| As your Northern Agenda writer presses send on today's newsletter, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to stand up in the Commons and unveil a £54 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts as he promises to weather the economic "storm". Mr Hunt was expected to insist that his autumn statement puts the UK on a "balanced path to stability" as he tackles the "enemy" of inflation, which has soared to a 41-year high. You can see the latest updates and reaction here. Mr Hunt will say his "difficult decisions" are necessary to keep mortgage rates low and tackle the rocketing energy and food prices intensifying the cost-of-living crisis. While some Tories are already voicing anger about the prospect of raising taxes, many in the North fear energy bill support will be scaled back and public services face cuts. In Liverpool, mayor Joanne Anderson has warned that without changes to funding from the UK Government, the city could face a funding gap of more than £100m in two years' time, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Humphreys. Last night, Labour-run Liverpool Council published its budget proposals as it seeks to plug a £73m blackhole in its finances and set a balanced budget for the next financial year. As a result, among the series of options put forward to save and generate money are a potential hike in council tax, increasing fees and charges as well as a review of its libraries and leisure centres. 
In the North East, cash-strapped Gateshead Council recently announced it is planning to shut at least two of its leisure centres after deeming the services "unaffordable" – with the Gateshead Leisure Centre in Saltwell and the Dunston Leisure Centre at greatest risk. But a union says Gateshead International Stadium should be thrown into the mix for closure to help save other at-risk leisure centres. The GMB has branded the stadium a "white elephant" that costs more and has less footfall than other facilities that are under threat. The prospect of losing beloved centres has sparked dismay in communities that have used them for decades, writes Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland. But Gateshead International Stadium has been excluded from the current review of leisure services, on the grounds that it "has a wider and significantly different offer".
Second home council tax rates to double in 'ground-breaking' move  According to a local councillor Staithes only has 12 permanent residents in the lower village. Pic by Shutterstock
Local leaders across the North fear having to hike taxes to fill yawning gaps in their budget. But in rural North Yorkshire, councillors yesterday voted to double council tax on second homes for a different reason - to make more properties available for local people priced out of the market. The county council made the "ground-breaking" decision to become the first area in the country with such a mandatory council tax premium but councillors noted it will need government legislation to pass before it can be enacted as planned in April 2024. House prices are fast outstripping wages in England's largest county, with the lack of affordable housing and domination of holiday homes damaging rural growth and productivity, as YorkshireLive reports. Tory councillor David Chance told a meeting that hardly any of the homes in two picturesque seaside villages in his ward were now occupied permanently and the current situation was "tearing the heart out of our communities". He said: "In Staithes, for instance, we have 12 permanent residents in the lower village. In Runswick Bay we have 11 permanent residents in the lower village. All the remaining houses are either second homes or holiday lets. Whitby people cannot afford to purchase a home in their own town." Gareth Dadd, the Tory deputy leader of the council, said the aim of imposing the 100% premium was to either encourage second-home owners to sell to local people or to use the estimated £14 million that the increase will raise to promote house-building and other measures.
North East leader 'still angry' a year on from Storm Arwen  A man makes safe fallen masonry from a property, which damaged a nearby car in Sunderland last November (Image: PA)
It's a year on from Storm Arwen, which caused chaos across the North East last November and left some residents without power for up to two weeks while water supply and communications were also badly affected. And the leader of Northumberland County Council says he remains "angry" at electrical distribution firm Northern Powergrid's response to the storm twelve months after it battered the county, writes Local Democracy Reporter James Robinson. Conservative Glen Sanderson told the council's county emergency committee that "poor communication and irresponsible promises were given out", adding: "We as county councillors had to put up with a whole range of emotions – desperation, annoyed, crying – we picked up an awful lot of that which is fine, because that's our job. "But, are we satisfied that the Powergrid are capable of making improvements across the piste? Are we satisfied that they have learnt their lessons and made the significant changes that are needed?" Northern Powergrid recently hosted a public meeting in Rothbury – one of the worst affected areas in Northumberland by Arwen – where they explained the changes they had made and were given a round of applause by the assembled residents. But Helen Hinds – the council's business resilience and emergency planning lead – said she was only 'partially' satisfied as the firm's plan assumed people would be able to access a website to get information.
Who's clamping down on dodgy parking in Leeds?  Councillors in the outer north-west part of Leeds have been told that it will cost £28,000 to hire another civil enforcement officer. Shutterstock image
Ticket-touting traffic wardens are becoming an increasingly rare sight across Leeds, it appears, with the city council struggling to hire new staff and patrols currently below "historic levels". While many drivers might breathe a sigh of relief at the lack of civil enforcement officers (to give them their proper title) it means illegal parking on roads and at car parks across the city is going unmonitored, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Spereall. The news was revealed in a briefing note sent by the council to a committee this week where councillors in the north-west of the city have been asking for more patrols. The letter, read aloud by Adel and Wharfedale councillor Barry Anderson, said: "It is acknowledged that the number of patrols is below historic levels and that there should be more enforcement. Although the service has now recovered from Covid there are ongoing problems with recruitment and it is proving very difficult to attract staff." Councillors in the outer north-west part of Leeds have been told that it will cost £28,000 to hire another warden, with the cost offset by fines from parking offences.
