Archive
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PC blinded by Raoul Moat nominated for award
THE policeman blinded by killer Raoul Moat was today nominated to be honoured for his courage with a Pride of Britain award. Pc David Rathband lost the sight in both eyes when he was shot in the face by the on-the-run gunman as he sat in his marked patrol
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50 firefighters tackle blaze at paper recycling plant in Hartlepool
FIFTY firefighters tackled a blaze at a paper recycling plant in Hartlepool last night. Police, fire and ambulance services were called to the industrial estate at Mainsforth Terrace at around 5.45pm. As well as 11 tenders, a hydraulic platform
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Terry's back on the buses
TERRY Christie has been enjoying the new-look 12-page Memories supplement that is now coming out every Thursday with The Northern Echo. It has inspired him to write his memories of bus travel. Terry, 46, lives in East Herrington, Sunderland
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Business support service may have to axe third of workforce
A NORTH-East business support service that claims to have helped create more than 5,000 jobs in the region may be forced to axe about a third of its 416 workers. The boss of Business and Enterprise North East (BE-NE) which has worked with more than
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Red (12A)
Stars: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Rebecca Pidgeon, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine Running time: 111 mins Rating: ★★★ BRUCE Willis never did take himself too seriously
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Arthur goes large at comedy festival
There’s hardly a comedian out there that Arthur Smith hasn’t worked with, the standup tells Steve Pratt as he prepares for Harrogate. COMIC performer Arthur Smith is explaining what Harrogate audiences can expect from him: “A stream of brilliant
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Inspired by David Nixon
Middlesbrough comedy magician Pete Firman explains to Viv Hardwick why he admires the old-style magicians of TV, and David Nixon in particular. TEESSIDE-born comedy magician Pete Firman might like to test the boundaries of taste as an entertainer
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Booze efforts under scrutiny
EFFORTS to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse have come under the spotlight in Durham. People from a range of projects judged to be successful showed off their work at an event to mark national Alcohol Awareness Week. Among the schemes represented
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Stripper bares her soul
PENNILESS and desperate to become an actress after studying at Goldsmiths and the Arts Educational Schools in London, Hannah Chalmers entered the world of the sleasy strip club as an innocent novice for six months in search of a financial lifeline
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October 21, 2010
WHAT’S ON: Opera North, the Gypsy Bible, Sage Gateshead, 8pm, Saturday. Box Office: 0191-443-4661. A dark tale, suitable for ages 11 and above, this folk opera weaves together tales from across Europe through wild gypsy rhythms and kaleidoscopic
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October 21, 2010
WHAT’S ON: Tomorrow, Alan Barnes and Dave Newton, Darlington Arts Centre, 01325-486555; Wednesday Kenny Wheeler’s Big Band at Sage, Gateshead, 0191-443-4661. CD REVIEWS Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble/ Officium Novum (ECM 4763855
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Tom’s day of disaster
Lost, soaking wet and in fear of death by electrocution, Tommy Steele tells Viv Hardwick of a recent trip to the North-East which he’s never likely to forget. TOMMY Steele made his professional debut at the Sunderland Empire way back in 1956, but
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Lowdown debut due
COUNTY Durham-based band Lowdown release their debut EP on the Mutilated Notes label on October 30. The CD is the result of a bizarre series of events which culminated in Lowdown being created in 2009. It was formed when reclusive musician and
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October 21, 2010
MY travels have taken me across to New England, where a lively folk scene still flourishes, some 50 years after the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Maria Muldaur were stirring a nation’s youth with their songs of protest and wild ways. Their
