Inside the refurbished library

 

Whickham Library is currently being refurbished. On Saturday I was able to see inside. It's looking great. Doors reopen on 30th September.

Sunniside MacMillan coffee mornings

 

On Friday, Sunniside hosted 2 MacMillan coffee mornings, at the Pharmacy and at the Social Club. I went to both!

Inside the refurbished library

 

On Saturday we (ie the Whickham Lib Dem Councillors) held our monthly advice surgery outside Whickham Library. The reason we were outside rather than inside is because the Library is undergoing refurbishment. We were given the opportunity to have a look around. The work is nearly finished and the Library is looking great. It reopens on 30th September.

Surgery tomorrow

Everyone, please hope for a rain free day tomorrow in Whickham! I will be having my monthly advice surgery with my Lib Dem councillor colleagues at 10am outside Whickham Library. Note the word "outside". The Library is closed for refurbishment so the surgery will be in the great outdoors. The umbrella will possibly accompany me.

Let me eat cake

 

Today, Sunniside hosted 2 MacMillan coffee mornings - at the Pharmacy and at the Club. I felt it was very appropriate tht I visit both and buy lots of cakes and scones. That's my lunch sorted!

Brighton Conference

 

I am in Brighton for the Lib Dem conference and yesterday I got to meet a political hero of mine: Lynne (now Baroness) Featherstone. As home office minister in the coalition government (2010-15), Lynne was instrumental in passing the legislation that legalised same sex marriage. It is because of her that I now wear a wedding ring. As she was able to pass the same sex legislation, David and I were able to get married. Lynne Featherstone, my hero.

Focus delivery, Mexican style

 

Gateshead and Durham Lib Dems held a join action day on Saturday. On the Gateshead side we delivered 1000 Focus on Barley Mow newsletters. On the other side of the border, Durham delivered their latest edition of their North Lodge Focus. 

We are used to action day lunches consisting of sandwiches. North Lodge Councillor Craig Martin had other ideas. It turns out he is a keen cook and likes to experiment. We were happy to be the guinea pigs to test out his latest Mexican themed cooking. It all went down very well!

Memories of 9-11

I remember distinctly 11th September 2001. I was working for the Lib Dem group at the Local Government Association at the LGA HQ in London. The internet was more basic and slower back then but I was able to pick up a news report that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York. My initial thought was that it was a small plane that was involved in the collision. A few days before I had (wearing my historian's hat) studied a crash by a light aircraft into the Empire State Building in 1945. I presumed the crash in 2001 was something similar. I mentioned the crash to colleagues as they returned from lunch only to discover no one could get onto the BBC News site. Apparently it was overloaded.

And then came the rumour that a passenger jet, not a light plane, had hit the WTC. We knew there was a tv in the basement so we headed down there to see one of the towers burning and to witness the 2nd attack followed by the collapse of both towers. It was a Kennedy moment. Everyone old enough remembers what they were doing when they heard the news of the assassination. Now everyone old enough remembers what they were doing when they learnt of the attacks on the WTC, Pentagon and American Airlines 93.

With fears that this terror attack could be about to hit other countries, the Blair government ground all aircraft in UK airspace. We felt as though we were all under siege and as we were based in Westminster, next to Parliament, and fearing the rail and tube could be suspended, we were told to head home. I got to Victoria Station which was unusually crowded for an afternoon but fortunately the trains were still running. These were the days when mobile phones were simply for making calls but David was able to phone me from the safety of the North East and give me an update.

I got back to the house later in the afternoon and watched as events unfolded on television. We knew at that point that the world would never be the same again.

Front Street looking great

 

Volunteers from Planting Up Sunniside have been hard at work on Sunniside Front Street. The flower beds look great. Well done everyone.

Printing again

 

With the summer break now behind us, we are back to campaigning. I was in our print room this morning the result of which was 1000 leaflets ready for delivery this weekend.

Six month absence and he stands again

This is the first time that I have ever come across an ex-councillor standing in a ward where he caused the election by not attending any meetings. If a councillor fails to attend a meeting for six months, they are off the council and a by-election is called. Most of those former councillors disappear never to be seen again. Not so ex-councillor John Allen, elected for Reform in Hirst ward of Northumberland last year. He failed to put in an appearance at council meetings from February to August, at which point the 6 month rule kicked in.

The resulting by-election will be held on 1st October and, you guessed it, Allen is standing again, this time without the Reform branding. Instead, he is standing as an Independent. 

This contest sees the Conservatives, Restore, Reform and ex-Reform battling for the right wing vote. On the centre and left of the political spectrum, Labour and the Lib Dems are battling for the progressive vote without a Green candidate to muddy the water.

Chowdene action day

 

On Saturday 5th September 2026, Gateshead Lib Dems held an action day, this time in Chowdene ward. Most of the ward was delivered with the Focus in the morning. I had a patch of 275 to deliver, only to find whilst out delivering that 60 had to come off my delivery list - I bumped into a colleague who was delivering part of my patch by mistake! It meant I was the first back at HQ for lunch! By the time everyone else was back, we could see that only 4 patches (see photo above) were left to deliver. 

