Headline ‘news’
The planned £10bn data centre in Blyth will generate more greenhouse gas emissions than Birmingham Airport, which carries 12m passengers per year, according to an article in The Telegraph this week.
‘Tech blitz threatens Labour’s net zero hopes’ said the headline. ‘Plans for a raft of high-emissions data centres leave Keir Starmer facing a tricky trade-off’ was the sub-deck.
There are important points and issues to be aired and debated around AI data centres, especially when it comes to the balance between sustainability and innovation and economic growth.
Politicised headlines get in the way of sensible conversation, however - and I’m reading far too many of them these days.
The same article goes on to quote a Northumberland County Council spokesperson: “Members noted that the applicant will be utilising a high number of sustainable practices which will help to mitigate its carbon footprint. The applicant will also continue to look at innovative technology throughout the life of the development, which could in the future help to mitigate against this further.”
Sir Ian Gibson: 01.02.47 - 27.05.25
The North East - indeed the country - lost a giant of a man this week with the death of Sir Ian Gibson CBE.
He played a crucial role in establishing the Nissan plant in Sunderland and later became Chief Executive for Nissan UK and Europe, and was the first non-Japanese executive on Nissan’s main board.
Before joining Nissan he spent 15 years with Ford, rising to general operations manager - but his career extended way beyond the motoring sector.
A proud Mancunian with a deep love of the North East, it’s impossible to do his career and legacy justice in a few paragraphs.
He chaired plasterboard company BPB, Trinity Mirror (now Reach plc, owners of the Mirror and Chronicle and Journal), and Morrisons. And he has held non-executive directorships at Greggs, GKN, Asda, and Northern Rock, as well as being a Member of Court at the Bank of England. And that list is by no means complete.
Thoughts are with his wife Jane and family.
Growing up
Eyes & Ears has been going in its current form since December last year. The numbers and analytics tell me you like it! Thank you, that’s very much appreciated.
You also enjoy the extra reads I have been providing at weekends, primarily from the archives of The QT. That’s brilliant.
Everything is in place to grow and develop Eyes & Ears into being the trusted voice of public interest journalism in the North East - but it will require some (modest) financial backing.
If you value what I am doing and are in a position to support then please contact me at brianaitkenassociates@gmail.com - before I contact you!
A1: saving or cost?
A freedom of information request by the BBC has revealed that more than £68m had been spent on dualling a 13-mile stretch of the A1 by the time the scheme was cancelled by the Labour government in October last year.
And the figure continues to rise by just under £30,000 a month, partly because National Highways is obliged to pay insurance and council tax following the compulsory purchase of homes, including an empty house premium.
You can read the BBC investigation ‘Our homes were taken for a road that was never built’ here.
Melanie Wensby-Scott sat in her car and cried on the day she and her husband left Northgate House, which sits right next to the road not far from Morpeth. “They started boarding up the windows and changing the locks. I honestly felt like we were being evicted.”
Martin Beal says his former home is full of damp and falling apart. “I'm just so angry about everything my parents and I have been through, and all those millions of pounds wasted, for what?”
High priority
The Government needs to take urgent steps to reverse the deterioration of England’s High Streets, particularly in the North, and in more deprived and coastal areas, according to Health Equity North’s latest report Ghost Towns.
The research team, led by academics from Newcastle and Manchester universities, set out to catalogue the changing face of High Streets, using ordnance survey data to track the distribution of 16 key amenities between 2014 and 2024.
Key findings include:
A 1200% increase in vape shops between 2014 and 2024, with three times more in deprived areas
25 times more pawnbrokers and three times more bookmakers in deprived areas
Takeaway shops increased by 24% nationwide and 30% in the most deprived areas
Banks and building societies declined by 40% nationally and 57% in rural areas
The north has seen a decrease of 11% in department stores compared to an 12% increase in the south
Pharmacies dropped by 20% in deprived areas, compared to 13% in wealthier areas
The report warns that these changes make high streets more isolating, unsafe, and unhealthy, urging the Government to protect essential community spaces and regulate unhealthy amenities
Run for your money
Spare a thought, and a few pounds, for Mark Allison, aka Run Geordie Run, who, as I write, is asleep before embarking on Day 29 of his 3,200-mile run across the USA in 100 days. That’s more than a marathon a day for 100 days in a row!
Serial fundraiser Mark has done the run before, in 2011, but this time he is doing it in the opposite direction, from east to west coast. Since that first mega fundraiser he has run across Australia and Europe.