Funding cuts could bring the curtain down on historic theatre  The cast of Oldham Coliseum's production of Robin Hood onstage with local MP Debbie Abrahams and Equity's Paul Liversey (Image Credit: Equity)
Oldham Coliseum Theatre has been staging performances since 1885 and has seen major names including Charlie Chaplin, Minnie Driver and Ralph Fiennes tread its boards. But its future has been thrown into doubt after missing out on funding from Arts Council England (ACE) in its three-year funding package announced this month. It had applied for £615,182 a year to 2026. As Local Democracy Reporter Charlotte Green writes, the Fairbottom Street theatre, one of the oldest still operating in Britain, relies on ACE support to continue to stage performances, including its hugely popular Christmas pantomimes. This week a protest by Equity members took place outside the ACE offices in Manchester attended by former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh to demand the reversal of 'devastating' cuts to arts organisations – including the Coliseum. Actor Maxine Peake tweeted that they 'must save' the Coliseum, describing it as a 'fabulous theatre that serves and represents its town so brilliantly', while Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams said the news was "extremely disappointing". ACE, whose funding package has benefitted a number of new Northern arts and culture schemes, says it had received a 'record-breaking' number of applications and consequently had to make 'difficult decisions'.
Fury as key work on new £1.6bn Royal Navy vessels goes to Spain  Defence Secretary Ben Wallace during a visit to the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Appledore, Devon
It was a move described by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as a "significant boost" to the UK shipbuilding industry, as the Government named its preferred bidder to build the Royal Navy's £1.6 billion new supply vessels. But yesterday Ministers were accused of a "betrayal" of the domestic industry after it emerged that part of the construction work on the three Fleet Solid Support ships will be carried out in Spain. The Ministry of Defence said 1,200 new jobs will be created in UK shipyards – with hundreds more in the supply chain – after a consortium including Harland & Wolff was named as the preferred bidder. While the final assembly will take place at the company's yard in Belfast, unions expressed concern that most of the high-value work as well as the intellectual property will go to the Spanish state-owned shipbuilder, Navantia. Birkenhead's Labour MP Mick Whitley said he was "dismayed" that his efforts to get work for local Merseyside shipbuilding firm Cammell Laird had been ignored by the Government. And he said: "I am furious that after having had to endure the showboating of Boris Johnson when he visited Birkenhead to announce his National Ship Building Strategy refresh earlier this year, Cammell Laird and the other companies who comprised the Team UK bid have now been betrayed by this government."
Elsewhere on Merseyside, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said lessons must be learned from the delays to the opening to the new Royal Liverpool Hospital as he visited the recently-opened site. The hospital was originally supposed to open to the public in 2017 but the build was beset by delays and issues including the collapse of construction firm Carillion, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Humphreys. On his visit yesterday Mr Barclay said: "I came here four years ago and the hospital was nearly complete then. Obviously it's taken some time since then and it's key we learn the lessons from that but what's fantastic news is that this is an £800m investment in the city of Liverpool. "I think it's a huge boost for staff, the feedback I've had from nurses today is that this will make a real difference to them and their working environment. This is a huge boost for Liverpool and builds on the investment in Alder Hey that opened in 2018." 
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Northern Stories  The tree seemed to be missing several branches as some people branded it a joke (Image: SWNS)
- St Helens council chiefs have been forced to send back "Britain's saddest Christmas tree" after locals were left so shocked they thought it "was a joke". The partially-brown 16ft spruce, which seemed to be missing several branches, was erected in the centre of the town earlier this week. But locals were left fuming at the sub-standard conifer, with one claiming that they'd been given "the worst" tree in England for two years in a row. Embarrassed officials from St Helens Borough Council later accepted that the spruce did "not meet our standards" and agreed to replace it within 24 hours.
- North East transport bosses have been told to press ahead with huge plans to extend the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington – and find a way to pay for the £745m upgrade. Proposals were unveiled earlier this month for a long-awaited expansion of the Metro network to finally restore trains to a town that is the fourth largest in the UK without any rail services. The project would use part of the disused Leamside Line to create a 'Washington Metro Loop' connecting to existing stations at Pelaw and South Hylton – with three new stations being built for Follingsby, Washington North and Washington South.
- A new television comedy about an alien invasion of a Lancashire market town will be broadcast at the end of the month. The show 'We Are Not Alone', explores the culture clash between humankind and aliens who decide to run Britain from its geographical centre in Clitheroe. It is written by Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, of 'Ghosts' and 'Horrible Histories' fame, and produced by Big Talk which has been behind numerous TV hits, most recently 'The Outlaws' as well as Channel 4's 'Friday Night Dinner'. 'We Are Not Alone' will be screened at 9pm on Monday, November 28, on Dave and UKTV Play.
- Blackpool teenagers need more support if they are to fulfil their career aspirations, according to new research which found only 55% of young people felt confident they could achieve what they wanted to. Blackpool-based charity Right to Succeed surveyed 630 young people aged 16 and 17 from across the town, which is around half of all current Year 11s. The findings will now be used to shape the council's 10 year education strategy aimed at improving literacy, school inclusion and job prospects. Sarah Smith, programme director for Right to Succeed, said while Covid was partly to blame it was also vital for more businesses to offer work experience.
- Doncaster councillors will propose a campaign to reduce possible damage caused by loud fireworks at today's full council meeting. A proposal will be heard for Doncaster Council to support the use of silent and low-noise fireworks for future celebrations. Leanne Hempshall will set out the proposal during the meeting, seconded by Jake Kearsley. It's been prompted by a rise in the usage of fireworks, which can cause distress to people with PTSD, vulnerable people, farm animals, pets and working dogs.
- The 60th anniversary of the hip replacement in Wigan that has transformed millions of lives worldwide since its inception back in 1962 will be celebrated next week. The surgery at Wrightington Hospital put its creator Sir John Charnley and the small hospital on the northern edge of the borough on the map. Professor Charnley's work and sheer dedicated genius catapulted the then small Wrightington Hospital in Wigan onto the world stage as an international centre of excellence. But the hip replacement as we know it was almost never made as Charnley's search for the right design and suitable materials foundered several times before being successful.
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