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By ROB PARSONS - August 11 2022
It might not be their normal choice of morning listening but Northern leaders will likely have their dial switched to BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show tomorrow when the shortlist is announced for the host of next year's Eurovision Song Contest .
The UK was given the chance to host Eurovision for the ninth time as organisers decided the event cannot be held in war-torn Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
And with towns and cities invited to bid for the honour of hosting the major international event next May, it would probably be easier to list those which haven't put themselves forward.
The six-strong Northern contingent includes Darlington, after Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen revealed the bid at a scrutiny meeting yesterday .
He said later: “We may be the underdogs that people frequently underestimate but we’ve consistently proven them wrong by securing the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the Rugby League World Cup 2021, and a raft of international music stars. Whatever the outcome, our bid sets out our stall and shows we have the ambition, facilities, and vision to do things a few years ago we wouldn’t have even thought about."
Sheffield City Council was also among the first to announce a bid, saying on Twitter: “We’ve told Eurovision we’d love to host… watch this space.” Leeds City Council said it makes “total sense” for it to host next year as Leeds is the city of culture for 2023. The host city is expected to be announced by the autumn, with Birmingham and Glasgow the bookies' favourites .
Decision on 'complex' coal mine bid put off for months
It was due to be announced a month ago before being pushed back to mid-August after the sacking of Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.
And now the decision on whether to approve plans for a controversial coal mine on the edge of Whitehaven, West Cumbria , has been delayed for a second time because civil servants are still grappling with the “complex” issue, as LancsLive reports .
Ten days before his replacement, Greg Clark, was due to make a call, the deadline has now been moved to November 8, because officials are still considering the matter. It means the decision will be taken after a new Prime Minister has been elected to replace Boris Johnson.
Although backed by several Tory MPs, the mine has drawn condemnation from environmental groups, and was labelled “absolutely indefensible” by Climate Change Committee chairman Lord Deben.
If approved, the coal mine would be the first to open in the UK in 30 years, with the firm behind the project claiming it would create around 500 jobs.
The Conservative mayor of Copeland Mike Starkie, who has previously said local support for the mine is strong, called the latest delay "outrageous and totally unacceptable". "To now move the goalposts to November is appalling and there is no justification whatsoever."
Sunak and Truss told: Don't walk away from cost-of-living crisis
As Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss took questions yesterday from voters in Leigh, Greater Manchester, the cost-of-living crisis continues to dominate the exchanges in the battle to succeed Boris Johnson.
With analysts predicting average annual household energy bills could top £4,200 in January, Northern Labour leaders have warned Ms Truss and rival Rishi Sunak that they “can’t walk away” from the cost of living crisis.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: “We’re in a national emergency and Government should be responding to it as such – with support, direction and compassion too."
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has joined regional leaders like Andy Burnham and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in demanding an emergency budget that will support people through the months ahead.
He added: "Without immediate, decisive action from this government, even more people across our region will be cut adrift by Conservative Party indifference - all while energy companies continue to make mega profits.
Meanwhile Tory mayor Ben Houchen, who is backing Sunak in the leadership race, has been hearing growing concern from constituents in Tees Valley, and questioned whether the rivals truly understood the scale of people's fear of price rises. “I don't think either candidate really fully appreciates and understands the storm that awaits them when they come in," he told Caitlin Doherty of Politics Home .
Perhaps the question that prompted the strongest reaction amongst the audience at the GB News Q&A with Liz Truss was a resident asking about 'Lexit' , the idea that Leigh would separate from Labour-run Wigan council and form its own authority. See the full exchange here from 58 minutes in .
Host Alastair Stewart told viewers: "Folks looking at home and listening at home need to understand that this is one of those ultimately local issues. But I can tell you having been here all afternoon, it really matters."
Ms Truss, who took a couple of potshots at Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham during the session, said she'd spoken a lot to local Tory MP James Grundy about the issue.
She added: "I have said to him that we do need to look at local government and we do need to make sure it's local as possible and we do need to make sure people have control over decision-making powers."
Why NHS dentistry 'is on the verge of total collapse'
It's no secret that dentistry is in crisis, with the vast majority of NHS practices not accepting new adult patients (including 98% in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber). But how did we get here?
Speaking to HullLive, local dentist Oliver Pierce has opened up about the problems plaguing the industry. The owner of Sutton Dental Practice in Hull says Covid wasn't close to being a key reason for the dental crisis, as it has been on the decline for the last 15 years. Read the full piece by Emily Johnson here .
He said that in 2008 the current NHS dental contract was slammed by the Health Committee as "not fit for purpose" and sufficient reforms still haven't been made.
Dr Pierce said one of the downfalls of this contract is that the NHS pays dentists in bands, no matter how much work, time and resources goes into a patient's care. If he gave a patient one filling or if he gave them 10 - which is arguably a lot more costly and time-consuming - he would still be paid the same fixed rate by the NHS, hence why dentists are forced into going private.