This time round he has been plagued by problems with his back and feet (you really don’t want to see the pictures I’ve seen) and issues with his RV: “We have no running water so can’t shower or easily wash dishes, can’t flush the toilet, have no fridge and no lights (which explains why I put my socks on inside out this morning).”
Along the way he has experienced moments of normal bliss, as he reports on Day 21 on his blog post on rungeordierun.com: “The day ended in fine style thanks to the kind hospitality of Darren (Howdon exile) and Heidi. We had to drive 40 minutes to get there. But to be welcomed into their home the way we were and fed and watered has done wonders for my morale.
“Just to exist normally for three hours with such lovely people was much needed. Within minutes, I had a proper shower and then raised my feet on their comfy sofa. We ate steak, jacket potatoes and key lime pie. I petted their two lovely dogs. They gave me some additional pillows for the RV. Nothing was a bother.”
Mark, a keen Newcastle United fan, was not only boosted by the news that the club had qualified for the Champions League but heard that NUFC manager Eddie Howe had responded positively to a question from The Athletic before the final game of the season against Everton.
“To have Eddie Howe, a man I’ve met twice and basically confessed my undying love for, talk about my run and St Benedict’s Hospice is the very definition of the word ‘unbelievable’.
To donate to Mark’s run in aid of the hospice, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
Metro plans
Designs for new railway stations, bridges, and other critical infrastructure needed to bring the Metro to Washington are being drawn up – in the hope of winning Government support.
Nissan offer
The Government will back a £1billion loan to Japanese carmaker Nissan as it undergoes a major restructuring, according to This Is Money. The auto giant is planning to close seven factories worldwide and cut 20,000 jobs and is looking to raise £5.2billion to keep afloat.
The £1billion is guaranteed by UK Export Finance, an arm of the Treasury, and will be seen as safeguarding workers in Sunderland as Nissan cuts its number of plants from 17 to 10.
Rail challenge
Durham MP Mary Foy is challenging proposed railway timetable changes which could see the city lose almost half of its direct trains to Edinburgh, including some which stop at Newcastle.
“Under these proposed changes, my constituents would face significant challenges due to unreliable early morning trains to Newcastle, alongside considerable cuts to direct Edinburgh and Peterborough services,” she said.
Prom nights
The Glasshouse in Gateshead and The Fire Station in Sunderland will host BBC Proms in the North East over the summer.
The event will feature artists including Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall from South Shields, songwriter Angeline Morrison and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, led by music director Dinis Sousa. Further performances will include a prom led by presenters and characters from children’s TV channel CBeebies and a session with guitarist Sean Shibe and friends.
The festival will kick off at The Fire Station with a special edition of Radio 3 jazz programme Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch.
The festival coincides with The Glasshouse’s 20th anniversary. Meanwhile, former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane will join the board of The Glasshouse and become Chair in the autumn. He is from the region and his father was a musician.
A quick word
MasterChef host John Torode is to headline this year’s Seaham Food Festival in the first weekend of August. Darlington MP Lola McEvoy is working with Darlington Borough Council to improve the town’s Brick Train sculpture in time for the 200th bicentenary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in September. A shortlist of three from more than 1,000 submissions has been drawn up to name Sunderland’s new multi-million-pound footbridge. The public will now decide between Keel Crossing, Beacon Bridge and Wear Crossing. Heaton-based Anarchy Brewery has purchased four additional fermentation tanks which will allow the brewery to produce more of its popular ales and expand production of 'one-off bespoke' brews. Toby Freeman, founder of The Robin Cancer Trust, will run the length of Hadrian’s Wall next month dressed as a testicle as part of the charity's Big Ballsy Challenge to raise funds and start conversations about testicular cancer. Broadcaster Jeff Stelling has resigned as honorary president of Hartlepool United in protest at owner Raj Singh’s handling of negotiations to sell the football club. Golden eagles are beginning to fly back across the skies of Northumberland, leading to hopes they might nest. Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe’s freedom of the city status has been confirmed by councillors. Chef Terry Laybourne, meanwhile, has officially received his Freedom of Newcastle scroll.
Roll of honour
A sculpture of a Greggs sausage roll is to go on display at Madame Tussauds (yes, really).
Studio manager Jo Kinsey said the sausage roll was synonymous with British culture. “We just had to put it in our culture zone. We took the process very seriously, making this creation the same way we make all our figures at the attraction.”
The sausage roll will be displayed on a velvet cushion placed on a classic plinth, with a commemorative plaque beside it. The temporary exhibit begins on June 5 and lasts for the rest of the month.
Leisure boost
Four former council-run leisure centres are to receive £750,000 of investment after being taken over by charitable social enterprise group GLL.
