On 3rd May you also have the chance to vote in a referendum for an elected mayor for Newcastle. Denton Activist Kevin Brown says: "An elected mayor is the wrong approach for Newcastle - it puts too much power in the hands of one person, it costs much more and there's just no evidence that mayors perform better for their areas.
The Labour Council's hamfisted proposals for housing development in the city - approved for consultation in secret - have been the subject of huge opposition by residents with thousands of letters and signatures on petitions, forcing the council to scale back plans for building on the Green Belt.
Liberal Democrats say that the Labour Council's huge budget cuts to services are damaging and unnecessary.
Since the well-attended public meeting in January at St George's church, we have been working hard to find out exactly what residents think about the planning application for Jesmond Towers. Unsurprisingly, there is a wide range of views about exactly what should happen on the site. After many discussions with residents and after reading through the hundreds of comments sent into the council, we felt that there was a clear majority view to the effect that:
Buried under the debris of old stories I've excavated this one from April 1st 2009. The article wasn't intended to be entirely accurate, but in at least one result it was prophetic in awarding council leader Jane Scott her OBE several months before the Queen got round to doing the job more officially. The knighthood I awarded to deputy leader John Thompson hasn't yet been confirmed - perhaps next year. As for how many of the other spoofs have come to pass, you decide. Here's the story:
Comments from the Mayor's website- "A number of residents have contacted me in recent times to ask if and when the Bedford Park Café building will be brought into use as a café, and my response to date has always been that I have authorised the necessary work there and hope to see it operating as soon as possible. That's why I'm very pleased that after essential safety and refurbishment work, I'm now able to say that the building is almost ready for full use as a cafe and the Council is advertising for potential operators to come forward and tender for the contract."