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Starm offensive as red rose county promised devolution  Labour leader Keir Starmer during a visit to Burnley College in East Lancashire
For years leaders in Lancashire have had to watch as neighbouring areas like Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North Yorkshire embraced the devolution agenda and signed deals giving them new powers and funding. Efforts to get the same for the red rose county have been tortuous, with local politicians unable to agree on whether they would accept a mayor and combined authority and government seemingly unable to offer the most generous terms without these concessions. But Sir Keir Starmer - who visits Lancashire today as he marks his third anniversary as leader - says the county would not have to wait long for a devolution deal under a Labour government and it would get it on its own terms. Speaking to Local Democracy Reporter Paul Faulkner he ruled out the need for specific governance structures to be in place before an agreement is reached. "We've got to move at speed [as an] incoming Labour government," he said. "We can spend five years creating new structures which wouldn't make a difference to Lancashire – and I want a difference [to be made] to Lancashire from day one of a Labour government. "So whatever the final arrangements may be, we will work with what arrangements are in place now to make this work – we're not saying the structure has got to come first." The government's Levelling Up White Paper last year listed nine areas that were next in line for talks over a devolution deal – and Lancashire was not among them. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove says he will have "conversations" with Lancashire over devolution "later this year".
All is not well for Labour over in North Yorkshire, with a councillor this week resigning from the county's new council and from the Labour Party over concerns about the party's political direction and leadership. Eastfield's elected representative, Cllr Tony Randerson, announced the move yesterday. He said that the party's national leadership has shown "contempt" towards left-wing "rank and file members" and said that "only right-wing yes people are now acceptable to fly the flag for Scarborough and Whitby". Mr Randerson, a member of Scarborough Council's cabinet until the authority was abolished on April 1, has said that a by-election will take place as he will "not be crossing the floor to join another party or sit as an independent councillor", writes Local Democracy Reporter Anttoni James Numminen. The former armed forces champion for Scarborough Council criticised Sir Keir for "ditching" pledges he made during the 2020 leadership election. He also claimed that the national party had prevented left-wing members from being shortlisted as candidates for Scarborough and Whitby ahead of the next general election.
The town halls that didn't use consultants  Tate Liverpool (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Over the last week, The Northern Agenda has been revealing some of the eye-watering figures that councils spent on consultants in order to support their bids to the Levelling Up Fund. But despite the pressure to compete with other town halls for much-needed regeneration cash, some snubbed outside help and went it alone. A total of 45 local authorities that responded to Freedom of Information requests by data journalist David Dubas-Fisher made bids without the use of consultants. Twelve of those were successful, including Liverpool's successful round one bid for £20 million. The funding will help modernise Tate Liverpool, with upgraded exhibition spaces, improve the Museum of Liverpool and bring historic buildings, such as the Hartley Hut, back to life. However, this bid's success meant that Liverpool council's three round two bids were all doomed to failure, despite them costing £117,500 in consultant fees, as town halls which succeeded first time round had no chance of getting money in the second hand-out. Rhondda Cynon Taf made three successful bids without the use of consultants worth a combined total of £20.4m. Powys, meanwhile, made two successful bids without consultants, worth a total of £22.4m. That's the highest return of any local authority not to have used outside help. Nine other local authorities had one successful bid each - Falkirk (£20.0m), Hinckley and Bosworth (£19.9m), Lincolnshire (£19.6m), Dorset (£19.5m), Fife (£19.4m), Bridgend (£18.0m), West Devon (£13.4m), North Lanarkshire (£9.2m), Leicester (£8.6m).
'We can't let killers pick and choose if they face justice'  Cheryl Korbel, (second left) mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel speaks to the media
It was a day of high emotion yesterday as the killer of nine-year-old Liverpool girl Olivia Pratt-Korbel was jailed for a minimum of 42 years. But Thomas Cashman was not in the dock as his sentence was handed down. The 34-year-old drug dealer refused to appear in the dock to be sentenced to life imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court after a jury found him guilty last week of murdering the schoolgirl in her home in the Dovecot area on August 22 last year. John Cooper KC, defending, told the court Cashman did not want to attend because he felt the matter was "turning into a circus". But Judge Mrs Justice Amanda Yip said the decision was "perhaps further evidence" of his lack of remorse. By law, defendants are allowed to choose not to attend their sentencing hearing – prompting recent outrage from campaigners, who say this denies victims and their families the chance to see justice being served. According to sources close to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, the likes of Cashman should not be allowed to "hide" away from justice by refusing to come to court to be sentenced. The Deputy Prime Minister previously vowed to consider changing the law to force criminals to attend court or pay the price for their actions if they do not. Labour's shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said: "It's an absolute scandal that the Tory government has stood by while killers, rapists and terrorists pick and choose whether they turn up to face justice. Labour called for new laws on this back in April last year – but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and failed to act."
