| By ROB PARSONS - December 15th 2022 The mercury had dropped to minus 2C this morning outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where striking nurses clutched hot drinks while drivers tooted their horns in support as they drove past. One nurse, Jane, said: "It is very cold and I would rather be in work. It was a hard decision to strike, but it is needed. We just need some fair pay." With picket lines outside hospital trusts across the North this morning, thousands of nurses nationwide have begun a 12-hour strike in a bitter dispute over pay. It's the biggest by nurses in the history of the NHS, involving around a quarter of hospitals and community teams. The Government, which is refusing to meet demands for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, says around 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries will be lost in England due to the strike.  Nurses are on strike across the country in the biggest industrial action of its kind in the NHS' history. GIF by Carly Holds
But in Liverpool, nurses on picket lines said staff shortages mean patients are already being neglected, while low salaries mean some nurses are turning to food banks to feed their children. Outside Aintree University Hospital, nurses began joining the picket line from 7.30am, with many holding placards with slogans such as "Short staffing costs lives", "You clapped for us, now act for us" and "If nurses are out here, there's something wrong in there". Staff nurse Joanne McArthur, 51, told Press Association: "We've got nurses that are leaving because of unsafe practices on the ward, not being able to give the patients the patient care that they deserve. "We come into this profession for that, so that we can give what we've been trained to do, and unfortunately we're just not able to do that because of the way the situation is." Elsewhere, nurse Emily Leitch from Leeds General Infirmary said her ward has 28 patients and they should have four staff on rota during the day and three at night. She told the BBC she can be the only member of staff on at night, perhaps alongside an agency nurse. The health service will be running a bank holiday-style service in many areas, though the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said it will still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care, alongside several other services. You can see whether your local trust's nurses are on strike in this interactive map. Health Secretary Steve Barclay says the Government is sticking to the recommendations of the independent pay review body, which said nurses should get a pay rise of around £1,400. 
Will voters give by-election in Labour stronghold the cold shoulder?  Voters in Stretford and Urmston go to the polls today (Image: Vincent Cole - Manchester Evening News)
We're only 15 days into our chocolate advent calendars and December is already offering up a second Northern Parliamentary by-election for politicos to ponder. After Labour romped to victory in the City of Chester two weeks ago, nobody is expecting anything other than the same result when voters in Stretford and Urmston go to the ballot box today. Nine candidates are bidding to succeed Kate Green as MP and Labour candidate, Trafford Council leader Andrew Western, is the frontrunner. Ms Green retained the constituency with more than 60% of the vote – a majority of 16,417 – in 2019 after she was first elected in 2010. She formally resigned in November to become Greater Manchester deputy mayor, triggering the by-election. It may be the freezing cold but when Damon Wilkinson of the Manchester Evening News spoke to voters to take the temperature this week, many seemed indifferent. "'I'm not bothered about all that mate,' one man says as he walks by the entrance to Stretford Mall," Damon writes. "In two hours spent outside the shopping centre on Tuesday morning it's a response we hear dozens of times." For a more enthusiastic analysis of the election, why not have a listen to Local Democracy Reporter Nick Jackson talking about it on this week's episode of The Northern Agenda podcast? 
Ribble Valley's 'Mrs Mayoralty' hangs up her last civic chains after 39 years  Olwen Heap is hanging up her civic chains after 39 years at Ribble Valley Borough Council. Image by Carly Holds
A lot's changed in local government since Olwen Heap started work at Ribble Valley Borough Council in 1983 aged 17 as a junior clerical assistant in the chief executive's department. After 39 years at the Lancashire local authority Olwen, now secretary to Ribble Valley Borough's Mayor and described by the council as 'Mrs Mayoralty', plans to retire at Christmas. Beverley Jones, who was mayor in 2009/10, said 'every council should have an Olwen'. Describing how things were at the start of her career, she said: "In those days, the chief executive Michael Jackson was always called 'Mr Jackson' and councillors were always called 'Councillor'. "Female employees were not allowed to wear trousers and in common with other workplaces at the time smoking was allowed. "There were no computers and minutes were taken by hand, dictated into a Dictaphone and typed up by a typing pool. Modern administrative systems have improved the job significantly and made it much quicker and more efficient." Ribble Valley Council chief executive Marshal Scott said: "Olwen is our longest-serving employee and her dedication to public service has been exceptional. Her knowledge of the council and its committees is unsurpassed and she will be sorely missed."