I was not sticking around after lunch. I had tickets to watch Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home 40th anniversary at the Tyneside Cinema. It's one of my favourite films. Definitely not to be missed.

Three way split for parties of the right

A by-election in the Northumberland ward of Amble is due to be held on 1st October. The vacancy has been caused by the death of Arty Hume, first elected in May last year for Reform. The point of interest is the list of the parties contesting the by-election. There are four: Conservatives, Reform, Restore and Labour. I am scratching my head as to why there is no Lib Dem candidate. Sadly, the party is not as strong in Northumberland as it used to be. Notice also the absence of a Green candidate. It means the rightwing vote is split three ways. If Labour can't win in such circumstances, can they ever win?

Another point of interest will be the impact of the presence of a Restore candidate on Reform's vote. Will Restore grab a share of Reform's vote, enough to cost them the by-election? We shall find out on 1st October.

Oh no, not another by-election

Has Keir Starmer left a ticking time bomb in Burnham's inbox? His resignation as MP for Holborn and St Pancras means a tricky by-election. The Greens are already sniffing around the constituency and they are doing nothing to deflect suggestions that Zak Polanski will be their candidate. The talk is that Starmer has handed the constituency to Polanski. But is that really the case?

In the May local elections, Labour actually held on, though admittedly with a reduced majority, in Camden, the authority that covers Holborn and St Pancras. Elsewhere, Labour were in meltdown. It seems in Camden that people regard Labour a bit more positively than elsewhere. There is likely to be a rebound in the Labour vote, as already seen in opinion polls and in the Makkerfield by-election. And I'm not convinced that the Labour machine was unaware of the by-election. I suspect Starmer had been in talks with Labour campaign chiefs and an assessment of Labour prospects has been made. Perhaps he's going now because Labour feel they have a good chance of holding on, subject to a suitable candidate. Meanwhile, the gloss has started to come off Polanski. And an examination of Green policies could put off many moderate centrist voters.

So although the Greens may be getting excited about Polanski storming his way into Parliament, I would caution against all this excitement. We may be in for a big battle but if Polanski stands and loses, his political career is over.

Dunston fair video

 

Basil and Dandelion went down well with visitors to the Dunston fair yesterday. As you can see, they were the stars in the video I filmed on the day.

Dunston fair

 

This morning I took two of our goats to Dunston fair. Dandelion and Basil spent the morning and afternoon being given lots of apples and attention. My colleagues Peter Maughan, Marilynn Ord, Jason Meecham and Peter and Susan Craig were there as well. Particular mention is made of Emma from Dunston who took over the running of the fair some weeks ago. It probably wouldn't have gone ahead without her.

Leapfrogging in style

Yesterday there was a by-election in the Newcastle City Council ward of Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn. Yet again, it was another Reform resignation after just a few weeks in the role of councillor. The ward itself was comfortably held by Labour until their near wipe out in Newcastle. From a council Labour had run with a significant majority, they were reduced to two. But with the Burnham Bounce and the boost that can be gained by starting in second place in the ward, Labour must have fancied their chances of regaining the ward.

Throckley must have been the worst ward to try to pull off a Lib Dem coup in Newcastle. We were chugging along with barely a few percent. Even the Conservatives were ahead of us. Ahead of them were the Greens, who were stalking Labour who were in a slightly distant 2nd place. Reform had a comfortable majority. The margins may have been significant but Labour should have been the primary challengers. And then everything went wrong.

Instead of storming the Reform barricades in Throckley, Labour slumped. Instead, the Lib Dems were doing the storming from the back of the queue. In spectacular style, they leapfrogged the Conservatives, Greens and Labour to seize the coveted 2nd position. It would have been great to leapfrog in style by winning the seat outright but the Lib Dems now have a winnable ward which, if worked, could go Lib Dem next time.

The actual result (with the top result for each party in May in brackets for comparison) was:

• Reform 901 (1380)
• Lib Dems (Steve Kelly) 670 (150)
• Labour 534 (914)
• Greens 103 (432)
• Conservatives 101 (276)

The only party with an increased vote are the Lib Dems. Greens and Conservatives were squeezed right down. Labour lost nearly half their vote. Reform lost approximately a third of their vote. Meanwhile the Lib Dem vote quadrupled.

Well done to Steve Kelly who has taught us to leapfrog in style.

Protesting again a greenbelt development

 

Plans by Banks Group to build 210 houses on the fields to the south of Sunniside are not going down well in the village. The planning application is not yet submitted to Gateshead Council but it is expected later this year. I organised a photo op for the Evening Chronicle on Thursday for residents to protest against the proposals. With only a couple of days' notice, 30-40 came along, having responded to the post I put on our Lib Dem Facebook page, Focus on NE16.

