Steel ‘betrayal’
Net Zero Teesside (NZT) is a Government-backed £4 billion carbon-capture and storage system with a large-scale gas-fired power station attached. It’s on the Teesworks site, once home to the giant Redcar steelworks which was closed by SSI in 2015 putting 1,700 people out of work.
You can understand the anger then when it was announced that BP, the lead operator of NZT, has placed a £5m order for construction steel with a Chinese company when there’s a taxpayer-supported steel plant just down the road in Scunthorpe.
It’s claimed that the Chinese steel was chosen over British Steel because it comes from environmentally-friendly electric arc furnaces, as opposed to the blast furnaces in Scunthorpe.
Yet a net zero carbon capture and storage project is choosing to ship 7,000 tonnes of steel thousands of miles, at significant carbon cost, when there is a supply only 90 miles away.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen called it a betrayal of British workers. He said: “It’s frankly staggering that thousands of tonnes of Chinese steel will be imported while the UK’s own steel industry remains on its knees. I’ve raised this issue directly with Government ministers, officials and the leadership at NZT. Those warnings have clearly fallen on deaf ears.”
Industry Minister Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North, said he was deeply disappointed by the decision and would be speaking to BP.
True blue Ben
‘Nigel Farage seeks to persuade Tory mayor Ben Houchen to defect to Reform’, ran the headline in the FT. The attempts have so far proved unsuccessful and they would appear to be staying that way with the Local Democracy Reporting Service quoting the Tees Valley mayor as saying: “I’ve always been a Conservative. Loyalty is important to me.”
The future’s bright
We can feel positive about the future economy of the North East. That’s the conclusion of economist JP Spencer, who has been looking at individual parts of the North to see what is driving their economies and whether there is anything to learn for the future.
The North East has seen weaker productivity growth than most of the North but has still been higher than the UK average, he writes in his Future North newsletter on Substack.
His confidence comes from a mayor with full powers now in place, new initiatives in the pipeline, and strengths in manufacturing to build on in a time of international uncertainty.
The focus on the North East is the seventh in a series by JP, who also works on devolution policy at Labour Together and is a policy fellow at The Productivity Institute.
He highlights that the North East has an important foundation to build on: regional identity. The only parts of Great Britain where people have a stronger attachment to their area are Scotland and Wales (marginally) - and they are both countries.
Fire centre to close
The International Fire Training Centre (IFTC) which has been based at Teesside Airport since 1981 is to close after operators Serco said it is no longer viable.
The centre has trained firefighters from more than 70 countries for more than 40 years and provided a variety of courses and life-saving guidance for thousands each year. The news of the closure comes less than four years after Serco signed a 10-year lease with the airport, securing 50 jobs.
Taxing times
The chefs at two Michelin-starred restaurants in the North East have warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves of major job losses in the hospitality sector unless the Government acts to bring down their tax bills.
Action on business rates rises is expected to be taken to soften the impact on pubs, but Kenny Atkinson of Newcastle’s House of Tides and Cal Byerley, head chef at Pine at Vallum Farm in Northumberland, have added their voices to the call that support must be extended to the wider hospitality sector.
Blyth 2 abandoned
Last week’s positive news (Eyes & Ears 16.01.26) on the offshore energy front is tempered by the decision of EDF to abandon the Blyth 2 offshore wind farm project which could have brought world-leading floating offshore wind technology to North East waters.
The project, however, did not receive a Contract for Difference (CfD) in last week’s biggest ever offshore wind auction.
An EDF spokesperson said: “After careful consideration, EDF power solutions UK has made the difficult decision to not progress the Blyth 2 offshore wind farm project. We remain dedicated to contributing to the development and growth of offshore wind through other projects.”
New Teesside VC
Professor Mark Simpson has been appointed as the next Vice-Chancellor and chief executive of Teesside University. He is the deputy VC and will take up the post when Professor Paul Croney OBE retires in September.
Impasse (contd)
Having raised the issue in Parliament, Durham MP Mary Foy has now written to county council leader Andrew Husband about the unfinished developments at Milburngate and the Stack in the city centre.
“I would urge you to outline clearly what steps the local authority can and will take to move these sites forward, and once again introduce regular meetings between MPs and the Cabinet, so we can all work to make a difference for the people we represent,” she said.
Contributor Chris Jackson investigated the impasse at Milburngate for The QT in April 2024 - 21 months ago.
For everyone everywhere
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy this week announced a £1.5 billion boost for the arts sector over the next five years with museums, arts venues, libraries and heritage buildings across the country set to benefit.
