Forget politics for a moment, I want to start with Sir Ian McKellen today. I once sat next to him at a dinner, you know, and I’ve never met anyone before or since who I would rather sit next to at dinner.
He was charming, engaging, humble, entertaining… I could run out of adjectives.
I’m not surprised he made the time to turn up in Horden on Saturday for the opening of the new permanent home of Ensemble ‘84, the remarkable theatre company from County Durham. David Whetstone was also there to let you know all about it.
The North’s ambition to host the Olympics is on track - but London mayor Sadiq Khan is not happy about it. They had 2012, what more do they want?
All roads lead to Leeds this week as the Great North Investment Summit precedes UKREiiF, the real estate, investment and infrastructure forum that sees 16,000 people try to get a hotel bedroom for under £300 a night.
There’s a new name for the North East Combined Authority, just as I got used to saying NECA. The name change is immediate but the rebrand will be rolled out over the next few months.
Gateshead has a new council leader, leaving Newcastle as the only council in the new North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (not NECA) to decide on who will take a seat at the mayor’s Cabinet table.
And there’s news that the region is about to get serious about marketing itself.
Golden opportunity
An Olympic Games in the North of England is a step closer today after the Government commissioned UK Sport to conduct an “initial strategic assessment” into whether the region could host the Games in the 2040s.
The news hasn’t gone down too well in London, however. Their mayor is not happy.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “It’s time the Olympics came North and we showed what we can offer to the world. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we’re starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North.”
The Great North, a collaboration of mayors and leaders across the North, had sent a joint letter to Nandy in February calling for the Government to commit in principle that any future UK Olympic bid is based in the North.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, Chair of The Great North, said: “A Great North Olympics would be a global showcase, leaving a legacy of prosperity, unity and renewal. It’s an opportunity not to be missed, delivering transformational investment in transport, regeneration and public spaces across the North of England. This could become the most people-powered Games ever hosted: inspiring millions of people into sport, volunteering and community action.”
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised the Government’s plans and said that excluding the capital city would be “a missed opportunity”.
A spokesperson said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor has openly expressed his ambition for the capital to be part of a future Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sadiq believes that a potential country-wide bid, using all the assets we have in the UK, including the publicly-owned London Stadium, would deliver the very best possible Olympics.”
Great North first
The first Great North Investment Summit takes place today - it’s where Northern mayors unite to launch a multi-billion pipeline of investment opportunities.
The Great North partnership, chaired by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, has brought mayors and leaders from across the North together for the first time around a single proposition for investors, developed in collaboration with the Office for Investment (OFI).
Backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the prospectus includes flagship regeneration, infrastructure and industrial opportunities across every part of the North.
The Chancellor said: “Stronger growth in the North means stronger growth for the country. That is why we are working with mayors and local leaders to unlock investment, create jobs and put more power into the hands of local communities.”
The investment pipeline includes flagship regeneration, infrastructure and industrial opportunities across every part of the North. Details are available here.
Good GREiiF
The Great North Investment Summit takes place in Leeds the day before tomorrow’s UKREiiF gets underway - that’s the real estate, investment and infrastructure forum which brings together 16,000 developers, investors and public sector leaders.
Imagine what that’s done to the room rates of hotels in Leeds and the surrounding areas.
You can probably double the number you first thought of.
The three-day forum has become a massive event, described by some as “the Glastonbury of investment” - I’m sure there will be an accountant somewhere doing a cost benefit analysis.
Northumberland County Council are among those with a major announcement to make (12.45 tomorrow if you are interested).
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness commissioned Sunderland filmmaker Carley Armstrong to create a promotional film showcasing investment opportunities across the North East, using the site earmarked for the region’s first major TV and film studios as one of its central backdrops.
Carley, who grew up in Hendon, was granted exclusive access to the Crown Works site in Sunderland to shoot Built Here, a cinematic production which focuses on a range of sectors including offshore wind and energy transition, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital technology and the creative industries.
I couldn’t bust the embargo but I will bring you a link to the film in Friday’s Eyes & Ears.
Passionate about tourism
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness highlighted the potential for tourism to drive economic growth during a talk at Durham Business Club last week.
An indication of how important this is came from Assistant Director, Communications, Huw Lewis who said the mayor was “fixing a serious problem for our tourism industry. We haven’t marketed our region properly for nearly 20 years (if ever). Now we are ready to start.”
Meet the North East MSA
So, it’s goodbye to the North East Combined Authority - and hello to the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (North East MSA).
Those of you who were paying attention a week or so ago (Eyes & Ears 08.05.26) will recall me saying that the new English Devolution Bill gave the North East the status of an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority alongside more discretion on how to use the region’s devolved budget.
The combined authority has decided to change its name to reflect this change of status. That change takes effect from today - although the rebranding will be an evolutionary process over the next few months.
The Bill, just to remind you, also gives mayors the power to appoint specialist commissioners who would be expected to support delivery and be styled as deputy mayors within their specialism
Just one to go
Reform UK has named retired businessman Nick Allan as its group leader on Gateshead Council.
The 69-year-old said the team would be doing a “lot of listening” before making any major policy announcements although changes to the town’s road system to “free up access to Newcastle city centre” would be among the party’s top priorities. “If the road systems around the borough are not up to standard, we won’t get the economic growth we need,” he said.
His appointment means seven of the eight voting seats round the Mayor’s Cabinet table (Eyes & Ears 15.05.26) are now filled - only Newcastle to go.