Our reasons for opposing the proposals are:

• the site is greenbelt;
• the village is heavily congested;
• the community infrastructure (schools, health services etc) are already overstretched;
• the drainage in the village is already inadequate and during times of heavy rain, sewage overflows into the local stream.

The application has not yet been submitted but we expect it to be with the Council later this year.

Come and see Basil and Dandelion tomorrow

 

Tomorrow I will be taking two of our goats to another local fair, this time in Dunston Park, Gateshead. I will be taking dandelion (see above) one of our young nannies and Basil (see below), a billy kid born earlier this year. The fair is open 11am to 3pm.

Meeting Planting Up Sunniside

 

Another floral display from Planting Up Sunniside. The group have taken on the role of brightening the village by planting up containers and verges. They are meeting shortly and I've been invited to attend. The Sunniside Christmas tree and the switch on event will be on the agenda. I will have to report that there will be only one donkey for the switch on. We had three last year but this year two of the donkeys have been sold (they used to live in the stables next to my farm). But one is better than none and if necessary I could bring a couple of my goats to the switch on cunningly disguised as reindeer!

Goodbye Dolly

Sad news: Dolly Parton has passed away. I saw her in concert at the O2 about a decade ago. She was one of the greatest singers and entertainers of the last 6 decades. The world will be a less colourful place without her. She accepted people for what they are and she was a great success in a male dominated world. 

RIP Dolly.

Housing protest on Thursday

On Thursday I have arranged for a reporter/photographer to come to Sunniside where he will be reporting on the proposals by Banks Group to build 210 houses on the land immediately to the south of the village. Residents fighting the proposals are welcome to join us at midday at the Burdon Park/Burdon Lodge entrance to the Tanfield Bridleway.

Councillor Marilynn Ord and I are opposing the plans because:

• The site is greenbelt which protects land from development;
• Sunniside is heavily congested during morning and evening rush hours as the village is on one of the busiest routes between Tyneside and northern Durham;
• The community infrastructure (eg health services) in Sunniside would be stretched to breaking point with the addition of 210 houses;
• The village's existing drainage and sewage system struggles to cope and especially in winter, there can be sewage overflows into the Blackburn, the stream which runs through local woodland and through Watergate Park.

The planning application has not yet been submitted but it is expected later this year. A final decision is expected next year.

Residents are welcome to join us on Thursday.

Reform's foundations of rubbish

 

In Gateshead, the new Reform administration is learning the hard way how to put one's foot in one's mouth and look ridiculous in one go. Council Leader Nick Allan thought it was a good idea to back a proposal for defense manufacturing hubs to be set up at five locations in the UK, one of which was Blaydon Quarry in Gateshead. The proposals were the work of the Adam Smith Institute, not exactly known for any left-leaning inclinations. Nevertheless, Cllr Allan rushed to back the proposals publicly and the Chronicle, the North East's daily newspaper, carried the story.

Alas, within 24 hours, the Blaydon Quarry proposal was in tatters. Cllr Allan overlooked a small but rather important point. The Quarry is already occupied - by a landfill site! No rubbish has been deposited there since 2021 and the site has since been capped (under the direction of Gateshead Council). Had Cllr Allan checked with officers, he would have realised the location was a non-starter.

Within 24 hours, the Quarry proposal was abandoned. How long Cllr Allan's red faced embarrassment will continue is anyone's guess!

Dr Who or Terminator

 

Yesterday I went to the Tyneside Cinema to see the Dr Who film released in 1996. The showing was to mark the 30th anniversary of the film. Back in the 1990s there was a great deal of hope and anticipation about the Dr Who film. Nearly a decade earlier the plug had been pulled on the TV series but Dr Who fans, myself included, hoped the film would kickstart the production of a regenerated TV programme. Oh how wrong we were.

In 1996, with high expectations came low returns. There was widespread disappointment with the film which felt too Americanised. Somehow, car chases, bullets flying, shoot-outs and a disturbing lack of Daleks just didn't seem like the Dr Who we previously knew. Kiss goodbye to any thoughts of a return to the small screen. It wasn't until 2005 (in the middle of the election campaign) that Dr Who eventually made its comeback.

So what did I expect when, for the first time in 30 years, I saw the film again? Frankly I went with low expectations this time. As I sat through the viewing yesterday, I felt I was watching Terminator. That didn't help matters as Terminator 2 is one of my favourite films and ironically I have already booked up tickets at the Tyneside Cinema to see Arnie in September!

As for Dr Who the Movie? I'm still disappointed. It seems I haven't mellowed over the past 30 years.

Conference agenda now online

 

Lib Dem conference agenda and directory are now live on the party's website. I will be there for the whole of conference, indeed, for a bit longer still. I usually arrive at conference on either the Saturday or Sunday. This time I will arrive in Brighton on the Friday morning so I can attend an afternoon training session. I've also got a ticket for an event in the evening run by the Social Liberal Forum. This includes a reception and a trip up the i360, a viewing tower on Marine Parade.

