North East Bylines

4 days ago | northeastbylines.co.uk | james waterson

Mayor Ben Houchen of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) will face public questions this week live on BBC Tees radio. The event is scheduled to take place on 15 May at 9-10am. It is the start of a monthly Mayor’s Question Time alongside two in-person events which will be free but ticketed. There has been no information released as to when or where these will take place. Whilst it is very much welcomed that Houchen will be facing the public after eight years in office, let us go back.

6 days ago | northeastbylines.co.uk | Will Pollock

October Country is the first full-length solo album from North California alternative rapper Ghost Mountain. The album and the singles released leading up to it mark the end of a four – year hiatus following a spat with long-time friend and collaborator Sematary. The album builds off the pair’s alternative rap roots in the Haunted Mound collective with a swathe of new influences, including new wave and goth, while expanding on the already present witch house inspiration.

1 week ago | northeastbylines.co.uk | Stuart Arnold

A new plan has been drawn up to tackle council-related fraud in Redcar and Cleveland. The organisation Veritau, which is employed by the council to carry out such work, said more than £41,000 had been saved in the last 12 months due to counter-fraud measures. The plan, covering the 2025/26 financial year and shared with the council’s governance committee, said: “When fraud is committed against the public sector, money is diverted from vital public services into the hands of criminals.

2 weeks ago | northeastbylines.co.uk | Bill Edgar

Council leaders have pledged to support Darlington’s food banks after several services announced funding difficulties and significant cutbacks. Darlington Borough Council said it will help the struggling services “as best as we can” after meeting local representatives. The local authority has been urged to rethink how it supports the schemes, which often rely on donations and the help of volunteers.

2 weeks ago | northeastbylines.co.uk | Gareth Lightfoot

A Teesside NHS trust had to pay out almost £4mn to patients over a five-year period for claims of misdiagnosis. The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust made the payouts in 29 cases settled between 2019 and 2024. They were among 40 claims regarding misdiagnoses lodged against the trust, according to figures obtained via freedom of information requests by legal service Medical Negligence Assist.