Ben Houchen, the Clean Energy Sector Council and a misleading Tees Valley Combined Authority claim
Plus: New hazardous waste incinerator to be approved + council fireworks display saved
Welcome to the 25th edition of The Teesside Lead. A silver jubilee if you like. No, I’m not sure where I’m going with that either.
It’s been an insane week for geopolitics. I was sat watching Donald Trump’s inauguration in the BBC’s Newcastle newsroom agog at the spectacle, reflecting on how much simpler a time his first term in the White House was. Back then I was still working in the music industry and had the privilege of being able to engage with the news as and when my mental health could handle it. No such joy for the next four years!
Speaking of which, I’m no longer using X/Twitter. You can find me on BlueSky.
The line was crossed a long time ago, and I’ve wanted to leave for some time, but as a freelance journalist I need to peddle my wares I need as many shop windows as possible. It’s easy to have morals when you have financial security.
But with X’s owner sieg heiling this week I feel it really leaves me with no other choice. What sort of people want to inhabit an online space cultivated by Musk, and do I want (or need) to connect with those people for the sake of my career?
Speaking of which, if you want to support independent journalism covering Teesside, it’s free to subscribe to The Teesside Lead.
The main story in this edition shows how structural weaknesses in local journalism can be exploited by bad actors, whether that’s done intentionally or not. A paid subscription (for only £4.99 a month) can help support independent journalism in the Tees Valley region, and help shine a light on matters not covered by other outlets.
And on the subject of matters in Teesside…
The government has been forced to issue a clarification after Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) sent a misleading press release to local media.
TVCA had claimed in a press release it sent on Thursday that Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen had been “appointed” to the government’s Clean Energy Sector Council.
“I am delighted to be supporting the government’s Industrial Strategy by sharing Teesside’s success story and using our experience to inform the national agenda,” Lord Houchen was quoted as saying in the press release.
“It is fantastic that the work being done at Teesworks to attract investment, create jobs, and grow the economy, is being recognised by Government and it is positive that this model will now inform he national strategy,” he said.
However, after initially reporting the story as delivered by TVCA, local press have since changed their coverage to state Lord Houchen was sent as a delegated replacement for an actual member of the council.
A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero told me mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin was appointed to the Clean Energy Sector Council in her role as chair of the group of English mayors.
As she was unable to attend the council’s first meeting last Monday, co-chaired by Energy Secretary Ed Milliband and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Brabin sent Houchen and North East mayor Kim McGuinness in her place.
The Clean Energy Sector Council was set up to bring business leaders, trade unions and others together to develop the government’s industrial strategy, with a focus on green industries and net zero.
If you’re reading The Teesside Lead there’s a chance you look at other local outlets with a degree of scepticism already. But does it really matter that TVCA sent false information to local press?
Emphatically, YES!
My first editor when I became a journalist repeated the maxim that “journalism is the first draft of history.” When historians look back, they will look to newspapers (and their websites) as contemporaneous records of events. If somebody looked back at those original articles they might get the impression that Ben Houchen’s management of Teesworks was rewarded by the government with a seat at the table to shape strategy, when that’s simply not true.
It might not make me popular to say this, but a certain level of sympathy must go to journalists who report directly from press releases sent from local authorities. There are plenty of sources which should be reported critically, but public bodies tend not to be inaccurate. A critical eye should be used if reporting stats presented by public bodies, but the substance - the headline - of a press release from them should be trustworthy.
I’ve seen a case where complaints about inaccurate reporting submitted to IPSO were dismissed because that inaccurate reporting was based on a press release sent by the police which contained false information. IPSO’s decision was based on the fact that the police are a reliable source, and that it’s not an editorial failure to report what they say. The same should be said of other public bodies, including TVCA.
I asked TVCA if they had made a mistake or lied, and if there were implications about their trustworthiness in light of this press release, but no answer came. You can, in fact, still read the original press release on their website with the false claim still there.
Teesside stories you may have missed…
🏗️ British Steel has committed to investing £26m into its Skinningrove plant
⚽ Middlesbrough FC has been revealed as the mystery benefactor supporting the Captain Cook museum
👷🏻 Redevelopment of Preston Park is under threat after drainage issues are discovered
👕 The Teesside multibank charity has helped 45,000 people in its first seven weeks of existence
Fireworks display saved as council halts funding cuts
Hartlepool’s annual fireworks display and a number of Christmas trees across the borough have been saved after councillors rowed back on plans to make cuts in next year’s budget.
The council had planned to make around £3m of cuts when its provisional budget was put to councillors before Christmas. However, as a result of an improved settlement from government providing representing an 8% uplift on funds (roughly £9.9m), the council is able to balance its books for 2025/26 more easily.
An increase of council tax by 4.99% (the highest possible amount it can be raised without calling a local referendum), along with using £1m of reserve funds will help cover any shortfall, along with the increase of government funding.
Council leader Brenda Harrison said the settlement was “positive”, but that the council couldn’t “sit back on our laurels”.
The budget will go to council for final approval on 20 February.
New hazardous waste incinerator set to be approved by Redcar Council
Councillors in Redcar are set to approve planning permission for a new incinerator which will burn hazardous material.
The incinerator, set to be built at the western edge of the Wilton site, will burn materials like paint sludge, detergents, pharmaceutical items and clinical waste, pesticides and heavy fuel oil.
It would only be a kilometre from the proposed Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF) which will burn 450,000 tonnes of waste a year from seven councils across the North East.
It’s even closer to the Wilton 11 incinerator which already burns a similar amount of un-recyclable waste brought to Teesside from Merseyside.
Exhaust gases from the 36 metre-tall flue stack would be treated, and although releasing a residual odour, council officers have deemed the smell would be “negligible” and “not significant”.
Councillors are set to meet at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s regulatory committee meeting tomorrow morning to decide on the planning application.
The planning officer’s report says the development complements other businesses already at Wilton, and that it aligns with the council’s plans to promote economic growth at industrial sites.
Thanks as always for reading. If you enjoy The Teesside Lead, please spread the word. I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, but word of mouth has been such an incredible tool for getting this publication off the ground in such a short space of time.
I’ll be back on Sunday to look back at the year since the government’s review of Teesworks was published.
As always, get in touch at teesside@thelead.uk or via BlueSky.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Leigh