Northern skills powerhouse
A further sign of how the North East is getting its collective act together came yesterday with the announcement that the further education colleges in the region have joined forces to form one collaborative “skills powerhouse”.
Colleges for North East England will address the region’s most pressing skills challenges and opportunities, and will work with the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and employers to make sure we have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.
It will complement the work of Universities for North East England, forming a broader educational alliance across the region, and will make sure that education is accessible to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
NECA chief executive Henry Kippin said on LinkedIn: “This is a really significant initiative - our brilliant North East colleges collaborating at an unprecedented scale to drive better outcomes and place-based growth.”
Ellen Thinnesen, who announced last week that she would be leaving college group Education Partnership North East at the end of the year, heralded the new group - but had more big news of her own.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has appointed her as the next Further Education Commissioner from January 2026 with a focus on key industries and tackling rising NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) rates.
Ellen said on her LinkedIn: “Working with regional college chief executives to establish Colleges for North East England has been an absolute pleasure. Collectively this group of further and higher education colleges is a skills powerhouse.”
Chris Todd of Derwentside College will be taking her place as Chair of the new group.
Stars in their eyes
SpaceX staff were celebrating on Wednesday after their Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, completed its first successful Test launch. This side of the Atlantic, staff at Filtronic’s County Durham base were celebrating a record £47.3m deal with Elon Musk’s aerospace company.
It’s the third major contract Filtronic has secured to support SpaceX’s Starlink constellation and chief executive Nat Edington said: “We are extremely proud to announce this landmark contract, which not only sets a new commercial record for Filtronic, but also reflects the success of our partnership with world-leading satellite company SpaceX.”
Mike Nicolls, Starlink vice president for engineering, added: “Filtronic is a valuable partner, and has been an important contributor to the success of the Starlink constellation.”
No action
Durham Police have ruled out taking action against deputy council leader Darren Grimes over a Tweet which resulted in multiple complaints being received by the force and was criticised by North East mayor Kim McGuinness.
The former GB News presenter posted a video of his brother on a boat trip in Scarborough alongside a number of non-white people. Councillor Grimes said he asked him “if he was on a dinghy to Dover, but then I realised there are women and children on board”.
The mayor responded: “This is hideous. Is this not just inciting racism and hate? How have we got to a world where an elected representative can post stuff like this unchallenged by his own party leadership or by journalists”?
A police spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We received reports relating to a social media post made on Sunday, August 24. Those reports were reviewed, however the content of the post was found not to meet the threshold for a criminal offence.”
Reform suspension
Reform UK councillor Paul Bean, a civil servant who processes asylum claims, has been suspended from the party pending an investigation into allegations he criticised asylum seekers on social media, thereby breaching civil service impartiality rules.
The anti-extremism organisation Hope Not Hate exposed the posts allegedly written by Bean, who represents Crook on Durham County Council.
Funding warning
The Reform UK leader of Durham County Council has warned that vital services will have to be cut unless additional funding can be found.
Andrew Husband said the council is facing a £20m deficit next year without increasing bills or making cuts because the current finance system is insufficient and unable to cover social care costs.
Under a proposed new funding system, grant funding to Durham is set to increase, but it will not cover the significant pressures in adult and children’s social care - an all too familiar story among local authorities.
Leading the way
The North East could become the UK’s digital content creation capital after the BBC announced an exclusive partnership with North East Screen to launch their first Digital Accelerator programme.
The £600,000 initiative, announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival, will see up to four independent production companies receive funding and mentorship to develop content for platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Twitch.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: “This programme, alongside our major studio developments, shows we’re not just adapting to the digital future – we’re shaping it. We’re building a creative economy that works for everyone, making our region the true home of real opportunity in the digital age.”
Studios backing
Talking of studio developments, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has promised his personal support in finding new backers for Sunderland's Crown Works film studios.
Speaking during a visit to Gateshead last Friday, Reynolds, who is from Houghton-le-Spring, said: “There has been a significant amount of government money pledged, so we are not just there with verbal support.
“But anything that we can do, or I can do personally or the government can do to support that process, we are committed to doing it. I want to see, not just in my hometown but across the UK, that scale of ambition.”
Fire brigade alarm
Fire brigades in the North East have warned they would be among the hardest hit if “incomprehensible” funding proposals were to be approved.
Changes put forward as part of the government's Spending Review would lead to “real and significant cuts” across the country, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
Councillor Phil Tye, Chair of the body which governs the Tyne and Wear service, said: “The North East would see further budget reductions and a disproportionate adverse impact comparative to most other areas of the country in terms of spending power and real terms funding.”
Stand-in selected
Interim chief executive Jackie Laughton has been selected by North Tyneside Council’s appointment committee as its preferred candidate to replace Paul Hanson, who left to take up a senior position with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust.
She has been at the council for 17 years and has also supported the North East Combined Authority as its interim director of operations. The appointment is subject to a full council vote on September 18.
More on the line
Issues including previously unknown mine workings means Northumberland County Council needs to find a further £38m to complete the highly successful Northumberland Line between Ashington and Newcastle Central Station.
