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The teachers going on strike for 'Walkout Wednesday' Expect the big story tomorrow to be 'Walkout Wednesday', as hundreds of thousands of workers go on strike over pay, jobs and conditions in what will be the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. As well as train drivers, civil servants and university lecturers, teachers who are members of the National Education Union will strike, with more than 23,000 schools expected to be affected. In Liverpool, for example, only 8% of schools will be fully open.  More than 23,000 schools are expected to be affected by tomorrow's teachers' strike. Graphic: Carly Holds
The Department for Education has offered a 5% pay rise to most teachers for the current school year, but the NEU is demanding a fully funded above-inflation pay rise for teachers and is planning seven days of strikes. Primary school teacher Nicola Hawkins, who is in her mid-50s, lives in Cumbria and is a history lead and primary school teacher, told the PA news agency that she made the decision to strike to help protect the future of education. "It is really difficult to make that decision to walk out, but I've come to the conclusion that it is in everyone's long-term interests really," she said. Ms Hawkins added that striking has been the only way to get attention from the Department for Education, which she said has ignored reports highlighting the problems in the education sector such as pay and recruitment. Hear more about her reasons for going on strike here.
Pressure on 'best music arena ever built' to help out grassroots music venues  Co-op Live will be able to hold 23.500 people (Artist's impression by Co-Op Live)
Describing itself as the only music-first arena, the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live venue in Manchester will feature an innovative 'smart bowl' inspired by conversations with rock legend Bruce Springsteen and star Harry Styles. Set to open in December and currently under construction at the Etihad Campus, expectations are high. Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, the American firm behind the development, previously told the Manchester Evening News: "The arena we're building here, it's going to be the greatest music arena ever built." But before a single punter has entered the new building, it's already facing calls to ensure that a percentage of every ticket it sells goes into the struggling grassroots music ecosystem. Figures from Music Venue Trust (MVT), which represents almost 1,000 UK local music venues, shows that the number of live music performances at grassroots music venues has fallen by almost 17% since 2019. It has issued a direct request to the City of Manchester, the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, Manchester City Council and all Manchester MPs to ensure that the new Co-op Live Arena pledges a commitment to tackling the problem. "We cannot go on building more and more arenas with no plan of how to fill the stages they create in five, ten or twenty years' time and without these new facilities playing their part in helping protect the grassroots eco-system," said Mark Davyd, chief executive of MVT.
In response, Mark Donnelly, Chief Operating Officer at Oak View Group International, said: "Music Venue Trust's statement that Co-op Live have no plans to invest in grassroots venues is inaccurate. "We have previously reached out to the organisation following initial conversation on the 7th December, and are currently awaiting a meeting to discuss collaboration as we prepare to open our venue. "We are committed to giving back to the local community, having pledged £1m annually to the Co-op Foundation, and working towards Manchester City Council's target of net zero carbon by 2038. "This ethos extends further into the grassroots sector, working alongside Manchester's vibrant Night & Day Café to host our recent countdown event.".
Abusive calls or messages reported every five minutes across the North  Emily Atack says it is "important" to make catcalling a "public health issue" as she fronts a new BBC Two documentary about her experiences of sexual harassment
TV star Emily Atack has opened up about the explicit pictures and messages she is sent every day - as figures show thousands of abusive messages were sent to people in the North last year. In her documentary "Asking For It", the Inbetweeners actress talks about the offensive and threatening messages she receives over social media - which have included naked photographs and even rape threats - and explores why she and others are harassed online. It comes as Home Office figures show Emily is far from alone, with many people in the North on the receiving end of similar abusive and explicit messages, as data journalist Richard Ault reports for The Northern Agenda. During the year ending September 2022, police in the North recorded 97,017 crimes of sending "malicious communications", the equivalent one every five minutes. These are cases where someone has sent an email, a social media post, or any other form of communication that is indecent, grossly offensive, threatening, or contains information that is false or believed to be false. In the North, crimes of sending malicious communications increased slightly from 96,683 during the year ending September 2021, and have rocketed by 24% since 2019, when there were 78,373 of these crimes. In her deeply personal documentary, Emily opens up about how she has received unwanted sexual attention from an early age. She admits that throughout her life she felt blamed for this negative attention and was repeatedly told "but you're asking for it". Emily Atack: Asking For It? airs 31 January at 9pm on BBC Two.
 One Home says almost £600 million worth of coastal homes in England could be lost to the sea by 2100. Graphic by Carly Holds
For thousands of people living in at-risk seaside communities, it's a sobering thought that coastal erosion will mean that in a few decades time their homes will likely no longer exist. According to a climate action group, almost £600 million worth of coastal homes in England - in places like Cumbria, Northumberland and the East Riding of Yorkshire - could be lost to the sea by 2100. One Home identified 21 at-risk villages and hamlets and estimated how much coast could be lost there assuming that current policies on whether to defend, retreat or abandon sections of coastline are followed. The group has compiled a map highlighting what shoreline management plans are in place in different areas like Rolston to Waxholme on the Holderness coast, and what the level of protection is. Check it out here. Angela Terry, chief executive of One Home, said there is no compensation scheme available for affected homes and owners might be asked to pay to demolish their homes while still paying their mortgage. She said: "These irreversible changes mean some cliff faces are crumbling fast. We can't turn the tide or build a wall around the entire coast so we urgently need to help seaside communities to prepare for the damage that will come."
