and in communities like gateshead, with areas of severe deprivation, talk of further budget cuts is as me. i'm here to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of the population in gateshead, and actually having some of the limitations around budgets is really concerning. so, if you take tobacco, for example, tobacco harm in gateshead costs about £62 million a year, about £9 million to the nhs. so, if we were reducing some of those services that help us to tackle that issue, it doesn't make any sense. the department for health and social care says public health grants for next year will be announced in due course. but the worry is that double—digit inflation will mean vital services will be lost and the health of the poorest communities will suffer. there were some other significant milestones this year. thousands of people were left infected with hepatitis and hiv through contaminated blood in the 1970s and �*80s. at the long—running public inquiry into the scandal, messages have been left in bottles, remembering loved ones who've lost their lives. injuly, the inquiry heard an an

in gateshead, they had vocal support on the unison picket line. 0h, bless you. brought refreshments by the public. the military presence was clear too, in plymouth and other parts of the country, acting as drivers and in support roles. horns honk. unions have agreed that strikers would leave picket lines for emergencies and some urgent cases, but patients with less serious injuries will be told to make their own way to hospital. scott, who's an emergency medicaltechnician, explained why he was on strike. we're here because there has been lack of funding for many years now. the services are struggling and patients, ultimately, are suffering. enough is enough now. harriet, who is 22, is a paramedic. she says it's all about patient care. it is frustrating because you feel empathy for the patients. that elderly patient who in lying on our bed. they are not comfortable. they are getting pressure sores, they are thirsty, they are hungry. the hospital can only feed and make so many cups of teas before you just run out of things to say. you can only apologise so many ti

#today sees the start of a clean air zone in parts of newcastle and gateshead, with the most pollutingne. but drivers of private cars will be exempt. while newcastle council says the scheme will help clean up air pollution some local businesses claim it'll drive customers away. mark denten reports. eight o'clock this morning, rush hour over the tyne bridge, and the first day of the clean air zone. charges of up to £50 now enforced for the most polluting taxis, buses and lorries. i think it is a great idea. i mean, i think... i wish it would expand further. going to make, like, taxis and stuff more expensive, so that is kind of a worry. but we have all got to, like, play our part. needs to be more money, l more funding put into public transport to encourage people out of their cars, otherwise it is never| going to be a success. well, the early morning traffic is flowing well across the tyne bridge this morning, but you can't help noticing that the vast, vast majority of it is made up of private cars. of course, they do not have to pay under this new scheme, while the owners of older and

in gateshead, they had vocal support on the unison picket line.lincoln, strikers were brought refreshments by the public. the military presence was clear too in plymouth and other parts of the country, acting as drivers and in support roles. unions have agreed that strikers would leave picket lines for emergencies and some urgent cases, but patients with serious for emergencies and some urgent cases, but patients with less serious illness and injuries will be told to make their own way to hospital. scott, who is an emergency medical technician, explained why he was on strike. we are here because there has been lack of funding for many years now. the services are struggling and patients are suffering. enough is enough now. harriet, who's 22, is a paramedic. she says it's all about patient care. it's frustrating because you feel empathy for the patients. that elderly patient were lying on their beds, they are not comfortable. they are getting pressure sores, they are thirsty, they are hungry. the hospital can only feed and make so many cups of tea b

in gateshead, they had vocal support on the unison picket line. 0h, bless you.n lincoln, strikers were brought refreshments by the public. the military presence was clear, too, in plymouth and other parts of the country, acting as drivers and in support roles. horns honk. unions have agreed that strikers will leave picket lines for emergencies and some urgent cases, but patients with less serious illness and injuries will be told to make their own way to hospital. scott, who's an emergency medical technician, explained why he was on strike. we're here because there has been lack of funding for many years now. the services are struggling and patients, ultimately, are suffering. enough is enough now. harriet, who is 22, is a paramedic. she says it's all about patient care. it is frustrating because you feel empathy for the patients. that elderly patient who is lying on our bed. they are not comfortable. they're getting pressure sores, they're thirsty, they are hungry. the hospital can only feed and make so many cups of teas before you just run out of things to say

there is somebody sitting in a building in central london deciding whether somewhere in morecambe or gatesheadoney, how can they possibly know better than people locally that is a good idea? look, i think the truth is, you have got to run the country somehow, right? so you have got to have some sort of system in place. not everything, not everything can be decided from the local town hall or even the local mayor. but isn't the argument, grant shapps, that it is not about everything, that we live in an incredibly centralised england in particular, it is an incredibly centralised country and the uk as well, arguably. i am just going to push back gently against that if i can. because i was going to say, actually, andy street, in the west midlands, no—one has done more than him as a mayor to actually ensure that he is bringing in huge resources and all credit to him. i would say the same... he still says the system doesn't work. the mayor in the north—east has been doing the same thing as well. well, you know, you have got to have a system of some kind, right? you have got to collect taxes central