Councillors will be asked next week to approve an additional £10m spend while the Department for Transport would provide £17m. The council has asked the North East Combined Authority for an additional £10.9m, taking the total cost to £336.4m.
The line was reopened in December after being shut for 60 years, with passenger numbers exceeding expectations despite only half the six stations being open.
Data centre milestone
Preparatory works have been signed off for the £10bn data hub to be built on the site of the former Blyth Power Station at Cambois. QTS, the Blackstone-owned data centre specialist, has secured permission to begin enabling works on the 54-hectare site which should be completed by autumn next year.
The full campus will include up to 10 hyperscale data centre buildings which will use QTS’ closed-loop water cooling system to reduce the environmental impact. The build is expected to generate 1,200 long-term construction jobs.
QTS co-CEO Tag Greason said: “The enabling works are the first visible step in delivering on our shared vision with the council. We remain committed to hiring locally, supporting training and economic growth, and being responsible, engaged members of the community.”
Plans paused
Plans to replace the National Glass Centre in Sunderland with a conversion of the former Peter Smith Antiques Building into Glassworks Sunderland, have been put on hold.
Opposition leader, Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Edgeworth, said rarely used ‘call-in’ powers had been used to temporarily block the plans until the council could explain whether the project represented value for money.
The council's scrutiny committee is due to discuss the plans at a meeting on September 11.
Unmarked graves
Nearly 70 babies are buried in mass unmarked graves at Elswick Cemetery in Newcastle after dying in the Salvation Army-run Hopedene Maternity Home for unmarried mothers between 1950 and 1973, an ITV News investigation has discovered.
The number of deaths at Hopedene only came to light when a family contacted ITV after seeing their year-long investigation into the historic forced adoption scandal.
Lauren to host
BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne will host this year’s Mercury Prize at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle on October 16. Music agency Generator is organising the fringe events, which run from October 9 to 15 and will include concerts, workshops and roundtables at venues such as The Glasshouse in Gateshead, Pop Recs in Sunderland, Queen's Hall Arts in Hexham, and World Headquarters and the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle.
Leading role
Continuing on a musical note, in January this year Sunderland joined Manchester as the only UK members of the Music Cities Network. Newcastle Gateshead are making impressive strides in joining the club.
Michelle Escoffery, an Ivor Novello and BRIT Award-winning songwriter and creative executive, was this week named as Chair of Newcastle Gateshead Music City with Jim Mawdsley, principal advisor for events and culture at Newcastle City Council, appointed vice chair.
The organisation is a collaboration between Generator and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead. Generator CEO Mick Ross said: “We’re incredibly proud to lead this initiative alongside The Glasshouse – a world-class venue and cultural leader – to ensure the North doesn’t follow, it leads.
A quick word
Fairground worker Corrie Lee Stavers, 28, suffered fatal head injuries in an accident at the Spanish City seaside carnival in Whitley Bay on Saturday. Around 600 Stagecoach North East staff have called off further strike action after voting to accept an improved pay offer. Six stations operated by Northern, including Hexham, are to be made more accessible following a campaign by frequent rail passenger Doug Paulley, who was left stranded at Appleby last year when Northern cancelled his pre-booked accessible taxi and no staff were there to help. The transformation of the former Vaux site in Sunderland is continuing. Igloo Regeneration is beginning work on 34 city centre homes, including 16 sustainable properties. Kielder Observatory is expanding by taking up residency at the Twice Brewed Inn, near Bardon Mill, which is close to Sycamore Gap and Hadrian’s Wall and is home to a 30-seater planetarium and two dozen powerful telescopes. Former Lib Dem councillor Thom Campion, who now sits as an independent on Newcastle City Council, has been charged with one count of sexual assault on a female and is due to appear at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court next week. An £18m redevelopment of Hardwick Hall Hotel is on hold while plans for a nearby anaerobic digestion plant are considered by a planning inspector. Smell is the issue. Angel of the North sculptor Sir Antony Gormley is spearheading a proposal to transform Hexham’s old fire station into an international arts space, a hub for contemporary art and community engagement, potentially hosting exhibitions, workshops, and residencies. Safety checks have been carried out at all Metro stations after worries about the state of concrete on the platforms at Simonside station led to it being closed last week.
TV teasers
Steph McGovern made a return to live television on Sunday when she stepped in for Tim Lovejoy to co-host Sunday Brunch with her mate Jimmy Rimmer.
A few days later the former host of Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch took to Instagram with a tease that she will be back on the Beeb soon with a BBC1 daytime programme and a BBC2 evening programme - neither of which will be a magazine or chat show.
She is also going to be hosting a long-standing TV programme “that’s been going nearly as long as I have been alive”. Watch this space - or her Instagram to be fair.
Mighty Atom
Atom Banks’s annual results show that deposits are up from £5.7bn to £7.5bn with CEO Mark Mullen saying that the company is only weeks away from making the move from Durham to the historic Pattern Shop in Newcastle.
“We’re enormously proud to be the highest-rated UK bank on Trustpilot, as well as the UK’s highest-rated savings bank and mortgage lender, boasting a record-breaking Net Promoter Score of 89%,” he said.