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Chely Wright: Lifted Off The Ground (Vanguard Records)
WHEN it comes to combining talent and beauty Chely Wright stands out from the crowd. She received the Academy of Country Music’s Award for the best new female artist in 1995, and is a regular feature in magazine lists of “hottest, most beautiful
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Five minutes with... Jimmy Carr
Constantly touring TV comedian Jimmy Carr has dates ahead at York Grand Opera House (Sunday-Monday), Middlesbrough Town Hall (Nov 25) and Newcastle City Hall (Nov 26-27) Are you excited about touring? Absolutely. I think, ‘how flattering
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Blake expectations
Viv Hardwick talks to Stephen Bowman of Blake about his unique route to pop-classical fame as his quartet prepare to share the Darlington Arts Centre stage with a school choir. THE intimate atmosphere of Darlington Arts Centre and the inspired decision
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Dressing down
CLOTHES maketh the man, just as woman maketh the bed. But in Soapland fashion comes in many shapes and sizes. Gennie’s having a lingerie party in Emmerdale (ITV1) where she hopes the locals will linger over the lingerie and she’ll rack up sales
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Having a ball with trip down memory lane
“I REMEMBER it because just as he took the picture, I went over on my ankle and that was me finished with football, at least for the day,” said Graham Beadle, now 58. “It was very painful.” “I’m the lad on the ball,” said John Maughan, 59. “It
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Allison: A master of the game
THEY say a picture tells a thousand stories, and this collection of snaps from The Northern Echo’s archive helps illustrate the colourful life of football manager Malcolm Allison, who died last week at the age of 83. Allison, who led Middlesbrough
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Birth of a university
NOW long-recognised as one of England’s oldest and finest seats of learning, Durham University was created only as recently as July 4, 1832, when King William IV gave his assent to the Act of Parliament that allowed its establishment. This first
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Town council petition launched
A PETITION is to be raised to try to force a referendum on a new town council. A public meeting held at Durham Town Hall last night voted to gather signatures backing plans to create a new town council, which would cover those parts of the city centre
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Young rugby star signs for French team
A TALENTED young rugby player from North Yorkshire is plying his trade with a famous French team based in Paris. Sam Ballard-Robinson, 18, of Thirsk, has signed for the Racing Métro 92 rugby team’s academy based in the French capital. The teenager,
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Soldiers home from Afghanistan enjoy memorial service
PROUD battle weary troops attended a memorial cathedral service to mark the end of a six month tour of Afghanistan in which two colleagues died. The soldiers of 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Alanbrooke Barracks, near Thirsk, in North Yorkshire
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Rape accused PC "pestered" drug addict
A POLICE officer accused of raping vulnerable women pestered a heroin addict to go out with him and telephoned her mother to warn her that her daughters boyfriend was trouble, a court heard today. PC Stephen Mitchell, a 42-year-old Northumbria Police
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Andy Carroll has car torched
NEWCASTLE United centre forward Andy Carroll has had his car torched while staying at team-mate Kevin Nolan's house. The number nine's car was burnt out while it was parked on the drive of the Magpies' skipper in Ponteland in Northumberland. The 21-
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Vowel play at work
THOUSANDS of people lined the streets of Darlington 125 years ago to witness an ornate silver key being turned in the new library door by a young lady. They thought they were witnessing history. After all, the free library had been a controversial
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Win Falcons v Saracens tickets
The Northern Echo has teamed up with MBNA – an official partner of the Aviva Premiership, to offer Newcastle Falcons supporters the chance to win one of four pairs of tickets to cheer on their team against Saracens on Friday 22 October.
