Latest news with #NorthEastCombinedAuthority
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'I look every day for a job but there is nothing'
Towns and cities in north-east England are among the hardest places for young people to find work or training, according to a recent report. Middlesbrough was ranked fifth from bottom on the Youth Opportunity Index 2025, while Newcastle, Sunderland and County Durham were also among the toughest places for young people to start a career. The report, led by the Learning and Work Institute, analysed a range of factors, including education, apprenticeships and the quality of jobs available to 16 to 24-year-olds. It comes as the Tees Valley Combined Authority has been given £5m by the government for a Youth Guarantee Trailblazer scheme. Ranked out of 100 on the index, Sunderland scored 44, County Durham 43, Newcastle 40 and Middlesbrough received 31. Alfie is among those searching for apprenticeships or a part-time job in Sunderland, to earn money while at college. "Me mam says back in the day there used to be loads of jobs, you just couldn't not have one, but now it's just impossible," the 17-year-old said. "I look every night, every single day and night, I'm on my phone constantly looking and there is nothing at all." In Middlesbrough, 17-year-old Katie said finding even part-time work is incredibly hard. "I've looked on many websites and applied for many, many jobs and haven't heard back from any," she said. "They want someone who is more experienced, but it is difficult to get that experience if no one is willing to employ me." The government has funded Youth Guarantee Trailblazer schemes across the region to try to tackle the problem. The pilot aims to stop people aged 18 to 21 from falling out of the jobs market. Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said he was confident it would bring results. "The five million pounds will largely go towards paying for placements for young people who are not in education, skills or employment, who were much further away from the jobs market, that have other challenges to be able to get into work," he said. "Give them confidence and hopefully get them the skills and that means that we are tackling the issue of generational poverty." The North East Combined Authority is one of nine where a Trailblazer scheme would focus on the health impact of economic inactivity. Stephen Evans, from the Learning and Work Institute, hopes the programmes will help address the problems identified in the Youth Opportunity Index. "One of the really shocking findings that came through this research is that more than half of young people who are not in education, employment or training say they've never had a job at all," he said. "So we need to change that because they need the skills, but you also need to them gain the experience of work." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Youth Opportunity Index 2025
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Which are the possible Leamside Line stations?
Maps have shown where potential train stations of a disused rail line could be if the route is restored. The Leamside Line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, closed in the 1960s. A map published in North East mayor Kim McGuinness' Local Growth Plan shows possible stations at Penshaw, Fencehouses, West Rainton, Belmont, and one to serve Shincliffe and Bobwurn, before connecting to Ferryhill. The plan estimates restoring the full length of the line could provide new train links to 100,000 people and unlock the potential to build 10,000 homes. The North East Combined Authority said it was an "exciting" project and all maps were currently "illustrative". The plan states a reopened Leamside Line would try to replicate the success of the Scottish Borders Railway connecting Edinburgh and Tweedbank. The first stage of reopening would use the northern section of the line to create a new Washington Loop of the Tyne and Wear Metro. It could include two Metro stations in Washington and another to serve Follingsby. According to the map, trains could also run through communities on the southern section of the route if that is restored. This includes potential stations at Penshaw, Fencehouses, West Rainton, a 'Durham Parkway' station at Belmont, and one to serve Shincliffe and Bobwurn, before connecting to Ferryhill. The mayor committed £8 million last year to develop a more detailed business case for taking the Metro to Washington. There has also been Government funding to support earlier-stage planning for Leamside South, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. £8m pledged for Metro extension business case Government awards £350,000 towards rail line reopening project Government accused of 'misleading' over HS2 funds North East Combined Authority Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
21-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Which are the possible Leamside Line stations?
