Eyes & Ears 14.03.25
All you need to know. In one place. Once a week. Written especially for people who think they don't have the time to read this.
True to form
The phrase ‘Levelling Up’ may have been consigned to the political dustbin but someone may want to have a quiet word with the Office for Investment to let them know that it lives on, not just in spirit, through mayoral-led devolution.
The OfI deals with big stuff. Working closely with No.10 and operating within the Department for Business and Trade, it is responsible for attracting and securing high-value, strategic investments with the ability to work across government departments and get round any bureaucratic barriers.
I was at the launch of the new all-party think tank, True North, last week which is being set up to “influence national and regional governments to adopt radical policies to improve economic and social outcomes in the North East and Cumbria.”
It was there, at the offices of UNW in Newcastle, that Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen told us that the DfI had recently met with officials from Saudi Arabia who were keen to talk about further investment in the North East - but were guided towards the Oxford-Cambridge Arc instead.
Insert your own exclamation here.
I’m sure our mayors will let those concerned know their feelings on this, but we really shouldn’t need to keep reminding Whitehall officials that they have priorities that extend north of Peterborough.
Which brings us back to True North, a potential campaigning voice for the region. Lord Houchen was in good form as he mischievously suggested the North East had a claim for reparations from the government after decades of under-investment.
Chaired by former Carlisle MP John Stevenson, True North is aiming to bring together businesses, politicians, experts and influencers. Its intentions are honourable - and, given what Lord Houchen told us about OfI, much needed - but it will require the support and involvement of a wider group of people to avoid being tagged as ‘too Blue’
Atom Bank on the move
Atom Bank has announced plans to leave its Durham HQ and relocate to the Pattern Shop in the historic Stephenson Quarter in Newcastle, where Robert Stephenson built steam locomotives in the 1800s for export around the world.
Chief executive Mark Mullen said: “Our investment in the iconic Pattern Shop is a bold statement about how we see the future of work. While many companies are backtracking on past commitments, and forcing their people back to the office, we’re doing the opposite – we’re creating a social space that brings people together because it’s inspiring, not because it’s mandated.”
Atom Bank employs more than 550 people and is to retain its links to Durham through the Atom Futures Fund, AMI Women in Technology scholarships and its Memorandum of Understanding with Durham University.
Anna on the move
A much deserved move for North East journalist Anna Foster who will next month become one of the main presenters on Radio 4's Today programme. Anna, from South Shields and a graduate of Durham University, began her career on Radio Cleveland.
She has previously worked as a BBC news anchor and Middle East correspondent. She is currently a presenter for the BBC News at One and also regularly presents on location for the BBC News Channel and the BBC News at Six and Ten.
Cannes do attitude
The wraps were taken off a £170m project to transform a neglected part of Newcastle city centre at MIPIM, the annual global real estate conference at Cannes in the south of France.
Leisure, care and property company the Gainford Group presented plans for a 29-storey residential tower alongside a 150-bedroom hotel at the site of the former Premier Inn in New Bridge Street as well as bars, restaurants and a health club.
Better pedestrian links and a new gateway to the historic Market Street are included in the plans, which will link to the new HMRC development in East Pilgrim Street, and the improvements in Blackett Street and Northumberland Street.
Operation transformation
He’s only been in the job five minutes and look what happens… the Government yesterday announced the abolition of NHS England just two weeks after Sir Jim Mackey took over as interim chief executive.
The Geordie will now will lead the transition process as NHS England is brought back under the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) with an expectation that the service improves visibly and quickly.
In the Commons, Health Secretary Wes Streeting praised Sir Jim for his “outstanding track record of turning around NHS organisations, balancing the books, driving up productivity and driving down waiting times”.
The reorganisation is expected to reduce the number of jobs by 10,000 in an attempt to free up cash for frontline care.
A quick word
Nexus has submitted a business case to the Government, seeking around £400m for the replacement of the Metro’s ageing signalling system. MD Cathy Massarella said: “We are working with analogue technology in a digital era.” Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies has said she will not be taking part in the next series of the BBC show because she wants to concentrate on Crafters Companion, the business she founded and took control of again at the beginning of the year. Cleveland Chief Constable Mark Webster is to retire in the summer having helped lift the force out of special measures during his three years in the role. Staff at Northern are being instructed on how to say Newsham properly in the run-up to the Northumberland station carrying passengers for the first time on Monday - it’s ‘New-sum, in case you didn’t know. Unison said 96% of its members who work as healthcare assistants for Northumbria NHS Trust have voted to strike in a row over backdated upgrade payments. A bus route underneath the crumbling Gateshead flyover has reopened after support work was completed. Stockton Borough Council leader Bob Cook has decided to stand down after 14 years for health reasons. Norton Central councillor Lisa Evans has been elected to replace him. Abuse from fans has forced Hartlepool United owner Raj Singh to resign from his role as the football club's chairman. The businessman has promised to fund the wages until the end of the season.
SEND help
Durham has become the latest council to say it is struggling to cope with the growing costs of dealing with children with special educational needs (SEND). The council has now joined forces with other local authorities to lobby the government for reforms to the system and extra funds.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson was on the BBC’s Politics North at the weekend where she told presenter Richard Moss that she had taken action through the Budget to invest more in to specialist provision.
She said: "Alongside that we will need to reform the system to deliver better outcomes for children because at the moment children with SEND are not getting the experience they deserve."
