Eyes & Ears 24.07.26

Tackling homelessness is something that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to do - and he wants to build loads more council houses as well.

The two separate, but connected, priorities featured in this week’s North East Mayoral Strategic Authority’s Cabinet meeting where it was reported that 43,000 households are either homeless or living in unsuitable accommodation.

Mayor Kim McGuinness got backing for a plan to deliver more than 15,000 social and affordable homes across the North East over the next decade.

The new PM is not short of people offering advice and suggestions. Two of the first letters to cross his desk bore the signature of Mayor McGuinness.

A big USP for Eyes & Ears is saving you time in trying to stay up to date with what is happening in the region - “I read everything so you don’t have to” - but I couldn’t help but think this week that I wasn’t reading enough about the collision at Port of Tyne and the subsequent release into the sea of millions and millions of nurdles (plastic pellets to you and me).

It’s a massive environmental issue - but it didn’t feel like it.

What else have we got this week?

There’s the amazing story of the teenager who wanted his foot amputated because he was in so much pain - but his agony is over after becoming the youngest person in Britain to get a spinal implant.

Newcastle United are to speak to Kevin Keegan’s family about a permanent tribute to the Toon idol, the millionaires who want to pay more tax, an insight into healthy life expectancy, and the winner of the ad World Cup. Was it the surfer or the gorilla?

Brian Aitken
Editor

A collision on Sunday at the Port of Tyne could have serious environmental consequences.

The Port confirmed a spill of tiny plastic pellets, known as nurdles, happened after a vessel struck a berthed container ship. A gantry crane on the quayside then collapsed and a worker was taken to hospital.

The collision resulted in damage to a shipping container of nurdles, which are used as the raw material to manufacture most plastic products. The plastic pellet pollution has spread to beaches in North and South Tyneside and as far away as Roker in Sunderland.

People are being advised not to touch them and to keep dogs on leads.

Once in the environment plastic pellets are very difficult to remove, they can absorb toxic chemicals and bacteria such as E Coli. The nurdles are attractive to seabirds but they aren’t digestible and can cause starvation and liver damage.

Heather McFarlane, senior project manager at the charity Fidra which runs the Great Nurdle Hunt website said: “We know from previous experience that nurdles in the environment can impact local communities, tourism and fishing as well as wildlife like fulmars. This spill is less than three miles away from Marsden Bay home to one of England’s most important seabird colonies.”

North Tyneside Mayor Karen Clark said: “We will be seeking answers from the Port of Tyne about the speed of their initial response and the effectiveness of their communications with local authorities, residents and partner organisations. People deserve to know what happened, why it happened and what lessons will be learned.”

The incident was reported in Mondays edition ‘Councils, care and costs’

Northern mayors and leaders have written an open letter to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a founding member of The Great North, to build a new partnership with them that puts devolution at the heart of national renewal.

Burnham has made devolution the centre piece of his agenda for government, including establishing a No 10 North to rebalance power and prosperity across the country.

The Great North partnership sets out five priorities for Government:

• Putting devolution at the heart of national policy;

• Building a globally competitive Northern economy, recognising the region’s unique strengths;

• Unlocking investment through better transport and connectivity;

• Promoting the North internationally as a powerhouse of innovation, culture and industry; and

• Ensuring every community shares in growth and opportunity.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, who is also Chair of The Great North, said: “Andy Burnham consistently argued that Westminster had to trust places like ours with more power and responsibility. Now he has the opportunity to turn those arguments into lasting change.”

The open letter from The Great North was published the day after North East Mayor Kim McGuinness sent her own letter to the new Prime Minister.

“We need to end not just trickle-down economics, but trickle-down power too,” she wrote. “Now is the time to be bold and allow the English regions to enjoy the freedom a federalised system gives them to intervene locally in order to make life better.

“You are the first prime minister in British history who genuinely believes in using devolution to tear down the barriers to local growth. If we get this right, we will finally show people what take back control looks like.”

Re:State is the leading Westminster think tank for public service reform, even though they say so themselves. Independent, with a cross-party advisory board, they have just published a report called Building No 10 North.