Social landlord failed to act for two years after Awaab Ishak's death  RBH was criticised for sitting on its hands for almost two years after two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in a damp, mouldy flat in December 2020
| Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove this morning promised to block government funding for under-fire Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) to build new homes "until it can prove each of its residents has a safe and secure home". He was speaking after a damning report by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) condemned RBH for sitting on its hands for almost two years after two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in a damp, mouldy flat in December 2020. Following an investigation sparked by Awaab's inquest, which ruled the tot's death followed prolonged exposure to mould, the RSH says it has found 'significant failings' in the way RBH deals with damp and mould - beyond the findings of coroner Joanne Kearsley. RBH has therefore breached the regulator's consumer and governance standards, with the body urging the landlord to take action. Mr Gove said today: "We must honour Awaab's memory, so I am looking at new measures – including legislation – that will go further to deliver urgent action when people complain about damp and mould and make sure the rights of tenants are respected. "There is consensus across the country that landlords must do better. Let RBH be a warning, I will use every power at my disposal to make sure people have good quality homes and are treated with dignity and respect."
Angry fishermen stage protest at Tees dredging plans  Protesters wore masks showing Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen's face (Image: Teessidelive)
There's another investigation into the mass deaths of crabs off the Teesside coast next month, but local fishing crews and activists are not letting the issue drop. Campaigners wearing masks bearing the face of the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen gathered outside the Teesworks site yesterday shouting 'toxic Tees is killing our seas' and waved banners saying 'Stop the Dredge', writes Kelley Price for GazetteLive. Fishermen from Hartlepool, Redcar and Whitby who have seen their livelihoods "decimated" by the shellfish die-offs fear chemicals released by dredging work to develop the Teesside freeport are to blame for the die-offs. An initial investigation by The Department for Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] said the deaths were down to a naturally occurring algal bloom but have asked a panel of "external experts" to reinvestigate by the New Year. But Joe Redfern, a fisherman and founder of Whitby's lobster hatchery, said: "We've no idea who's on that panel, or why they've been selected. We're not happy with the way it's being co-ordinated. We just have to trust that Defra is doing everything by the book." The saga is becoming increasingly party political, with local Tory MP Simon Clarke saying last night: "The truth is that there is no credible evidence to stop dredging. The capital dredging of the Tees, which Labour blames, took place months AFTER those sea life deaths happened."
Liverpool Mayor suggests Royal Family is racist 'by its very nature'  Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson
Here's something to consider if you're sitting down to watch the latest episodes of the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Netflix documentary. Speaking on Times Radio as part of a discussion about her own life, Liverpool mayor Joanne Anderson suggested the Royal Family was racist 'by its very nature'. Asked about Meghan Markle's treatment by the royals and the press, she told host Cathy Newman that "we have got a long way to go in Britain", writes Liam Thorp for the Liverpool Echo. And she compared her own family's experience to the situation in America, where she said people couldn't buy houses in black communities which had been 'red lined' so they couldn't be invested in. "People thought this is terrible what happens in America, it's not the same in England," she adds. "It is absolutely the same in England but it's much more subtle. My grandma would have had a house just nearby where I live, the equivalent would have been worth half a million pounds today and that was compulsory purchased by the local authority for a road that never happened." Asked whether Britain is racist and whether the Royal Family is racist, Mayor Anderson said: "I think any institution in Britain, unless it can demonstrate by its outcomes that it is not, is highly likely institutionally racist." Pushed on whether the Royal Family itself is racist, the city leader said: "By its very nature I think isn't it, even though it's (of) German background and descent."
Council accused of 'deceiving' public in playing fields development row  Housing development on a field in Hillhead Road, West Denton, Newcastle.