Prosper Learning Trust chief executive Chris Richardson told the programme: "The system has been described as in crisis and I don't think that's an exaggeration. The issue is there are far more young people seeking support than there are places."
Music hot spots
The Glasshouse in Gateshead is fundraising to invest £20m into a new academy to support young musicians throughout their education and help them build a career in music. Over the next two years, the academy will open four ‘music learning hot spots’ in Middlesbrough, Carlisle, Sunderland and Kendal.
Funding pot created
Northumberland County Council has created a £9m pot to deliver town centre improvements across the county. Schemes in Alnwick, Prudhoe, Bedlington, Newbiggin, Bellingham, Haltwhistle and Rothbury will benefit from funding ranging from £200,000 up to £1.5m.
Long trip to school
Pupils from Prudhoe Community High School are to be bussed 17 miles to Sunderland College’s Washington campus every day for lessons for the foreseeable future. Structural issues with the nine-year-old school are being investigated and it is expected to remain closed for a minimum of six months.
Fitting tribute
A new gallery dedicated to the work and memory of Northumberland-based documentary photographer Mik Critchlow is to be opened at Woodhorn Museum.
Writing in Cultured. North East, David Whetstone said it is a fitting tribute to a man who lived pretty much on the doorstep, in Ashington, and who documented the area and its people for more than 40 years.
Now the museum is to be home to Mik’s archive and more than 100 photographs will be displayed as The Coal Town Collection.
Business bites
Newcastle business 3DBio-Tissues (3DBT) which is pioneering the creation of lab grown leather is stepping up the commercialisation of the product on the back of a five-figure grant. SeAH Wind has appointed Mammoet, Glacier Energy, and Hutchinson Engineering as key subcontractors at Teesworks for the Hornsea 3 project which will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed. Stelrad CEO Trevor Harvey has reported that his radiator company has seen profits go up by 17.6% despite a dip in revenues in the subdued housing and DIY markets. The latest accounts from North East manufacturer Ebac show that the company defaulted on a loan from its retirement fund and is continuing to invest in new products. Nissan has announced a shake-up of its global leadership after the collapse of merger talks with Honda. Chief executive Makoto Uchida is stepping down to be replaced by chief planning officer Ivan Espinosa.
THE WIDER VIEW
Donald Trump’s assault on US democracy has been so wide-ranging, and so swift, that sometimes it’s hard to process, says investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan in his Substack column headlined Want to understand Trump’s US? Look at late ‘90s Russia.
In less than two months he has pardoned those who attacked the US Capitol, placed loyalists atop the FBI and military, and purged the Department of Justice, which dropped investigations against Trump allies.
Trump has declared control over independent agencies such as the Federal Election Commission, punished media outlets for coverage he dislikes and many suspect he will defy court orders.
A particularly chilling potential sign of things to come is the case of Mahmoud Khalil. A prominent voice in Gaza protests at Columbia University, Khalil faces deportation - even though he has a green card. Trump has called Khalil’s arrest “the first of many to come.”
You can read the rest of Peter’s column here.
Made for sharing
I choose to believe this happened.
Long Covid breakthrough
Long Covid patients who lost their sense of taste and smell have had it successfully restored by doctors in London. The pioneering surgery, which worked on all 25 recipients involved in a new study, expands the nasal airways to allow more odorants to reach the roof of the nose, kickstarting smell recovery.
We ad the lot
Entertaining piece of nostalgia from William Sitwell in The Telegraph this week: ‘I’ve been rewatching the best old TV ads – and everything we loved has gone’. Ads promoting Cointreau, Fosters, Flake, Milk Tray, Hamlet, Carling, Audi, Turkish Delight, Parker Pens and Tango all get an honourable mention.
Pride of place, however, went to a Guinness advert from 1999, telling the story of a Polynesian surfer who has the patience to wait for the perfect wave. When it comes, and he rides it, the white horses of the sea’s foam become actual horses.
“In its extended one-and-a-half minutes, there is much to ponder on and marvel at. Not least the freedom that the advertising agency was given by its client so it could make a film of such beauty and subtlety.”
Looking down
The latest circulation figures for local and regional newspapers in the UK were published this week. There are no longer any daily newspapers with a circulation of 20,000 or more - in fact only five in the whole of the country sell 10,000 or more.
Something for the weekend
If you are looking for something to read this weekend then I have a few suggestions for you.
The Conversation has this lovely look back: ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: 50 years on Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance is as fresh as ever’.
Then there’s this story from The Londoner about the remarkable Clapton CFC and their explicit mix of football and anti-fascism.
And, from The QT archives, there’s this from Tony Henderson who tells the story of a Tyneside airman who spent the Second World War carrying out a series of audacious and barely believable PoW escapes.
I love this newsletter I receive but as a Hartlepool United Fan, I must say that Raj Singh isn't getting any abuse from the fans.
He is a man who can't take any criticism and it's fair to say he gets it because he's ran the club into the ground with poor investment. He's a national league Mike Ashley.
He's leaving because he's bored of his project, he's not got the money and he's a Boro Fan at heart anyway
Meaningless initials but to a certain circle:
"The *OfI* deals..." What, who?
"...the offices of *UNW*" What, who?
"the *DfI*..." What, who?
I admire your researched compilation of I'm sure important N-E goings on, but to the man-in-the-street (in my case a rural south Durham one) it seems to have little relevance.