Local News

Drivers in our area who flout the laws on using mobile phones at the wheel have received fines following a police crackdown;

A local MP has been elected to serve on an influential parliamentary select committee;

...and more than 200 new jobs and apprenticeships will be created as part of a £3.7million investment into an historic walled garden in Redcar.

Drivers in our area who flout the laws on using mobile phones at the wheel have received fines following a police crackdown.

28 drivers were found to be using their mobile phones whilst driving during a week-long campaign last month.

Police across Cleveland and Durham took part in a national a clampdown on drivers using their mobile phones, beginning Monday 22nd January. 

The crackdown came ten months after the introduction of new legislation which means that drivers using a phone whilst at the wheel now receive six points on their licences and a £200 fine. 

Since the introduction of the new laws last year, officers across Cleveland and Durham issued 454 tickets, compared to 698 tickets during the same period in 2016. 

A local MP has been elected to serve on an influential parliamentary select committee.

Simon Clarke, the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland was yesterday elected by fellow Members of Parliament to serve on Parliament’s influential Treasury Select Committee.

The Treasury Committee, which is made up of 11 MPs, is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and associated public bodies, including the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.

A vacancy arose after Kit Malthouse was recently appointed as a Minister at the Department for Work and Pensions.

More than 200 new jobs and apprenticeships will be created as part of a £3.7million investment into an historic walled garden in Redcar.

Tees Valley Combined Authority’s Cabinet approved the investment to bring the grade II-listed historic Walled Garden back into use after 30 years, creating a mix of formal and produce gardens, events spaces, food and retail opportunities.

It will provide a major attraction in the north-east that supports employment and training opportunities in the catering, hospitality and horticulture sectors.

The £8.18million Walled Garden Project would see a 3.5acre site transformed, with cash also being used to create a new access road linking the estate directly to the A174, and a new car park with up to 300 spaces.

On top of its wide cultural implications, the development is expected to create 100 jobs and more than 100 apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities over three years.