The playing field next to Newcastle's West Denton Community Centre has been at the centre of a building saga over recent years, with campaigners having pleaded with the city council to keep the site as open space that could be used by children, football teams, and dog walkers. And now emails obtained by local residents via a Freedom of Information request have revealed that council bosses did not want to improve the state of the popular community field because they feared scuppering a controversial housing development, as Local Democracy Reporter Dan Holland writes. It has emerged that civic centre officials were against cutting the grass more regularly at a contentious site in the outer west of the city because they wanted to discourage locals from using the public land more often. Despite the protests, plans from Tolent and Karbon Homes were approved this January for 45 houses to be built on the Hillhead Road site and construction work has now begun. Angela Olver, who was involved in the Save Our Field campaign, accused the council of having "deceived the public". But the council insists that residents were not denied access to the field and that it had become "surplus to requirements". A spokesperson said: "When the scheme is complete it will significantly yield more benefits for the city, namely new affordable housing for which there is huge demand, two maintained football pitches for local children to play and much improved access for residents generally."
Over in Liverpool, the deputy chief executive of Alder Hey hospital has apologised to the community for delays in handing back green space used to site the new medical centre, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Humphreys. In 2015, the specialist children's hospital opened its new healthcare campus on land within Springfield Park resulting in green space being lost in the community. As part of a land exchange agreement with Liverpool Council made in 2012, Alder Hey is obligated to return 9.4 hectares of land back to council ownership but a deal has yet to be completed. John Grinnell, deputy CEO and finance director at Alder Hey, issued a public apology for the ongoing delays to a packed meeting held at the hospital's innovation building this week. Mr Grinnell also confirmed the hospital trust will be spending more than £6m to restore the land to the community. 
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Northern Stories  John Smith's Stadium in Huddersfield is managed by Kirklees Stadium Development Limited
- Shockwaves have been reverberating around Huddersfield's John Smith's Stadium after it was revealed its management company could be at risk of going into administration due to debts running into millions of pounds. Since it opened in 1993, the stadium – where Huddersfield Town FC and Huddersfield Giants play – has been managed by Kirklees Stadium Development Limited. Now, "full operational control" is set to be handed over from Kirklees Council to Huddersfield Town. The stadium is in need of between £8m and £10m worth of refurbishments over the next 10 years to address a "backlog" of maintenance issues in order to extend the stadium's life until 2050.
- China has pulled out six officials wanted for police questioning over the assault of a protester outside the nation's consulate in Manchester, the Foreign Secretary has said. James Cleverly said he is "disappointed" the individuals including consul general Zheng Xiyuan will not face justice over the attack on Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Bob Chan. Alicia Kearns, the chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the diplomats of having "fled the UK like cowards". Beijing insisted the departure of the consul general was a "normal rotation".
- A huge Lancashire hall which dates back hundreds of years and has been used as a military hospital and a care home will be turned back into a family home. Cuerden Hall will be converted into Lancashire's biggest home thanks to a £15m restoration and redevelopment which will also see a swimming pool built and extensions added. It currently has 179 rooms, a 200ft corridor and three ancient woodlands. The building was bought by Colin Shenton in 2020 and the Manchester businessman has now been given the green light to undertake the major works by Chorley Borough Council.
- Two major South Yorkshire transport operators have planned to increase fares effective from January 2. Politicians such as mayor Oliver Coppard have hit out at the plans which come during the cost-of-living crisis. TravelMaster will increase tickets by 10% while Sheffield's Supertram will increase some tickets by 8%. The plan comes as more and more people are relying on public transport this winter due to the cost-of-living crisis which has seen fuel and energy prices rise significantly.
- A speed limit of 20mph through the centre of a Lake District village is to be introduced after being given approval by councillors. The restrictions in Staveley were voted through by a meeting of the county council's local committee for South Lakeland. "There's a lot of people walking around the village, and a few [drivers] do travel at excessive speed," said county councillor Stan Collins, who lives in Staveley.
- A Manchester city centre hotel is set to be demolished to make way for a 38-storey skyscraper of student accommodation and a 13-storey office building. The Premier Inn at Deansgate Locks would be replaced by purpose-built student flats which would accommodate 1,014 rooms under the new plans. The proposal for the Medlock Street site also includes 36,000 sq m of Grade A office space as well as a new piece of artwork which is nine storeys in height.
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