| It was Prime Minister John Major in 10 Downing Street and Right Said Fred were top of the charts the last time a Conservative was elected in Newcastle. Next month will mark a full 30 years since the Tories last claimed a victory in the city, an unhappy anniversary for those bidding to finally reverse the party's fortunes on Tyneside come the local elections on May 5. There has not been a single Conservative voice in the Newcastle City Council chamber since Sandra Gilfillan and Nina Hannaford's terms in Jesmond and Kenton respectively came to an end in 1996. And as you can see from the graphic below, the city is one of five 'Tory-free zones' across the North, with Liverpool, Manchester, Gateshead and Knowsley also having no Conservative representatives on their respective councils. As Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland writes, for a party that polled more than 35,000 votes in Newcastle at the last general election, coming second in all three of the city's constituencies, three decades of failure at the ballot box is seen as an aberration.  Five local authority areas in the North have not a single Conservative councillor. Image: Carly Holds
John Watts, chairman of the Newcastle Conservatives, calls their constant losses since May 1992 a "30-year wrong" and blamed it on tactical voting, with traditionally blue voters switching allegiances to the Liberal Democrats at local elections in order to keep Labour from winning their seat. The Consett-born former police officer, is hopeful that even a single win would be a turning point that could see the Tories replicate the kind of resurgence they have enjoyed in Sunderland over the last few years. But Nick Cott, leader of the city's opposition Lib Dem group, said it was "arrogant" to suggest that the Tories had a right to a seat on the council. It's noticeable that the North's other Conservative-free zones are big cities and their neighbouring areas, though other cities have Tory representation (including Leeds which has 23 Tory councillors). Chris Curtis, Head of Political Polling at Opinium, told us: "In a lot of Northern towns or cities that have ageing populations, particularly, they're swinging towards the Conservatives, they're also a lot more likely to have voted leave in the referendum. And that's because older people, even working-class older people are a lot more likely to vote Conservative than they used to be. "Northern cities that are holding on to their youth a lot more, because there's a better job market, better job opportunities, universities, things like that, Newcastle, Manchester being the most obvious examples, Labour's holding on to those, still doing very well, despite the fact that they've struggled in the most recent elections. "That's why for example, Newcastle has behaved a little bit differently to Sunderland, next door." 
Speaking of voting, the May 5 local elections are fast approaching with hundreds of new councillors to be elected across the North. For the ardent politicos planning to follow the results as they come in, The Northern Agenda has compiled a handy guide to when the results are expected. One noticeable difference compared with last year is the increase in results declared on the night as opposed to the next day or even (as in 2021) over the weekend, due to Covid restrictions.
Northern Tory support in short supply as PM apologises in Commons  Boris Johnson in the Commons yesterday.
Northern Tory support was in short supply as Boris Johnson apologised to MPs for breaching Covid rules in Downing Street during the height of lockdown last night. Out of 67 Northern Tories just two, Rossendale MP Jake Berry and Morecambe MP David Morris, rose to offer support to the PM in the Commons, writes Westminster Editor Dan O'Donoghue. Mr Berry, who chairs the Northern Research Group, praised Mr Johnson for his "contrite and wholehearted apology". Mr Morris said he was "man enough" to accept the apology, before praising the Prime Minister for delivering Brexit. But there wasn't much respite, as Mr Johnson had to endure almost two hours of criticism from Opposition MPs. In one blistering intervention, Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald said: "For once in his privileged, entitled life will he do the decent thing, come to that despatch box and correct the record. Because there isn't anybody who is fooled by this, but what he continues to do is take the British people for fools and they will not put up with it."
Village 'not appropriate place' to set up asylum reception centre  The country's first specialist new 'Greek-style' reception centre for migrants will be built in Linton-on-Ouse (Image: Kristian Johnson / Reach plc)
Earlier in the Commons, Home Secretary Priti Patel was told the North Yorkshire village of Linton-on-Ouse was "not the appropriate place" to locate a specialist 'Greek-style' reception centre for asylum seekers. The centre will be built in the village's former RAF base, with much of the existing infrastructure expected to be used to house new arrivals and process their asylum applications. It is part of the government's wider asylum plans, which include a £120 million deal with Rwanda meaning migrants arriving in the UK could be flown to have their asylum claims processed in the African country. It is not yet known exactly who will be transferred to RAF Linton-on-Ouse, but they could end up staying in the village for up to six months. Tory Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake, who represents the village, raised the issue direct with Ms Patel. He said: "I'm not a NIMBY in any way, shape or form, nevertheless this is a small rural village. The RAF base where it's going to be situated is right in the centre of that village." Ms Patel said she would be "happy to meet" with Mr Hollinrake to discuss concerns, writes Dan O'Donoghue for the YorkshireLive website.
Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, the local authority which has agreed to act as a guinea pig for the government's proposed system to fund adult social care, writes Local Democracy Reporter Stuart Minting. And despite having no idea about how many people it will affect or how much it could cost, leaders taking the leap in the dark will definitely benefit the county's residents. A meeting of Tory-run North Yorkshire County Council's executive heard becoming one of the country's first five local authorities to take up the Government's charging reforms programme would create a series of uncertainties for the council in an area which already accounted for almost half of its budget. An £86,000 cap on the amount residents will need to spend on their personal care is set to be introduced in North Yorkshire from January next year, nine months ahead of elsewhere. Also, the point at which people become eligible to receive some financial support from their local authority, will rise to £100,000 from the current £23,250.
