Cleaner neighbourhoods and more provision for young people announced in Newcastle
Council Leader, Cllr Colin Ferguson, has unveiled the initial areas of focus for the new Liberal Democrat administration formed after the local elections in May, declaring: “there will be no performative politics in Newcastle, just a relentless focus on delivering on voters’ priorities, quickly and effectively”.
In the first two months of the new administration, they have already overseen a raft of early interventions to improve the city for residents.
That includes accelerating decision making on park cafes and securing new operators for vacant premises in both Exhibition Park and Paddy Freemans
Work has also begun to construct a new play area in Jesmond Dene, with further work planned at venues across the city.
Delivery of weed killing services has been brought back in-house, giving the council us direct control over service efficiency and better value for money.
Cllr Ferguson said they will be working with parties across the council chamber to develop long term priorities as part of a new Council Plan.
However, he says residents want to see immediate action and seven initial areas of focus for his new administration have been outlined in a Cabinet paper set to be discussed next week.
They include:
- Bring forward targeted spending and capital investment of up to £1.4m to restore and enhance parks and green spaces.
- Improve the condition of roads and pavements across the city, with a focus on durable, long-term repairs.
- Allocate an additional £1m to tackle major repairs in the council’s housing stock and reduce the number of voids.
- Explore invest to save models that improve council provision and reduce reliance on third-party providers, particularly in social care and temporary accommodation.
- Review charges for bulky collections, replacement bins and pest control while improving access to additional recycling provision.
- Invest in public safety and community cohesion, including a review of the late night levy and putting an additional £200k into vital, targeted youth work.
- Work cross-party to develop an evidence-based Council Plan that outlines strategic priorities and reflects engagement with communities.
Today he said that his new Cabinet have listened to concerns raised with them on the doorstep, and looked at how they can “work differently” to free up investment to make a “noticeable difference to communities”.
The Gosforth councillor said: “We have been hard at work since forming an administration and in less than two months we have made huge progress.
“We’ve chosen not to go down the route of cheap performative politics seen elsewhere. Instead, we’ve simply rolled up our sleeves and got on with the job.
“Whether that’s re-opening cafes in our parks, getting work started on new play areas, bringing local services in house or celebrating communities across the city.
“Alongside that work, we have been working closely with officers to understand some of the challenges facing the city to identify where we can make a difference, and drawing on the findings from Newcastle’s Big Conversation.
“I want to make sure that residents can look out their windows and see a noticeable difference in communities.
“We face significant financial challenges but I believe that is achievable and is something every party in the council chamber can get behind.
“In this new political landscape we will be working with councillors across the political spectrum to develop a long-term vision for the city.
“But we can’t stand still and these early investments will ensure we can get on with addressing those concerns raised with us by residents on the door step.”
The investment and early priorities have been outlined in a paper to Cabinet published today (Friday) ahead of a meeting of Cabinet on Monday (July 20).
Work to develop a Council Plan to outline longer term strategic priorities is underway following the conclusion of Newcastle’s Big Conversation.
That saw 10,000 people feedback around what they love about Newcastle and what their priorities are for the future.
It will inform cross-party discussions for the Council Plan that is expected to be published later this year.
You can read the full paper here: https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/b46876/Supplemental%20Agenda%20-%20Items%203%20and%204%2020th-Jul-2026%2018.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9