Starmer says more cash could go to Tyne Bridge
BBCPrime Minister Keir Starmer has said more government money could go towards improving the Tyne Bridge, if councils decide to spend it that way.
He was questioned by BBC Newcastle about whether more funding could go towards repairing the bridge, which links Newcastle to Gateshead.
A total of £41.4m has been allocated to restoring the bridge, along with Newcastle's Central Motorway, but council documents recently revealed several repairs were dropped from the project in 2023 due to rising costs.
Starmer said the government had recently put £6m into the project but more money could be made available through Pride in Place funding.
"What happens with that money is, not only do we put the money in, but we say to local people, 'you decide what you want to spend the money on'," he said.
"Because I think in Newcastle and in the North East, people will know in their community what they want to spend the money on far better than somebody sitting in London in Whitehall."
Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council have both been allocated a total of £1.5m over the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years from the Pride of Place Impact Fund.
The money has been designed to allow councils to invest in communities and help rebuild pride in their local areas.
Pride of Place also offers larger sums of £20m, but this money must be spent on specific neighbourhoods.
Newcastle is set to receive money for Walker North and Elswick South, while Gateshead will receive cash to invest in Beacon Lough & Wrekenton.
Starmer also discussed his Labour government's plans to improve education in the region, through the Mission North East project.
He said he wanted to "push standards" among educational bodies in the region, similar to what was achieved in London.
"I know there are lots of staff, lots of parents, lots of bodies working really hard in schools across the North East," he said.
"We want to come up alongside them with more resource, more support and effectively do the same for the North East for schools that we did in London."
When pushed as to what this would mean in practical terms, he said schools would receive "more staff, more training, more external support".
The prime minister also spoke about the needs for economic growth and new jobs in the region.
He said investment was "coming through the pipeline" and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness sometimes traveled with the government to promote the region.
