The heat is on - and a Newcastle University academic is one of a group of leading climate scientists urging senior editors to better inform the public of the scientific links between extreme weather, climate change and net zero.
That’s in The Wider View section where you can also learn about the life-enhancing benefits of lifting weights.
Andy Burnham features large in today’s edition, even though there isn’t a story about him, as such.
Should he get the keys to No. 10 then there is an obvious benefit to the North’s increasingly likely bid to host the Olympics in the 2040s. North East mayor Kim McGuinness is also keen to present him with a plan to devolve further powers so that she can tackle the NEETs problem highlighted so brilliantly by Alan Milburn recently.
And another Newcastle University academic highlights why Burnham’s political path means the significance of metro mayors has never been higher.
Also in today’s edition, a former senior fire chief claims he was made a scapegoat, Durham council accused of selling off land too cheaply, boa constrictors on the golf course, a warning over fake squishy toys, and the Brazilian superstar footballer who showed off his skills at an empty warehouse in North Tyneside.
I realise that last one is a bit out there. But it’s true.
The gold rush
Momentum is building behind a bid to bring the Olympics to the North - an ambition that can only be helped by events taking place in Westminster right now.
The Great North, a partnership of mayors and leaders, held a meeting in Sheffield on Tuesday to flesh out how it could work. The day before, some 40 Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes put their names to a statement backing the bid. Sir Brendan Foster and Steve Cram were there in Sheffield.
It’s all coming together. The Great North chair, North East mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “Andy Burnham has stood next to every mayor around the table today and been as clear and as ambitious as us. I expect that to continue if he becomes Prime Minister.
“There is work to do to get to that point for him. But my argument would be that it is very clear that having a strong Northern voice as Prime Minister, someone who has walked the walk when it comes to dragging power North out of Westminster, should be well behind us and hopefully help us accelerate this.”
Great North Run founder Brendan Foster said: “I know Andy well. I don’t know all of his policies, but I know one of his policies is that the people of the North of England should no longer be treated and feel like second class citizens.”
‘Give me the power, Andy’
The North East has the highest rate of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) in England - and Mayor Kim McGuinness wants the power and funding to change that.
She said the new Prime Minister (let’s call him Andy) must “roll up his sleeves and force change through a reluctant civil service” in order to get inactive young people into work or training.
“Employers often tell me they can’t find the workers they need, yet we have thousands of young people unable to find a route into work. In the North East, that’s a problem we want to solve together,” she said.
“Nationally, there is a huge growth challenge facing the new PM, a growth problem which covers low productivity, economic inactivity and the future of our young people. But these are not three problems, they are really one – access to opportunity - and the North East has a strong solution ready to go.”
The mayor was talking at a conference in Sunderland to mark the anniversary of Shine, the free accreditation programme she launched a year ago to recognise employers that promote fairness, opportunity and respect in the workplace. It now has 481 members.
Another A1 death
A sixth person has died in an accident on the A1 inside a month, prompting Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson to promise he would do all he could to finally get the road dualled.
A woman in her 50s died in an accident near Causey Park on Monday. “It is not a safe road,” said Councillor Sanderson. “It’s absolutely appalling that we still have this ridiculous road, something must be done.
“I can say that instead of just talking about it, the county council is pulling together some officer time to start building a proper business case to the Government about why it is only right that they reconsider the decision to cancel the project.”
‘I was scapegoated’
Deputy fire chief Jim McNeil was suspended from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service last year along with chief fire officer Graeme Binning after a review of concerns raised by individuals in the brigade. In October, it was confirmed both men had left the organisation, which is run by Northumberland County Council.
McNeil’s suspension letter referred to bullying and the use of foul language but he has told the BBC’s Mark Denten he was targeted for raising concerns about the service’s community safety performance.
In one case, two fire crews were sent to an elderly man’s home after a plastic kettle had been put on a gas ring and, when they came to add him to the reporting system for vulnerable people, found he had already been referred “and we hadn't done anything about it”, he said.
Having been suspended in March 2025, he retired seven months later because he had no confidence he would have a fair hearing. “I was scapegoated out,” he said. “There was a witch-hunt to blame-shift away from how bad things were.”
Land sale protest
Opposition councillors claim Durham County Council sold off land on the edge of the city for a lot less than it was worth.
Liberal Democrat, Independent, Labour and Conservative councillors have argued the value of the land was based on the average house prices across County Durham, rather than the higher value of the city, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Lib Dem councillor Mark Wilkes said: “I will now be writing to the Secretary of State and working with other councillors because it is not right for this local authority to give away land at below value.”