Police chief: My force was 'borderline incompetent' on grooming  Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson
The chief constable of the North's biggest police force said it was "borderline incompetent" in the way it dealt with grooming gangs in the past. Stephen Watson, the top officer at Greater Manchester Police, also said the force "parked an element of professional curiosity" in the way it dealt with the problem, something he said was now "radically different". Mr Watson last week gave a personal apology to three women who were victims of grooming gangs in Rochdale who police failed to protect. Mr Watson, speaking on BBC Radio Manchester, said: "And the bottom line is we've failed children in the past, we simply did, there's no beating around the bush. "I don't think people did it out of a sense of badness, I don't think people did it because they were incompetent. But I think organisationally we were borderline incompetent in the sense that we just didn't do things then that we absolutely do now." Mr Watson said when he was a young police officer if a missing child was found with an adult, the focus was on recovering the child, whereas now the adult would "as night follows day" be arrested.
Liverpool council's energy price warning as war rages in Ukraine  People take part in a demonstration against the Russian invasion of Ukraine outside Downing Street
The war in Ukraine could yet have an impact on the budget of one of the North's biggest local authorities, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Humphreys. As conflict intensifies in Eastern Europe, Labour-run Liverpool City Council fears the increased inflation risk relating to energy costs in the current financial year could mean it is forced to call on its reserves. According to the council's cabinet report to be discussed on Friday, there will potentially be a call on its general fund reserve of more than £30m to cover the increasing costs. The revenue monitoring report said: "The city council set its general fund budget for 2022/23 to 2025/26 on the 2 March 2022. Since the budget was set there has been increased inflation risk around energy price increases exacerbated by the war in the Ukraine." Meanwhile, nearly 30 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in York since the Russian invasion, with more expected to arrive this week. Charlie Croft, City of York council's director of communities, said: "Numbers are starting to build, albeit slowly – I understand that a number of visa applications have been granted over the weekend and that three more groups now have permission to travel and are planning to travel to York this week."
Salford throws hat in the ring to host new rail HQ  Salford City Council have submitted a bid for the 100 Embankment building to be used as the HQ for Great British Railways (Image: Embarkment Manchester)
Readers might recall The Northern Agenda reporting last month that towns and cities from across the North were fighting it out to host the headquarters for the new Great British Railways organisation. Initial applicants included York and Darlington, though one bid from Greater Manchester was shrouded in mystery with no details made public. And it was announced today that the submission has come from Salford City Council. If successful, the Salford HQ would be situated at 100 Embankment, a 166,000 sq ft office located on Cathedral Approach by the River Irwell. Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: "Salford would be the perfect destination for the headquarters of Great British Railways. Not only are we vastly connected to this country's railway history through figures such as George Bradshaw and the father of railways, George Stephenson, but we are a city that has always been at the forefront of travel." Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps' Great British Rail Sale offering cut-price train fares has had a mixed reception. For LancsLive, Jamie Lopez is unimpressed by government claims that the scheme will help with the cost-of-living crisis. 
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 new Dibbles Bridge memorial outside Thornaby Town Hall ahead of a new plaque being installed
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A memorial to those who died in Britain's worst road disaster will be unveiled alongside a long-awaited town hall renovation on Teesside. Tragedy struck in May 1975 when 32 day-trippers who'd set off from Thornaby died after the brakes on their bus failed. The coach careered down a steep bank on the Pateley Bridge to Grassington road in North Yorkshire – hurtling through the parapet of Dibbles Bridge and somersaulting 16ft onto its roof. A new four tonne stone memorial sourced from a nearby North Yorkshire quarry has now been installed outside Thornaby Town Hall to mark the disaster – with a plaque to be unveiled on the 47th anniversary on May 27. -
Former Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson is no longer under investigation by Lancashire Police. The force has confirmed that the former Mayor is one of four men who have been told they are no longer being investigated as part of Operation Sheridan. Mr Anderson, who was Mayor from 2012 to 2021, was interviewed under caution almost four years ago. The 2013 probe was launched into alleged financial impropriety centred around Lancashire Council's BT joint venture, One Connect. -
Middlesbrough Council has given Eton College and Star Academies the first refusal to buy land at Middlehaven for the partnership's new sixth-form college. There are plans for exclusive private school Eton College, which educated Boris Johnson and David Cameron, to open up a facility in Middlesbrough that will be free to attend. The land which the council wants to sell is currently empty and is between Commercial Street and Lower Feversham Street, as well as an extra site between Lower Gosford Street and Lower Feversham Street. -
East Riding of Yorkshire Council's leader has paid tribute to councillor Chad Chadwick, who has died months after being diagnosed with cancer. Jonathan Owen said his Conservative colleague was a brilliant ward member and mentor to younger members, including himself after first being elected. He added he and his input on council committees would be missed. Cllr Chadwick died just weeks before his 80th birthday. -
A historic Newcastle building that once symbolised the "dawn of a new age" for the city could be largely demolished to make way for a gigantic office development, a heritage group has warned. The Northumberland and Newcastle Society fears that much of Carliol House will be lost forever as part of plans to bring thousands of HM Revenue & Customs jobs into the city centre. The 1920s Art Deco building in Market Street, originally the headquarters of the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company, is part of the proposed Pilgrim's Quarter office complex. -
The mayor of Copeland in Cumbria has put a controversial proposal to ban mementos from graves on-hold so that the council can discuss a way forward with residents. Copeland Borough Council announced its intentions to remove ornaments from graves in March due to difficulties keeping the cemetery properly maintained. But Mayor of Copeland Mike Starkie has put the plans on-hold following public outcry and the submission of a petition opposing the removal of grave ornaments. 
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