Not far away in Hull, one of the city's best-known historical landmarks is facing an uncertain future. City council officials are examining a range of future options for Victoria Pier which is closed to the public because of its crumbling condition. Originally known as Corporation Pier, it was built in 1825 as the terminus for the Humber ferry which took passengers between Hull and New Holland. It was given its current name the day after a Royal visit in 1854 when Queen Victoria sailed from Grimsby to visit Hull. The pier was closed to the public three years ago at the start of flood defence works by the Environment Agency at the Nelson Street promenade. As Angus Young reports for HullLive, speculation that it could be demolished and removed has been dismissed.
Clean air tolls: A relief for some but nightmare for others  New signs warning drivers of the Newcastle Clean Air Zone. Photo: Newcastle City Council.
After years of debate and a string of delays, measures to try and crack down on illegal and dangerous levels of air pollution in Newcastle are finally in force. Cameras dotted around the edge of the city centre are now on watch for high-emissions vehicles that do not comply with the environmental standards of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ), which launched officially yesterday. The Newcastle CAZ is only the second to become operational in the North after Bradford's, which was launched last year. A charging zone in Sheffield comes in next month while Greater Manchester's plans are under review following a massive backlash by motorists. And as Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland writes, the Newcastle city centre pollution tolls have come as a long-awaited relief for some but are a "nightmare" for others. While all private cars are exempt from any tolls, drivers of older buses, coaches, taxis, and HGVs must now pay daily charges of either £50 or £12.50 if they want to go to or through the city centre. Tony Carter, owner of Gateshead-based haulage firm Tony Carter Transport, said he felt "lucky" that most of his fleet is modern enough to comply with the new restrictions – but has worries about the impact on smaller businesses, particularly when tolls for van drivers begin in July. He said: "If you are a small business with one or two vans, you are going to be knackered. People operating in Newcastle city centre will go bust, put their costs up, or leave. The prime example would be if you are a one-man band fruit and veg seller, something like that." 
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Northern Stories  The North Yorkshire village of South Otterington. Pic by Mick Garratt/Wikimedia Commons
- Residents of a Domesday Book North Yorkshire village say a plan to build a housing estate across open grassland which they use to graze animals and for recreation represents "an eradication of local history". Hambleton District Council has had scores of objections about a proposal by Lovell Homes' last month to bulldoze agricultural outbuildings and build 40 homes on Peggy's Field, off the main route through South Otterington, near Northallerton. In the planning application the developer has suggested it would meet the authority's requirement for 30 per cent affordable housing and "good design principles to achieve a development which is well connected, attractive and sustainable".
- Peers in the House of Lords have taken aim again at circumstances surrounding former Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mike Veale. Conservative Peer Lord Lexden referred to a misconduct hearing Mr Veale still faces from his ten-month spell with the force as being indefinitely postponed, with no date yet to be set. He said a previous explanation given by Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner for the apparent delay was "impenetrable gobbledegook".
- A Leeds dad has been awarded more than £5,000 in compensation after the city council failed to provide "suitable education" for his son. A report by the Local Government Ombudsman revealed how the child, who has special educational needs, missed an entire academic year as he approached secondary school age. The Ombudsman said the council failed to provide the required tuition after the pupil left two schools in quick succession, because they were unable to cater for him.
- The UK's biggest research streaming platform has been launched by the University of Sheffield to enable anyone, anywhere to discover and explore its research. The University of Sheffield Player, officially launched this week, brings together videos, podcasts and digital exhibitions all about University of Sheffield research, which anyone from anywhere can access at any time. Officials behind the project say: "From art to artificial intelligence, climate change to cutting-edge medicine, food security to societal issues, there is something on the Player to feed every curiosity."
- Plans to regenerate the site of a former Huyton biscuit factory could bring 150 new jobs into the area, according to documents submitted to Knowsley Council. The proposals for Huyton Trade Park on Wilson Road include plans to knock down existing buildings at the site and create dozens of warehousing, distribution and light industry units. The move could bring millions into the local economy, according to a report submitted to the council as part of a planning application last week.
- Barrow Borough Council pays £85,000 a year to outsource its communications to a public relations firm, it has been revealed. The local authority's current contract with 32West began in June 2021, following a tender process, and ends in July 2023. The information was published in a report produced ahead of a meeting of the borough council's overview and scrutiny committee. The document, authored by Susan Roberts, director of resources at the council, says the council's 'overall media presence' has 'grown significantly' during its association with 32West, which was founded in 2018 and currently has offices in Ulverston, Liverpool and Gateshead.
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