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Now the next century begins
HUNDREDS of young people marked the end of the Girl Guides' centenary celebrations last night. More than 500 Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and leaders from Darlington Stephenson Division held a two-hour celebration at Darlington College. It
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£1m deal will stop takeover advances
ELECTRIC van maker Tanfield has moved a step closer to blocking any more unwanted overtures from a rival. The Wearside-based business signed a $1m exclusivity deal with its US associate company, after turning down a bid from rival Liberty Electric
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Market report
BLUE-CHIP stocks shrugged off the Government’s spending review yesterday as big gains in the mining sector helped the top tier move higher. Investors gave little reaction to Chancellor George Osborne’s deficitbusting measures, which were largely
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Centre to be used in case of emergency
A TEES Valley technology company has continued its commitment to creating jobs in the region by opening a recovery centre that helps businesses stay operational when disaster strikes. The centre, based at Onyx Group’s Stockton headquarters, is
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Takeover could take travellers all the way
TRANSPORT firm Arriva’s new parent company has not ruled out a bid for the East Coast Main Line franchise, which could see passengers able to use the group’s services all the way from the North-East into Europe. Ulrich Homburg, head of DB Bahn
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Mental health care change
PLANS for a shake-up in mental health services for older people in south Durham and Darlington have been revealed. Officials from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust have drawn up plans to reduce the number of inpatient mental health
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Website cooks up a storm
A COUNTY Durham cookery website has attracted more than 900 members, two months after it was launched. Thanks to web designers at Gateshead Industrial Strength, Durham businessman Alan Lowery set up sizzledish.com, an online community where
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Pupils get to meet business experts
BUSINESS leaders from across the North-East have been visiting the region’s schools this week as part of a national initiative. Organised by the Education and Employers Taskforce, the Visit our Schools and Colleges campaign involves business
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Matt and the monk
THE indomitable Peter Freitag, at 81 still a Darlington borough councillor and chairman of the town’s Hebrew congregation, comes up with a 21st century twist on the story of the Good Samaritan. This time the “Samaritan” was a Buddhist monk.
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The long goodbye
AFEW weeks ago, this column was dedicated to all those parents who are having to cope with the terrible ordeal of their children going off to university. I wrote about my own sense of loss at my only daughter – my baby girl – leaving home to take
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The heavyweight champion
MICHAEL Adamson’s funeral overflowed not just St John’s at Nevilles Cross – the church where he’d married Marian Coleman exactly 46 years previously – but the marquee and the churchyard as well. There must have been getting on a thousand. He
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Airport charges
IN this day and age of competition, why doesn’t Craig Richmond, chief executive of Peel Airports, operators of Durham Tees Valley Airport, find a way to attract customers to his “jewel of an airport” rather than chase them away – a £6 extra charge
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Miners' pensions
DT MURRAY (HAS, Oct 14) states that changes in relation to pensions will leave miners and their widows out of pocket. Indeed, he echoes the British Coal Pension Trustees, who state the proposal is a “nightmare”. I don’t agree. I call it chickens
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American adventures
Inspired by a grave in Middlesbrough, historian Chris Carter unearths a gripping tale of bloody battles and brave soldiers. WE told in February the remarkable story of Harry Dixon Jessop, a Yorkshire lad who fought with the Confederate Cavalry
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Economic outlook
THERE will be much discussion about yesterday’s Comprehensive Spending Review, but the economic outlook is uncertain because of the need for more international agreement and the possibility of a trade war between China and US. It is too early
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Eastbourne School
FOLLOWING the death of Alwyne Worthy, secretary of the Old Boys’ Association of Eastbourne School, Darlington, in 1999, I found some papers relating to the organisation. I sent them to the school thinking they would like to put them up somewhere
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'Gun-less' peace
THE metaphoric headline on Peter Mullen’s column, “We’re being outgunned over big lie” (HAS, Oct 12), was a rather unfortunate one. Reason tells me that truth – the opposite of lies – needs no defence and, therefore, needs no guns, metaphorically
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Doctors' bonuses
I WAS shocked to read the jaw-dropping article, “Bonus review for top doctors” by health editor Barry Nelson (Echo, Oct 14). Later, speaking to a retired nurse, who had worked in the NHS for many years, she was quite aware of these bonuses, saying
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Headline issue
IT was mischievous of Ralph Musgrave (HAS, Oct 15) to subtly alter the headline of columnist Peter Mullen’s article, “We ignore Islam issue at our peril” (Echo, Mar 9). Mr Musgrave omitted the word “issue”. The issue to which Mr Mullen was referring
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Still the 'nasties'
CHANCELLOR George Osborne calls benefit cheats muggers. Then what about fiddling politicians? The Tories also need to remember that for every pound fiddled from welfare, the same amount goes unclaimed. Nobody argues that benefit cheats shouldn
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Train campaign
RE the campaign for Intercity Express Programme trains to be built by Japanese manufacturer Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. This is what the North-East needs – lots of jobs for people and we could build them cheaper if we don’t bother
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Reality is yet to dawn
FOR all that the expectation had built towards a momentous day, we had been so well warmed up for the Government’s spending review that there were few surprises. Departmental budgets were not hit quite as hard as had been feared, thanks to an extra
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There is a big if in all this
In the wake of the Comprehensive Spending Review, Political Editor Chris Lloyd asked Business Secretary Vince Cable if there was any light at the end of the economic tunnel. VINCE CABLE sounded optimistic after yesterday’s Comprehensive Spending
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Priorities
BASICALLY, Durham County Council administers two categories of services on behalf of people of the county using funding from taxes paid by them. Category one covers services vital and essential for the proper operation of the infrastructure of
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Thornaby game still going ahead.
