An NHS appeals body has ruled that new pharmacies can open in Heaton and Kenton, after regional health bosses previously rejected applications despite a spate of closures

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged 'full backing' to Sunderland's Crown Works Studios. Speaking to me this afternoon, the PM said Govt would do 'everything we can' to help secure new investment for the £450m project after it main backer pulled out. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Big result for homeowners on the Byker Wall Estate. After months of campaigning about major increases to their heating bills, refunds totalling more than £56,000 are being issued by the city council. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Not quite as exciting as plans to extend the Metro to Washington, but this is super important... www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

£250m worth of pothole repairs is now needed to bring Newcastle's roads and footpaths up to an acceptable standard. For context, the Government is giving the entire North East just £21m this year to deal with the issue. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Really gutted to be reporting this news… Investment firm Cain International has pulled out of the Crown Works film studios development. Sunderland Council and NE mayor say they still ‘remain confident’ in the project and expect new funding this year. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Great bit of work from my colleague @oliviasheed.bsky.social uncovering cigarettes and disposable vapes being offered as prizes at the Hoppings www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Around 250 posts are likely to be cut from the Nissan plant in Sunderland as the car making giant puts together a huge global savings programme. The company has in recent months been facing major challenges at a global level as it battles to raise billions for its survival.

Spoke to Rachel Reeves in Gateshead this morning as she announced funding to fix 'run down bridges, decaying flyovers and worn out tunnels'. She didn't have to look far to find some very obvious examples of where that cash is needed... www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Striking designs showcasing an alternative future for the closed Gateshead Flyover are being put on display at Newcastle University's Farrell Centre

Relieved to be sharing this news today... After months of uncertainty, the final £6m we were promised for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge is now secure. Proud of the work we've done @chroniclelive.co.uk to keep up the pressure on this. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

The remaining money needed to complete the Tyne Bridge's restoration will be drawn from a £1.85 billion transport funding pot for the North East, which was confirmed by Rachel Reeves yesterday

Today's front pages on the day we're told the long-awaited extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington should finally happen by 2033 www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Rachel Reeves will today unveil a £15.6 billion package of transport upgrades outside London and the South East, paving the way for a long-awaited extension of the Metro to Washington

The historic site - formerly known as Davy Roll - will close in Spring 2026 when it has fulfilled all of its current orders

Cool to see the Shields Ferry sailing all the way up to the Quayside this morning. Just a training run, not a new boat service up the Tyne unfortunately!

Interesting day in Leeds yesterday with mayors, Angela Rayner, and Sir Brendan Foster talking about the Great North. Will be watching closely to see what this can deliver and if Government's warm words translate into real investment. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

More grim reading here, I'm afraid. Young people in Newcastle Central and West have the worst life chances of anywhere in England, according to new @suttontrust.bsky.social study analysing social mobility of children eligible for free school meals. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Quite used to reporting on fairly grim numbers when it comes to poverty in the North East, but this really struck me. 23% of people dying in Newcastle end their lives in poverty, says @mariecurieuk.bsky.social www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

BREAKING: Russia responsible for MH17 plane crash that killed two Newcastle United fans, UN aviation agency finds

More worrying news from Nissan this morning www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

BREAKING: Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham have both been found guilty in the Sycamore Gap tree felling trial www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Thanks to everyone who has sent in questions so far, lots of good ones coming into our inbox. We’re doing this tomorrow morning, so you’ve still got time to put questions in tonight…

Big news for Newcastle today with confirmation that the Mercury Prize is coming here later this year - the first time it has ever been held outside London www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

This week marks a year since North East mayor @kimmcguinness.bsky.social took office. She's popping into our office tomorrow for a Q&A, so send us your questions for her. You can reply to me on here, email [email protected], or comment on this story⬇️ www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Lots of talk about the electoral impact of Labour's planned PIP cuts (among other things...) But this report from @healthequitynorth.bsky.social predicts the NE economy will be worst hit by the welfare reforms. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Latest on the site of the proposed Gateshead Quays conference centre and arena, where we've been waiting years for construction to start... www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Prosecutors say Daniel Graham or Adam Carruthers took a chainsaw to the famous tree while the other filmed it on Graham's phone

