| In addition, of the four local authorities described as "Oxbridge deserts" with no students going to either university, three are in the North - Knowsley, Rochdale and Salford. Former Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield, who now chairs the Commission on Young Lives, said: "Too many Northern children are being held back by an education system that does not offer them the opportunities or the support they need to develop their talents and achieve their potential. "If levelling up is ever to mean anything, it will require significant investment in our schools and communities in the North, not a return to austerity." Some schools and colleges in the North are still having great success at getting students into our most prestigious universities. Greenhead College in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, had the highest number of its pupils make it to Oxbridge of any Northern school - 31 in total. Three schools are tied in second place with 15 pupils each - Altrincham Grammar School for Girls in Trafford, Sir John Deane's College in Cheshire West and Chester, and Runshaw College in Lancashire. 
For its part, the Department for Education said that as well supporting teachers with high-quality training and investing in education recovery through schemes like the National Tutoring Programme, it wanted all schools to be in a strong academy trust. A spokesman said: "Real social mobility is about more than just getting disadvantaged students through the door at university and we have also asked the Office for Students to look at how we can make sure universities all over the country are actively working with their local schools to raise pupil attainment for everyone, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds".
And girls down south feel happier, safer and more confident  A Brownie pack pictured in London. Image by Shutterstock/Elena Rostunova
Meanwhile new research suggests girls and young women in the North of England feel less happy, confident and safe than those in the South of the country. They were more likely to not feel safe in public and that gender stereotypes hold them back at school, a Girlguiding survey found. They were also significantly less happy with their lives than those in London and the South. Girlguiding said the Government must ensure levelling up is meaningful for girls and young women by prioritising their safety and wellbeing in education, health and public spaces, and online. Some 3,015 girls and young women aged between seven and 21 across the UK were surveyed between March and April for Girlguiding's annual girls' attitudes 2022 survey, funded by the People's Postcode Lottery. Girlguiding chief executive Angela Salt said: "Our research shows just how common discrimination, stereotyping and sexism is in our society and how unsurprisingly this creates barriers to happiness, confidence, and success. "Coupled with the disparities in girls' experiences across the country, it is vital we act now to address these issues to ensure every girl and young woman is provided with the opportunities to fulfil their potential, no matter where they live."
'Totally deflated': Electric car owner can't have charge point outside terraced house  Applications for electric vehicle charging points have run into trouble in Leeds and York
It was last November when Boris Johnson - remember him? - promised to deliver hundreds of thousands of extra charge points for electric cars with new laws to supercharge the electric vehicle revolution. The legislation he announced meant new homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces will be required to install electric vehicle charge points. But as recent cases in Yorkshire show, getting new charging points past local planners can be tricky. In Leeds, a Morley man has been left "totally deflated" by the city council's refusal to let him have an electric vehicle charging point outside his terraced home. Claudio Franco said he'd wanted to buy an electric vehicle for several years to help the fight against climate change. The Labour council said it was working hard to install more charging points across the city, but that it was dangerous to do so outside many terraced properties. And plans for an electric vehicle charging hyperhub in York city centre have been delayed after concerns were raised about the impact on disabled drivers. City of York Council applied to build four ultra-rapid and four rapid electric vehicle charging stations in Union Terrace car park, close to the entrance in Clarence Street. It would involve moving existing blue badge spaces further away from the exit, which concerned councillors on a planning committee.
