Alan Campbell for Tynemouth

28/10/2026

I welcome today's Budget which delivers real help for families and businesses across Tynemouth, with £100 off energy bills for eligible households, a continued freeze in fuel duty, support for those who need it most, and thousands more high street businesses paying no business rates.

It also looks ahead, helping 70,000 first-time buyers, investing more than £20 billion in growth, backing British AI with £700 million, and giving local communities greater power and investment.

Helping with bills, backing our high streets, building more homes, strengthening national security and investing in growth, all on the bedrock of fiscal discipline. Labour choices delivering for today and tomorrow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DfCfUtwifg6/

27/10/2026

I visited Crawford Park Bowling Club on Friday to see installation of my sign having become a club sponsor for next season.

It's always a pleasure to catch up with Club Secretary Brian Bell and hear more about their great work with the local community.

23/10/2026

This week marks the launch of the Poppy Appeal, a time to remember and honour the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces community. As communities across the country come together to support this important cause, I encourage everyone who can to wear their poppy with pride and help ensure that veterans and their families continue to receive the support they deserve.

22/10/2026

Here's my latest News Guardian column:

A million young people Not in Education, Employment or Training is not only an economic calamity but, as the Prime Minister has said, a moral failure. We all know some young person with time on their hands, often in their bedroom communicating with an online community rather than their actual community. It’s an easy swipe to criticise them for their situation but cuts in the services they need like mental health support or support to get into work, their childhood interrupted by Covid and a jobs market damaged by austerity and Brexit have all taken a toll.

In any debate about a rising welfare bill there’s clearly a choice. Support young people into work or settle for them being the next generation of claimants. We can’t and won’t let the latter happen. That means rebuilding our education system and championing technical as well as academic pathways. It means more apprenticeships and more job offers in retail and hospitality. It’s about putting a wage into someone’s pocket but it’s also about building confidence, respect and responsibility. It also needs businesses to step up as they are doing because when government and business work together then we make real progress.

This is currently the generation projected, for the first time, to achieve less than their parents generation. We must turn that around. It needs buy in from parents, schools, businesses, government at all levels but most of all the young people themselves. They have the talent and skills to succeed. They need a fairer deal and that’s what they will get under this government.

16/10/2026

Great news that the Percy Main Pride in Place Small Grants Scheme is now open - see the post below for all details on how to apply.

📢 Got an idea that could make a difference in Percy Main?

The Pride in Place Percy Main programme is offering funding to help make local ideas a reality. The grants include:

✅ Up to £1,000 for community ideas from local residents, volunteer groups and small organisations
✅ Up to £10,000 for larger projects that bring people together, strengthen community connections, improve wellbeing, create opportunities and help people feel proud of their neighbourhood

Whether it's a community event, a clean-up project, activities for different generations, or something completely new, the board would love to hear your ideas.

Applications are now open and are available until 13 November.

Find out more and apply. Link in comments 🔗

13/10/2026

Fly-tipping Fortnight started yesterday and it's a chance for all of us to help keep North Tyneside clean, safe and welcoming.

Fly-tipping blights our communities, damages the environment and costs taxpayers money to clear up.

That's why I welcome North Tyneside Council's programme of awareness events, community engagement and enforcement activity taking place over the fortnight.

The Government is also taking action to crack down on waste crime, strengthen enforcement and support local authorities in tackling fly-tipping, because people are rightly fed up with seeing rubbish dumped in our streets, parks and green spaces.

If you need to dispose of waste, please use the services available and always check that anyone offering to remove your rubbish is properly licensed. Together, we can take pride in our neighbourhoods and keep North Tyneside looking its best.

12/10/2026

This week marks Baby Loss Awareness Week, a time to remember much-loved babies who are no longer with us and to support families who have experienced the heartbreak of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss.

I am thinking of all the families in our community who have experienced baby loss.

For many parents and families, the grief of losing a baby never goes away. This week provides an opportunity to break the silence, raise awareness, and show compassion to those carrying this loss every day.

It is also a chance to recognise the vital work of charities, support groups and healthcare professionals who help families through their darkest moments.

I encourage anyone affected to join the national Wave of Light on the 15th October where we will remember every baby gone too soon and stand with all those affected by baby loss.

10/10/2026

On World Mental Health Day, we recognise the importance of protecting and promoting good mental health for everyone.

Mental health affects us all, and access to timely support and understanding can make a significant difference. Today is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of wellbeing, challenge stigma, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that those experiencing mental health difficulties receive the support they need.

08/10/2026

My latest News Guardian column:

Party conference is always a chance for members and elected representatives to meet, reflect on the current situation and plan for the future. In Liverpool it was the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first leader’s speech and the speech of his life.

He used it to set out his plan for our country in what he said from the outset would be and honest and truthful way. It was a very personal and emotional speech not least because it came between his father’s death and funeral. It was not about returning to some past era but about restoring the ambition and hope which characterised Britain.

In short, it set out Labour and Andy’s narrative not just what needs to be done but why. He spoke about the challenges we face as a country. Things like the social care crisis, the state of the water industry, electoral reform to make our politics work better and the unfinished business of our relationship with Europe.

It was not just about what we do but how we do it. The Prime Minister wants a national debate on these issues and more but he also genuinely wants cross party consensus wherever possible. It will leave some parties struggling to work out how to respond particularly where actually resolving a grievance undermines their case to exist.

I have listened to many leader’s speeches but rarely one as powerful as this. It lays down a challenge to this Prime Minister to deliver, as he acknowledged, but equally it lays down a challenge to the whole country to step up.

06/10/2026

Kinship Care Week (5-11 October 2026) celebrates the relatives and friends who step in to raise children when their parents cannot.

More than 141,000 children across England and Wales are growing up in kinship care, supported by grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and family friends who provide love, stability and a sense of belonging. Many take on this responsibility with little notice, whether through formal legal arrangements or informal family care.

This week, we celebrate the unbreakable bonds at the heart of kinship families and raise awareness of the challenges and realities faced by those caring for children who have experienced difficult starts in life.

Let's ensure kinship families are seen, heard and understood. Kinship