Tees Valley Monitor

04/04/2025

TVCA Best Value Notice: Houchen in Deep Water and in Denial

Tees Valley mayor curtails holiday in Malaga to attend South Tees Development Corporation meeting. He begins with comment on the Best Value Notice issued to the TVCA yesterday. His attempts to play down the seriousness of the situation are less than convincing, however:

Tees Valley mayor tries to play down the seriousness of the situation the Authority now finds itself in following the issue of a Best Value Notice

03/04/2025

Tees Valley Authority issued Best Value Notice
After months of speculation the government has today finally published proposals to scrutinise the dysfunctional authority led by Lord Ben Houchen. The recent cabinet meeting highlights some of its issues

MHCLG has issues TVCA with best value notice due to concerns over governance and value for money. Recent cabinet meeting highlighted some of the issues

20/03/2025

Will the TVCA Cabinet Step Up and Challenge the Mayor over Teesside Airport 'Investment'?

The TVCA mayor is asking for yet more 'investment' in the airport, but questions need to be asked about whether its current management can turn its fortunes around. There are signs that the TVCA cabinet will challenge Houchen on how the money will be spent.

This report is being sent to all council leaders to encourage them to step up and ask the hard questions:

One Council leader is committed to questioning the mayor's demand for a £12.5 mn investment in Teesside Airport. Other leaders must do the same.

17/03/2025

Flights to Oblivion: Houchen Proposes New ‘Investment’ in Teesside Airport

Is it a grant or is it a loan? The mayor is looking for agreement on £12.5 million. Time for the TVCA cabinet to assert itself and make some demands of the mayor and his pet project.

Our report is here:

Tees Valley mayor proposes investment to support businesses at Teesside Airport. But airport has just disclosed losses. It's time for the TVCA cabinet to act

16/03/2025

A Life Less Innocent

ex-PCC, Steve Turner, alleges he’s victim of witch hunt, while TVM reveals more complaints about his conduct in office, some from a Tory Party insider. Plus, his pitch to take over Reform UK, Redcar:

Several complaints against ex-PCC were submitted to oversight body, Police and Crime Panel, and allegations of dishonesty also came from within Tory Party

11/03/2025

Ex-PCC, Steve Turner, makes a splash in the Sunday Times

Sunday Times' political editor, Caroline Wheeler, this week produced a report in which ex-Cleveland PCC, Steve Turner, makes shocking allegations against Middlesbrough MP, Andy McDonald and current PCC, Matt Storey. We find that, in reality, these are considerably less shocking than Turner's own actions both in office and during election campaigns.

How did Turner manage to pull the wool over Caroline Wheeler's eyes?

Sunday Times report on ex- PCC, Steve Turner, is flattering but takes his allegations at face value. His conduct in office paints a different picture.

08/03/2025

Nightmare in Paradise

A Teesside Couple, Mary and Des Byrne, who retired to set up their dream home in Thailand are currently facing charges of assault there. The charges appear suspect, and the couple victims of bullying. The Foreign Office is indifferent.

Here is their story:

Nightmare in Paradise
A Teesside Couple who retired to set up their dream home in Thailand are currently facing charges of assault there. The charges appear suspect, and the couple victims of bullying. The Foreign Office is indifferent. Their story is attached below.

05/03/2025

BP Cancels Green Hydrogen Project at Teesworks

Report in states that BP is walking away from this project - Hygreen - although the NZT gas-powered power station and carbon capture projects will continue. BP will be focusing instead on oil and gas exploration.

04/03/2025

Chaos and Confusion at the Tees Valley Combined Authority

Meetings drowned out by low flying aircraft; board members anxious to voice support for the mayor; lack of co-ordination at Teesworks; and more. Ray Casey has the details of an increasingly farcical operation:

Tees Valley’s governance looked promising weeks ago, but recent AGC meetings exposed deep issues—poor oversight, delays, and conflicts

24/02/2025

Controversy over New Middlesbrough Mosque Abates Before Opening Ceremony

But who is responsible for stoking tensions? And who reduced them?

Read our report here:

New mosque opening ceremony goes ahead without controversial preacher, Mohamed Hoblos. Threat of unrest quelled by decision to withdraw his invitation

14/02/2025

Pollution in the Tees

An event in Stokesley on 18 February aims to present the evidence of ongoing hazards to marine and coastal life around the Tees. Presented by Simon Gibbon:

14/02/2025

Royal Visit to Teesside

One of the good bits that the local press missed out was the performance by North East Opera. Read about it here:

The royal couple were entertained by North East Opera with a song "Welcome". The company's story is remarkable but press coverage is limited

13/02/2025

Good news about accountability at Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Development Corporations?
Good in parts would be our verdict on what Ray Casey reports here:

New oversight committees are forming in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, but past governance failures still loom large. Can they rebuild trust?

06/02/2025

Teesside Freeport Welcomes its First Freeloader
The chair of Tees Valley Business Board is awarded a 6 month contract worth £170,000, to be, in essence, ambassador for Teesside Freeport. Is it possible that she might have lobbied for the contract? Her associate, Penny Bateman, is awarded a contract worth £97,000 to provide the Business Board with what appears to be little more than part time secretarial support.

Time, we think, for the TVCA's oversight committees to assert themselves and start demanding answers (as the government appears to have dropped the ball when it comes to holding the TVCA to account).

Our report is here:

TVCA gives lucrative contract to Chair of Tees Valley Business Board, Siobhan McArdle. Tees Valley Business Board gives lucrative contract to McArdle's friend.

08/01/2025

Tees Valley Mayor in Pitch to Become Elon Musk's British Best Friend

Houchen has been on social media to make his feelings known about the debate on grooming gangs in parliament today.

07/01/2025

FT today reports mounting pressure on Angela Rayner to launch NAO Teesworks Inquiry

Meanwhile Ray Casey details just how inventive Houchen and others have been about the site, and busts some of the false claims made about it:

Teesworks, Europe's "largest" brownfield site at 4,500 acres, has dominated headlines for five years with promises of 20,000 jobs. But is it all hype?

26/12/2024

Teesside Airport Finds a Good Day to Bury Bad News

Christmas Eve saw the publication of Teesside Airport’s Annual Statement of Accounts …

Teesside Airport publishes annual statement of accounts on Christmas Eve. Losses in 2024 are greater than for the previous year.

23/12/2024

Winter Solstice is Over for Another Year ...

Not much in the papers ...

A good time for the serious reader to consider a major constitutional issue:

English Devolution (and why the Tees Valley mayor is a spanner in the works):

Summary of plans for English devolution and discussion of how it fails to address issues raised by the controversy around the Tees Valley Combined Authority.