I asked, you said…
I posted the above in Monday’s edition and was delighted to get the following response from Jon Radgick:
“Eyes and Ears provides something that I am not aware is available anywhere else. It is a succinct digest of local news covering all sectors delivered with a dash of your personal character and humour.
“Twice a week means I can take the time to read it whereas a daily email would end up getting deleted unread. I realise that considerable effort goes into creating it and that if I and others don’t subscribe it will not survive.
“I think the price of a pint or so once a month is well worth contributing in the hope that it is worth your while to continue the good work. Good luck to you.”
It’s very easy to follow his lead…
Extension call
The Northumberland Line has been a huge success since it opened in December 2024. Now Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery has called for a Parliamentary debate on extending it up the coast to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. An extension would be expensive because a new track would need to be laid - the existing line was able to use track that carried freight traffic.
Match of the day
I never imagined having to fit the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate and Ronaldinho into the same sentence. But here we are.
The Brazilian World Cup winner was in the North East for an exhibition match and had to shoot a video for retailer BoohooMAN. They needed a big space at short notice - which is where Knight Frank partner Mark Proudlock was called in. He knew that client UK Land Estates had recently completed a 72,000 sq ft warehouse on the Tyne Tunnel estate. The perfect match, so to speak.
UK Land director David Gibbs said: “Saying it was opened by Ronaldinho is clearly an exaggeration, but we were delighted to help and seeing the adverts knowing they were created in one of our buildings is a reminder of the huge range of uses our buildings are put to.”
Good save
Businessman Geoff Thompson has stepped in take over Durham Women FC which was just weeks away from going out of business. Thompson, who is Chair of South Shields FC, said: “We firmly believe the club plays a crucial role within the local community and deserves every opportunity to grow, progress, and succeed. The women’s game continues to grow at an exceptional pace, and we are confident that Durham Women FC is well positioned to be part of this exciting journey.”
Wildfire action
Nearly £100m is being invested in teams of specialist firefighters and an overhaul of fire and rescue equipment to tackle the growing risk of wildfires.
The wildfire teams will be located strategically and hosted by fire and rescue services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, London and South Wales - deployable to incidents across England by the end of this month.
A quick word
You could expect to encounter a boa constrictor in central or South America - but not Blackwell Grange Golf Club in Darlington. Yet two such snakes have been discovered there in a week, prompting fears they have been deliberately abandoned. Lapland is one of five new winter routes and package holiday destinations from Newcastle International Airport announced by easyJet - Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen and Hurghada are the others. Northumbria University has climbed 22 places to be ranked 31st in the world in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings. The operators of the historical live-action show Kynren have applied for permission to extend their summer season from July 18 to September 12, increasing the number of show days from 18 to 57. The owners of the Newcastle City Heliport site near the Utilita Arena have failed in their bid to overturn the refusal of planning permission for an £87m housing development. The Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital, which is due to open in July, is now estimated to have cost £50m - £16m more than expected when it was announced in 2021 - due to inflation, higher interest rates and the surge in building costs after the pandemic. The Light, Durham’s latest cultural attraction, is to open to the public on Saturday, August 22. The venue, on the site of the old DLI Museum & Art Gallery, will open with an exhibition of international light-based art. Parents have been warned after “potentially toxic” copies of Squishy Dumplings and NeeDoh toys have been found on sale in Northumberland. Councillor Gordon Stewart said: “While these cheaper squishy toys may look harmless, they could pose a hidden risk to children. Doughnut and coffee chain Deep North has submitted a licensing application to take on the cafe in Newcastle’s Exhibition Park which was controversially closed by the city council earlier this year.
Art of running
A 90m mural is being painted on the Newcastle quayside to celebrate the Great North Run’s 45th anniversary, which this year will see a record 63,000 people taking part on September 13.
Artist Alex ‘Mul’ Mulholland said: “To know my artwork will form part of The Great North Run’s history is a genuine bucket-list moment and something as an artist that I'm very proud of.”
Race founder Brendan Foster said: “Mul’s street art is designed to be accessible to everyone and his Running Heart character personifies our event and everyone who takes part to raise money for many great causes.”
Winning look
Solar power provider CrowdHouse Energy was crowned Business of the Year at the North East Chamber of Commerce Awards - in addition to winning the small business category.
