Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said earlier 

“Labour needs a total reset if it’s going to learn the lessons of why people are turning away from the old parties.”

Reform came a close second with 29.4%.  The Greens came in at 7.4% and the Liberal Democrats at 6.4%.  There were a number of wards where it appears Reform won and, to our concern, where it’s likely they will take the council seats next year unless something drastic changes.

Turnout was 33.6% 

Ian Appleby, Elections Officer for North Tyneside Green Party said:

“One clear indication from these results is that the mayoral position is not popular and, in our view, should be abolished, as it has received no clear mandate—with 70% of voters not voting for any mayoral candidate in 2025.”

In the wider council elections happening nationally yesterday (1st May), The Green Party are on track for a record breaking set of results!  With your support we have:

• Gained our first Green County Councillor on Leicestershire and Staffordshire Councils
• Gained a whopping 5 Greens in Gloucestershire 
• Gained 4 Greens in Devon
• Gained a councillor in Lambeth, London
• Held all 3 Green seats in Norwich
• Reached a total of 50 Young Green Councillors across England and Wales

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climate emergency

The facts you need to know about the Climate Emergency:

• Climate change is real and human activities are the main cause.
• The concentration of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere is directly linked to the average global temperature on Earth.
• The concentration has been rising steadily, and mean global temperatures along with it, since the time of the Industrial Revolution.
• The most abundant greenhouse gas, accounting for about two-thirds of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, is the product of burning fossil fuels.

History of Climate Emergency Declarations

A climate emergency declaration or declaring a climate emergency is an action taken by governments and scientists to acknowledge humanity is in a climate emergency. The first such declaration was made in December 2016 by the Green Party in Melbourne, Australia.

In November 2018, Bristol, under the leadership of Green Councillor Carla Denyer, became the first European city to declare a Climate Emergency – with a deadline of 2030 for the city to become Carbon Neutral.

In May 2019 the UK Parliament declared a National Climate Emergency, setting a target of 2050 for the UK to go Net Carbon Neutral.

Climate Emergency on North Tyneside

In April 2019, the North Tyneside Green Party petitioned North Tyneside Council to follow the lead of others and declare a local Climate Emergency, with a target for Net Carbon Zero by 2030.

Following this petition, the Council declared a Climate Emergency in July 2019 – although the Council has opted for a longer timetable, targetting 2050.

The Council has since engaged with The Carbon Trust to develop an Action Plan.

The Action Plan was published in September 2020 and is available here.

We would welcome your feedback on the Action Plan – please click on the button below to provide your thoughts.

Feedback on Action Plan

North Tyneside Green Party Actions

April 2019 – petitioned the Council to declare a Climate Emergency [link]

July 2019 – urged the Council to change to a 2030 target for Carbon Neutral

March 2020 – attended Stakeholder meetings with The Carbon Trust to engage in the development of the Action Plan

September 2020 – reviewed the published Action Plan

November 2020 – held our first Workshop to facilitate public engagement with the Action Plan

January 2021 – discussions with Council Officers

March 2021 – second Climate Emergency Workshop

April 2021 – Green Mayoral manifesto promise to change to a 2030 target for Carbon Neutral

May 2021 – discussions with Council Officers on new Mayoral commitment to 2030 target

August 2021 – continued support for Youth Strike for Climate

September 2021 – supported Great Big Green Week

November 2021 – responded to North Tyneside Call for Evidence on the Climate Emergency

December 2021 – engaged with Cabinet Member for the Environment to discuss Local Climate Engagement

April 2022 – engaged with stakeholders to discuss NTGP Climate Action Plan

July 2022 – questioned Council on publication of revised Action Plan for the 2030 target date

September 2022 – public forum planned

Our Commitment

As the political voice of the Green movement, we commit to:

(1) work with the Council to ensure that North Tyneside takes the necessary steps to avoid a Climate Crisis.

(2) hold the Council to account, to challenge targets and actions, and to call out ‘green-washing’.

(3) work with the Council to provide education to the people of North Tyneside on the actions we can take locally.

We invite you to play your part – and join us in working towards a better future for North Tyneside.

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Here we have the full question and supplementary question that Caron asked, recorded as the “Agenda and draft minutes” of the meeting on the council website.

Caron Kirkham, Shiremoor asked the council:

As a grandparent I’m concerned about the lack of play spaces in Shiremoor that I can safely walk to with my 8 year old grandson.  Access to playgrounds is essential for children’s physical and mental health, and for the wellbeing of parents, carers and the wider community, as a recent parliamentary debate underlined.

The council’s play strategy (2020-2030) states that “Equipped children’s play space should be created within a safe and easy walking distance, minimising the need to cross roads and other significant barriers.”

