| Speaking on a visit to Northumberland yesterday, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was "awful" to see former 'Red Wall' seats in the North now being held by the Conservatives. The Leeds West MP met reporters in the Blyth Valley constituency won by Ian Levy in the 2019 General Election. The seat had been a Labour stronghold for decades, but its switch to the Conservatives was one of the standout results of a night that saw dozens of formerly safe Labour seats turn blue. As Graeme Whitfield writes for ChronicleLive, opinion polls have Labour on target to return to its power base in the North. Upcoming local elections in May will offer a yardstick on the party's progress in the region. Asked about Blyth Valley being a Conservative seat, she said: "It's awful, not just Blyth Valley but Bishop Auckland and Darlington, and areas near my constituency, places like Keighley and Wakefield, which we lost but won back last year. "The Labour Party was formed as the party of working people, of the industrial towns and cities, including in the North of England. We know that we lost the trust and support of people." 
On her visit, Ms Reeves also claimed that the failure of the Britishvolt project in Northumberland shows the UK is falling behind other countries in the race for green jobs. Britishvolt - which had hoped to create 3,000 jobs at Cambois with a factory to build batteries for electric vehicles - is likely to be sold to Australian firm Recharge Industries after going into administration. The company was promised £100m in Government support but was unable to access the funding after not meeting benchmarks set by Ministers. Ms Reeves said: "What we don't have is a Government in Britain that's getting behind British workers and British businesses and getting those jobs and investment here. "Other countries, like the US, are now stealing a march on us with their investment in these industries. Other European countries are doing the same, Australia is doing the same, and we're going to be left in the slow lane while other countries accelerate."
Girl is first in UK to get 'miracle treatment' for fatal disorder  Teddi Shaw (left) with her sister Nala. Photo issued by NHS England
Last April Teddi and Nala Shaw's parents had their world turned upside down when both their young daughters were diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a disorder which causes serious damage to the nervous system and organs, dramatically cutting life expectancy. The family from Shilbottle in Northumberland were told Nala wasn't eligible for any treatment, would continue to lose all functions and die extremely young. But alongside the heartbreaking diagnosis was hope, as they learned Teddi was eligible for a revolutionary gene therapy. The 19-month-old girl has now become the first child in the UK to get Libmeldy, which had a list price of £2.8 million when it was approved last year but NHS England reached agreement with the firm Orchard Therapeutics to offer it at a discounted price. Libmeldy is being made available on the NHS as a specialist service through the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. This centre is one of just five European sites administering the treatment, which corrects the genetic cause of MLD by inserting functional copies of a faulty gene into the patient's own stem cells. Teddi's parents Ally and Jake said: "We are extremely privileged that Teddi is the first child to receive this on the NHS and grateful that she has the opportunity to lead a long and hopefully normal life. Without this treatment, we would be facing both our children being taken away." NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: "I am delighted that we have given this miracle treatment to the Shaw family at what must have been a horrendous time for them, and I would like to thank the staff at Royal Manchester Children Hospital for turning research into reality for Teddi and others who will benefit."
Curtain set to go down on historic theatre as funding cuts bite  Oldham Coliseum will go dark at the end of March (Image: Oldham Coliseum)
Over the years the likes of Eric Sykes, Charlie Chaplin and Dame Thora Hird have trod the boards at the Oldham Coliseum, a theatre with a history dating back to 1885. But the theatre could close next month after losing its entire Arts Council England (ACE) funding, despite the efforts of campaigners like actor Maxine Peake to save it. Theatre bosses revealed they had been unable to come up with a rescue plan following the funding cut. The venue had received funding of more than £600,000 a year but became the biggest theatre outside London to lose its subsidy in a shake-up announced in November. In November, it applied for £1.84 million in funding to remain in the ACE portfolio for the next three years - a major part of its business model - but was unsuccessful despite Oldham being earmarked as a priority 'Levelling Up for Culture' area. The theatre has entered into a period of consultation with staff and is proposing to close the theatre at the end of March but events until 26 March will go ahead as planned. In a statement, a spokesman for the theatre said the current financial situation was "not sustainable for the running of a full-time theatre". But how did we get to this point? There's a great explainer of the "twisted and contested" story behind the closure by the Manchester Mill here, while the Manchester Evening News spoke to locals fearful of what the future might hold.
Opposition heats up to solar farm on high quality farmland 
In an age where both energy security and where we source our food are both massive political issues, which should take priority? The question is being put to the test in North Yorkshire, where a proposal to cover a swathe of high grade agricultural land with solar panels has attracted a wave of opposition. The last week has seen more than 100 objections lodged to Harmony Energy's planned solar farm beside the former Second World War prisoner-of-war site at Eden Camp, Old Malton, with some branding the potential loss of best and most versatile graded farmland as "ludicrous" and even "monstrous". The objections come just weeks after the firm submitted an array of documents to Ryedale District Council to justify its proposal, which has been cut from covering 130 hectares, which triggered Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake to raise the issue with a government Minister in 2021, to almost 53 hectares. The firm says the 30.4MW scheme would bring about substantial environmental, social and economic benefits, including carbon dioxide savings amounting to just over 12,500 tonnes a year and supply the average annual electricity needs for 38% of local households. As Local Democracy Reporter Stuart Minting writes, the proposal follows councils elsewhere in North Yorkshire, such as Richmondshire, being roundly condemned by some for giving consent to solar farms on top quality farmland, amid fears energy insecurity was being substituted for food insecurity. Despite the revised proposal, objectors have voiced fury over "using wildlife rich and productive farmland to install solar panels", saying there is an abundance of brownfield sites and roofs of buildings where solar panels could be installed.