What I have to do now is read the conference papers. I will start with checking which training events are taking place. Then move on to fringe events and bringing up the rear will be policy debates. Over 20 years ago I was part of the policy team so I was involved with writing the policy papers that went to conference. Nowadays I'm quite happy to have a more leisurely approach to conference!

You can read the conference papers on this link.

Are food price rises on the horizon?

 

There can be no doubts about it: the drought is affecting the food supply and there is likely to be an impact on prices this autumn and winter. I keep sheep and goats on our farm but we also make our own hay. The hay crop is about a quarter of what it would have been if we had had a bit of rain in the summer. We have enough hay to get us into next year but we won't be selling much. The problem is multiplied across the country. Farmers are already feeding their winter hay to their livestock. Price rises are already on the horizon.

The video above was filmed on our farm earlier this month when we got our first hay crop in.

A successful visit

 

I recently arranged for Sunniside History Society members to visit Ravensworth Castle in Gateshead. The trip took place on Saturday. The Castle was a stately home designed by John Nash (who designed Buckingham Palace when the Prince Regent was around) but it was partially demolished in the late 1930s and then more substantially in the 1950s. Fragments survive including the stable block and a corner of the Nash house (see photo above). In addition, the two medieval corner towers have survived the ravishes of time far more so than the rest of the site.

Ravensworth Castle is in the Ravensworth Park estate and is privately owned. You can't just turn up and look around. All visits must be arranged in advance.

There were about 15 of us on the visit and a good time was had by all. There were two of us able to talk about the history of the site - myself and Barry, the head gamekeeper at Ravensworth. Barry's intimate knowledge of the buildings was especially useful.

I was the only member of the group who had previously been to the Castle so this visit was a new experience for the others.

Stable block.

Stable block

Fish pond.

Good start but....

It seems that Andy Burnham has got off to a good start. I had previously thought of him as something of a lightweight but his performance since becoming PM has made me revisit my opinions on him. This is of course the honeymoon stage of his premiership. We saw with Starmer and Brown that honeymoons can be shortlived. It will be interesting to see how long Burnham's last. Nevertheless I get the feeling that most people want him to succeed, at least for the nation' sake.

But then we come back to the same problems that Starmer faced. Burnham makes announcements on policies but he still has all the restrictions that were placed on his predecessor. All the problems that faced Starmer are still there. He was not able to resolve them (his time in office was after all curtailed). Time will judge Burnham in the years to come on whether he succeeded where Starmer fell short.

Which is the most unworkable policy?

It seems the Conservatives have entered a competition with Reform to see which party can come up with the most unworkable policy. Over the past week, Reform announced that if they were in government, they would use the Royal Navy to forcibly return asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats to France. That would mean Royal Navy vessels entering French territorial waters without permission from the French authorities. The French have already announced they will not allow ships to dock. For an unworkable policy, Reform are awarded 10 out of 10.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have come up with a plan to solve the housing crisis by evicting people. Specifically, they want foreign nationals thrown out of social housing. The patronising claim by the Conservatives is that somehow those living in social housing are not paying their way and should therefore be kicked out of their homes so they are forced to support themselves. But what about the hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who are paying their way? People who work in the NHS or in vital other local services? According to the Conservatives, they are living off everyone else so they need to be evicted. Another 10 out of 10 for an unworkable policy.

Neo-Nazi and net zero

The Conservatives have really lost the plot. In a desperate bid to outdo Reform, Kemi Badenoch has announced that no one supporting net zero will be allowed to stand as a Conservative candidate in the general election. This led to one former cabinet member (Grant Shapps) being refused permission to stand. Yet at the same time she was standing by a Conservative local election candidate with convictions for harassment and neo-Nazi activities. This candidate has now stood down but the damage to the Conservatives has been done.

Ravensworth Castle visit

 

As chair of Sunniside History Society, I have arranged a visit to Ravensworth Castle (or what is left of it after the demolition squads of the 1930s and 1950s had finished their work). What is left is the stable block, the two Medieval corner towers, the ice house and a corner of the John Nash mansion. The trip will be on Saturday. If you want to join the visit, come to the Sunniside History Society meeting tonight (Wednesday 5th August) at Sunniside Social Club and register your interest. You can also email sun1h1st@gmail.com.

Cornerstone community fair

 

Cornerstone Church recently took over the former Sunniside Methodist Church building. I am delighted that Cornerstone took on this project as it ensured the building continues to be available for use by the community and the heritage of the Sunniside was retained and protected. On Sunday, the church held its first community fair. I was there to run the Sunniside History Society table. My ward colleague Cllr Jonathan Mohammed also popped in (see photo above).

Reform bans the Ukrainian flag

Two flags have been banned by Reform from the flagpoles of Gateshead Civic Centre. Firstly, they put an end to the display of the Pride flag. Now, they have banned the Ukrainian flag, a decision that was confirmed at the last full council meeting in July. A Lib Dem motion calling for the flag to be flown was kicked out by the ranks of largely silent Reform Councillors (other than the deputy leader who spoke against. Her argument was that the union jack flown constantly at the Civic Centre would have to make way for the Ukrainian flag. This is of course nonsense. There are 3 flagpoles at the Civic Centre. We only want one for the Ukrainian flag, not all three.

