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Contacting the council

We are working hard to improve our online services so they are so easy to use, that they are the way people choose to contact us.

You can apply and pay for many of our services online, as well as report an issue using our simple online forms. Log on to to find out more.

We’re making these changes because contacting the council is quicker and cheaper for most people by using the internet. There is no need to stand in a queue or have to wait on the phone. In fact, as our website is available 24/7, you can do business wherever, and whenever it suits.

Find out more about getting online, and help to do so, on pages 8 and 9. And why not sign-up to receive your copy of Citylife via email at

Other ways to get in touch

Find us on Facebook –

Follow us on Twitter –

@NewcastleCCc

Council meetings

The council holds a number of meetings throughout the year which the public can attend. These include Cabinet, planning meetings, full Council and overview and scrutiny meetings.

The next Business Cabinet meetings will take place on Wednesday 9 December 2015 at 3pm and 27 January 2016 at 4.30pm.

City Council meetings take place on the first Wednesday of most months at 6pm in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre. The next meetings will be held on 6 January and

3 February 2016.

Dates of other meetings can be found at

For more information please phone Linda Couch on 0191 211 5121 or email

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Welcome to Citylife

In this edition

Fit for purpose council

-2016/17 budget

We are consulting on our budget for 2016/17. We aim to balance being ambitious for our great city and coming to terms with big cuts to council funding, rising costs and new responsibilities. Read about our proposals on pages 6 and 7, and find out how to have your say.

-Digital by choice

We are working hard to improve our online services so they are so easy to use, that they are the way people choose to contact us. Find out about our free public Wi-Fi offer, as well as support we can provide to help people get online on pages 8 and 9.

A working city

-Re-newcastle

Newcastle is seeing the biggest investment in its highways for a generation. Turn to pages 12 and 13 to read about the work that’s taking place to transform the roads in our city – including how we are improving things for people on foot, bikes and buses.

-Rugby World Cup 2015 success

While England may not have enjoyed Rugby World Cup fortune this time, we were thrilled with the success of the games here in Newcastle. It was a tremendous honour being a Host City, and we hope you enjoyed the spectacle as much as we did! Some highlights are included on pages 16 and 17.

Creating decent neighbourhoods

-Staying safe

Over the festive season people like to let their hair down, relax and have some fun. But it’s always important to stay safe on a night out. We’ve included suggestions on how to do this, as well as top tips on protecting yourself (and your wallets!) when Christmas shopping. See pages 24 and 25.

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-Keeping Newcastle clean

After the joy of unwrapping presents on Christmas day, comes the task of cleaning up all the packaging! Find out if there’s a change to your usual bin collection day, and other important information on recycling including where to take your tree when you take it down on pages 20 and 21

Tackling inequalities

-Help and support this winter

Find out about where you can get advice and practical help as winter takes hold. We’ve included information on how to cut down on your alcohol intake, why it’s important (and free) for many to get the flu jab, and top tips on managing your money as the cost of Christmas puts extra pressure on your purse! See pages 26 to 33.

-Can you make a difference to a child’s life?

“There are two gifts we should give our children. One is roots, the other is wings”. Find out how fostering and adoption changes lives, and whether it might be right for you on pages 34 and 35.

Christmas is coming!

We’ve included lots of information in this edition on where you can get in the festive spirit – whether it’s shopping in your local market, or heading along to one of the many activities planned for the coming weeks (see pages 22 to 23). But we also know Christmas can be a lonely or difficult time for many, so turn to pages 24 to 27 for tips on how to be a good neighbour and how to stay safe and well over the holiday season. And on pages 14 and 15, we’ve included some ideas to help keep you moving and beat the winter weather!

Fit for purpose council

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News in brief

Electoral Review

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is carrying out an electoral review of Newcastle which will consider:

  • The number of councillors to be elected to the council – our council size
  • The number and boundaries of wards in the city
  • The number of councillors for each of those wards
  • The name of the wards

The purpose of the review is to ensure, as far as possible, that all councillors represent the same number of voters. It will result in a new pattern of wards across the city which will be implemented in May 2018 through whole- council elections.

There are currently 78councillors, with three councillors representing each of the 26 wards in the city.

