The Teesside Lead

Articles

Teesworks job figure analysis scuppered by councillor accused of "thwarting democracy"

Nov 10, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Leigh Jones

Thanks once again for reading The Teesside Lead, as we already reach our sixth edition since relaunching. Subscribing is free, and it makes sure you get the latest issue straight to your inbox. Different social media platforms make links to Substack less visible than they should be, so it’s an easy way of keeping informed about what’s happening in and around Teesside.
Redcar Council confirms two councillors in tax arrears but refuses to name them

Nov 6, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Leigh Jones

Can you believe we’ve reached the fifth edition of The Teesside Lead already? Boro donned an all-white strip at the weekend as part of the No More Red campaign. Although they lost at The Riverside, the white kits (with white badges and sponsor logos) were to draw attention to the issue of knife crime in the region. I’ll be looking into the stats later. The Teesside Lead is accountable to its readers, not advertisers or shareholders. To support independent local journalism, subscribe for free.
Net Zero Teesside developer over-reported carbon captured at flagship project

Oct 31, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Leigh Jones

Thanks again for reading and supporting independent local journalism. I need to ask a favour, and that is if you enjoy reading The Teesside Lead, please spread the word. Algorithms on certain platforms hide posts which direct traffic to Substack, and the best way to combat that is through word of mouth.
Inside Teesside Cannabis Club where harm-reduction and community are crucial

Oct 28, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Sarah Sinclair

By Sarah Sinclair, first published 06 March 2024“It’s not just about getting stoned,” Tom Sharrow, a freelance marketing and creative director and a member of Teesside Cannabis Club for the last three years, tells The Teesside Lead. “I’ve made lifelong friends here, one of them was the best man at my wedding.”Tom, 32, is one of more than 600 members of the club (the oldest of which is 89-years-old), which originated in a spare container in a scrap yard a decade ago.
Wildlife, industry, community - Teesside project to protect all three from flooding

Oct 28, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Sarah Sinclair

By Sarah Sinclair, first published 10 April 2024The first time Fred Forth’s house flooded was 1996. In August 2023 Port Clarence was hit by its fourth flooding event since Fred moved into his home on Fieldview Close, 35 years ago. It was believed to be caused by an issue with the flap valve on the pumps which were designed to keep the water levels down. Forth recalls the sewage coming up through the drains and floorboards. “You get flooded once and they say it won’t happen again.
Will two new power schemes transform Teesside’s landscape - or are they a waste of energy?

Oct 28, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Kevin Gopal

By Kevin Gopal, first published 08 May 2024Although it’s early days Teesside could yet host one of the world’s first power stations with commercial-scale carbon capture and be home to Europe’s first privately-built nuclear power plant. But if advocates, which include both Labour and Conservative MPs, believe the promised investment will be an important step in securing low-carbon energy, critics suspect the area is betting on the wrong technologies.
'Short-changed': The secrecy and intrigue of Ben Houchen’s mayoral run

Oct 28, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Kevin Gopal

By Kevin Gopal, first published 20 March 2024Michael Gove has given Lord Houchen six months to put his house in order – but that assumes the Teesside mayor will still be in power. Houchen, ennobled in Boris Johnson’s resignation list in 2023, faces an election in May to gain a third term. Although the controversial mayor won 2021’s election with a huge 73 per cent of the vote, he’s likely to take his share of the backlash facing the Conservatives nationally.
Inside the vital service supporting Teesside's most deprived

Oct 28, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Kevin Gopal

By Kevin Gopal, first published 03 April 2024Both of Tonia Nixon’s phones are ringing. On the other end of the one she can answer is a father with a six-month baby in desperate need of a cot. The call she can’t respond to at the moment probably comes with a similar request. Nixon is sitting at a table between the kitchen and the clothes racks of Tees Community Hub, which she founded in a New Skelton housing association building in 2020.
Why Won't Middlesbrough Council Remove The Linthorpe Road Cycle Lane?

Oct 27, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Leigh Jones

Thank you for the incredible support after The Teesside Lead’s relaunch this week! There are already hundreds of you signed up, and it’s so exciting to see such a positive response to a brand new independent news source for the area. This edition will be getting to the core of what’s really behind the war of words between two mayors and a hated cycle lane.
Former Teesside MP summoned to court for Council Tax arrears

Oct 23, 2024 | theteessidelead.substack.com | Leigh Jones

The Teesside Lead is back to deliver the latest news from the Tees Valley area twice a week. I’m Leigh Jones, and I’ll be editing these newsletters and bringing you original stories from across the region. Before landing at the helm of The Teesside Lead, I briefly worked at The Northern Echo and left to become an investigative reporter for The Yorkshire Post where I covered the Teesworks saga and ended up as something of an expert on the whole thing.