Meanwhile, I continue to see people displaying the Ukrainian flag at home. Given the improved Ukrainian battlefield situation, Reform could soon be in the wrong side of history.

No DBS checks in Gateshead

DBS checks (Disclosure and Barring Service) are not to be required of Gateshead Councillors in Gateshead. That was the decision of Gateshead Council a couple of weeks ago. DBS is a system to check whether someone has a criminal record so it can be decided whether a person is appropriate for appointment to a particular job or role. Earlier in July, Labour put forward a motion calling for DBS checks on all councillors as a matter of course. Council rejected the call.

Or rather, Reform rejected it.

I have criticism of both Labour and Reform about this. Firstly, Labour had been in power in Gateshead since 1974. They chose to put forward the DBS proposals after losing power. Before May, they had the power to require DBS checks but did not implement them. Then, after losing power in May and no longer having the power to introduce them, they then propose implementing them.

Secondly, Reform responded to the motion by rejecting it. Their deputy leader led their argument against. She made the point that there was nothing in the motion to explain what the Council should do if someone's DBS comes back failing their check. It's a valid point to raise but it was wrong to use that argument to throw out the DBS proposals. They could have moved an amendment or simply worked with the opposition parties to come up with a workable solution.

In the dark days of Labour's one party state in Gateshead, Labour largely voted against our motions (there were a few honourable exceptions). It seems Gateshead under Reform is heading in the same direction.

Wallpaper ballot

 

This photo has been doing the rounds on Facebook. It is the ballot paper for the Clacton by-election. At this point in the contest the supply of jokes about this absurd contest have been exhausted. 34 candidates are competing for the crown, making for a ballot paper that is more like wallpaper.

The jokes may be exhausted but it is still possible to engage in fantasy outcomes. The idea that Farage could be beaten by a bin is delicious. Alas, however, I can't see it happening. Expect a Farage win unless Binface manages to whip up enough people to push him over the line. Dream on!

Fish and chips onboard the Tanfield Railway

 

Sunniside is fortunate to have the Tanfield Railway, the world's longest running steam rail system, right on our doorstep. Recently I spotted an advert for an event at the Tanfield: fish and chip aboard the train. I couldn't resist. We had a great time!

Newcastle Pride - the video

 

Filmed today.

Newcastle Pride

 

It was Newcastle Pride today. After my ward surgery I headed over to Newcastle Civic Centre to be part of a sea of colour for the parade to the Monument. Good to see lots of people from Gateshead Council LGBT support network.

One of the first people I bumped into was Cllr Henry Gallagher, mayor of Newcastle.

Welcome aboard

Gateshead full council meeting was held last week. Quietly slipping in under the radar was Reform Councillor, Lindsay Atkinson. He was the winner of the High Fell by-election caused by the Reform councillor, elected in May, lasting only 11 days in the job. Atkinson's win went unobserved by Full Council. No mention by the Leader or Mayor. No opportunity for Reform to celebrate their majority of 5. What was also of interest at the meeting was the appearance of Reform Councillor Sydney Laws who had not attended any previous meetings and some were beginning to wonder if he would ever be seen at council meetings. Now we can rest assured that he will be taking an active role in the Council.........we hope.

50 years in business

 

I had to go to Lobley Hill today for some stamps. The joy of popping to the Sunniside Post Office ended when the branch was closed a few years ago. Lobley Hill is therefore now our closest branch. The Lobley Hill branch is next to the Kular Stores which recently celebrated 50 years as the convenience store for the whole of Lobley Hill. I remember being sent to the shop 50 years ago by Mam to do some shopping. Previously it was Moore's Stores. And yes, I remember shopping there as well. The store has grown ever since. So congratulations on reaching a half century and and here's to many more years ahead of you.

Clear the gallery!

 

Full council last week experienced some disruption. A bunch of Reform supporters were in the public gallery and, rather oddly, also in the well of the council chamber. This area is reserved for councillors, officers and press. The only members of the public allowed to sit in the well (on the edge of it) are those with disabilities which make it difficult to access the public gallery. Joining the Reform supporters in the well was Mark Steele, the conspiracy theorist who claims street lights are part of a 5G weapon system which is killing people. Steele runs his very own political party, Save Us Now, which appears to have been created in his own image. Nevertheless, despite the different party memberships, |Steele appeared to be getting on well with his Reform chums. Other than the one person in a wheel chair, we do not know how these people found their way into the chamber unchallenged.

Part way into the meeting, Labour complained to the mayor that abusive language was being used by people in the public gallery. I didn't hear what was said but the Mayor immediately clamped down and ordered that the public gallery be cleared. Mark Steele chose to leave by walking through the council chamber shouting abuse at Labour councillors while looking at the Lib Dem group. The video above caught what happened.