“We’re investing in every borough in the country because arts belongs to everybody,” she said. “And we are determined to ensure that wherever you live in the country, whatever your background, access to arts and culture belongs to you.”
The package includes £160m to be invested in local and regional museums, and a £425m Creative Foundations Fund, which will be managed by ACE and will support about 300 capital projects at arts venues across the country.
Funding is targeted at previously under-funded areas and more than 1,000 cultural venues will be supported or saved from closure.
Keith Merrin, chief executive of North East Museums was in the Barbican Centre to hear the Culture Secretary’s landmark announcement and said on his LinkedIn that it was “important recognition of not just the economic impact of our cultural venues in towns and cities, but also our work to reach everyone in communities, inspire young people and improve lives”.
Big in Japan
Newcastle-based music development agency Generator has announced a “landmark partnership” with Japan, designed to create long-term international opportunities for artists and music businesses from across the North.
The initiative follows more than a year of relationship-building led by chief executive Mick Ross who said: “With the support of Tees Valley and North East combined authorities, and through my role on the UK Government’s Creative Industries Council, we’re building a long-term bridge between the North of England and one of the most important music markets on the planet. And this is only the beginning.”
Coining it in
Northumbria University graphic design graduate Jess Gregorio, who now works at Gateshead-headquartered Vertu Motors, has won a competition to design a 50p coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust.
‘Lucky to be alive’
A grandfather from Darlington who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s six years ago, is “incredibly lucky to be alive” after plunging 60ft down an icy mountainside in the Lake District.
Keith Wilson, 74, who has been honoured nationally for his pioneering work in tackling the disease head-on through rigorous exercise and adventures, told Peter Barron about his ordeal - and his praise for the “heroic” rescue volunteers who got him down after a dramatic nine-hour rescue mission.
A quick word
One of Newcastle’s most historically significant buildings, the 325-year-old Keelman’s Hospital, has been awarded £4.6m by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to bring it back into use as affordable housing. North Shields singer-songwriter Sam Fender has received four nominations for a Brit Award and his over-the-river counterpart JADE has received two. The awards will be televised live from Manchester on February 28. Sharon Appleby, chief executive of Sunderland Business Improvement Districts, has been appointed Visiting Professor at the University of Sunderland’s Business School. David Renwick, currently Natural England's regional director for the North, is to take over as CEO of Northumberland National Park when Tony Gates retires in May. Award-winning musician YolanDa Brown, who helped bring the Mercury Prize to the city and is a newly-appointed patron of the Newcastle United Foundation, is to receive the Freedom of the City of Newcastle. Experienced councillor Barry Phillipson is to join the Newcastle Cabinet with responsibility for finances and performance. Paula Maines will add children and families to her brief following the resignation of two councillors at the turn of the year. Northumbria University today launches an arts centre with a difference - not a single venue, but a network of exhibitions and events spread across the campus and beyond. The curated series of public exhibitions and events will run until August. Paul Bean, the Durham councillor expelled from Reform UK over social media posts, has joined Advance UK. Newcastle Restaurant Week has just ended but there’s another city centre food offering just beginning. NE1 Lunch Club returns with a range of venues offering set menus for £7.50 or £10 every Tuesday. English Heritage, which partially reopened Prudhoe Castle in June, is to resume booked guided tours of the castle and the inner sections alongside group bookings and events. Easyjet has announced new routes to Lisbon and Rome from Newcastle International Airport. The Friday and Monday services are ideal for weekend breaks. Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour said she will “explore all ways” to bring back the DFDS ferry service to Bergen despite a new Jet2 air service to the Norwegian city starting in April.
New Chair needed
The International Centre for Life is looking for a successor to entrepreneur and investor Fiona Cruickshank who has announced she will step down as Chair after five years. She was a board member for seven years before that.
Open analysis
The Auckland Project has launched an ‘open lab’, allowing members of the public to watch experts analyse artefacts uncovered during eight years of excavations at Auckland Palace.
Professor Chris Gerrard from Durham University’s Department of Archaeology said: “Rather than only seeing objects in display cases, this exposes the process behind discovery. It’s hands-on and accessible.”
Passenger numbers up
Teesside International Airport recorded more than 260,000 passengers in 2025, marking a 14.5% increase on the previous year. MD Phil Forster said: “These figures are encouraging and show real momentum building at Teesside, particularly in what has been a very tough and uncertain environment for the aviation industry.
“There is still a long way to go, but this result shows local people want to back their local airport.”
