“Heartless, dangerous and institutionalised cruelty” is taking place before our very eyes. Hundreds of thousands of parents are struggling to cope with a child who is autistic or has ADHD and are waiting for a diagnosis so that they can receive appropriate care.
The isolation and frustration is something that our columnist Arlen Pettitt knows only too well, as he writes about today.
We also have news of the biggest niche that no one has heard of - despite it being a multi-million pound industry and Sunderland its European hub.
Award-winning documentary maker Jeanie Finlay has returned to her Teesside roots to make a documentary that Tina Brown is describing as the next Mr Bates vs The Post Office. I don’t think Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen will be too happy with it - and having to foot the bill for the Government inquiry into the financial affairs of his own authority won’t help his mood.
A North East council today becomes the first local authority outside of London to introduce a charge for roadworks on busy routes at peak times, and the graffiti artist in Newcastle who made bizarre claims about famous people eating Pukka pies in bed and dabbing Zoflora behind their ears (I’m not making this up) has been arrested.
Mr Rennie vs ?
It’s a David and Goliath story of epic proportions, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Mark Kermode describes it as “a powerful story told with poetry and humour from one of our leading documentary makers”.
They are talking about All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea, a documentary film from award-winning Jeanie Finlay, a Teessider, which features Hartlepool fisherman Stan Rennie’s fight to eliminate the industrial pollution that is decimating the ecosystem of the North East coast - and having a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the fishing community.
Tina Brown, no less, thinks Stan’s story is the next Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker - and the wife of Harold Evans - described the film as “one of the most moving, thrilling and fantastic documentaries I have ever seen”.
The cost of diesel often exceeds what the fishers can earn from their meagre hauls – not least because they are having to take their vessels much farther out to find anything alive. “Can’t sell the boats, can’t give them away. I have three, so I’m proper up to my neck in it,” says one with the kind of gallows humour which is recurrent in the film.
All Rivers Spill Their Stories To The Sea goes on general release on Friday - and it’s definitely being screened at Stockton Arc on Saturday.
Footing the bill
The reason we know the film is showing at Stockton Arc on Saturday is that Leigh Jones of The Teesside Lead, who features in the documentary, is taking part in a Q&A after the screening.
He revealed this information in the Lead’s latest edition which highlighted that the Tees Valley Combined Authority is to foot the bill for its own government inspection - with the total possibly running well into six figures.
Local government minister Jim McMahon said last week (Eyes & Ears 16.10.26) he had “material concerns” about the “long-term financial sustainability” of TVCA and ordered a statutory inquiry, an escalation of powers after the authority was issued with a Best Value Notice in April 2025.
Putting out welcome mat
The 200-strong delegation from The Great North has returned from India. It remains to be seen how successful the trade mission has been, but tourism has been identified as a big opportunity. VisitBritain’s latest forecast shows India is set to become a £1.5 billion inbound visitor market for the UK by 2030, an increase of 71% from 2026.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, who chairs The Great North, a mayoral-led collaboration of northern leaders, said: “We want Indian visitors to enjoy everything Britain has, but to travel further, stay longer and experience more. From our great cities and spectacular landscapes to Premier League football, international cricket, castles, culture and coastline, the North has an incredible amount to offer.
“The North East is a place I’m incredibly proud to call home, and our greatest strength is the warmth and hospitality of our people. We’ve experienced that same wonderful welcome in India, and I want us to return it to many more Indian visitors.”
Our ‘secret’ success
It’s been dubbed the biggest niche that no one’s heard of. Tournaments attract millions of players and spectators as well as offering prize money that also runs into the millions. Think football or snooker, but played on a games console or computer.
We’re talking Esports - and Sunderland has just become the European hub for competitive video gaming. A former car showroom opposite the Stadium of Light has been transformed into a multi-million pound arena that matches what already exists in Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
British Esports said it hoped the arena would attract major competitions and visitors, benefitting businesses across the city.
Graffiti artist arrested
Newcastle’s bizarre graffiti artist has been arrested. We have already reported (Eyes & Ears 09.10.26) how slogans painted on walls in the West Denton area of the city went viral. The council stepped in to paint over messages such as ‘Stacey Soloman gives Joe a sticker for helping with the dishes’, ‘Danny Dyer smokes Parma Violet vapes’ and ‘Ross Kemp dabs Zoflora behind his ears’.
The culprit returned with more celebrity comments including ‘Alison Hammond puts all her shopping through self service as loose bananas’, ‘Kate Garraway brushes her hair with a wooden fork from the chippy’ and ‘Susanna Reid eats Pukka pies in bed’.
Northumbria Police said: “We arrested a man on suspicion of criminal damage. In interview the man, aged 33, admitted carrying out the vandalism and he has now been referred for an out of court disposal.”
A quick word
County Durham today becomes the first local authority outside London to charge for roadworks on busy routes at peak times. The council hopes the charges of up to £2,500 per day will encourage organisations to plan roadworks outside of peak travel times, complete them over a shorter period and adopt less disruptive methods. Millionaire’s shortbread from Glenton’s Bakery in Ashington has been handed out to passengers on the Northern Line to mark the number of journeys passing the two million mark since the railway was reopened less than two years ago. Northumberland council leader Glen Sanderson said: “The Northumberland Line has revolutionised not just travel in the area, but opportunities for jobs, education and leisure. We’re now working hard to extend the line northwards to Woodhorn and Newbiggin. “Such has been its success, it has highlighted more than ever the need for extra capacity. The Mayor and I are continuing to stress the urgency to secure more seats on trains as soon as possible.” The people, places and performances that have shaped Sunderland’s musical identity are to be celebrated in a major heritage project. Sunderland Music City has been awarded £156,166 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Mackem Music Memories, which will gather the city’s musical stories and preserve them for future generations. Organisers are appealing to people to share their memories, whether they involve an unforgettable concert, a favourite venue or the music that played an important part in their lives. Woodhorn Museum has been named Best Accessible Museum at the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Awards 2026, announced in Birmingham. The awards are decided by families who make undercover visits to shortlisted attractions.Teesside travel agent Libby Gray picked up two top national awards in London. Libby, who leads the team at Hays Travel Teesside Park, was named UK and Ireland Agent of the Year, and Manager of the Year at the prestigious Travel Industry Awards. “We have had customers phone to congratulate me and to book their next holiday. The response from people has been amazing,” she said.
