Middlesbrough's post-riot plans set out with programmes designed in response to unrest
PLUS: The key political stories from Teesside this week
Hello and welcome to the 21st edition of The Teesside Lead.
If you follow our superhero editor Leigh Jones over on Bluesky then you’ll be aware that he’s been suffering with tonsillitis this week.
So while he enjoys the addition of WWE content from his youth to Netflix, The Lead North’s editorial team have stepped in this week to bring you the weekend edition.
All the content is free - nothing is behind a paywall - and we’ve packed it with as much as possible.
We hope you’ll join us in sending Leigh best wishes and we’re sure he’ll be back with you soon.
Middlesbrough approves riot recovery support
Middlesbrough Council’s Labour Executive has approved the use of £655,000 to “support the recovery from the riots” that occurred in August 2024.
The money comes from the Community Recovery Fund, provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It will pay for a variety of programmes that were designed in response to the unrest of last summer.
Executive member for neighbourhoods, Councillor Janet Thompson said: “I’m sure that we all remember the appalling scenes of violence and vandalism that took place in our town on August 4, last year. I’m also sure that you share the pride I felt, on the day after the riots, where our community came together in large numbers to clean up the mess and show solidarity with those affected”.
Speaking to the Executive ahead of a vote on the proposals, she added: “This report outlines the provision of some much needed financial support for a number of important projects” and that there are three key areas: engagement, events within neighbourhoods and youth provision. “Most importantly, these projects will be developed with the community and not done to them,” she explained.
A breakdown of how the money will be spent was detailed in council documents. One section aimed to “deliver joint engagement activities and events throughout Middlesbrough via the neighbourhood model” and £75,000 was allocated to this section of the plan. As part of this, the voluntary and community sector would be involved in delivering activities in the community.
Councillor Peter Gavigan spoke in favour of the proposed projects. He asked Cllr Thompson “how we will judge the success of these projects?”
Cllr Thompson explained that she had attended recovery group meetings, information from these meetings would be used “to establish a baseline of where we were and measure distance travelled”. She also pointed out that MHCLG “guidelines states that monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken internally by the MHCLG reviewing the local impact of the fund.”
Councillor Luke Henman associated himself with the comments of of Cllr Thompson. He said: “The clean-up that we saw after the riots really showed Middlesbrough at its absolute best, a welcoming town, built on people from different backgrounds coming together”.
Mayor Chris Cooke also spoke positively about the scheme, describing it as “crucial” that the proposed use of funding was approved. The plans were then approved unanimously by the Executive.
MP’s old office vacated last year could be turned into restaurant as planning permission sought
An office previously used by former Redcar MP Jacob Young is in line to be converted into a restaurant.
A recent planning application for the property, Churchill House, on Redcar High Street submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council seeks a change of use with the proposed venture to be sited on the ground floor.
The application by ROAA Limited states the office use ended at the start of October last year when notice was given with the change of use required so food and drink can be sold on the premises.
The planned opening hours are listed as 11am to 11pm on Monday to Friday and 4pm to 10pm on Sundays/bank holidays.
The application is yet to be determined by the local planning authority.
Devolution revolution?
The English devolution white paper, released in December, has been described as a “devolution revolution” by the Deputy Prime Minister.
The document referenced the Tees Valley numerous times and also set out restructure plans that could impact the five constituent councils – Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, and Darlington.
In her remarks, Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said there would be “a permanent shift of power away from Whitehall and into the hands of those who know their communities best.”
The executive summary of the white paper describes England as “one of the most centralised countries in the developed world”. The summary continues to argue that mayoral devolution works because regional mayors “have skin in the game and are accountable to their citizens. This white paper initiates the biggest transfer of power out of Westminster to England’s regions this century.”
Eyesore tower block saga chunters on
Plans to acquire a Darlington tower block have stalled over a disagreement with the building’s owners, council bosses say.
Darlington Borough Council hopes to buy Northgate House from its current owners as part of a major redevelopment project in the town centre.
However, the local authority has faced several delays due to contractural issues and communication.
Council officials were positive about reaching a deal last summer but say they have not heard from the owners since.
Darlington Borough Council first outlined plans to demolish the “eyesore” tower block in 2021, as part of a wider regeneration of the Northgate area of town. A new mixed-use residential and commercial gateway to the town is proposed for the site.
Thank you for reading The Teesside Lead this week.
We hope you’ll join us in sending Leigh our best wishes and hopefully we’ll resume normality relatively soon.
Enjoy your week and we’ll speak soon.
Luke & Ed