Merit founder’s new launch
Nearly 300 jobs were lost in November when Merit Group and Merit Holdings went into administration. A new company, Merit Industrialised Construction, has been incorporated with the backing of Modulex Modular Buildings and HBEM, a specialist maker of advanced manufacturing sites. The business includes some of the Merit leadership team, including founder Tony Wells.
The new company has acquired the intellectual property, design systems and manufacturing know‑how of the businesses in administration.
Meanwhile, the head office of the former Merit businesses on Cramlington’s Northumberland Business Park, have been put on the market.
Business briefs
A North Shields company which started out selling confectionery to local shops in 1987 has been sold in a £251m deal. Shareholders in Kitwave, which has grown to be a UK-wide delivered wholesale business, have agreed the takeover deal with BidCo, a newly-incorporated company backed by US investment group OEP Capital Advisers. Newcastle International Airport has secured a £364m bank finance package which will support its long-term growth ambitions and sustainability targets. Sedgefield-based Kromek has featured a lot in the business news in the last few months so it was no surprise to see it report strong interim results with revenues up to £15m from £3.7m and a pre-tax loss of £5.7m become a profit of £3.1m. Lawyer Paul Wigham has joined Ward Hadaway as a Corporate Partner from Weightmans. Inward investment agency Invest Newcastle has supported built environment agency Ridge and Partners to open a Newcastle office at The Spire in Pilgrim Street. Fairgrieve Compression Moulding, a 113-year-old business based in Washington, has reported a 52% sales growth in 2025 and has doubled its workforce following a surge in demand, particularly from the electronics sector. Sunderland-based renewables developer OnPath Energy has sold seven onshore wind farms to ERG, one of Europe’s leading independent renewable energy producers, for an enterprise value of £112.9m.
1999 ad break
In an era when car ads were usually macho or technical, this one from Hyundai Sweden in 1999 stood out. There’s a woman in a car with her ‘Toy Boy’ when she spots her husband’s car stopped at traffic lights. This is where the electronic reclining seats came in very handy - for both as it turns out!
THE WIDER VIEW
Week link
They say ‘a week is a long time in politics’ and I can’t recall a more appropriate seven days than this in which to repeat it.
I saw this Tweet from sweary spoof TV reporter Jonathan Pie a few days ago and thought it amusing that the absurdity of what was actually happening put it beyond satire. But it already feels quite dated…
It seemed the world of politics was crying out for a grown up to enter the room. Step forward former Bank of England governor Mark Carney. I’ll leave it to award-winning investigative journalist Carol Cadwalladr to set the scene for what the Canadian Prime Minister said at the World Economic Forum:
“Mark Carney’s speech at Davos yesterday really is worth your time. It made some of the front pages today but the news cycle moves so fast that it’s already yesterday’s news. Part of the challenge of this moment - and I believe the job of journalists - is to focus on the signal, not the noise. And if you have time to take in one thing properly, this week, I’d suggest it’s this.
“It does what a great speech should do: it gives us the language to process and understand what is happening. It does so from a position of moral clarity. And it includes a call to action to what remains of the liberal world.”
There’s more in Carol’s column - and a half hour video here for anyone who wants to listen to it.
Healthy ’snacks’
Exercise snacks are the new thing - one minute bursts of energy spread throughout your waking day with one to four hours in between.
The concept differs from high-intensity interval training (Hiit), where you might do multiple intense bursts of intense activity within a single 20-minute workout. Exercise snacks are more like grazing throughout the day rather than sitting down for a full meal, according to an article in The Conversation.
A review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that bite-sized workouts delivered meaningful health benefits - and the beauty is you don’t need special equipment, a gym membership or a change of clothes to do them.
Stair climbing, vigorous walking, and bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges or wall push-ups are all included in the snack list. The key is intensity – you should feel your heart rate rise and be slightly out of breath.
Dolly at 80
Turned on breakfast TV this week to hear people talking about Dolly Parton in glowing terms. Thankfully, it wasn’t what I first feared. Everyone’s favourite country singer had just turned 80.
Her star shines as brightly as ever after 49 albums and 956 released songs. It still amazes me that out of all those songs she wrote her most successful two, Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day in 1972. “That was a good writing day,” she revealed with heavy understatement on a chat show in 2018.
In case you missed it
Jab with benefits
A routine vaccine that protects older people from shingles may also keep them biologically younger, according to a study of around 4,000 over-70s carried out by the University of Southern California (USC).
The DNA of those who had the jab looked “younger” at a molecular level than those who did not, and they also experienced less inflammation, reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.