Thornaby's STL Second Division game at Guisborough on Saturday will still take place, despite the sudden death of Thornaby secretary Peter Morris. Peter collapsed with a major heart attack while refereeing a Civil Service match on Tyneside at the weekend
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All this pain just isn’t necessary
THE Chancellor stared sternly across the despatch box yesterday and told the nation there is no alternative – but don’t believe a word of it. George Osborne announced the most savage spending cuts in living memory by insisting Britain’s economic
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Rooney intent on quitting Red Devils
WAYNE Rooney has accused Manchester United of lacking ambition. Twenty-four hours after Sir Alex Ferguson’s devastating attack on his star striker, Rooney entered the fray. In confirming he wishes to leave the Red Devils, the 24- year-old outlined
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Pastoral is a major player once again
PASTORAL Player finally showed just what he is capable of with an impressive performance in the H M Plant Hitachi Handicap at Ffos Las. Hughie Morrison has always had a soft spot for the three-year-old, which is hardly surprising given he is a
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Time to Hog the limelight
HIGH On The Hog has become a source of much frustration, but should at least set the record straight in the Britvic Soft Drinks Nursery at Brighton. The John Dunlop-trained two-year-old clearly has a modicum of talent – his second at Epsom in
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Senior success as Quakers stage golf day
OUT-OF-FORM Darlington take a break from league action this weekend, but yesterday diverted their attention away from football altogether as they held a golf tournament at Wynyard Hall Golf Club. And striker Chris Senior inspired a victory with
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Moody expected to be fit for All Blacks
MARTIN Johnson expects England captain Lewis Moody to be fit for the opening Investec International against New Zealand at Twickenham on November 6. Moody initially feared he would lose the sight in his left eye after damaging the socket in Bath
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Bramble says he’s at the top of his game
HIS career has had its fair share of ups and downs, but in-form Sunderland centrehalf Titus Bramble feels he is currently playing the best football of his life. Bramble, who has proved to be one of the bargains of the summer following a cut-price
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Troubled Carroll remains in favour with Hughton
CHRIS Hughton has revealed Andy Carroll is available for Saturday’s trip to West Ham United despite the troubled striker’s off-the-field problems. The 21-year-old was arrested on Sunday morning and charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend. He
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Gillespie training with Quakers
Former Newcastle winger Keith Gillespie is training with Darlington.Gillespie, 35, is a free agent after leaving Irish Premier League side Glentoran in the summer. The winger failed to agree a new contract with the Irish club and is now training with
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Thomson support for former boss Mowbray
FORMER Hibernian midfielder Kevin Thomson would welcome the arrival of Tony Mowbray as Middlesbrough’s next manager, as chairman Steve Gibson works on a shortlist to succeed Gordon Strachan. Gibson will spend the next four days assessing
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Sisters back up defence of man in murder case
FRIENDS and family have rallied round the North-East man accused of murdering disabled Alan Atkin. The trial of Ricky Gelardo, of Darlington, appeared to be coming to its conclusion last night after his defence team closed their case with witnesses
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Community’s lasting tribute to fallen soldier
COMRADES can remember a fallen corporal at a North-East Territorial Army (TA) centre, after friends and family pitched in for a fundraising drive. Troops based at Bishop Auckland’s TA Centre will dedicate their refurbished bar area to Corporal
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Naval career is a family affair
A CADET on board Britain’s biggest warship joined up after discovering that he would not have been born without the Royal Navy. Officer cadet Robert Coatsworth’s grandfather, Tommy Coatsworth, was one of the last men off the beach at Dunkirk
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£17.5m plan for golf club is unveiled
FRESH plans have been unveiled to build a luxury hotel and 50 executive homes on a North-East golf course. Proposals for Woodham Golf and Country Club, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, will go on display tomorrow during a public consultation.