It also notes that weekly recorded inspections of play sites are carried out to “examine the equipment’s basic condition, any faults from vandalism, breakages and cleanliness of the play area.”  My nearest play space is Moorside Play Area but I have to cross the, sometimes very busy, Station Road to access it.  There used to be a crossing outside ‘Pryce Right’ but it’s been decommissioned.  Moreover, Moorside Play Area does not always appear to be maintained and there is often rubbish including broken glass.  My question is – what is the council position on creating and maintaining play spaces in the ward? 

Councillor Hannah Johnson, Labour councillor for Chirton and Percy Main and Cabinet Member responsible for the Environment replied as follows:

We know how important play sites are for the wellbeing of children and families and there are 55 play sites across North Tyneside where we continue to invest in new equipment.

We have a team dedicated to looking after our play sites and all are inspected at least once a week and litter removed as part of these visits.  In addition, all play sites display a contact number where people can report any issues between visits.

In Shiremoor ward, we have five play sites including the award winning and unique Shiremoor Adventure Playground.

I know that the Moorside play site has had some unprecedented vandalism, which has meant that we have had to temporarily remove or decommission some of the kit.  However, I am pleased to say that there are plans to replace the damaged equipment.  This is part of an investment of over £130,000 on play equipment in the Shiremoor area over the next twelve months, including the provision of a brand-new toddlers play area at the adventure playground.

Caron asked the following supplementary question:

I’ve spoken to other parents and grandparents about this and people who live in some of the newer developments in the area such as Cloverfield and the Hastings Drive estate have even further to travel than me, they also have busy roads to cross to access Play spaces.  Are there any plans to update the play spaces available where new housing is built?

Councillor Hannah Johnson replied as follows:

There are obviously a number of play areas in Shiremoor already, particularly when it comes to the Shiremoor Adventure Playground – it’s completely unique, not just within our borough, but within the North East as well.  I wouldn’t necessarily think that people in Shiremoor are not catered for when it came to playground equipment and we’re also again investing in the equipment, particularly at Moorside that might have been damaged, so we are investing in our existing play areas as well. 

Caron says:

“It’s crucial that the voice of our community is heard, and the council ensures that everyone is within 10 minutes walk of a well maintained play space. I am continuing to push for answers and improvements in this area. I will keep you updated as things progress. Thank you for your ongoing support! “

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However, in October 2024, the council abandoned plans, first proposed in 2021, to construct a safe cycle path from North Shields town centre to John Spence High School. With one hand the council has shown leadership, but with the other it seems it has caved in. 

In light of this decision, we have decided to look at the council’s strategy to explain what its approach is, and to ask what is going on. 

North Tyneside Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

As well as being part of the North Shields masterplan, the Preston Road cycle lane was also an important link in the council’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). 

LCWIPs are intended to “enable a long-term approach to developing local cycling and walking networks, ideally over a 10-year period” and, whilst not mandatory, are expected to shape local authorities applications for strategic funding (from, for example, Active Travel England, who use network planning as one of their criteria for capability assessments). 

North Tyneside’s LCWIP appears as an appendix to the borough’s revised cycling strategy, which focuses on enabling ‘everyday cycling’, with a view to making a substantial contribution to the borough’s commitments to sustainable travel, net zero, health and physical activity, a reduction in air and noise pollution, and greater choice in affordable, everyday travel.

This strategy identifies 5 actions, as follows:

1. Action 1 – Support a change in culture which prompts a switch to cycling as a healthy and sustainable way to travel, delivering initiatives such as cycle training
2. Action 2 – Develop a network of routes suitable for everyday cycling, designed in line with good practice
3. Action 3 – Make our town centres and destinations accessible for everyone cycling, including e.g. visitors to the borough; people using adapted cycles; and businesses using cargo bikes
4. Action 4 – Improve connectivity between cycling and other forms of transport, making it easier to cycle as part of a longer journey and multimodal trips
5. Action 5 – Design everyday cycling into our infrastructure and regeneration plans and use digital information so that the highway network better serves people cycling

Most active travel experts and campaigners would argue that Action 1 is in fact by far the least important, and that developing safe, direct, connected infrastructure (protected cycle paths accessible to all and safe junctions) is the key to expanding everyday cycling. Very few people who don’t currently cycle would switch to cycling simply as a result of a ‘culture change’ and cycle training; they need routes to be safe and reliable.

A missed opportunity for engaging with residents 

The LCWIP should be consulted on and should be seen as an opportunity for dialogue with and input from local residents, including both those who cycle and walk regularly and those who want to. Sustrans’ recent Tyneside Cycling and Walking Index found that 34% of Tynesiders cycle (with 14% cycling at least once a week) and that 26% of Tynesiders surveyed do not cycle but would like to.