Basket-case row averted as council pays to test strength of lampposts  Hanging baskets are seen as a symbol of a town or village that's being looked after. Pic by Helen Sushitskaya/Shutterstock
Hanging baskets, according to Rachel Wolf the co-author of the 2019 Tory manifesto, are a symbol of somewhere that is being looked after and so a potential indicator of the success of levelling up. So there was widespread disquiet in Lancashire this year after the county's smallest local authorities were told they'd have to pay to test the strength of the lampposts that they want to use for hanging baskets and Christmas decorations. Lancashire County Council, which is responsible for most of the road network in its patch, said parish councils would be charged £55 for an assessment of any lighting column over seven years old in order to ensure that it was structurally sound enough to take the additional weight of the item to be hung from it. As Local Democracy Reporter Paul Faulkner writes, several parish and town councils claimed that they had never been billed for the service before – and warned that it risked putting a dampener on everything from summertime street displays to Christmas celebrations. But the authority has now told parished parts of Lancashire, as well as charitable groups, that it will absorb the cost of the assessments for seasonal or one-off events – as long as they advise County Hall of them at least 10 weeks in advance. "Our new policy is designed to make it more straightforward and cost effective for people to apply for permission – with the emphasis on getting your application in early," said Charlie Edwards, Lancashire's cabinet member for highways and transport.
In Cheshire, a local council leader has warned that town halls across the UK will go bust this year, next year or the following year unless the government steps in to help, writes Local Democracy Reporter Belinda Ryan. Council budgets were set based on the government's inflation target of 2% but inflation is now at 10% In Cheshire East, inflation and increasing care costs have led to a forecast outturn for this financial year (2022/23) of £11.6m more than was originally budgeted for. Labour leader Sam Corcoran told a recent council meeting: "To put that in context, our general reserve is £14m so you can see the level of pressure we're under. "I would say there are three sorts of councils at the moment – those that are going to go bust this year, those that are going bust next year and those that might survive to the year after, if the government doesn't do something to help councils." 
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Northern Stories  Photo issued by English Heritage of a projection of bats on Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire
- A British landmark is being illuminated with a projection of bats to mark the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. English Heritage is lighting up Whitby Abbey, associated with the gothic horror, as it hosts Halloween events across the country. The abbey is also home to bats, a protected species which English Heritage works to preserve at its sites. Irish author Stoker also saw the mammals, associated with vampires and witches, on his visits to the area in North Yorkshire.
- The UK Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, will be sitting in Manchester next March, Lord Reed, President of the Supreme Court has announced. The sitting in Manchester will be the first time the Court has ever sat outside one of the four UK capital cities. Three cases will be heard when the Court, whose permanent home is in central London, sits at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre. Lord Reed will be joined by four other Supreme Court Justices for the hearings which will take place between 6 and 9 March 2023.
- Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman life during excavation work ahead of a housing development in a Wakefield village. The remains of a Roman villa and rare kilns dating back 2,000 were uncovered during the dig at Farm Lane, Fitzwilliam. The exciting discovery was made as archaeologists carried out the project as land was being prepared for a social housing development in the former coal mining village, a Wakefield council meeting was told.
- A Newcastle bar has been denied permission by councillors to sell more cheap shots, amid police fears that the "bargain" offer would lead students to drink more. Bosses at city centre club Bijoux appeared before councillors last month in a bid to expand its offer of lower-alcohol £3 trebles. The Mosley Street venue was the first in Newcastle to start selling 20% ABV shots, half the strength of the usual 40% and also sold at half the price, but can only do so on its ground floor under the terms of its licence.
- A Middlesbrough councillor has told a committee how she had a narrow miss with an off-road biker who was driving in the wrong direction. Middlesbrough Council's culture and communities scrutiny panel was discussing the impact of off-road bikers and the action taken against them. Cllr Jeanette Walker, a Labour member who represents Hemlington, spoke out about her recent experience with riders. She added: "Only yesterday I witnessed an incident at Marton crossroads where bikes came through the garage and they were doing wheelies facing onto the traffic and they just missed my car, it was quite scary. It was dangerous behaviour."
- Plans for a prisoner reform centre in County Durham are to be reviewed by the Justice Secretary. The Ministry of Justice is proposing to turn Highfield House in Consett into a 16-bed hostel which will provide accommodation for convicted offenders who have been released on licence. North West Durham MP Richard Holden has been fighting against the proposals for the hostel on Parliament Street after receiving complaints from residents and community groups. He held a meeting with Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis who has now agreed to review the plans.
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