The Commission believes that Newcastle should have in the new year. Once that figure is decided, the next stage of the review is to define the boundaries for each ward. Local people will then be able to have their say on new ward boundaries as part of a public consultation that opens at the same time.

New wards will need to reflect the interests and identities of local communities, as well as each councillor representing (as far as possible) the same number of voters.

We will develop our own proposals to put to the Commission is an independent body responsible to Parliament. It is expected to decide how many councillors it Commission in response to their consultation. We will publish these and give people the opportunity to have their say through Let’s Talk Newcastle and a series of events across the city during February

For more information about the electoral review visit and search for ‘Newcastle’.

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For more information about how we’re contributing to the review and how you can get involved visit

Devolution

In October, leaders of the seven councils in the North East Combined Authority signed an Agreement for Devolution with the Chancellor George Osborne. The deal is now being discussed through a series of consultation events across the region. The deal represents a big transfer of powers over employment, skills, transport, housing, planning, business support and investment from government to the North East. It would enable the Combined Authority to create an investment fund worth up to £1.5 billion to support North East businesses to compete internationally.

The deal depends on public consultation, formal endorsement of each council, and legislation currently going through Parliament. It would mean that the North East would elect a Mayor in May 2017, who would work with the seven councils to oversee the new devolved powers.

If you would like to view these proposals or contribute to the public consultation, details are available at

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800 years young!

2016 will be the 800th anniversary of Newcastle’s mayoralty, created by the charter of King John in 1216.

The council wants to commemorate this anniversary through a programme of events and activities throughout the year. We will send out more information as plans are developed, but if you have any suggestions about how your community could get involved, or have ideas about particular events you would like to see, please let us know by Friday 15 January 2016 by emailing

Foreign Language Translation Service

The council's Translation Service has many years experience in providing a high quality translation service covering a variety of subject areas from local government documents to law, health and business. We use the latest technology and highly trained and qualified staff to translate documents into all major languages of the world. Every translation is double-checked to ensure its accuracy and appropriateness.

We offer a high quality confidential service, which is both reliable and friendly. Our rates are competitive, we provide written estimates and complete all work within agreed timescales.

You can access the service by calling 0191 211 5070, emailing or visiting the Civic Centre

Citywide survey shows increase in residents satisfaction

A survey of Newcastle residents highlights increasing satisfaction levels for council services, the local area, and how people feel about their city as a great place to live.

Key results from the survey show that 80% of people are satisfied with their local area and 71% agree that people from different backgrounds get on well together. The majority of people (86%) said they feel safe outside in their local area.

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Residents of Newcastle are also very involved in their local communities with 88% saying they have undertaken at least one activity to become involved in the work of the council or community life.

Satisfaction with the council has also improved since the last survey, which was carried out in 2012. 58% of people now say they are happy with the way the council runs things, with 46% saying that the council provides value for money.

Whilst most people are happy with the council and life in the city, many are still struggling during difficult times with 58% of people saying that the economic climate has affected them. 33% said they could not afford to go on holiday, 20% are having difficulties paying bills and 15% are finding it difficult to buy food. Over half (53%) said they don’t think their financial circumstances will change in the next 12 months. For more information and help managing your money see page 32.

Fit for purpose council

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Ambition in the face of austerity

The council is consulting on its budget for 2016/17. We aim to balance being ambitious for our great city and coming to terms with big cuts to council funding, rising costs and new responsibilities. The cuts have had a greater impact on hard pressed cities like Newcastle. Cuts to some services are unavoidable. We want you to help us with these difficult choices by sharing your views on our plans.

Our resources

Since 2010 the council has lost £191 million from its budget. In the next three years we need to find a further £100 million. We are proposing

£30 million savings next year. The council’s resources come from lots of different places. As the amount of government funding gets smaller, we must rely more and more on Council Tax, business rates and income.

  • Income from housing and capital works (£83.5m or 15.8%) Specific government grants (£80.3m or 15.2%)
  • Third party contributions / other (£47.5m or 9.0%)
  • Sales, fees and charges (£88.1m or 16.6%)
  • Revenue support grant (£56.9m or 10.8%)
  • Business rates (£84.9m or 16.0%)
  • Council Tax (£88.1m or 16.6%)

Every penny the council spends provides services for the people of Newcastle. Some of these are about looking after place - such as emptying bins, sweeping the streets and picking up litter. Others are about looking after people – particularly vulnerable children and older people. In recent years we have tried protect these services, but this is where most of the council’s money is spent and this year some of these services will face cuts.