However, the extent of North Tyneside Council’s consultation on the Cycling Strategy and the LCWIP was an invitation for residents to email their responses. There were no meetings held, no online forms or consultation portals, no attempts at all to actively reach out to local residents, explain the LCWIP and the Cycling Strategy, and gather a breadth of responses and ideas; there were just 23 submissions to the consultation, with the council’s responses showing little evidence of real desire to engage, reflect and learn. This was a real missed opportunity.

Delivering the LCWIP  

In order to plan for and achieve the other four actions, the key components of North Tyneside Council’s LCWIP are a network plan for walking and cycling which identifies prioritised routes that improve connectivity and core zones for further development; and a prioritised programme of infrastructure improvements for future investment.

The network plan is represented as a ‘tube map’ and is accompanied by the prioritised programme as a ranked list of projects. We have included both below for reference: 

Images Credit:
North Tyneside 
Cycling Strategy 2018-32 (Revised 2023) – Public Domain

The top ranked ‘strategic cycle routes’ are as follows:

1. North Shields to Tynemouth (orange)
2. NCN Riverside Route (grey; part of National Cycle Network)
3. Earsdon Bypass – Monkseaton to NT Hospital (blue)
4. North Shields to Monkseaton (blue)
5. Pavilion to Great Lime Road (red)
6. NCN Reivers Route (grey; part of National Cycle Network)
7. Four Lane Ends to Wheatsheaf (red)
8. Killingworth Road Bridge to Great Lime Road (red)
9. Ropery Lane/Hadrian Road (orange)
10. Dudley – Four Lane Ends (purple)

The rankings are intended to shape the council’s applications for external funding (including the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements managed by NECA), its engagement with developers around new housing, and its own plans for regeneration, with estimated costs identified. 

Progress on delivering the Strategic Cycle Routes 

In part to achieve steps towards these schemes, in 2021 the council consulted on a number of proposals. These included plans for some sections of the yellow line, the orange line, the blue line, and the red line, and some additional short links in town centres and to metro stations. 

Some of these have been achieved, including, for example, a link from the Coast Road to Percy Main along Norham Road, routes designated by signage around North Shields town centre, and a short section on South Parade, Whitley Bay, albeit with no safe connections to the seafront or the town centre. Overall, there’s been very little real progress on any of the ‘tube map’ routes.

The first ranked route (North Shields – Tynemouth, the easternmost section of the orange line on the tube map) was included in the 2021 consultation and planned for construction within the North Shields masterplan. Yet, all that has been built is a short section across the grass in front of the law courts and some unconvincing new infrastructure (crossings and a painted contraflow) around Stephenson Street and Upper Norfolk Street.

The abandoned Preston Road route forms half of the blue route ranked 4 (North Shields to Monkseaton). In its proposal, the council underlined how the route would “provide a safe link for cyclists, including schoolchildren, between the town centre and A1058 Coast Road”, whilst also tying “into wider regeneration plans for North Shields, and support[ing] the local authority’s ambition to work towards the borough being carbon net-zero by 2030”. In all these ways, it was a key route in the council’s commitment to active travel. Funding had been secured, plans had been drawn up, and construction was due to begin in summer 2024 (following repeated earlier delays), yet it has now been abandoned, with a commitment from the council for just a couple of extra crossings. 

The council claims that the design for Preston Road was proving too difficult, though it’s unclear how much expertise and advice they sought from the North East Combined Authority or Active Travel England in the four years that the plans existed. It seems more likely that they were scared off by vocal opposition from local Conservative councillors and a handful of local residents. 

If North Tyneside Council gives up on its most highly ranked routes, even when plans and funding exist, we must ask how serious its commitment to active travel really is, despite its repeated public recognition of the many benefits of active travel, for individuals and for the borough as a whole. 

Conclusion

On paper, North Tyneside Council and its Labour leaders seem to recognise the enormous contribution investing in walking and cycling could make to their commitment to net zero, to a healthier and more active borough, and to safer streets. These are at the heart of its cycling strategy and LCWIP, but there is little evidence in practice that they are prepared to do all it takes – politically, practically and financially – to follow through on strategic promises and make good their commitment to active travel. Delivery is slow, plans are abandoned or watered down, and standards are reduced to the bare minimum. In part, this reflects the wider national landscape of competitive, short-term funding, inflation and procurement delays, but other local authorities have still achieved more.

With their recent track record, it’s difficult to see how the council will achieve its goal of “an increase in cycling trips of 10% per year” to enable a shift away from the car-dominated streets and neighbourhoods we all encounter everyday, goals which might really make North Tyneside a greener, healthier and safer borough.

The North Tyneside Greens are committed to pushing the council to deliver on the LCWIP and the Strategic Cycle Routes and will continue to work with and support the many other passionate groups in the borough who advocate for better cycling infrastructure and make the positive case for improving infrastructure in North Tyneside. 

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