Health and fitness equipment at Blaydon, Dunston, and Heworth leisure centres, along with Gateshead International Stadium will be replaced including equipment designed to support those with disabilities.
Life goes on
Happy 25th birthday to the International Centre for Life, a unique concept that has been home to a whole series of firsts.
Life has transformed countless lives over the past quarter century; from babies born as a result of ground-breaking fertility treatment to patients with debilitating diseases who have benefitted from research and clinical treatment on site.
At the heart of this circle is the award-winning Life Science Centre, which inspires everyone to explore and enjoy science, discover amazing things about the world and have loads of fun doing it.
Here’s to the next 25 years!
Pressing on
National World has been taken over by marketing and publishing company Media Concierge in a £65m deal. Executive chair David Montgomery and COO Mark Hollinshead have left the business.
The new owners have promised staff at North East newspapers the Sunderland Echo, Shields Gazette, Hartlepool Mail and Northumberland Gazette, as well as other titles such as The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post, and Insider Media, that they will take a longer term approach rather than chasing short term results.
Business bites
Jeff Winn, the founder of accident claims specialist Winn Group has stepped down from his role as executive chairman to spend more time with his family. Durham-based mechanical, electrical and digital engineering consultancy JH Partners has secured a seven-figure sum from the NEL Debt Finance Fund to support the company's growth plans to expand its team. Rail minister Lord Hendy has praised the transformation of TransPennine Express since being nationalised two years ago, with cancellations reduced by 75% and a 42% growth in passenger journeys. Sedgefield-headquartered Kromek Group has secured orders worth £670,000 to supply wearable radiation detectors to European and US clients. Four North East companies have made it on to one of the Best Places To Work in the UK for 2025 lists produced by The Sunday Times: Robson Laidler, Sunderland GP Alliance, Middlesbrough digital marketing agency Outrank, and Newcastle’s education support services firm The Edwin Group, who are there for the third year in a row. PC Logistics has acquired a third quay on the River Tees to provide more flexibility to support the needs of existing partners and future customers.
Registration for the ninth Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival is now open. Tickets are free for the event at Newcastle Racecourse on July 7-10, which brings together innovators, businesses, and thought-leaders under the theme of regeneration. Tulway Engineering has received £840,000 from HSBC UK to expand its Middlesbrough operations and take on an additional 100 staff. Magnitude Biosciences has received combined funding of £700,000 to create jobs in robotics, software engineering and biological sciences at its NETPark base. RMT Accountants and Business Advisors, which acquired Hexham-based rural and agricultural sector specialist McCowie & Co in 2023, is to open a second office in the Northumberland town. Seaham-based Castle Eden Brewery, which will be 200 years old next year, has been bought by Hampshire company Powder Monkey, whose founder, Andy Burdon, is from Durham. Two by-elections will take place in North Tyneside on July 2. One is for the seat vacated by new mayor Karen Clark and the other because of the resignation of Labour member Pat Oliver.
THE WIDER VIEW
People v profit
The Northumberland County Show is on and there’s a farmer’s market in the town centre, but a church hall in Hexham is full to hear what economist and campaigner Maeve Cohen has come to say.
She advocates for an economic system that prioritises people over profits and challenges traditional measures like GDP - criticising fiscal rules that restrict investment, likening them to a restaurant refusing to buy an oven until business picks up.
Andy Cooper, editor of BBC Look North for 11 years, was at the event, jointly organised by campaign group Tynedale Reformed and Hexham Debates, and filed this report for North East Bylines.
“We used to have an asset, social housing, but we sold that asset off. Now we hand out housing benefit to the landlords, to the rich. It is vastly more expensive and inefficient, it’s mad, and we the people don’t own those assets anymore.”
1984 ad break
Apple’s Super Bowl ad in 1984 was directed by Ridley Scott. The cinematic masterpiece depicted a dystopian future inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. In a dramatic sequence, a lone heroine smashes a giant screen, projecting the image of an authoritarian leader and symbolizing Apple’s mission to disrupt IBM’s dominance and empower individuality.
What’s to like?
Nigel Farage is more similar to Boris Johnson than a lot of people (Farage included) would like to admit, writes journalist Sam Bright in his Substack column headlined ‘Nigel Farage is an economic car-crash waiting to happen’.
“They both pursue political fame but detest the hard work that accompanies actual policy-making. They are personalities, not politicians.
“Farage will be hoping that he can be carried to Number 10 using the same bad maths that spewed out the Leave campaign’s £350 million-a-week nonsense. The problem is – as in the case of Boris Johnson – the media may very well let him.”