| "Not everywhere could benefit when there was such a plethora of bids," Michael Gove told this newsletter on Wednesday when asked about the hundreds of local areas who missed out on investment in the second round of the Levelling Up Fund. But in overlooked areas - many of which like Ashington in Northumberland are among the most deprived in the country - the anger and disappointment at missing out remains. This week's cartoon by Graeme Bandeira (featuring a guest appearance by under-fire Tory chairman Nadhim Zahawi) sums up the sentiment felt across many parts of the North. Northumberland County Council submitted an unsuccessful £16m bid involving the development of a cinema site and two new restaurants, as well as a new community hub, performance space, cafe and a creative hub for young people. Other bids in the North East - like the £20m boost to improving the Gateshead Quayside area and Hexham and Corbridge's bid for an active travel scheme - did find favour with Whitehall officials. But Ashington councillor Caroline Ball said this week: "In Ashington we've been left with a giant hole with many promises all yet to come to fruition, we see nothing but a kick in the teeth yet again for the people of Ashington." 
 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives for a Q&A session at The Platform in Morecambe, Lancashire
On his trip to Morecambe last week to announce the £50m Levelling Up Fund boost for the local Eden Project North, Rishi Sunak took questions from the public at The Platform venue in the town. And it's now emerged that Morecambe's Visitor Information Centre, based inside the venue where the PM did his Q&A, faces closure as Lancaster City Council considers cuts in its new budget. Councillors heard that The Platform itself - which hosts regular live music and was Morecambe's original railway station - needs a new way of operating, writes Local Democracy Reporter Robbie Macdonald. Lancaster City Council's visitor information centres, on-line promotion, and planned changes for venues and museums were discussed during a budget and policy update and debate. Read more about the row here.
But it's not just the North feeling the pain of cuts. This morning a peer behind an HS2 review commissioned by Boris Johnson said the entire project should be scrapped amid reports the high-speed rail line may not reach its central London terminus at Euston because of rising costs. Lord Berkeley called for the tens of billions of pounds being invested in the project to be diverted to "improving the railway lines in the North, East and West". Soaring inflation means the redeveloped Euston station may not open until 2038 and could be axed completely with trains instead stopping at a new hub at Old Oak Common in west London's suburbs, according to The Sun. Today the Department for Transport said the high speed rail scheme connecting London and the North is facing significant inflationary pressures. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Even for the North of England, not going to Euston has a number of significant disadvantages. "Because actually people in the North of England, people in Birmingham will want to get access to central London — that's what they currently have through the normal mainline network."
The Lancashire town crowned nation's gastropub capital  Stosie Madi, chef patron at the Parkers Arms (Image: The Parkers Arms)
Not strictly politics but for those making weekend plans and fancying a foodie getaway, Lancashire's Ribble Valley may be the top choice after being named in The Guardian as Britain's gastropub capital. Three pubs in and around Clitheroe now feature in the new Top 50 Gastropubs list from the team that produces the influential World's 50 Best Restaurants. And highest ranked is the Parkers Arms in Newton-in-Bowland, owned since 2007 by Senegal-born chef Stosie Madi and manager Kathy Smith, which rose from 48th in 2017 to second place overall. Read more about the place here.
We may never know what caused crab deaths, Minister admits A week on from the latest government report into the mass death of crabs on the North East coast and it's clear very little has been resolved in the saga that's devastated local fishing communities. An independent panel last week concluded it is "exceptionally unlikely" the deaths were caused by dredging to expand a port in Teesside and that it was "about as likely as not" a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite – was to blame.  Mark Spencer was taking questions in the Commons on the mass die-off of marine life in 2021
In the Commons yesterday, Environment Minister Mark Spencer said the cause of mass die-off of marine life on the coastline from Hartlepool to Whitby may never be known but that scientists are "ready to jump into action at great speed" to try to establish the facts if a repeat occurs. Labour's shadow environment minister Daniel Zeichner suggested the Government is trying to brush the issue "under the carpet". Research by academics, backed by the fishing industry, had suggested the incident could have been caused by industrial pollutant pyridine, possibly from dredging in the mouth of the River Tees to maintain channels for port traffic. Sir Bernard Jenkin, Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, expressed disappointment at many of the exchanges in the Commons before adding: "There's clearly a huge breakdown of trust about this."
Convicted paedophile allowed custody of girl despite authorities knowing his past  Details of the case emerged in a report by the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership
Horrifying details have emerged of failings by child protection teams in Leeds, where a convicted paedophile was given custody of a young girl and later got her pregnant, despite the authorities knowing of his criminal past. A shocking report commissioned by the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership has detailed failings which led to the victim, Ruby (not her real name), being sexually abused by her predator guardian over several years, writes Local Democracy Reporter David Spereall. Although professionals had concerns about a court ruling allowing the man sole custody of Ruby, given his history of offending, they did not seek legal advice as they should have done, the report said. Its independent author said there was an "overreliance" from the authorities on old assessments which concluded he posed a "relatively low risk to young girls", even though he'd previously been convicted of multiple sexual offences against young children years earlier. The report said the offender's "appearance of co-operating" with assessments helped "allay concerns" and criticised a lack of "professional curiosity" for missing signs he may be dangerous. The abuse was only uncovered when Ruby fell pregnant and tried to have a termination. The report said: "Throughout the process of this review, neither the independent author nor the independent chair have heard from any professional who has not expressed concern regarding the decision made in court. Yet, at the time, all trusted the assessment of risk that (the offender) could potentially pose and accepted the court decision."