Given ongoing concerns about the safety of politicians, quite why Reform supporters and others were allowed to gather in and occupy part of the well of the council chamber is unknown. Perhaps the Reform leadership of Gateshead Council may wish to look into this and report back on how this will be avoided in the future.

Will there be a general election?

Speculation about a general election was one of the most expected outcomes of the change of Prime Minister. I can't however see an early election happening. Burnham inherits a Parliamentary party of over 400 MPs. The current Parliament has run for only 2 years and has 3 years left to go. Burnham has committed to following the key points of the Labour general election manifesto. Labour's poll ratings may have improved but decisions on going to the polls cannot be based on initial opinion poll results. Outside the North West, Burnham is largely unknown. He needs time to settle in. And, of course, we live in a Parliamentary democracy. The prime minister is not directly elected by the people but is appointed by the King who give the role to the person who can command a majority in the House of Commons.

So, famous last words etc but do not expect a general election at least until 2028, if not 2029.

Working 9 to 5

At full council in Gateshead last week, the ruling Reform group put forward a motion calling for meetings to start at 4.30pm and be limited to a maximum of two hours. The aim of the changes is to make it easier for people to become councillors and attend meetings. So let's look at this in detail.

In days gone by, most people would have worked standard 9 to 5 shifts. Daytime council meetings therefore are difficult for working people to attend. But...nowadays, more people are working flexible shifts, work weekends, enjoy flexitime, work part time and so on. In other words, people are more flexible in their working arrangements. For me personally, working 9 to 5 is not an issue. I am a farmer and can fit meetings around mucking out the goats, feeding the sheep and so on. The problem for me is evening meetings in the ward. I attend lots of local community and volunteer groups typically from 6pm onwards. Moving council meetings to the late afternoon will make it harder to do the task of local representation.

The Lib Dem group however were more inclined to support the proposal so I accepted the need to support the change. If it works, that's fine. If not, we always have the opportunity to go back to day time meetings.

The other Reform proposal however was more controversial: meetings are to be restricted to 2 hours maximum. For all the time I have been a councillor (39 years now!) there has never been a need to limit the length of a meeting. Indeed, I have attended lots of meetings that were so short that councillors were still signing the register as the meeting ended. Meetings lasting more than 2 hours are unusual but typically there is a good reason for exceeding such a time limit. Here are some relatively recent examples.

A few months ago, corporate resources scrutiny committee discussed the demolition of the flyover as well as other issues relating to the failure to regenerate Gateshead High Street. Members of the committee grilled chief officers and the then leader and deputy leader of the council. This exercise brought out a great deal of information and threw light on how the council was dealing with the key issues in the town centre.

Another recent example was the scrutiny by corporate resources of Regent Funeral Services, again with senior officers attending. As with the previous example, the meeting lasted more than 2 hours because there was a thorough analysis and a great deal of questioning by members.

And a further recent example was the cabinet meeting that debated the proposed closure of leisure centres in Gateshead. This issue alone took up 3 hours of the meeting's time because members of the public, interest groups and volunteers attended and put forward their views, as did ruling and opposition councillors alike. Restricting the whole meeting to 2 hours would have severely curtailed the debate and probably would have excluded the public from being able to speak.

So, while a general rule on restricting meetings to 2 hours will in most circumstances have no impact, on big debates about crucial matters that require more intensive and extensive discussion, a big hole will be blown in democracy. And for these reasons, the Lib Dems voted against the time limit.

Citizenship ceremony

 

A citizenship ceremony was held in Gateshead Civic Centre earlier this month. People from about 40 countries who had come to the UK as legally recognised migrants received their citizenship at the ceremony. Two of the new citizens are constituents of mine.

Tackling flooding in Sunniside

 

Sunniside has, for decades, been suffering localised flooding. Before the village was built in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was agricultural land (much of it was my grandfather's farm). Most of the village has been built on a slope and given the increasing incidents of heavy rainfall and the increase in hard standing, the drains are no longer capable of dealing with the amount of water therefore causing floods.

I'm pleased to report that Northumbrian Water and Gateshead Council have a plan to tackle the flooding by reducing the amount of hardstanding, adding drainage to the field in the centre of Sunniside, creating a pond to collect excess water at the bottom of Hole Lane and adding in more drainage pipes.

Work will start soon to install the system but a public consultation has been carried out. A display of the plans was held in Sunniside Club recently. I called in with my ward colleague Marilynn Ord and had extensive discussions with the engineers who were present. Let's hope the improvements fully address the flooding problems that Sunniside has had to endure.

The coronation of King Andy

 The announcement today that Andy Burnham has been elected as Labour leader comes as no surprise. He was, after all, in a one horse race. So he therefore undergoes a coronation rather than a contest. I remain to be convinced that this is the right approach. We barely know anything about what he plans for the country. A contest would have brought our his policies and put them in the spotlight.