Wind turbines on street lights to hit net zero target  Workers from Miles Macadam carrying out 'net zero' road resurfacing (Image: RCBC)
Mini wind turbines could be used to power street lights in one of a number of measures being considered by political leaders on Teesside as part of their climate change efforts. A potential trial under consideration by Redcar and Cleveland Council could see up to 15 'vertical axis' wind turbines added to lighting columns in the borough, writes Local Democracy Reporter Stuart Arnold. The turbine would be turned on by gusts caused by passing traffic as well as windy conditions with the energy being generated then captured and fed into the electricity supply via existing connections. A council spokeswoman said: "Technology in carbon reduction is fast evolving and we are always looking at innovative ways to reduce our carbon output. If the trial does go ahead – and it's very early stages – it would be fully funded by the turbine supplier." Council cabinet members first approved a climate change 'action plan' in 2021 and in the two years since carbon dioxide emissions the local authority is responsible for have been reduced by 700 tonnes. In 2021/22 it produced about 6,900 tonnes of carbon but still has some way to go to hit its aim of being carbon neutral by 2030. The local authority has heralded what it claims to be the first 'net zero' road resurfacing scheme in the North East in Stirling Road, Redcar, which was carried out in September last year with further roads in Marske and Moorsholm, east Cleveland being resurfaced in the same fashion. 
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Northern Stories  Northumberland councillors and Mark Warnes Chief Executive of Active Northumberland, in Morpeth
- Northumberland's leisure offering is the envy of the entire country, it is claimed, following the opening of its latest brand new site in Morpeth. That was the word from David Hall, the chairman of Active Northumberland – the company that runs the county's leisure services on behalf of the county council. The new £21 million centre on Gas House Lane opened on Monday for the first time and features a swimming pool, gym, spa and cafe along with a four-court sports hall. Also on site is the town's library, a council customer service centre and an entire floor dedicated to learning to help the local community upskill for employment.
- Schools in England could face strikes into the autumn term after members of the largest education union in the UK overwhelmingly rejected the Government's pay offer. Teachers in England will strike on April 27 and May 2 after 98% of National Education Union (NEU) teacher members, who responded in a consultative ballot, voted to turn down the deal. Teachers waved flags, stood and applauded, and shouted "Come on, Gill, pay the bill" when the result of the ballot was announced at the NEU's annual conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, yesterday.
- Another person's death in Greater Manchester is suspected of being linked to mould at their home, the Manchester Evening News reports. The case of 27-year-old Luke Brooks is being investigated by police and a coroner. An expert has suggested his death, on October 25 last year, was related to conditions at his family's rented property in Oldham. It was described as 'heavily mould-infested'. Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley has opened an inquest into Mr Brooks' death. It comes months after she presided over hearings into the case of Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after being exposed to mould at his parent's housing association flat in Rochdale.
- Tyne and Wear Metro ticket prices for young people are set to be slashed next month, just weeks after a major price hike was imposed on some adult tickets. Councillors will be asked to sign off on plans that would see some fares more than halved for passengers aged 21 and under. Metro operator Nexus is to unveil a "simplified" pricing structure that would mean young people who use a Pop smartcard paying just £1 for a single journey and a maximum of £2.20 for unlimited daily travel around the network. A single ticket bought using the existing Pop 19-21 card can cost up to £2.30, while the daily cap is £3.40.
- South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has banned popular video-sharing app TikTok from its corporate devices. Steven Locking, IT Manager at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue service, told a meeting of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority yesterday that the service has adopted the government's policy to ban the app. The Cabinet Office announced last month that the app would be banned on all on government electronic devices, following data access concerns.
- A controversial 5G mast in "an area of outstanding natural beauty" will not be built after hundreds opposed the plans. Plans for a 5G on Sandy Lane in West Kirby near to the town's sea front had been submitted to Wirral Council but were rejected over the impact on neighbours and harm to the area. It faced fierce opposition from over 600 people in the area as well as Conservative councillors Jenny Johnson and Simon Mountney.
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