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Club’s wait for new home finally over
A FOOTBALL club’s eightyear wait for a new home is three days away from ending as part of one of County Durham’s largest regeneration projects. Bishop Auckland FC will get the keys to their new ground in Tindale this weekend, and will hold an
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Civilian jobs facing the axe as police funding falls
CIVILIAN jobs will be lost from at least two of the region’s police forces, as Government funding falls by a fifth in four years. Durham Police could lose up to 140 staff and there will also be largescale redundancies from the North Yorkshire
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‘Cuts are too deep and too savage’
IT was a black day in Middlesbrough, according to its mayor, who has to find £41m of savings in his deprived town. Ray Mallon predicts hundreds of job losses will have to be made after the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review was announced
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Town may force buskers to audition
A GROUP of talentless buskers could be forced to attend an X Factor-style audition if they want to continue performing in two market towns. Shoppers and businesses have demanded action over the accordion players who play a tuneless version
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Broadband trial plan for county
THE decision to include North Yorkshire in a trial scheme for super-fast broadband has been welcomed by MPs and internet users. In his speech to the Commons yesterday, Chancellor George Osborne announced that North Yorkshire would be one of four
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Cautious welcome from schools
A SMALL increase in school classroom funding was last night welcomed, but warnings were issued over the impact of university funding cuts. Chancellor George Osborne announced that the schools budget would increase from £35bn to £39bn over the
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Welfare cuts slated by opposition MPs
THE Chancellor yesterday said an unexpected £7bn cut to benefits meant he could reduce other departmental budgets less than Labour would have done. However, North-East opposition MPs said the welfare cuts would hit vulnerable people the hardest
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Fears over £7bn less for justice budget
PRISON officers expressed fears last night over plans to cut the Ministry of Justice budget by more than £7bn over the next four years. It is feared that 11,000 frontline prison and probation staff could be lost as a result of a streamlining of
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Low-carbon businesses to benefit
NORTH-EAST green energy businesses are expected to benefit from the Chancellor’s commitment to place the development of the low-carbon economy near the top of the Government’s priorities to stimulate growth. Business leaders in the region broadly
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Health spend to increase by £10.6bn
HEALTH spending will increase over the next four years from £103.8bn to £114.4bn. This will include a 1.3 per cent increase in the resource budget. However, capital investment in the NHS over the period will fall by 17 per cent from £5.1bn to
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Go-ahead for rail ticket rises
RAIL passengers will be hit in the pocket from 2012 after the Government decided to increase regulated fares. Instead of train companies having to restrict their rises in regulated fares to the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus one per cent, they
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‘Region’s councils are facing 40 per cent cuts’
COUNCILS face a “worst case scenario” with cuts of up to 40 per cent over four years, it was said last night. Durham County Council leader Simon Henig said councils had taken a disproportionate hit, meaning local people using local services would
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Hope of rail jobs amid cuts gloom
On the day deep cuts in public spending were revealed, Vince Cable gives the North-East cause for optimism. BUSINESS Secretary Vince Cable last night held out hope that a high-speed train factory could still be built in the region despite public
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Wednesday night reaction: Our best cup win yet -- Oliver
Newton Aycliffe manager Alan Oliver hailed his side’s Durham Challenge Cup win over Consett on Wednesday night as one of their best ever. Aycliffe came back from a goal down to force extra time, and then they won the penalty shootout 4-2