Lighting a candle for the victims of genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day  The Revd Canon Maggie McLean helps light six hundred candles in the shape of the Star of David in the Chapter House at York Minster in York this week
People across the North will stand alongside our region's growing Jewish community today to remember victims of genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day. January 27 is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp - and a poignant day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the holocaust, alongside millions of people from other groups persecuted by the Nazis. But Holocaust Memorial Day - marked at venues across the North like York Minster this week - is also a time to commemorate people killed in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. It comes as recently released census figures show the Jewish community in the North has grown from 44,849 in 2011 to 47,034 in 2021, and now makes up 0.3% of the overall population. Some parts of the North have flourishing Jewish communities: for example, more than half the population of Broughton Park in Salford is Jewish - 56.7% or 4,671 residents. That is the largest Jewish community in the North, as data journalist Richard Ault reports for The Northern Agenda. Broughton Park is closely followed by Sedgley Park in Bury, where 46.4% of the population is Jewish, and then Broughton East in Salford (35.1%).
 Holocaust survivor, Anne Super, talks about the extraordinary moment her mother told her to 'run'
And in the Manchester Evening News today there's a powerful interview by Beth Abbit with Anne Super, a Holocaust survivor saved from the Nazis when her mother pushed her through a hedge who went on to settle in Manchester. She features in a new photography exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North, which opens today. Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors is a collection of 60 original contemporary portraits of survivors and their families. Meanwhile people are being encouraged to take part in Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's worldwide initiative of lighting a candle and taking a moment to "remember all those who were murdered for who they were and stand against prejudice and hatred in the world today". Find out more here. 
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Northern Stories  Photo issued by Chester Zoo of Kitawa the kangaroo with the first Goodfellow's tree kangaroo in her pouch
- Conservationists at Chester Zoo have captured the moment a rare tree kangaroo popped its head out of its mother's pouch in a "celebratory moment" for the endangered species. The tree-dwelling marsupial is the first Goodfellow's tree kangaroo to be born in a breeding programme at the Cheshire wildlife centre, which is working to save the highly endangered species from extinction. The unnamed joey was the size of a jelly bean when it was born to mother Kitawa and father Kayjo in July and has been growing in its pouch, known as a marsupium, ever since.
- In less cute animal news, it's emerged that a 'cockroach-infested' ship put port officials on alert after it sailed into Teesside. The River Tees Port Health Authority said a pest control contractor had to be arranged to visit the vessel whose next destination was the United States. There had been concerns about the health of the ship's crew. The incident was reported in a performance summary for the authority, which monitors hygiene and environmental standards on vessels entering Teesport to ensure they comply with international hygiene and pollution laws.
- Hundreds of Northern business leaders have gathered at The Better Business Summit to discuss how business can help to create a better future for people and the planet. It's described as the first sustainability conference on this scale in the North and brought the likes of Faith in Nature and 1% for the Planet together in Manchester. Describing his firm's approach, Luke Broster of outdoor clothing specialist Patagonia told the conference: "If we have two candidates going for the same role and one is more passionate about saving the planet you can guess who's going to get the job."
- A massive petition against the 'disposal' of the historic Altrincham Town Hall – a wedding venue for thousands of couples down the years – looks doomed to fail. The petition of nearly 2,000 names was presented to Trafford council this week. The council wants to sell a 25-year lease on the building to a childcare business in order to cut the £60,000 annual running costs. Representatives of the Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society were at the latest full council meeting. Treasurer Trevor Stone delivered an impassioned plea for the 120-year-old building to be spared for community use.
- The first of the new Tyne and Wear Metro trains has suffered a "technical glitch" that has delayed its arrival in the North East for a second time. Transport chiefs had hoped that they would be welcoming the first of the £362m fleet this week, having already seen it pushed back from December. But it has instead had to be taken back to manufacturer Stadler's factory in Switzerland after experiencing a fault as it set off on its journey to the UK.
- An NHS board meeting was suspended for half an hour as protestors demanded answers over the future of a women's hospital. The group were concerned about a review of hospital services across Liverpool and how it could impact women's healthcare and the Liverpool Women's Hospital in the future. It has previously been proposed that the women's hospital could be relocated. Graham Urwin, Chief Executive of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, reassured them that what was being voted on was not a future decision about the hospital but the next step in the process to look at improving healthcare.
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