Your council magazine Spring 2020 Inside this issue Newcastle’s response to Climate Change Also £26.6m People, Grainger £50.6m £115.4m environment, Market – £80.7m climate change Britain’s £96.1m favourite £92.6m Budget £93.0m 2020-21 market Contacting the council We’re working hard to improve our online services so people find it easy to contact us. Information on coronavirus You can apply and pay for many of our services online, On 4 March, we had our first case of coronavirus confirmed in the city. We would like to as well as report an issue using our simple online reassure everyone that Newcastle has robust infection control arrangements in place and forms. Visit www.newcastle.gov.uk to find out more. strong partnership arrangements across the health and care system. This makes it quicker and cheaper for most people to contact the council, and there is no need to stand in We are working closely with Public Health England and Public Health England has issued the following advice: a queue or wait on the phone. NHS to prevent further spread of the virus. Working with our • Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your partners, we are following national guidance and assessing As our website is available 24/7, you can do cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands risk on a daily basis. business whenever and wherever it suits. for at least 20 seconds, or use a sanitiser gel. The risk to people living, working, studying and visiting • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially Newcastle remains low and as a city, we are open for after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and business. water are not available. Currently all our council services and offices are operating Council meetings • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed Keep up to date with as usual and we have plans to ensure that key services keep hands. The council holds a number of meetings throughout the year running should the virus spread further. We will update • Avoid close contact with people who are unwell. which the public can attend. These include meetings of Cabinet, our news residents through our social media channels and on the key Planning Committee, City Council and scrutiny meetings. webpage www.newcastle.gov.uk/coronavirus If you are worried you may have contracted the illness, Want to hear all our news as it happens? Although the risk to Newcastle is low, we all need to protect you should call NHS 111 or use the NHS 111 online service The next Cabinet meetings will take place on Monday 20 April We use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to let you ourselves and stop the virus spreading further. It is important https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19. 2020 at 5.30pm, and on Monday 15 June 2020 at 5.30pm in the know about a whole range of council news, activities that everyone follows official advice as there are lots of The NHS can tell you if you need to seek further medical Civic Centre. and events. rumours and false information on the internet. Please go to help and advise you what to do. You can find out more health The City Council Annual Meeting will be held on Monday 1 June And by following our social media channels, you can www.gov.uk/coronavirus where you will find all of the official information on the NHS website www.nhs.uk/coronavirus. 2020 at 2pm in the Council Chamber. City Council meetings get involved in the conversation instantly. Maybe you guidance you need. usually take place on the first Wednesday of most months at 6pm can show your support to our hard-working staff or tell in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre. The next meeting will us what you think about a new service? be held on Wednesday 24 June 2020 at 6pm. So why not give is a ‘like’ or a ‘follow’ to stay up to date Dates of other meetings can be found at www.newcastle.gov.uk/ with the latest news from Newcastle City Council? councilmeetings. And you can view the papers for all meetings at http://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDocHome.aspx. Facebook: Newcastle City Council Twitter: @NewcastleCC For more information, please phone Karen Christon on 0191 211 5024 or email [email protected]. Instagram: lovenewcastle Coronavirus Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds Use soap and water or a hand sanitiser when you: Register to vote in the May 2020 elections • Get home or into work at gov.uk/registertovote • Blow your nose, sneeze or cough Register by 21 April • Eat or handle food For more information and the Government’s Action Plan go to nhs.uk/coronavirus Citylife is produced by Newcastle City Council and printed by Reach Printing Services. Design by Paul Burgess Graphic Design. Citylife is printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests. 2 Follow us on Twitter - @NewcastleCC Find us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/newcastlecitycouncil 3 Our Newcastle News in brief: Bigg Market toilets start new Ouseburn declared life as a wine bar Newcastle’s first ‘plastic The gentlemen’s WC, the iconic building that has stood at free’ community Newcastle City the heart of the Bigg Market since 1898, has been completely transformed as part of the NE1-led, multi-million-pound Well done to volunteers, campaigners, regeneration of the area. community organisations and businesses in Ouseburn who are celebrating after they became Council is Stonewall’s The property was completely refurbished with grant money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund before it was handed over to the new Newcastle’s first ‘plastic free community.’ tenant in October 2019. After only a few months the internal fit-out was The award, from marine conservation charity Employer of the Year complete and opened its doors as a wine bar in February. Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), recognises residents’ The Bigg Market project team at NE1 have spearheaded the efforts to start reducing the impact of unnecessary We are very proud to announce that Stonewall, the UK’s leading redevelopment of the area, with support from the National Lottery single-use plastics on their local environment. charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) rights has declared Heritage fund and Newcastle City Council. This refurbishment has As part of their work campaigners have been central to NE1’s redevelopment of the area. It has really captured organised everything everything from plastic- Newcastle City Council its employer of the year for 2020. the public’s imagination and become a symbolic part of the area’s free street food festivals at Ouseburn Farm to rejuvenation while still keeping its heritage. We are the first ever local authority to receive the prestigious accolade from Stonewall, environmentally themed events at the national which is awarded in recognition of an organisation’s inclusive, accepting and supportive centre for children’s books, Seven Stories, and workplace environment. education sessions for schools. In naming Newcastle City Council as its number one employer, Stonewall praised our Local businesses also helped by swapping ‘commitment to equality and fairness’, and described the local authority as a ‘champion of disposable items such as plastic straws, change and acceptance’. coffee cups and takeaway containers for more But this is really an award for everybody. Newcastle is a safe and welcoming city and the environmentally friendly alternatives. North East in general does a great deal to champion the LGBT community. We are all And we are proud to have supported this project eagerly anticipating the fantastic opportunity to demonstrate this by being the host city for with technical support and advice as part of our UK Pride 2020. work around the waste strategy. This sets out our See Page 21 for more details. ambition to change the way people, businesses and organisations, including the council, think about waste. Our aim is that excess waste is seen The Arches - making a grand entrance as unacceptable by everyone in the city. A light and airy reception which doubles as a new entrance to Newcastle Civic Centre has officially opened its doors to No Cold Calling Zones tackling the public. The new space called The Arches reception has doorstep crime in the city been created by glazing the building’s archways, We have been working with this happened to give everyone an and it boasts a reception area, improved public Northumbria Police on setting up opportunity to have their say. There facilities, and six meeting rooms. It also has free a number No Cold Calling Zones are also 56 smaller zones across the wi-fi and a café for both staff and the public that (NCCZ’s) in the city. These help reduce city, covering 46,352 households. And will open later in the year. doorstep crime and target unwanted there’s another consultation underway The new entrance on Ceremonial Way will give callers, high pressure salesmen, fake in Brandling Village, which would add an the public easy access to the Civic Centre. Its workmen and distraction burglars who extra 579 households to this. opening marks the completion of an important prey on our most vulnerable residents. As part of this scheme local people in phase of the refurbishment of the entire Civic There are four wards in the city that are these zones receive a window sticker Centre - a Grade II Listed building, opened by full No Cold Calling Zones – Benwell and an easy-to-follow info pack. Trading the King of Norway in 1968.