| Levelling up the North is, we're told, a top priority for this Government - so it came as quite a surprise when the phrase was barely mentioned in Rishi Sunak's 3,500 word Spring Statement yesterday. The omission didn't go unnoticed by Northern leaders like Tracy Brabin and Andy Burnham, who said the Chancellor's mini-Budget was a "missed opportunity". Stephen Church, North Markets Leader for professional services giant EY, said: "The mention of Levelling Up was notably absent – a disappointment compared to the treasury's Autumn statement, and the government's recent Levelling Up white paper." Mr Sunak may have earned praise from Tory backbenchers for his decision to cut fuel duty and increase the national insurance threshold, writes Westminster Editor Dan O'Donoghue, but the independent Office for Budget Responsibility warned that millions of households would still see a dramatic fall in their living standards this year. In Hull, residents were clear that the measures announced were not enough - with several saying they've been left feeling 'helpless' by spiralling bills.  Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement aimed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Image by Lisa Walsh
On top of the cost of living crisis, there were also accusations that the Treasury has short-changed the North by failing to provide like-for-like cash in the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) that the European Union would have provided to our towns, cities and regions. EU regional funding had been worth around £1.5bn a year before Brexit. The SPF is due to be worth £1.5bn by 2024/25 but will start at a much lower level when it begins in April. Henri Murison, Director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said the revelation was a "huge concern", he said: "If this government is serious about levelling up, we need assurance that the North of England will see its funding protected, in the same way that Cornwall has by the Chancellor in previous fiscal events." Dr Arianna Giovannini, interim director of think-tank IPPR North, added: "This puts at risk the credibility of the government's flagship levelling up agenda. "People in the North will now rightly begin to question whether the government is serious about its pledge to raise prosperity and close regional divides." Mr Sunak's deputy in the Treasury, Tory Middlesbrough MP Simon Clarke, pointed out that many factors influencing the spring statement - such as the situation in Ukraine and the pandemic - were "beyond our control" and argued that his government had taken swift action to "lessen the burden on hard-working families and individuals across the entire UK". 
Town hall sends out thousands of cheques with council tax rebates Meanwhile local leaders are continuing to deal with the ramifications of the Chancellor's £150 council tax rebate from last month - and the fact that only those who pay by direct debate can claim it automatically. Labour-run Rotherham council has taken a simple route, sending out rebates to 34,000 households in the borough in postal cheques. Cheques are expected to be issued at the end of May, once the council has carried out the required validation for non-direct debit payers. And if residents choose not to deposit or cash the cheque within three months, the cheque will be cancelled and the relevant Council Tax account credited with the £150. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Tory-run council is studying the most effective and efficient way to get the payments out while around 60,000 households face a similar situation in neighbouring Hull. Leader Jonathan Owen said: "It seems there's a lot of difficulties involved in trying to give people £150. There's a lot of properties which don't pay by direct debit, I'm sure with hindsight this could have been managed a lot more simply at a national level."
Six years late, Tyne tunnels project is still dragging on  One of the inclined glass lifts at the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels
The long-delayed and increasingly expensive refurbishment of the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels is still dragging on, years after the revamp should have been completed. A major restoration of the popular North East crossing should have been completed in 2015, but has been hit with a string of setbacks that mean the work remains unfinished and spiralled more than £10m over budget. While the tunnels did reopen in 2019, the installation of two new inclined glass lifts has remained the final piece of the project that is incomplete, writes Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland. An end to the saga appeared to finally be in sight last year, when British firm Lift Design Limited were brought in to replace an Italian engineering firm whose ability to complete the works was severely hampered by Covid travel restrictions. The arrival of the new specialists brought hope that the lifts would be ready to use by the end of 2021, but a new report has revealed yet more troubles. It states that the contractors have encountered "unexpected problems" at the site and have also struggled to obtain essential parts due to supply chain issues, meaning the lifts will not be operational until "later in 2022".
'Have some faith in us up North': Johnny Vegas stars at Shakespeare theatre  The Shakespeare North Playhouse, in Prescot (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
It's home to the only 17th-century style timber theatre outside London and is expected to attract around 140,000 visitors a year. And one of the star attractions in the opening programme of the new Shakespeare North Playhouse in the Merseyside town of Prescot says the £30m attraction is a chance to show the world the breadth of talent in Northern England. The new venue constructed during the pandemic with public funds and donations, opens its doors to the public with a weekend of free festivities from July 15-17. Highlights of the opening programme include Shakespearean comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, beloved Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, and audiences with comedian Johnny Vegas and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern. St Helens-born comedian and actor Mr Vegas said he was "honoured" to be one of the first acts. "Let's make it up North, let's do it up North, let's have some faith in us up North. Creatively this can be that beacon for us to start coming together and proving for the rest of the world just what talent we have contained in this bit of the country. We breed talent here so let's celebrate it."