sharon barbour in gateshead, thank you.ts for emergency cover and saying they are not good enough and there needs to be a minimum service agreement which it discussed in parliament yesterday, the unions on the other hand saying these local agreements are fine. we can really see the tension between the two sides in the dispute. it’s the two sides in the dispute. it�*s interesting, because we were chatting yesterday about how there were some signs of may be a bit of optimism in pay talks but today we are seeing some of those tensions play out. we had business secretary grant shapps suggesting the union were putting lives at risk by not agreeing to respond to all category two ambulance calls across england. the union say they have local arrangements and they will absolutely work and they will make sure they are appropriate but there is some tension there and some concern in government about what will happen today. there is a lot of tension when it comes to that legislation yesterday which would legislate for minimum service st

but do the eration in gateshead.feel they will actually benefit as a result ? do you think you've result? do you think you've benefited from levelling up? no they may have put some in morecambe 50 million, but that's the being build a brand new thing. that is the minute all the government needs to start caring not as a government local authority as well, because we've run a food bank here, we've basically given free food away and of families and we've got a lot of families struggling and people actually willing to consider their own lives because they're struggling. that's not levelling up to me. it just depends. has you it in education and put you put it in education and put it in and that. yes, yeah. i would have benefited , but i would have benefited, but i don't think i've benefited . it's don't think i've benefited. it's clear that money is definitely being invested here in the north of england, but only time will tell whether it will actually lead to levelling up . sophie lead to levelling up. sophie reapen lea

from projects in shetland, to _ transformational is misleading. projects in shetland, to gateshead, tocash and many remain doubtful that this funding can truly reshape the country. in a moment we'll hear from our correspondent nick garnet in morecambe, but first, danjohnson is in weston—super—mare in somerset, which has been given £20 million to improve the town centre. yes, they are very pleased here because that £20 million will be spent on improving the seafront here, also a new community park, and they will invest in improving the tropicana, the seafront venue, which will become a new event space. there is a centre south—west are done well out of these bids that have been successfully announced today. there is 20 money in pounds for bridgwater to rejuvenate an abandoned hospital there, and to that into new medical training facility. £50 million for bristol where an old abandoned cinema will be cleared away for new homes and businesses and the biggest pot of money for the south—west is £50 million that will be spent improving the rail links in cornwall they are lengthening the platf

that is all from oz here in gateshead. i is all from 0z here in gateshead. back to you.the lowest—paid staff. last minute talks on monday ended without an agreement. the family of one of the two british men missing in ukraine say they're very worried about his health and whereabouts. chris parry, who is 28, was last seen on friday with andrew bagshaw, heading to the town of soledar, which has seen intense fighting in recent days. in a statement, chris' family said he is "an extraordinary person, who is compassionate and caring and would not be dissuaded from his work in ukraine". his family added that they are very proud of him. in the us, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as life—threatening storms bring heavy rain and flooding to large parts of california. at least 17 people have died since the storms began, with officials warning the conditions could lead to further, dangerous landslides. our north america correspondent james clayton sent us this report from santa cruz. this is supposed to be a picturesque beach but it is covered in detr

from projects in shetland, to gateshead, to dover.es many parts of the uk but plenty parts of the country aren't getting extra cash and many remain doubtful that this funding can truly reshape the country. david joins me now from westminster. what are the critics are saying about how this money gets apportioned? it is based on who bids for what and how well you bid? councils essentially put forward their case for a certain project in their case for a certain project in their area that they think deserves funding and it comes to whitehall where civil servants and some elements of government have a look at what has been submitted and they decide which bids are successful and which are not. many would argue that is a fair and open way of doing it where the people who put forward the best case get the money, but there are plenty of critics of how these so called levelling up allocations work. including the labour party. and we heard from lisa nandy in that report, not only are labour sceptical about where the money has gone, they have poi

if someone sitting into a building in central london deciding whether somewhere in morecambe or gatesheadhow, right? so you have to have a system in place not place _ you have to have a system in place not place not everything, not everything to be decided from the local town hall stop you we live in an incredibly centralised england in particular. — an incredibly centralised england in particular, an incredibly centralised country and in the uk as well, _ centralised country and in the uk as well, arguably. pushback against that gently. in the west midlands, and wants— that gently. in the west midlands, and wants to more than him to actually— and wants to more than him to actually ensure that they have been bringing _ actually ensure that they have been bringing huge resources and are credited — bringing huge resources and are credited to him and. s bringing huge resources and are credited to him and.— bringing huge resources and are credited to him and. s well, you've not to credited to him and. s well, you've got to have — credited to him and. s well, you've got to have a _ credited to

from projects in shetland, to gateshead, to dover.any remain doubtful that this funding can truly reshape the country. david wallace lockhart, bbc news. i'm joined now by our political correspondent leila nathoo. it is deeply controversial. though the money to loads of places, but look labour are saying it's the southeast of england that's benefited the most and it's not only labour. the conservative mayor of the west midlands are saying the begging bowl culture is broken. i think the discussion around these fundsis think the discussion around these funds is getting to the part of the issue of levelling up. there's now a department of levelling up, so since borisjohnson coined the phrase, there's been a lot of debate of what it means. for some people, it's about the north—south divide, for others, it's about where power lies in england. i think you're releasing the discussion around these funds. you got the government claiming it's about building strong communities. investing to generate growth and jobs. but you have labour asking how

