childcare company Little Angels has seen a 25% lift in sales. Founder Debbie Wylie is now looking to open more branches and increase childcare places from 300 to 800.
1994 ad break
Hamish thinks wife Elspeth makes the best soup in the Highlands and has gone all the way to Inverness just to pick up a chicken.
Of course, you don’t get any chickens at a hen party! This was part of a series of quirky ads for Knorr stock cubes that aired in the early 90s. You may remember a line from another of their soup adverts: “Pea and ham? From a chicken? Now, that’s clever.”
This one ends with a bit of Tom Jones. Rare, but it’s not unusual.
THE WIDER VIEW
Chance to shine
Almost one million young people will benefit from learning or employment opportunities as a result of an £820m funding package from the Government for its Youth Guarantee scheme – including an offer of 25 hours per week of ‘subsidised’ paid work.
The funding will create 350,000 new workplace opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, construction and social care. Hundreds of thousands more NEETS - young people not in employment, education or training - will receive four weeks of intensive support.
In areas where the number of NEETs is highest - and, surprise, surprise, that does not include the North East - 55,000 young people could be eligible for a Government-backed guaranteed job through partnerships with local employers.
Reaction to the scheme has been mixed - but will find enthusiastic support from staff and bosses at Greener Solutions Group. The Wallsend-based company joined the Kickstart Scheme, which was launched in September 2020 in response to the pandemic, and funded six-month placements for 16–24-year-olds on Universal Credit at risk of long-term unemployment.
Three of the young people that Greener Solutions took on are still with the business today - and thriving.
Ryan Cotcher, 28, from Wallsend, left university in 2019 and struggled to find employment during Covid. He began as admin support and is now a qualified Retrofit Coordinator. Lewis Tomaselli, 23, also from Wallsend, now leads a team of three. And Natalie Irwin has established herself as a key scheduling assistant.
Director Andrew Wilkinson said: “Lewis, Ryan and Natalie are fantastic examples of what can happen when people are given genuine opportunities and support. Their progression has been brilliant to watch and highlights how motivated the younger generation is to succeed.
“The Kickstart Scheme gave us the chance to bring talented individuals into the business at a crucial time, and their progression shows just how valuable that investment has been.”
From flooding to frost
Farmers and supermarkets worry that extreme weather will stop food getting to our shelves. Mohammed F Alzuhair, Doctor of Business Administration Candidate and Researcher at Durham University, has written an article for The Conversation about what needs to change.
“Storm Amy with its gusts of nearly 100mph brought heavy rain, fallen trees, and transport disruption in October. Shortly after, a cold spell brought frost risks in several areas. The shift from flooding to frost showed how quickly farmers’ access to fields, harvesting and transport can be disrupted.
“It also revealed how heavily the food chain depends on clear, connected information when conditions change suddenly. Without improvements, in this type of extreme weather, supermarkets risk running short of food.”
False and alarming
Fake adverts promoting bogus initiatives and job roles such as a ‘volunteer pothole repairer’ and ‘volunteer flag removers’ using York council’s logo have appeared online.
In a BBC report, council leader Claire Douglas said : “The level of false information being posted is alarming, increasing significantly and is seeking to undermine UK democracy and community cohesion.”
In a clue as to the politics of the person or people behind the fake posts, another says: “Do you have a spare room in York? Help support asylum seekers in your community.”
Right-wing internet personalities have also commented on them including making video reports based on the assumption that they are real, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The ads and online commentary about them have appeared following news on Monday that a by-election is set to take place in the Heworth ward in January.
Councillor Douglas said: “Those seeking to influence elections in this country, both within and from outside the UK, are using more sophisticated techniques to make their content seem genuine, so the public needs to watch out for it and always ask the question: ‘Is this real?’.”
Lords postscript
You know how you sometimes read something and you think ‘that’s very good’? When I heard that Sir John Redwood had been nominated for a peerage, I was reminded of something that Substack columnist The Bear wrote about him recently:
“I don’t say this lightly, but Sir John is one of the most ideologically consistent, economically misleading and rhetorically slippery politicians ever to be produced by conservatism in the United Kingdom.
“He is the politician of that type that could be standing right inside a building in full conflagration, calmly tell you that the flames are really a sign of national renewal and then write a Telegraph column about how British growth is being strangled by oxygen regulation.”