We already have a precedent. Back in 2007 the coronation of Gordon Brown took place after Blair was pushed out. Those Labour MPs who were unhappy with the prospect of Brown as PM were bullied out of pushing for a contest. The result was a disaster. In the resulting one horse race, Brown was swept into 10 Downing Street and within weeks he was in trouble.

Burnham now needs to set out his plans without any vagueness. So, good luck to him but he needs to start telling us what he's all about.

Congratulations Dave

The news story that caught my eye today was the appointment of 5 new Lib Dem peers. Among them is Dave McCobb. I have to confess I don't know the other 4. Dave is a former colleague of mine from the days I worked for Lib Dem HQ. He went on to be head of campaigns and oversaw the 2024 general election campaign which saw the Lib Dems grow from 11 to 72 MPs. So congratulations Dave, well done. The irony is that having run campaigns that were all about winning votes and getting MPs elected, he is now being appointed to an unelected chamber!

Reform hold High Fell by 5 votes

The High Fell by-election in Gateshead is a hold for Reform. The results have just come through and, after a recount, Reform clung on by just 5 votes. The overall results are:

• Reform 564
• Labour 559
• Lib Dem 98
• Conservative 79
• Green 71
• TUSC 36

High Fell was previously a strong Labour ward. It had been Labour throughout the entire existence of Gateshead Council. Reform took all 3 seats in May. One of the Reform councillors resigned after 11 days (hence the by-election). Another is yet to attend a single meeting since his election. Labour came close, very close, but not close enough to winning it back. I suspect Labour will feel the most dejected by the result.

The battle for 3rd place was won by the Lib Dems. We climbed from 4th to 3rd. The Greens dropped from 3rd to 5th. The Tory candidate put out leaflets in other party colours and failed to get noticed.

So congratulations to the new Reform Councillor Lindsay Atkinson who I beat very comfortably in May in Whickham South and Sunniside ward. Let's hope he lasts a bit longer than his predecessor.

Pantomime or politics?

Lots of sleeze allegations and Farage is in trouble. In an attempt to distract attention away from his troubles, Reform have come up with an amazing plan - have a by-election by resigning, even though Farage claims he has done nothing wrong. Yet the great plan has fallen at the first hurdle. None of the other political parties will play along with Farage's game. So Farage looks set to fight Count Binface  for the resulting vacancy in Clacton. This is hardly Farage versus the Establishment, more a case of the Reform pantomime coming to Clacton. What we could do with however is some real politics. Just don't look to Reform to provide them.

Taking the goats to Lobley Hill.

 

I was the stand in for the All-Saints Lobley Hill community fair on Saturday. The organiser of the fair needed me to bring some goats. The person originally lined up had pulled out. I said yes meaning I missed a surgery and a Focus delivery in Birtley. The goats made lots of new friends!

Trip to the Hoppings

 

The Hoppings (the largest travelling fair in Europe) were in Newcastle recently. Thankfully I decided not to go on any of the rides (which seem to get taller, faster and bigger every year.) Here's the video I shot.

What's he got?

Right, so Andy Burnham is elected to Parliament and, assuming there are no unforeseen circumstances, he will be Prime Minister by mid-July. There will be a coronation for King Andy as Labour are unable to find anyone within the 410 Labour MPs elected at the last general election capable of taking on the prime ministerial role. Remember however that a coronation may not be a good thing. Labour had one in 2007 when Blair retired and Gordon Brown took over. It was downhill from then onwards. The same danger lurks now. Without a thorough debate within Labour, no one really knows what Burnham will do in government. Furthermore, once appointed as PM, Burnham will face the same problems as Starmer with the same resources. Just because Starmer is kicked out doesn't mean the going gets easier.

My final point about Burnham is, what has he got that puts him above all others in Labour? When he was in the Blair/Brown government, he was not a stand-out figure. He was mediocre and followed the then Labour government policy of privatising health services. He was also beaten twice in Labour leadership elections. Something better is needed.

St Mary's fair

 

Last Saturday, St Mary's Church in Whickham held their summer fair. Always a good opportunity to buy homemade cakes. Photo above of Councillors Peter and Susan Craig and myself.

Cllr Marilynn Ord chats to stallholders

Wider shot of the fair.

On the tombola where all the prizes were alcoholic, Cllr Marilynn Ord won the mouthwash!

A bargain at 23 guineas?

 

Last year, David and I donated a 1950s record player to Beamish Museum, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the North East of England. Also my favourite museums on the entire planet. Last week we visited the museum to see if the record player was on display. We think we found it, in the electrical shop in the 1950s town. A bargain at 23 guineas.

Reform inadvertently lose their majority

Gateshead Planning Committee met yesterday. Reform, reflecting their overall control of Gateshead Council, have a majority on Planning. Or do they...? Of the 13 Reform members of the committee, 8 were missing yesterday. The combined opposition of 8 could out vote the 5 Reform members who managed to get to the meeting. Reform aren't exactly off to a flying start. 

Could Hitler have won?