A mystery no more
Daytime viewers of BBC One will get first sight of new crime drama series The Northumbria Mysteries starring Robson Green on Friday.
Those fortunate enough to have joined cast and crew for a preview screening at the Tyneside Cinema will be aware that BBC top brass have been watching closely too.
Dan McGolpin, director of BBC iPlayer and TV Channels, said he had been delighted when Helen Munson, commissioning editor for the North East, said she had a script she wanted to do.
Now that the script, under lead writer Ash Ditta, has become a series (eight episodes, four to be available on iPlayer soon after broadcast) he was “very excited” to see it put before its first audience.
There was also a supportive message (via screen from Salford) from BBC director-general Matt Brittin – another indication that the weight of the Corporation is behind this new investment in North East TV production. David Whetstone has more in Cultured. North East here.
Isolation, frustration, fighting and waiting lists
By Arlen Pettitt
I’m far from the perfect husband, but the one thing I wish I could do - above all other missteps - is go back and be quicker to back my wife Kate when she first noticed our son engaged with the world differently from his peers.
She saw him playing differently, struggling in noisy environments, and having difficulty. What was self-evident to her before he even turned two years old took months for me to accept, and even longer for me to take action about.
I’m not saying this in my own defence, but my sense is that’s a common story.
In my experience men are less likely to talk to other parents about the serious business of their child’s development, and certainly less likely to feel the societal pressure of behavioural expectations. What that meant was, for far too long, Kate felt alone in the battle - ignored by professionals and having to win family and friends over too.
Our son was diagnosed this past summer with Autism and ADHD, a few months after his seventh birthday. We are, by most measures, one of the lucky families - we have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and a place at a specialist school. But, it was still five years of fighting, starting with a year of working out what we were supposed to do, followed by two years of denied referrals, then two years of waiting lists.
In that time, our son has struggled to access an education, seen repeated suspensions across three schools in four years, and we’ve wrestled with things as fundamental as his eating and sleep.
The isolation and frustration of those years is something hundreds of thousands of people are dealing with.
ADHD UK have said just under a million adults and children are currently awaiting an ADHD diagnosis, and a further 300,000 an autism diagnosis. Several NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), including the North East and North Cumbria ICB, have instituted a minimum two year wait, something ADHD UK’s chief executive has called “heartless, dangerous and institutionalised cruelty.”
In fact, even before the news of the minimum wait, in the North East the NHS have outsourced assessments to private providers and there remained a 78 week waiting time, meaning a referral now would mean an assessment sometime around Easter 2028.
For ADHD, where medication is a treatment option, GPs are unable and you must wait for a specialist - often for another six months to a year, according to healthcare improvement champions Healthwatch.
This is the environment in which an independent review of mental health conditions, ADHD and autism has been carried out.
The review, chaired by psychologist Professor Peter Fonagy, published its final report a couple of weeks ago, concluding - in no uncertain terms - that the system is broken.
In his executive summary, Professor Fonagy writes that continuing as we are is not sustainable “for a society paying the human and economic price of failing to support people to participate in family, community, education and working life.”
The review makes some absolutely vital points in the context of healthcare reform. It concludes wait times are unacceptable, that care must be reshaped and include community-based support, and that the current diagnosis-dependent system must end, with needs determining access to support.
It also challenges head on some of the cultural misunderstandings which heighten the isolation of families who are trying to access support.
Firstly, on mental health broadly, Fonagy concludes a rise in cases isn’t over-diagnosis, saying “the rise in mental health problems is real, is affecting everyday functioning and cannot be explained by greater awareness alone.”
Mind have rightly connected this to the false narrative of a ‘snowflake generation’ which is often used to dismiss young people as less resilient, and invalidates the experience of families chasing support.
Second, on ADHD and autism specifically, the evidence shows there has not been an increase in prevalence in the population, just in those presenting looking for support. While population prevalence has remained stable, there has been a 20-fold increase in autism diagnosis recorded for 6-11 year olds since 2000, for example.
The impact is clear, seen in the words of the review in the “distress, impairment, withdrawal, and reduced participation in relationships, education and work”. This issue is clearly linked with the rising challenge of young people not in employment, education or training. Another review, chaired by former minister Alan Milburn, is expected to report on that issue very shortly.
The government has promised a Mental Health Strategy for England by the end of 2026, as part of the delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan, as well as a separate autism strategy.
The review is so clear in its conclusions and recommendations, it’s impossible to ignore. What we need now is action.
Action which provides support quickly, especially in the vital formative years at the beginning of education. Action which tackles the isolation and frustration felt by families dealing with obscure pathways to diagnosis and society’s critical eye. Action which is based on people’s potential, not the challenges they face.
As the North East Autism Society put it “when we put human beings first, ahead of diagnoses or labels, we can create a society that works for everyone.”
Amen to that.
Arlen Pettitt is a writer and researcher specialising in the politics and policymaking of the North East of England. He is the author of the weekly Wor Room newsletter.