sharon barbour in gateshead earlier.ackdrop to all this i spoke to our chief political correspondent nick eardley a short while ago, and i asked him whether either side is like to come to an agreement as rhetoric ramps up. today we are seeing some of those tensions play out, really. we had business secretary grant shapps suggesting the unions were putting lives at risk by not agreeing to respond to all category 2 ambulance calls across england. the unions say they have local arrangements and they will absolutely work and they will make sure they are appropriate but there is some tension there and some concern in government about what will happen today. there is a lot of tension when it comes to that legislation the government introduced to parliament yesterday which would legislate for minimum service standards in certain areas, particularly in emergency services like fire and ambulance strikes that are happening today. but the big question i think behind all of this is whether the government can come up with some sort o

one think tank based in the north of england says levelling up needs from projects in shetland, to gatesheadwho's said she'll step down next month. ms ardern said that after almost six years as new zealand's leader during challenging times, she no longer had enough "in the tank" to go on. this has been the most fulfilling five—and—a—half years of my life. but it's also had its challenges. i know what this job takes, and i know that i no longer have enough in the tank to do itjustice. it's that simple. her australian counterpart, anthony alban—easy said ms ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength, and demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities. —— anthony albanese. and canada's prime minister, justin trudeau thanked ms ardern "for your partnership and yourfriendship and for your empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership." but reactions amongst new zealand's public are mixed. am i sad that she's resigned? not really. she did everything she could during the pandemic, kept a lot of people say. —— a lot of people say. —— safe. ye

project in morecambe an d £20 project in morecambe and £20 million for teesside regeneration in gateshead as a result? do you ? you've benefited result? do you? you've benefited from levelling up ? no. they may from levelling up? no. they may have put some in morecambe 50 million, but that's to build a brand new thing that isn't the minute. the government needs start care in order to government local authority as well because we've run a food bank here. we've basically given free food away and we've got a lot families struggling and lot of families struggling and people actually willing to consider it their own lives because they're struggling. that's not levelling up to me. just chip has been put in education and put in and that shows. yeah, i would have benefited , but i don't think the benefited, but i don't think the benefits . it's clear that money benefits. it's clear that money is definitely being invested here in the north of england but only will tell whether it will actually lead to levelling up. sophie reaper gb news so is it grim up north? it's not perhaps just a joke as we've

so newcastle, north tyneside and gateshead are already fluoridated.o is a little bit of northumberland and a little bit of county durham . and the of county durham. and the intention is they get through the public consultation and don't take any .notice of this is to fluoridated right across county durham, right up to the border with cumbria and right down to redcar and right up to bury on tweed on the scottish border . 1.6 bury on tweed on the scottish border. 1.6 million people has this consultation process begun . know they're telling us it's going to happen this year. i'm not quite sure why there is a delay. they may have to try and work out how they can ask the questions in the public consultation. and we don't . consultation. and we don't. enough going to be one of the enough is going to be one of the strange consultations where you have or no? don't know have yes or no? don't know or whether going be whether we're going to be allowed explain the reasons allowed to explain the reasons why want fluoride why we don't want fluoride in our drinking

so newcastle, north tyneside and gateshead are already fluoridated.o is a little bit of northumberland and a little bit of county durham . and the of county durham. and the intention is they get through the public consultation and don't take any .notice of this is to fluoridated right across county durham, right up to the border with cumbria and right down to redcar and right up to bury on tweed on the scottish border . 1.6 bury on tweed on the scottish border. 1.6 million people has this consultation process begun . know they're telling us it's going to happen this year. i'm not quite sure why there is a delay. they may have to try and work out how they can ask the questions in the public consultation. and we don't . consultation. and we don't. enough going to be one of the enough is going to be one of the strange consultations where you have or no? don't know have yes or no? don't know or whether going be whether we're going to be allowed explain the reasons allowed to explain the reasons why want fluoride why we don't want fluoride in our drinking

they do congratulate gateshead council in securing its bid for the centre there.ing to do that. and if the prime minister�*s claimed that this is transformational is, i think, misleading. we can speak now to our political correspondent pete saull. a lot of focus on the distribution of this money, and the fact that the south—east and london are getting a lot of money. south-east and london are getting a lot of money-— lot of money. they're in mind that this is bound _ lot of money. they're in mind that this is bound to _ lot of money. they're in mind that this is bound to have _ lot of money. they're in mind that this is bound to have the - lot of money. they're in mind that this is bound to have the levelling | this is bound to have the levelling update _ this is bound to have the levelling update in — this is bound to have the levelling update. in the first round there was a slightly— update. in the first round there was a slightly greater emphasis on the north_ a slightly greater emphasis on the north of— a slightly greater emphasis on the north of england and t