Another issue is the lack of workforce planning by the government to train up workers for the dental field. He says for the last 20 years, only 1,300 dentists graduate each year, with a growing and ageing population to look after.
And he said: "Governments never really do things in the long-term so I doubt it will ever change. No dentists are hopeful that things will get better because we've been waiting for 14 years - NHS dentistry is on the verge of total collapse."
Convention centre 'faces £250m losses without massive redevelopment'
It was only a few weeks ago that local leaders from across the country - as well as Michael Gove and Kriss Akabusi - gathered for the annual Local Government Association conference at Harrogate Convention Centre .
But a report has now warned the North Yorkshire venue will suffer huge losses of £250 million unless a major redevelopment is carried out, as Local Democracy Reporter Jacob Webster writes.
The ageing centre is facing a pivotal moment in its 40-year history as it presses ahead with renovation plans while competition from new conference venues – including one planned for Leeds – ramps up.
Harrogate Borough Council owns the venue and has proposed an investment project which could cost £49 million in what would mark the single biggest spend by the authority in its lifetime. Without this, the council has warned the centre will “fall behind in the market” and “may fail to survive”.
The warning comes as the clock is ticking until the centre is handed over to the new North Yorkshire Council next April and as questions mount over how the redevelopment could be funded after cash was not included in a devolution deal for the county.
Harrogate Borough Council has also bid for convention centre cash from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. However, the maximum amount available per project is £20 million and Harrogate is ranked as a low priority area.
Thousands vote on cream of Newcastle's entertainment scene
After the huge success of the first Newcastle Loves - celebrating the city's vibrant nightlife, food and drink and entertainment scene - the Chronicle newspaper wanted to make it an annual event.
But, as with so many other things, Covid threw a huge spanner in the works of plans to bring it back in 2020 and 2021.
Newcastle Loves was finally able to relaunch earlier this year, when readers were asked to nominate their favourite places across 12 categories, some newly introduced for 2022, including Best Sunday Dinner, Best LGBTQ+ Venue and Covid Success Story.
After close to 34,000 votes, the winners of this year's Newcastle Loves awards were revealed at a red carpet ceremony at The Lofts super club in the city centre last night.
An audience of close to 200 people flocked to the first ceremony to enjoy performances from the likes of Jennison, Jamie-Lee Harrison, Abi Garrido and Ami Vaziri as the accolades were handed out.
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Northern Stories
Sir Cliff Richard will be among the celebrities to feature in a new Channel 4 documentary exploring the impact of a police investigation which falsely accused them of historical sex offences. The singer was investigated but cleared as part of Operation Yewtree, launched 10 years ago in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Sir Cliff, 81, won his privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014, following a child sex assault allegation.
Bridges connecting Grimsby and Immingham will be repaired to boost key industries and tourism, Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark announced today . A total of £8 million of funding has been confirmed to help fix damaged bridges along the A180 – a route that connects the region’s key ports, serves residents and tourists and provides an estimated £2.5 billion to the local economy’s Seafood Cluster each year. Local leaders say the funding will prevent months of disruption and closures for residents.
A proposed new mosque on the outskirts of Preston would be a “brilliant place of worship…for a great city”, the closing stages of a public inquiry into the plans has been told . But opponents of the project say the striking structure could not achieve both the landmark status it seeks while also being suitable for the small plot of land earmarked for it. That is one of many competing conundrums a planning inspector will wrestle with as he considers whether to recommend that the government grants permission for the Brick Veil Mosque.
A York councillor who claimed he would “go to hell in a handcart” before approving a planning application on the greenbelt said he was “relieved” after an investigation found he did not breach the council’s code of conduct . Tony Fisher, then chair of the planning committee, made the comment after abstaining on a vote to approve a plan for 83 homes in Dunnington in October. Labour councillors said his words could pre-determine his attitude to future planning applications and risked opening the council to legal challenges.
A Hollywood-style “Walk of Champions” detailing Liverpool FC ’s successes could be installed outside Anfield . A planning application has been lodged by the club with Liverpool Council to install bronze floor plaques adjacent to the stadium. The plaques would be similar to that of those installed along the mile-long Hollywood Boulevard honouring stars of film and TV. Little in the way of detail has been released about the proposals since they were submitted to the city council last month.
A new policy aimed at phasing out lap dancing clubs in Blackpool has been used for the first time to turn down licence applications. An application for a new sexual entertainment venue licence for Dreams at 11 to 13 Queen Street has been refused, along with an application for a new licence for Mystique at 15 to 17 Queen Street. It follows formal adoption of the new policy in October aimed at eventually eradicating all lap dancing clubs from the resort.