Bad news on the Metro. All of the new fleet have been pulled from service due to a fault relating to the train doors. @kimmcguinness.bsky.social demands Nexus and Stadler offer a full explanation for an “extremely frustrating”setback. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

I've been doing some digging into the North East councillors taken to court for not paying their council tax. Details in this article - including how we're challenging the councils that are refusing to disclose information. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Really interesting piece here from my colleagues Tom and Coreena on why so many of Newcastle's pubs and bars seem to be shutting up shop www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/wha...

I spoke to Labour's transport secretary today about the missing £6.2m for the Tyne Bridge's restoration. Read what she had to say here ⬇️ @chroniclelive.co.uk www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Yesterday marked 12 months since the start of the Tyne Bridge's restoration - and it is still on track for a 2028 finish, despite worries about missing funding and a 'daunting' level of decay www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Good news for the North East this morning with a £300m order for new trains to be built at Hitachi in County Durham. Story from @graemewhitfield.bsky.social. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Newcastle Council's takeover of the Crowne Plaza hotel is now a done deal. It's previous owner was placed into administration today, with outstanding debts of £39.5m to the council after a series of loans. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/wha...

Good to read @robparsonsna.bsky.social in @thenorthernagenda.bsky.social today scrutinising Keir Starmer's £1.7bn transport 'announcement' for the North (in which the North East wasn't mentioned...) Vast majority appears to be nothing new.

Data published by the DWP indicates that 170,000 children in the North East were living below the poverty line in the three years to 2023/24. That amounts to 31% of the region’s babies, children and young people, a rise on the previous set of figures www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

One to keep an eye on... Treasury touting the Forth Yards as a '5,000 home' regeneration opportunity. That's double the amount of building previously talked about. Govt also claimed the site is 100 acres, when it's about half that. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Newcastle City Council is poised to take ownership of the 4-star Crowne Plaza hotel in the city centre. The council is owned around £40m after multiple loans to the hotel over the years. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

This morning's front pages, as the North East calls on the Government to finally commit to the final £6m promised for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge

Latest on the Gateshead Flyover... councillors to agree to demolition next week and £18m set aside to pay for it, though costs and timescales remain unconfirmed. The road is deemed 'inherently unsafe'. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Today's front page on the £400m cash injection needed to replace the Tyne and Wear Metro's signalling system by 2030. Not as shiny and exciting as new trains, but if the signals don't work then those trains won't be able to go anywhere... www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

ICYMI: It would appear that a deal to sell a private investor's 49% of Newcastle International Airport is nearing. Papers reveal that local councils, which own the 51% majority stake, were expected to be asked to consent to the sale this week. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Looks like some big jobs news for Newcastle imminent, with Atom Bank poised to move into the renovated Pattern Shop building at Stephenson Quarter www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Roughly 73,000 children in the North East are missing more than 10% of their time at school. Spoke to @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social yesterday about tackling the school attendance crisis that she believes is the “educational challenge of our generation”. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Some new pics here of what Northumberland Street should look like once its upgrades are finally complete. Bad news is that the end date for the works has now slipped into 2026... www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Bit of news here on what might become of the tonnes of rusted steel removed from the Tyne Bridge, with hopes that it could be turned into artwork celebrating the bridge's centenary in 2028 www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Today is, somehow, five years since the first confirmed Covid case in Newcastle. Spoke to the always excellent Eugene Milne about his memories of that time and how the pandemic became 'very real, very quickly'. Lockdown arrived less than 3 weeks later. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

This morning's front page, as the number of people sleeping rough in the North East hits a record high. Ruth Parker, chief exec of Emmaus North East, tells me the situation has reached 'crisis point' and should be a source of national shame. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Today's Journal front page, my report on yesterday's Marmot City conference in Newcastle and the action planned to combat the shocking health inequalities in the city. “Poverty must not be destiny”, says @michaelmarmot.bsky.social. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...