Big job for someone
There’s some way to go before we find out who sits on the eighth seat.
The leadership of Newcastle City Council is up in the air. The Lib Dems have most seats with 25 but the Greens and Reform are only one behind - and 40 seats are required for a majority.
An alliance, or alliances, will be required and the new administration will be faced with a whole host of issues as ChronicleLive reported this week: balancing the books, sorting out the social housing stock, the St James’ Park conundrum, other parks and allotments issues, road and pavement repairs, and the cycle network.
As we like it
Joseph Hammal had just accepted a job with a well known coffee shop chain when he got an email inviting him to join County Durham’s new theatre company, Ensemble ’84.
What twists and turns life can take!
On Saturday evening, the 23-year-old from Shotley Bridge performed two scenes from Hamlet in front of an invited audience and a VIP guest, Sir Ian McKellen, one of the greatest classical actors on the world stage (to say nothing of Gandalf and his countless film roles).
Sir Ian had, in fact, just delivered a spellbinding rendition of ‘All the World’s a Stage’, the famous speech from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
As well as giving Joseph a hard act to follow, he demonstrated the wonderful acoustic qualities of the theatre in Horden which he’d just opened, cutting a ribbon to mark the official transformation of a former Roman Catholic church into The Playhouse, permanent new home of Ensemble ’84. David Whetstone has more here.
Second home bonanza
The decision to charge second home owners double council tax raised an extra £6m for Northumberland County Council in the last financial year. In Newcastle the sum was £2.58m, according to figures obtained by the BBC.
Conservative councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, who represents the Bamburgh ward which includes coastal villages where more than half the properties are holiday lets or second homes, said the policy had been “very positive” because £6m generated had reduced council services cuts and he had emails from some second home owners “happy to pay extra”.
A quick word
The Whole Point, a national business initiative set up to improve access to investment for female founders and support high-growth businesses outside London, has formed a North East board. Debra Leeves will Chair with Nina Walton as Vice Chair. Newcastle-based O Agency has launched a new consultancy arm to help businesses with investment and growth. Former Newcastle Theatre Royal chief executive Philip Bernays has been appointed chair of the Tyne Theatre and Opera House Preservation Trust. He succeeds Mike Wilmot at what the trust describes as “an exciting period of development” for the Grade I-listed venue. Items from the Melsonby Hoard, the biggest discovery of Iron Age metalwork ever found in the UK, are now on show at the Yorkshire Museum in York after investigation and conservation work at Durham University. A flagship homeless housing scheme in Gateshead has been shortlisted for a prestigious award as it prepares to welcome its first residents. Prospect Place in Pelaw, a partnership between Tyne Housing and Gateshead Council, is in the running for the Residential Development prize at the North East heat of the RICS UK Awards. Royal Mail has produced a set of 12 new stamps to celebrate the “architectural brilliance of castles from across the UK” - Bamburgh is one of them. Work has still not started on a new Shotley Bridge Hospital, and Durham councillors have been told that the project has not yet been signed off by the Government. Award-winning robotics firm Wootzano has resumed trading after a Scottish court halted liquidation proceedings brought about by government-backed lender Innovate UK Loans.
Very, very tasty
A new county-wide food and drink initiative designed to showcase Northumberland’s producers, hospitality businesses and culinary experiences has been launched by Visit Northumberland and Northumberland County Council.
Taste of Northumberland brings together close to 100 businesses under a new quality mark aimed at promoting locally sourced ingredients, artisan skills and immersive foodie experiences across the county.
Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland, said: “Taste of Northumberland is a celebration of authenticity and heritage that reassures customers of genuine local ingredients.”
Businesses signed up to the scheme include Pine, Ad Gefrin, First and Last Brewery, Buston Potatoes and Triple A Food Tours. There’s more information here.
And don’t forget
I mentioned briefly before that the second edition of the Northumberland Guide has just been published. It comes with the backing of the region’s tourism body, Visit Northumberland, which has endorsed the publication as the official guide to the region. Here is the cover - and you can click here to have a good read.
Kielder ospreys hope
Ospreys at Northumberland’s breeding colony are hopefully set to bounce back after two setback seasons.
This year there are eight occupied nests at Kielder with eggs, which is a record. On nests with cameras, 14 eggs have been counted but it is hoped that the total is likely to be over 20.
“There is about a week to go until the first eggs in Kielder Forest should start to hatch. In some ways I would like the season to stop now, as it has gone well to date,” said osprey observer Joanna Dailey. Tony Henderson has more here.
Nicholas
Action!
Get ready to see and hear a lot from the North East on your TV screens over the coming months. A £7m production fund and partnerships with two major broadcasters have resulted in a flurry of television drama commissions set in the region.
For the first time in more than three decades, the North East is seeing drama production across every month of the year stretching into 2027 and beyond, says Graeme Thompson, the former managing director of Tyne Tees and chair of the Royal Television Society Education Committee.
Reflecting on the region’s busiest period for television drama in decades in a column for Cultured. North East, he said the BBC has committed a spend of £40m over a six-year period on programming from this corner of the UK. Channel 5 has ordered three drama series with more in the pipeline. ITV and Netflix are also eyeing projects from the area.
Not convinced by the benefits of hosting something like the Olympics or the World Cup these days, seems to be more of a millstone. They’d certainly need to boost the Transport infrastructure.
So many amazing opportunities for our region! But I'm still thinking about Taste of Northumberland lol.