  • Social Care- Adults (32%)
  • Social Care- Children (15%)
  • Education- (10%)
  • Maintaining the city- (8%)
  • Public Health- (8%)
  • Highways and Transport- (8%)
  • Housing Services- (5%)
  • Pension Costs- (5%)
  • Culture and Libraries- (5%)
  • Central Services- (3%)
  • Planning and Development- (2%)

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Our vision for a great city

Although the council is having a tough time, Newcastle is doing well. As we make savings in the short term, it is important we don’t lose sight of our ambitious plans for the city. These are to create: a working city; a city that tackles inequalities; a city with decent neighbourhoods; and a fit for purpose council with effective public services

The ways we are changing

We are realistic about the need to change and we have 10 big ideas at the heart of what we do.

  • Cooperation – sharing knowledge and resources with partners
  • Devolution – more decisions about Newcastle made here not Whitehall
  • Re-Newcastle – investing sensibly in the future to help our city grow
  • Digital by choice – making more service available online and easy to use
  • Helping people to help themselves – helping communities take greater control
  • Helping people do the right thing – helping people make better choices
  • Being profitable – making our services high quality, competitive and profitable
  • Helping people early on – getting to grips with problems early on
  • Targeting our help – focusing services on the people who need them most
  • Reviewing things we own – transferring buildings to people who need them

How to have your say

We have published a draft budget for consultation and we welcome your views. You can join the debate by visiting

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Our budget plans

A working city

Newcastle’s economy is improving. Having a job that pays a decent wage has a positive effect on health and wellbeing. The council plays an important role in creating the conditions for business to grow by providing infrastructure, support and finance. We will have less to invest in the future, but will do as much as we can to ensure that everyone benefits from economic growth.

-In 2016/17 we will:

  • Keep capital investment at the same level as previous years. £140million will be invested in housing in Ouseburn and in Scotswood, further development on Science Central including a new bio-sciences laboratory, development in the Stephenson Quarter and Central Station, infrastructure improvement on the North Bank of the Tyne, and an extensive citywide transport programme
  • Provide funding to NGI for inward investment, but reduce our contribution to promoting tourism
  • Reduce spending on planning and housing services, but keep enough capacity to deal with a growing city
  • Invest in the Civic Centre so we can make better use of space – covering our costs and making another £32 million to invest in services.

Decent neighbourhoods

Decent neighbourhoods are defined by how we look after the place where we live and how we look after the people who live there. Most of us know about the services for place – like bin collection and street cleaning, but services for people are less well known. Most of the council’s resources are spent on caring for older people, people with disabilities and vulnerable children. Many of these services are a matter of life and death, and we have tried to protect them from cuts in the past. But now we have to find ways to safely reduce spending in all these areas.

-In 2016/17 we will:

  • Keep our library network, but reduce opening hours to focus on times when most people are able to use them
  • Keep free entry to our museums, but charge for special exhibitions and events
  • Bring customer services together into community hubs and make more services available online
  • Set up a charitable trust to run the principal parks in the city
  • Focus street cleaning on mechanical sweeping of key routes and shopping areas, with a hit squad to tackle litter hotspots
  • Stop our safe neighbourhoods programme

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  • Invest in affordable homes and purpose built housing for older and disabled people
  • Withdraw our handyperson service for older people, make telecare services self-funding rather than free, and end funding for lunch clubs
  • Close the Byker Lodge centre for people with dementia and commission these services from the independent sector
  • Reduce the number of adult social workers by prioritising support for those with the greatest need
  • Reduce the amount of support we provide to carers
  • Invest in residential care for people with learning disability and introduce a dynamic review process to respond to their changing needs
  • Reduce the number of children’s social workers by using data and evidence to target our support safely
  • Find ways for health and social care to work more closely together to make care services sustainable in the future.

Tackling inequality

Reducing the inequalities in health, wealth and opportunity is getting more difficult in the face of budget cuts and welfare reforms. Creating more jobs and investment helps to make opportunities for everyone, but creating a truly fair society requires partners from all sectors to work together. Investing in early intervention and prevention reduces the risks of people requiring critical support.