Welcome to your daily look at the news in the North East.
Each morning and afternoon we'll bring you some of the latest from the North East - from breaking news and top stories to NUFC updates and the cost of living latest.
READ MORE: Families of South Shields couple killed in Manchester terror attack call for right to register their deaths
Today we bring you the news that households in Newcastle will be hit with a 4% council tax hike and Newcastle United owner Amanda Staveley quashes talk that the Public Investment Fund is interested in buying Manchester United.
This is your afternoon North East Today update.
Council tax hike of 4% in Newcastle agreed as city leaders sign off £23m budget cuts
Households in Newcastle will be hit with a 4% council tax hike, while council bosses have signed off on £23m of budget cuts.
Leaders agreed financial plans on Wednesday that will also see more than 50 jobs axed at Newcastle City Council.
Car parking charges will rise and social services will have to reduce their spending by £6m, while local authority bosses rejected calls to reinstate free parking for disabled blue badge holders and delay the closure of a council depot in the East End.
Read the full story here.
North Shields Newcastle fan hit fellow supporter over head with a bottle on train home
A Newcastle United supporter attacked a fellow fan with a bottle on a train on their way back from a match after a 19-hour drinking session.
Ryan Vaughan was with other supporters heading back from an away game against Tottenham last year when troubled flared. In his heavily intoxicated state, he tried to get off the train with some other supporters in Durham but was stopped from doing so by people who were concerned he would end up stranded.
A court heard matters then turned violent when he picked up a bottle and hit another man over the head, leaving him bleeding profusely from a gash. Now the 23-year-old, of Willoughby Road, North Shields, has been given a suspended prison sentence and a football banning order.
Read the full story here.
Offices with rooftop views over Tyne planned for Newcastle city centre
Images have been released showing how a new office with a rooftop terrace overlooking Newcastle city centre will look.
The Pioneer is set to be the latest building to take shape at Newcastle’s key regeneration zone Stephenson Quarter, coming hot on the heels of modern office the Pattern Shop. Developers leading the site have issued images showing how the 10-storey tower will have terraces on every floor, as well as one on the roof with 360 degree views over the River Tyne and the city centre.
The 100,000-sqft building has been unveiled by the Stephenson Works LLP, the joint venture between Newcastle City Council and PfP-igloo, formed to complete the second phase of the development. It will be built on the site of world-famous locomotive designers George and Robert Stephenson’s first purpose-built locomotive factory.
With space for around 1,000 workers, developers, property agents and city leaders hope it could become an impressive head office for a new business in the city.
Read the full story here.
Newcastle United owner Amanda Staveley quashes talk PIF are interested in buying Manchester United
Amanda Staveley has reassured Newcastle United fans that the club's wealthy Saudi investors have no interest in buying another Premier League club.
In recent weeks there have been suggestions that the Public Investment Fund could consider selling Newcastle to fund a bid for Manchester United. But co-owner Staveley - who says the consortium have pumped in over £200m of their own money since October 2021 - has dismissed that prospect of buying a rival out of hand.
Read the full story here.
Man suffered bleed on brain and permanent loss of taste after being punched
A thug is facing jail after he twice punched a man and left him with bleeds on the brain and permanent loss of taste and smell.
Kieron Robley and the victim were involved in an altercation in Newcastle when the former lashed out with his fists. A court heard that the 29-year-old struck the male twice, with the second blow sending him crashing to the floor.
The victim, who hit his head on the ground, was taken to hospital, where it was found he'd suffered three bleeds on the brain and had permanently lost his sense of taste and smell. He also had an "unpleasant" wound to the back of his head, which required staples.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that Robley also assaulted the victim's wife during the altercation on December 30, 2021. Now, Robley, of Alder Way, in Throckley, Newcastle, could end up spending time behind bars after he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm without intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Read the full story here.
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