Corridors of shame in England's largest county  The A169 at Saltergate, North York Moors (Image: Martin Dawes/Geograph.org.uk)
It has the best part of 6,000 miles of road needing maintenance. But local authorities across England's largest county have been accused of fostering the development of "corridors of shame" by failing to clear roadside litter. A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council's Richmond constituency committee heard the cleanliness of many verges, ranging from the A1(M) to country lanes, was "an absolute disgrace", writes Local Democracy Reporter Stuart Minting. The meeting was told that while there appeared to be a rising tide of takeaway wrappers and human waste being thrown from vehicles, some roadsides had not been cleared for at least 15 years by district and borough councils, despite them having a statutory responsibility to clear it. Amanda Dyson, Richmondshire District Council's waste and street scene manager, said safety rules meant single carriageway A-roads could only be cleaned at night. This means the cleaning is dependent on council staff volunteering to work night shifts to deal with often unpleasant litter, such as bottles of urine. She said: "We have calculated there could be huge costs involved if we were to do this."
Delays at North's biggest airport as international travel surges  Managing director, Karen Smart (Image: MEN/Kenny Brown)
With Covid restrictions now at an end, many of us are thinking of venturing abroad for our holidays after two years of domestic trips. But the surge in international travel has had a knock-on effect at Manchester Airport, where passengers could face queues for 'several weeks' to come as bosses admit they are struggling with staff shortages. The hub is on a major recruitment drive to remedy the crisis - even looking to 'work with universities' to find temporary hires - but they have warned long waits could continue well into April. Karen Smart, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: "We want to be clear with our customers that getting back to full strength is going to take time and there will unfortunately be periods over the next few weeks when it will take longer to get through the airport than it should." With exquisite timing, Greater Manchester's new blueprint for engaging with countries and cities around the world to bring prosperity and tackle global challenges is being unveiled today. The International Strategy sets out how Greater Manchester will "use its global profile to boost trade links and create jobs, rebalance economic opportunities across the UK, and reinforce our reputation as a world-leading innovator".
Durham students target open days in row over Rod Liddle speech  Students from the South College protest on Tuesday (Tim Packer/PA)
Students at one of the North's leading universities have targeted post-offer visit days to raise concerns in a dispute over a speech given by columnist Rod Liddle at a dinner last year. Students walked out of the event at Durham University's South College during the columnist's speech in December, and South College principal Professor Tim Luckhurst was criticised for calling them "pathetic" for the boycott. Earlier this month, the university released a statement saying it would review its processes for engaging with external speakers, adding that it does not intend "to exclude any speakers from our campus" but confirmed it would not be publishing details of Prof Luckhurst's involvement in the incident. This week dozens of student protesters and offer day ambassadors joined staff striking as part of the University and College Union's demands for improved pay, pensions and working conditions. South College student Niall Hignett, an organiser of the protests, told the PA news agency: "We are protesting, with students from every demographic standing up to a management indifferent to marginalised students and staff."
Not far away the returning Durham Miners' Gala, which typically attracts a crowd of 200,000 people, will be dedicated to key workers after the last two events were cancelled due to the pandemic. Organised by the Durham Miners' Association (DMA), the trade union-backed event is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and sees brass bands and banners parade through the historic city centre. The DMA has confirmed that The Big Meeting, as it is popularly known, will return on Saturday July 9 2022. Carers and bus drivers, delivery workers and nurses, shop staff and teachers, everyone who has risked their lives to keep society functioning throughout the pandemic will be celebrated.
Sign up to The Northern Agenda Has a friend forwarded you this edition of The Northern Agenda? You can sign up to receive the latest email newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by clicking on this link. Northern Stories  Artworks produced by young people on display at The Art House.
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A Wakefield arts agency which created the first Studio of Sanctuary for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK has won £100,000 for its "outstanding" capacity to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Art House was one of three winners of the £150,000 Civic Arts Organisations award, chosen from more than 200 applications for having demonstrated "resilience" in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The judging panel praised The Art House for its agility in responding to the needs of the community. -
A Blackburn Rovers legend has had a street named after him in his home town. Fred Pickering was a star of the 1960s and early 1970s and now his exploits have been permanently marked in the streetscape of Mill Hill, where he lived all his life, as 'Fred Pickering Place' was unveiled. Blackburn with Darwen Council wanted to recognise the role he played locally as well as his contribution to English football. -
Sheffield Council has pulled out of plans to deliver the city's first new cricket ground in more than 80 years, saying it cannot afford it. The council committed to deliver a much-needed new site for Norton and Woodseats Cricket Club, which was formed around 1876 and currently uses Graves Park, on Matthews Lane recreation fields in Norton. But a report on its latest capital spending revealed the council has since u-turned on this commitment as when a tender exercise was done the cost came back unaffordable. -
A bid has been made for Southport and Ainsdale to leave Sefton and Merseyside in what would be a landmark change. Southport MP Damien Moore and West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper have joined forces in hope that they can enforce a boundary change that would see Southport, Ormskirk and Skelmersdale combine. The recommendations have been submitted to Levelling Up Michael Gove. In their letter to the Minister, the two MPs wrote that the two communities are "better served by being in the same local authority area". -
Four festival-size events could be held in Newcastle's Exhibition Park every year, but locals have pleaded for no repeats of the "horrendous" disturbance they suffered during the This Is Tomorrow concerts last year. Charity bosses at Urban Green Newcastle have previously come under fire from residents and councillors for the nuisance caused by a series of rowdy music festivals organised since it was handed control of the city's parks in 2019. The non-profit organisation is now in a battle with authorities as it bids for a new licence to stage events and sell alcohol from Exhibition Park.
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