In which I take the bait
Then swiftly move on to talk about the metro, the Treasury, child poverty and local history
I can't really believe I'm doing this, because I know it's bait, but former Middlesbrough mayor and now sometimes GB News contributor Andy Preston has been voicing his opinions about Pride.
He took to LinkedIn to say that being gay is now safe and mainstream, and the corporate money spent on pride initiatives is virtue-signalling by organisations which did nothing when “queers” (quotation marks Original Poster’s own) needed support.
Instances of hate crimes in England and Wales based on sexuality are up 22% since 2020/21, and up 70% when the victim was transgender.
The Supreme Court just declared that trans people no longer exist in law, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission couldn't wait to issue guidance banning people from toilets, and the Government has endorsed the whole thing.
So, no, I don't agree - I think we need Pride right now.
Allies, let's be visible, and happy Pride month everyone.
New metro line
It's a long held ambition for the region to see the metro extend, and particularly for it to reach Washington.
There has been work going on for years looking at the viability of that, and the North East Combined Authority has announced this morning that the funding has been secured.
There's £900m earmarked to deliver the new line as part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement which will cover the period 2027-2032, with the planned opening of the new line the following year, 2033.
There'll be a kong way to go, and lots more hurdles to clear, I'm sure - but it's an incredibly positive announcement and step forward.
For everyone else - business, education, community focused organisations - it'll be about thinking how we can align with the big changes and make sure the region gets the most benefit from them.
Treasury Calculations
It's the Spending Review next week, and we're getting lots of the usual announcements and pledges ahead of big fiscal events - including the one above.
One thing to watch out for on the day, which might get buried amongst the projects announced, is the planned review of the Treasury Green Book. This Guardian article explains it a bit.
Essentially the way in which the viability of projects has traditionally been assessed has made it difficult for projects outside of the south east to stack up. There are fewer people, average pay is lower, so the benefits calculated of almost anything are lower too.
Changing the approach, maybe including a wider range of measures of success and recognising the catalytic effect of public spending on infrastructure, can help make it easier to clear those hurdles and get projects in the mix.
Let's see what they come up with next week.
Child Poverty Figures
One thing we're not expecting a full new approach for is child poverty, after the government punted the decision on a strategy until later in the year - something I mentioned last week.
However we might get some spending announcements which lave the way for the strategy.
Against that backdrop, the End Poverty Coalition have published some new figures, shared in our region by the North East Child Poverty Commission.
Some of you may remember the official figures surrounding poverty are questionable at best at a local level - showing the North East as improving and very close to national average.
These figures show a different picture, and one which is probably closer to the reality experienced by those working closest to the issue.
The analysis finds two-thirds of the region's constituencies have a child poverty rate at of above the national average (31%), compared to 42% of constituencies across the UK as a whole.
Worst are Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, with 52% of children living in poverty, and Newcastle Central and West, where the figure is 43%.
The analysis notes a correlation between child poverty rates and the number of families in an area impacted by the two-child benefit cap.
The government has made noises on reversing that policy, but no commitments.
Local History
Historic England have a local heritage hub on their website, which includes a highlighted entry for Newcastle, but which also lists sites across all of the North East local authorities.
It's fascinating to have a poke around, sometimes you don't realise what's around you, going back to the pre-historic, Roman, medieval, right the way through to 20th century heritage.
There are hundreds and hundreds of listings for each area, it's worth a poke about.
Working with me
I've got some availability for July as it stands, and I'm planning on keeping things very light in August - what with the summer holiday juggle.
I'll still be around for bits and pieces, and for coffees and catch-ups, so give me a shout on arlen@arlenpettitt.co.uk if you fancy one of those.
Thanks all!