“This isn’t luck; it’s the result of offering better value products, industry leading speed, and a genuine commitment to making things as easy as possible for everyone who chooses to deal with us.”
Water innovation
Northumbrian Water is to expand its ground-breaking project that saves on the usage of drinking water by recycling wastewater into clean water that can be used by industry.
Following the success of a pilot at Howdon, Northumbrian Water has secured funding from Ofwat to scale up the technology at the company’s Bran Sands sewage treatment works on Teesside where 740,000 litres of water will be recycled each day compared to just 5,000 at Howdon.
Wastewater director Richard Warneford said: “This is such an innovative project, it’s a major step forward in sustainable water innovation and we’re very excited about expanding it.”
Business bites
Offshore logistics company Harlyn Solutions is to relocate to the Grade II-listed former Port of Blyth Harbour Commissioners Office. MD Hamish Adamson said: “Having our own offices marks a significant milestone for the company, and there’s a satisfying synergy that our new home is so closely linked to the Port of Blyth.” Vaccines specialists Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies saw profits rise following a year in which a major restructure led to more than 100 job losses. Huntingdon-based Modern World Business Solutions has opened an office at Hoults Yard in Newcastle for 100 staff and hopes to employ 100 more by the end of 2027. Pioneering life sciences company AMLo Biosciences owed £1.89m when it was forced to call in administrators after failing to find fresh investment. Inverness-headquartered Aurora Energy Services, which employs 700 people around the world, has launched a site at the Wilton Centre in Redcar, positioning the company at the centre of Teesside's growing clean energy and industrial innovation hub. Helix-based lab-grown meat innovator CellRev has gone into administration with the loss of nine jobs. It has attracted more than £4m of investment since spinning out from Newcastle University in 2018.
2010 ad break
Old Spice revitalised its image with this humorous, fast-paced ad starring Isaiah Mustafa. In just 30 seconds, Mustafa effortlessly transitioned from a shower to a boat to a horse, all the while maintaining eye contact and delivering witty one-liners about masculinity and confidence.
Within three months of the campaign launch, Old Spice saw a 107% increase in body wash sales. The ad racked up over 40m views on YouTube, becoming the platform’s most watched video at the time.
It was a masterclass in brand reinvention, transforming Old Spice from being a ‘dad brand’ to a favourite with younger people and it is now considered one of the most influential and entertaining ad campaigns of the 21st century.
THE WIDER VIEW
Police action
Sting is said to earn £550,000 a year just from the royalties of Every Breath You Take. That figure came to light this week as his two former bandmates in The Police, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, filed a lawsuit in London’s High Court seeking millions of pounds in royalties in a dispute that has been simmering for years.
A source close to the situation said: “Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate. Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court, so pressed the button.”
The ‘plot’ thickens
I can’t believe I’m having to return to this story already. Last week I told you about a plan by experienced newspaper executive David Montgomery to buy the country’s biggest publisher, Reach plc, and reduce the number of journalists by a third through increased use of AI ‘content gathering’.
It transpires that Reach have their own cost-cutting plan, although The Telegraph headline calls it a ‘plot’. (The Telegraph can’t help themselves. Plan, plot. Tax changes, tax raid. Any proposed taxation changes by this Government are always called a ‘raid’. If I had a fiver for every time they used the phrase ‘tax raid’ since the last election then I’d be financially content, if not economically euphoric).
But back to Reach, publishers of The Journal, Chronicle and Gazette and many other great brands. Their plans involve a “significant” reduction in the number of journalists. That’s on top of the significant reduction that has taken place in the last 15 years.
There will be a renewed focus on video and audio output but less text-only content, which doesn’t sound like good news for newspaper brands such as The Journal and Sunday Sun, who don’t have their own websites. And I’m willing to bet it won’t be great news for The Chronicle or the The Gazette either.
Wallsend to Abbey Road
A Newcastle United goalscoring hero who wants to play for Liverpool. Sounds like a current (never-ending) story.
But thanks to the And finally section in this newsletter from The Athletic, I now know it’s also a 79-year-old transfer saga concerning Wallsend-born Albert Stubbins who went on to be a Liverpool hero, helping them win the league for the first time in 24 years - and later becoming the only footballer to feature on the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
He’s the one with the slicked-back hair and Rylan Clark teeth in between George Harrison’s left shoulder and Marlene Dietrich.
Did you know…
The latest edition of digital lifestyle magazine High Life North has a list of ten things you may not know about Newcastle and the wider region.
I certainly didn’t know that Lucozade started life in Newcastle, created by chemist William Walker Hunter in 1927 in a pharmacy on Barras Bridge, originally as a health tonic to help people recover from illness. It was called Glucozade until being rebranded by Beecham’s after they bought the formula in 1938.
In 1879 Mosley Street was the first street in the world to be lit by electric light. And when Central Station opened in 1850, it was the first train station to have a roof.
Then there’s the large Fulwell Acoustic Mirror in Sunderland which is now tucked away behind houses and overgrown paths. In the days before radar, it was designed to capture the sound of aircraft approaching from the North Sea.
Now you know.