It’s one that Kim McGuinness and her fellow mayors will like - because it talks about Whitehall learning to let go.

“No 10 North can succeed only if it is designed from the start to be an exemplar of wider changes to how the State works,” the report concludes. “It must strengthen the part of central government that immediately supports the Prime Minister, while systematically transferring power, money and responsibility outwards, and building a very different relationship with local and regional government around England.

“To accomplish this, No 10 North must operate outside the existing Whitehall system to help inculcate changes designed to, over time, transform the whole operation. Built well, it could become the machinery through which Whitehall finally learns to let go.”

Imagine having a pain in your foot that meant you couldn’t walk or put any pressure on it. Now imagine that pain being so great that even the slightest touch could be excruciating. And no treatment or medication would make it stop or go away.

Washington teenager Ralph Seed lived with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) for five years - and was seriously considering having his foot amputated.

Now he has become the first teenager in the UK - and one of the first in the world - to have spinal cord stimulation implant technology fitted to treat his pain in real time. The moment the device was switched on after surgery at Newcastle’s RVI Hospital, Ralph’s pain completely vanished.

“It was a long journey to get here as the pain has affected my life so much,” said Ralph. “For the first time in five years, I’m pain free. My mum was emotional and so was I. It’s not really hit me, I still can’t get my head around it. I’m hoping the implant is going to help me get my life back again.”

Dr Sachin Rastogi, consultant anaesthetist who specialises in pain, joined Mr Akbar Hussain, a functional neurosurgeon, at Newcastle Hospitals to pioneer the procedure for the first time in this country with a teenager.

“The results were immediate and unprecedented for a device like this,” aid Dr Rastogi. “Seeing the impact of being pain free for Ralph is simply one of the most moving things I have experienced in my career.”

Mayor Kim McGuinness has unveiled a plan to deliver more than 15,000 social and affordable homes across the North East over the next decade.

The Plan for Homes was approved by the Mayoral Strategic Authority’s Cabinet on Tuesday. “A safe, secure and affordable home should be within reach for everyone,” said the mayor.

A study presented to the meeting showed 42,961 across the region are living in “unsuitable housing”, more than 16,000 of which are suffering from overcrowding. Around 4,300 are homeless or living in “concealed” arrangements, such as staying with friends or family, and demand for homelessness services has increased by 27% over the last five years – with more than one-third of those affected households including children.

Bernicia’s John Johnston, Chair of the North East Housing Partnership, said: “The plan not only sets out the scale of the challenges we face as a region but also offers a range of solutions including investment in brownfield regeneration, shaping the funding for social and affordable homes and delivering investment in construction skills.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the Mayor, local authorities, Homes England and partners to deliver against the plan and ensure housing supports thriving, sustainable communities across our region.”

“The big challenges here are”, according to Arlen Pettitt in his Wor Room newsletter, “site identification, planning, community buy-in when everyone’s a bloody NIMBY, and then viability of schemes.”

It has been well documented in these columns just how underwhelming the long-awaited independent report into the culture inside Newcastle Civic Centre was - thanks in no small measure to the restrictions on the scope of the inquiry (Gala days, bees and a forward-looking inquiry 13.07.26).

The report went before the full council this week where it looks like there was no appetite to question why the review was limited to ‘now and forward’ or who decided why the findings should be held back until after the May elections.

Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise since 52 new councillors were elected in May - but the inquiry was instigated by the Lib Dems who are now running the administration.

Newcastle City Council has stepped in to save Neville Hall, the former North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, along with its priceless archive.

It was previously run by charity The Common Room, which saw the building undergo an £8.9 million restoration, but the council said it was no longer generating enough income to survive.

Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums, who will now run the hall, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing this magnificent historic building and important archive into our portfolio. It is a fantastic space for special events, meetings and conferences which will be a major part of its future use.”

The life of Hartlepool nuclear power station has been extended yet again. Opened in 1983, it was expected to generate electricity for 25 years. In the latest of multiple extensions, operator EDF said Hartlepool and Heysham 1 in Lancashire would run until March 2030, two years longer than the last estimate of 2028.

Chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, Tom Greatrex, said: “The significance of this cannot be understated, given the UK’s exposure to volatile gas prices and the need to protect households by providing baseload power.”

Newcastle United are to talk to Kevin Keegan’s family about a permanent tribute to honour the club legend who died this week aged 75.

The club’s first league match of the season is a home game against Liverpool where Keegan spent much of his playing career. The two teams are in discussions to ensure “his memory is marked fittingly before the game”.

Newcastle’s men’s, women’s and under-21s teams will wear black armbands during all of their pre-season matches this summer.

A monument commemorating the Easington pit disaster in which dozens of miners died has been vandalised. Labour MP Grahame Morris said the vandalism was “an attack on our culture, our heritage and our shared history, especially in the year we mark the 75th anniversary of the pit disaster”. The charity FareShare North East had to throw out 16 tonnes of perishables such as milk and meat - the equivalent of 7,000 meals - after thieves broke into its Middlesbrough warehouse. Independent councillor Kenny Hope has been asked to apologise to Durham council officers and undertake standards training following a misconduct hearing into emails he sent about the accuracy of scrutiny committee minutes. The £50 million Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital admitted its first patients yesterday. Redcar MP Anna Turley has warned residents after hearing “deeply concerning reports” that three men pretending to be from her team tried to enter a person’s home. Cleveland Police are investigating. A small scale oyster nursery is being placed into the River Tees as the next step in a long-term conservation project to clean the water. Nature restoration company RESTORE is leading on a project on the Emblehope and Burngrange Estate between Otterburn and Kielder Forest to transform 7,500 acres into a thriving wildlife reserve. Plans have been submitted to Durham County Council to expand Kynren into a year-round tourist destination.

Alfor Aviation is to move its global headquarters to Teesside International Airport and establish a significant European base for passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversion there. The £50 million investment will create 250 skilled jobs.

CEO Omer Mafa said the company looked at various European locations but the Teesside Freeport was a decisive factor. “By establishing our global headquarters at Teesside Airport and committing to the site for the next 50 years, we are demonstrating our confidence in the region and in the future of British aerospace manufacturing.”

“The North East is building something unique for the UK.” Those were the words of senior Lockheed Martin executive Dan Tenney on his return visit to check on progress of the North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) which is due to open this year. NESST is a collaborative project between Lockheed Martin Space UK, Northumbria University, and the UK Space Agency.

Figures released by Invest Newcastle show that 31 companies set up in the area in the last financial year with 12 businesses expanding their presence - generating 1,619 jobs and safeguarding 611 others. The numbers are similar to previous years. Former Square One Law managing partner Gill Hunter has been appointed board advisor at North East accountancy firm Blu Sky. A huge solar panel system installed on the roof of the largest warehouse at Tees Bulks Quay at Teesport is now live. It uses around 2,000 panels and is part of efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of PD Ports. Newcastle-based PolyBox, a company created for marketers by marketers which provides rapid access to clear, accurate information, has received an additional £700,000 of growth funding. Private equity-backed Orwins has added Newcastle commercial law firm Clarke Mairs to the group with the 10 partners becoming shareholders in Manchester-based Orwins, which was called BBS Law before a rebrand in May.

There was an alternative World Cup taking place at the same time as the FIFA president was allowing the US president to change the rules of football and our ‘game of two halves’ became four quarters.

The #AdWorldCup was taking place on LinkedIn, thanks to Steve Gibson of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. A total of 16 top quality ads battled it out for no trophy whatsoever. The final was a closely-fought match between a gorilla and a surfer.

“Guinness took one of the product’s biggest pain points, the time it takes to pour, and positioned it as something distinctive, iconic, and worth waiting for,” said Steve. “They didn't apologise for the delay. Instead, they transformed it into a ritual and reward.

”Cadbury took a different route. The Gorilla doesn’t explain anything about the product at all. Instead, it tries to capture a moment of pure, unadulterated joy through anticipation, an epic drum-fill and the feeling of release when the song finally kicks in.”