Meanwhile in rural Northumberland, councillors fear continuing uncertainty in the agricultural sector could see many farmers "farming at a loss". Cllr John Riddle issued the stark warning at yesterday's meeting of Northumberland County Council's cabinet, where members were discussing the council's response to the future of farming inquiry it launched last year. Wooler councillor and farmer Mark Mather said he faced losing a large amount of the land he rented and farmed due to the owner's desire to plant trees in response to government initiatives about rewilding farmland. Cllr Riddle, who is also a farmer and represents the rural Bellingham ward, said: "Just last night I've had a telephone call from a tenant farmer ringing me for advice. I told him the schemes were still a bit woolly and advised him to use a farming consultant. "The reality is he's probably going to lose about £30,000 in payments, or subsidies, whatever you want to call it, even following the best advice. That will mean he's likely to be farming at a loss, and that's not sustainable."
Action needed to stop 'world's oldest shopping mall' going up in flames  Fire engines line Northgate Street, Chester as part of the Deva Flame practice exercise. (Image: Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service)
Described as being akin to the oldest shopping centre in the world, Chester's famous Rows which date back to the 13th century bring tourists to the historic city from all corners of the globe. Built in medieval times to give shoppers shelter from the elements while they did their daily shop, long before the era of shopping malls came along, The Rows are now home to a range of businesses. But as Angela Ferguson reports for CheshireLive, the very fabric of The Rows, which is mainly timber, leaves them vulnerable to the risk of fire. And now Chester's new MP Sam Dixon is calling on the Government to take urgent action. The Labour MP says the lack of any one register of the 300 or so owners who all have a stake in this heritage attraction can make tackling any issues around the Rows a logistical nightmare. When the local council and fire service set out to implement measures to help with early detection of fire they were aware of 309 different types of ownership recorded back in 2014. Not all of these are known to the council or readily available via public records, yet they face the daunting hurdle of having to get express permission from each and every one of them. Ms Dixon is urging the Government to take action to help safeguard The Rows by the creation of a statutory ownership register for heritage assets, which would reflect maintenance responsibilities. She said: "What makes The Rows special is their greatest vulnerability." 
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  The first episodes of Secret Life of the Forest air tonight on Channel 5. Image by ITN
- Dalby, Cropton and Langdale forests in North Yorkshire will be showcased in an eight-part television series on Channel 5 allowing viewers to see the wildlife and natural beauty of the forest landscapes as never before. Following the success of the first series of Secret Life of the Forest, filmed in Kielder Forest in 2020, Channel 5 returned to reveal the spectacular beauty and wildlife in Forestry England's Great Yorkshire Forest, Dalby. Filmed over one summer in 2022, this eight-part series airs its first episodes tonight at 8pm.
- A doctor has called for clarity over potential plans to build 9,000 new homes in south Lancaster, saying it could take years to recruit extra medical staff or create more clinics to serve a growing population. Lancaster's primary care services – doctors, dentists, pharmacists and opticians – were discussed at a city council scrutiny meeting after councillors highlighted public concerns last year about delays in seeing doctors. The south Lancaster area around Lancaster University could see up to 9,000 new homes built over the next 20 years, along with new links to the M6 and other infrastructure, under an agreement with the county council and the Government.
- Ads for a life insurance firm that joked about serial killer Harold Shipman have been banned for causing serious and widespread offence and distress. The Facebook and Instagram ads for DeadHappy, seen on January 23, featured images of Shipman and the text: "Life insurance… Because you never know who your doctor might be." Shipman murdered between 215 and 260 of his patients during his time as a GP in Hyde, Greater Manchester. The Advertising Standards Authority said it received 115 complaints that the ads irresponsibly caused serious and widespread offence and unjustified distress.
- Hull City are planning an ambitious £25m investment project that would breathe new life into the area surrounding the MKM Stadium by building Yorkshire's leading sports village. The multi-million-pound project is part of the long-term vision of owner Acun Ilicali, as he seeks to establish the Tigers as a force in the Premier League in the near future, while beginning the first steps to what he wants to be a lasting impact on the region. However, the plan also potentially calls for a controversial relocation of Hull Fair from its historic Walton Street site.
- Yorkshire residents who were once faced with the prospect of an 'unjust' council tax increase will no longer have to foot the bill of a £37,000 audit. Back in September, residents of Potto, a tiny village of just over 120 homes between Stokesley and Northallerton, found out that they would potentially have to pay £500 extra on top of their council tax bills after a complainant sparked an audit of the parish council. The complainant, allegedly a resident of Potto, reportedly filed 366 complaints against the council and submitted 1,500 pages of material. But after an appeal auditors have reduced their fees by 70%.
- Campaigners in Cleethorpes are protesting the construction of a 5,000 tonne salmon farm, which if built would be the largest in the UK. According to documents submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council as part of a planning application, the site would be located on the southern bank of the Humber Estuary near Blundell Park and would span 40,000 square metres. The £75 million proposal from AquaCultured Seafood Ltd would house more than 50 tanks where salmon would be farmed on a daily basis. But Sidney Sussex locals are becoming increasingly concerned over how close the factory would be to not only the beach but also residential properties.
Thank you for reading - If you have been forwarded this email and would like to sign up, you can do that right here. Contact us: You can get in touch via email - rob.parsons@reachplc.com - or via our Twitter page. | 