National category winners, who will go on to represent the region as automatic finalists at the British Chambers of Commerce Awards later this year, were: Esh Group (Green Innovation); William Hackett (International Trade); North East Escapes (Start Up and Grow); Care Messenger Holdings (Digital and Technology); Osbit (People and Work).
Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa won the Larger Business category. Andy Broadbent of New College Durham was awarded Business Leader and Meg Hardiman of Community Foundation North East was named Rising Star. Other regional awards went to: AV Dawson (Community Business) and Coffee Design (Customer Excellence).
Business bites
Teesside-based pawnbroker Ramsdens has agreed to a £206m takeover by its US rival, FirstCash. The deal will see Ramsdens delisted from London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), nearly a decade after its shares were floated, bringing it under new American ownership. Newcastle has lost out to Manchester in the bid to host Britain’s biggest television festival. Organisers of the TV Festival praised Edinburgh for hosting it for five decades and thanked Newcastle for an “ambitious, imaginative and deeply compelling” bid. It looks like Nissan has quietly shelved development of the fully electric Qashqai at its Sunderland plant. News agency Reuters says the company is in talks to secure financial support for an updated “roadmap” for its Sunderland plant that’s expected to be announced in the coming months. The Newcastle-born CEO of the British Business Bank, Louis Taylor, is stepping down at the end of September after four years in charge. Foreign direct investment into the North East almost halved in 2025, with the region securing just 22 projects – although Newcastle ranked sixth among UK cities outside London for inward investment activity, according to figures published in EY’s latest UK Attractiveness Survey. Canadian company Ballard Power Systems has agreed a £300m deal to buy Newcastle-based green hydrogen producer GeoPura. More than 30 jobs have been saved at Wynyard-based medical testing firm AccuLabs Diagnostics after it was rescued from administration by being bought by its management team.
1989 ad break
It’s the World Cup - so a good time to remind you of this Hamlet ad from 1989 where a footballer is rather fearful of what might happen to a delicate part of his anatomy when an opponent is lining up to take a free kick.
Turns out his defensive actions were worse than Scotland’s against Brazil on Wednesday night. I’ll say no more on this sorry subject!
THE WIDER VIEW
Room for negotiation
Andy Burnham’s rise to Prime Minister-in-waiting may represent a landmark moment in English devolution.
For much of the post-war era, ambitious British politicians followed a familiar path. Success meant climbing the Westminster ladder through ministerial office, shadow cabinet positions and party leadership contests.
Burnham’s career has taken a more unusual route - and means the political significance of metro mayors has never been higher, says Andrew Stevens, Visiting Fellow at Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies.
While the powers of England’s metro mayors remain modest by international standards, they provide direct responsibility for transport, economic development, housing and strategic planning across large urban regions. Burnham may represent the first genuine test of whether these institutions have matured enough to produce a credible contender for national leadership.
The governance of a combined authority requires continual negotiation between councils, business leaders, public agencies and central government. Success depends less on party discipline than on coalition-building, consensus and partnership.
These are skills that national politics increasingly appears to value. At a time when public trust in Westminster remains fragile and the challenges facing government cut across departmental silos, experience of assembling broad civic coalitions may prove as valuable as parliamentary combat.
Explain ‘why’, editors told
A group of leading climate scientists have urged news organisations to better inform the public of the scientific links between extreme weather, climate change and net zero.
The nine climate scientists, including Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meterological Society and Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University, told editorial leaders that news coverage “increasingly overlooks the fundamental ‘why’.”
They said in a letter seen exclusively by Press Gazette that “the UK public are frequently not well served with clear information about the scientifically indisputable connection between greenhouse gas emissions and extreme heat.”
A recent survey of 80 journalists and production staff at the BBC, ITV, Sky News, Channel 4 and Channel 5 ranked climate change and the environment as the third most urgent topic to cover behind the cost of living and the economy - but more than 80% of them said they were too busy chasing the news agenda to produce more climate change coverage and almost two-thirds said that these stories often do not have a timely enough news peg (that’s journalism speak for a ‘hook’ that makes a piece feel current and newsworthy).
Former head of Sky News John Ryley said: “Too often there is little appetite to explain as well as report… news is treated as a series of isolated events rather than as part of a larger story that requires context and analysis.”
Nicholas
Lift weights - live longer
Strength training has long been seen as something you mainly do to build muscle or look good. But a new study adds to a growing body of evidence that shows lifting weights does far more than change how we look. It may help us live longer – even if you don’t spend hours in the gym, says The Conversation.