Maps have shown where potential train stations of a disused rail line could be if the route is Leamside Line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, closed in the 1960s.A map published in North East mayor Kim McGuinness' Local Growth Plan shows possible stations at Penshaw, Fencehouses, West Rainton, Belmont, and one to serve Shincliffe and Bobwurn, before connecting to plan estimates restoring the full length of the line could provide new train links to 100,000 people and unlock the potential to build 10,000 homes. The North East Combined Authority said it was an "exciting" project and all maps were currently "illustrative". The plan states a reopened Leamside Line would try to replicate the success of the Scottish Borders Railway connecting Edinburgh and Tweedbank. The first stage of reopening would use the northern section of the line to create a new Washington Loop of the Tyne and Wear could include two Metro stations in Washington and another to serve to the map, trains could also run through communities on the southern section of the route if that is includes potential stations at Penshaw, Fencehouses, West Rainton, a 'Durham Parkway' station at Belmont, and one to serve Shincliffe and Bobwurn, before connecting to mayor committed £8 million last year to develop a more detailed business case for taking the Metro to has also been Government funding to support earlier-stage planning for Leamside South, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
£18m set aside to demolish dangerous flyover
A council has set aside £18m to cover the cost of demolishing a dangerous bridge which was closed last year. Gateshead Council shut the A167 Gateshead Highway flyover in December after an inspection found it was unsafe for traffic. Despite work being carried out to repair the structure, the council said it would need to be knocked down. Council documents have now revealed the demolition would cost between £10m and £18m and is expected to be completed in the next financial year. A spokesperson for the council said funding would be agreed once demolition costs and grant arrangements had been confirmed. "If Gateshead Council needs to fund the demolition entirely from its own budgets, it would amount to a significant proportion of the authority's budgeted General Fund capital investment for 2025/26, and would have a negative impact on the council's plans for developing the borough across the financial year," they said. Inspections of the bridge found several issues including water retention and flooding, spalling concrete and concerns over its post-tensioning tendons, which carry the majority of the loads in the structure. A report by the council said the typical cost of repairing the flyover's concrete would be about £5.7m, but that figure did not include additional costs such as traffic management. The bridge would then require repairs in the future meaning demolition was the more appropriate option. "Demolition is the best option due to serious safety concerns, high repair costs, the flyover's age, and the potential for future regeneration," the report said. "The structure is inherently unsafe and has reached the end of its useful life," it added. In the flyover's place, Gateshead Council intends to build a new road called The Boulevard. It intends to use the The Boulevard as a jumping off point to redevelop the town centre, from the Tyne Bridge to Durham Road. Regeneration of the area has been in the pipeline since 2008 but little work has been carried out. Gateshead Council said it was in discussions with the government and the North East Combined Authority (NECA) to explore further funding for the town centre redevelopment. North East Mayor Kim McGuinness had previously said she was willing to use regional funds to finance the demolition if needed. A NECA spokesperson said: "Gateshead Council has set aside funds to cover the demolition of the flyover within its 2025-26 budget; we stand ready to support the council if we are asked to but at this time that has not been the case." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Bus route reopens as flyover work completed Flyover closed over 'potential risk to safety' Flyover checks were 'almost weekly' - leader Gateshead Council
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
South Tyneside Council proposes new plan to tackle child poverty
A council has unveiled a new strategy to "mitigate, reduce and prevent" child Tyneside Council has outlined plans to tackle the issue after data showed a third of its neighbourhoods were among the worst deprived areas in the country, according to the Local Democracy Reporting financial support would be provided to families, employers would be encouraged to pay the real living wage and the free school meal programme would be leader Tracey Dixon said the new strategy was needed as the area was suffering from "devastating levels of child poverty". "We know that almost a third of young people in South Tyneside are living in poverty and the impact of that on children's lives and childhoods can be linked to low birth weight in babies, poor physical and mental health and much more," she said."Our child poverty strategy directly tackles those burning issues." Strategy priorities The strategy has four overarching priorities, namely maximising family income, making work a route out of poverty, focusing on ensuring the best start in life and making all decisions through a "poverty lens".More specific plans include a programme designed to reduce the cost of the school day for families, increasing the number of baby boxes available to new parents and improving the uptake of Healthy Start Tyneside Council would also become part of the national Get Britain Working Agenda pilot scheme - a government policy which aims to improve employment by helping people to enter or rejoin the workforce. However, Dixon, who is deputy chair of the North East Combined Authority's Child Poverty Reduction Unit, noted "most of the levers to action real change are still in the control of central government".She said she hoped the council's strategy would "directly influence" the work of the national Child Poverty Taskforce in developing its National Child Poverty Strategy due to be published later this year. The strategy will be discussed by the council on 20 March. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