 

Could Hitler have won? - that's the title of my next talk to Sunniside History Society. I will be looking at various wartime events and explain how a different outcome to them may or may not have influenced the course of the Second World War. I will be keeping the shocker to the end of the talk when I explain how Hitler could have won control of Europe and then the world.

Away day

 

The term "away day" suggests a meeting well away from home. Gateshead Lib Dems had an away day on Sunday but for me it was not far away. Indeed, it was a three minute walk to get there from my house. Our thanks to Sunniside Club for being the venue. Good and thorough discussions held on the recent local elections and on campaigning over the year ahead.

Back on the campaign trail

 

It feels as though election campaigning is never going to end in Gateshead. We have a by-election in High Fell caused by the resignation of a Reform Councillor after only 11 days in the job. Polling day is on 9th July. Lots to do and my Saturday morning was taken up trudging the streets of High Fell delivering the next leaflet for the Lib Dems. We have 18 patches in the ward. Most were done by lunchtime. The remaining bundles were taken away by those who will be delivering through the week.

High Fell by-election leaflet watch 3: the proof is in the reading

 

Reform's High Fell by-election leaflet fell into my hands over the weekend. Take a look. Anyone spot the error? The text ends abruptly. Always get someone else to proof read drafts of leaflets. Had Reform done so, they would have spotted half their leaflet is missing! (A bit like ex-Councillor Cavanagh.)

High Fell by-election leaflet watch (2)

In the last few weeks, since the by-election was called in High Fell in Gateshead, residents of the ward must be feeling that they have received more leaflets than in the previous 25 years! And not only have the Conservatives produced a leaflet, out pops a second one.

Conservative candidate Mr Flux reports in this latest edition that he is still cleaning road signs. But what is of more interest is his attempt to be the rainbow warrior of Gateshead. Yet again, Mr Flux has used another party's colour on his leaflet. Last time Labour and the Greens found their colours all over the first Conservative leaflet. Now, it is the turn of the Lib Dems to find Mr Flux is exhibiting their colours. But, amazingly, there is a splash of Tory blue as well. Wonders never cease!

Conference booked

 
Lib Dem Conference this September will be back in Brighton on 19th to 22nd September. In addition, on Friday 18th there will be a training conference. I have signed up for both. All I have to do now is book a hotel.

Moving on from Whickham South and Sunniside

My recent prediction that Lindsay Atkinson would be the Reform candidate for the High Fell by-election in Gateshead turned out to be spot on. Mr Atkinson stood in my ward in the local elections last month. He came fifth, about 600 votes behind Jonathan Mohammed, my ward colleague. Jonathan was elected as the 3rd councillor in Whickham South and Sunniside. (Marilynn Ord was first and I was second.) So for Mr Atkinson, May's result was a disappointment. Nevertheless, the resignation of a Reform councillor in High Fell (after a whopping 11 days in the job) opened up the opportunity to fight again for a seat on the council. Were Mr Atkinson to be elected, let's hope his attendance will be a bit better than that of another High Fell Reform Councillor Sidney Laws who, according to Gateshead Council's website, has yet to attend a meeting. Indeed, the council doesn't even have a photo of this person.

High Fell by-election leaflet watch 1: give us a sign!

 

A rare sight indeed! The Conservatives barely exist in Gateshead but unexpected electoral contests can produce some surprising outcomes. High Fell ward is host to a completely unnecessary council by-election. The cause of this return to the polls is a Reform councillor who managed 11 days in the post before chucking in the towel. The Conservatives have chosen a candidate. Good luck (he'll need it) to Barry Flux who, I understand, was until recently a Conservative councillor in Northumberland. Relocation to Gateshead meant he had to wave goodbye to the county council.

The Conservatives managed to field 14 candidates for the 66 vacancies on Gateshead Council in May. The normal pattern of campaigning in Gateshead for the Conservatives is to field candidates who would have no campaign literature. Paperless, rather than paper, candidate. So you have to credit Mr Flux for his current campaign. Yes, we have one of those rarest of items - a Conservative leaflet. The page one header is a shade of red. Is this an attempt to appeal to Labour voters in this former Labour stronghold (Labour lost all 3 of the seats in High Fell in May, having previously held the ward for 52 years?

On the back page, Mr Flux has switched to green for his headline. Is this perhaps an attempt to appeal to Green voters? What is missing from the leaflet is any Conservative blue! Indeed, the word "Conservative" appears only twice in the leaflet, and one of those mentions is the small print!

Nevertheless, Mr Flux has brought forward a new campaign idea. He has promised to call round to clean street signs. Armed with washing up and warm water, Mr Flux will respond to calls from residents concerned their street sign needs a wash and blow dry. As far as campaign techniques go, it's original but I can't see it catching on! It's likely to be thrown out, along with the rest of the bath water!

Chase Park fair photos

 A few photos from Saturday's fair at Chase Park, Whickham. I took along Dandelion and one of the baby goats. They raised £58.20 for the park.