And the winner is…

The healthy life expectancy in the UK is falling. That’s the age you reach without significant illness, disability, or frailty. I mentioned this a few weeks ago - it’s down to around 60 in many parts of the UK and only 50 in Blackpool.

But The i Paper’s Sophie Gallagher has been to Orkney, Britain’s “healthiest place to grow old”, where you can be expected to be as fit as a fiddle until you are close on 73.

The archipelago’s relative isolation means supermarkets have a narrower choice – fewer ready meals, more home cooking – and there is a strong emphasis on exercise, including walking, gardening and dancing, as well as a booming over-60s social scene.

The weekly routine of 74-year-old Wendy Flett, for example, includes pilates, aerobics, wild swimming, bingo calling and volunteering. “I’m not the exception,” she says. “And I don’t do anything on a Friday.”

Gary Lineker is one of 120 millionaires who have signed a ‘Proud to Pay’ letter saying they should be taxed more to help pay for Andy Burnham’s cost-of-living measures.

“We want you to tax us. We can afford it. We’re not talking about higher taxes on those who get up and go to work for their income every day, but on the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold.”

Others who signed the letter from the Patriotic Millionaires UK campaign group include songwriter Brian Eno, former Greggs chairman Ian Gregg, economist and author Gary Stevenson and crime writer Val McDermid.

Communications was one thing that Sir Keir Starmer undoubtedly got wrong. He is not the most engaging of orators, but that wouldn’t have mattered so much if he was able to communicate the things he HAD done when he was in charge.

Ian Clark (@warehamphotographer) published a list of 24 achievements on his Substack saying: “Starmer is not, objectively, bad. This idea that he is somehow the worst PM in British history is frankly laughable. Liz Truss lasted 49 days, crashed the pound and was laughed out of Downing Street. Since Labour took office, Keir Starmer’s government:

• Scrapped the two-child benefit limit (even if not fast enough), lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and putting money back into some of the hardest-pressed households in the country.

• Expanded free school meals, cutting costs for families and making sure more children get a proper meal during the school day.

• Expanded funded childcare, reducing one of the biggest monthly costs facing working parents and making it easier for people to stay in work.

• Raised the National Living Wage, increasing pay for millions of low-paid workers.

• Strengthened workers’ rights, giving people greater protection against insecure work and bad employers.

• Introduced statutory sick pay from the first day of illness, so workers are less likely to choose between their health and their wages.

• Ended no-fault evictions, giving renters more security in their homes.

• Brought rail operators back into public ownership, taking key services out of failed private hands and giving the public a stronger stake in how they are run.

• Cut NHS waiting lists from their post-pandemic peak, meaning more patients are being seen sooner.

• Raised the state pension, protecting pensioners’ incomes against rising costs.

• Scrapped the old non-dom tax regime, making some of the wealthiest people in the country pay more fairly.

• Added VAT to private school fees, raising money from those most able to contribute.

• Removed business rates relief from private schools, ending an unjustified tax break.

• Increased neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and PCSOs back into communities.

• Helped bring knife crime down, meaning fewer families face the devastation of serious violence.

• Recorded the lowest homicide rate since the 1970s, a material improvement in public safety.

• Created Great British Energy, giving Britain a publicly owned clean energy company.

• Created the National Wealth Fund, backing investment in industry, infrastructure and clean energy.

• Passed planning reforms aimed at getting homes and major projects built faster.

• Improved relations with the EU, reducing diplomatic hostility and rebuilding practical cooperation.

• Agreed a UK-EU security partnership, strengthening cooperation on defence and European security.

• Signed a long-term partnership with Ukraine, reinforcing Britain’s support against Putin’s invasion.

• Secured new trade agreements, opening up markets for British businesses.

• Helped restore seriousness to government after years of scandal, chaos and decline.

“People do not have to like Starmer. They do not have to vote Labour. But pretending this is the record of the worst Prime Minister in British history is absurd,” he said.

I said at the beginning that communication was a real issue for Starmer. Having just been elected with a massive majority, the first thing he told us was things would get worse before they got better. Andy Burnham meanwhile scraps VAT on our electricity bills and reduces the cap on bus fares to £2.