Nick on a visit last year to Benfield, one of many schools in Newcastle to benefit from Labour's BSF funding

In September, Nick went to Walker Technology College to see their new Cadet Centre. Walker Tech was one of only six schools across the country to be awarded the scheme two years ago, and, together with the Walker Councillors, Nick fought hard to get the original funding for it. That’s not the only way the school has benefited from recent increases in Government spending.

This week the Children’s Department announced a further £1bn for extra school places and new school buildings through Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Together with Benfield School, West Jesmond Primary, and many other schools across Newcastle, Walker Tech has benefited from the biggest sustained period of school building for decades.

In total, the £22bn allocated through Building Schools for the Future across the country means that more money is being spent rebuilding schools in the current three years than during the entire eighteen years of the last Conservative Government.

As part of moves to boost the economy and increase spending on construction back in March, the Government offered councils the chance to bring forward the schools rebuilding money. In common with Lib Dem run authorities across the country, Newcastle City Council refused. If the Council had got their act together then this year’s school upgrades in Newcastle could have come even earlier.

David Cameron’s Tories have already promised to slash £4bn of the BSF budget if they were to form the next Government. The Conservative approach is echoed by the right wing Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg who has called for “savage cuts”. The Lib Dems won’t guarantee schools funding, or anything else, saying only that “everything should be justified from first principles” and that “they’ve all got to be looked at”. That means everything from the Winter Fuel Payment to nurses wages is under threat.

In difficult economic times, the right thing to do is to invest in our schools, and continue to build for the future. Labour is the only party which will offer that choice.

Nick visiting the new Great North Museum earlier this year with Tyne and Wear Museums Director Alec Coles

Last week Nick joined the Queen at Barras Bridge for the official opening of the Great North Museum. Over the past few years the old Hancock Museum site has benefited from a £23m upgrade. With everything from a planetarium to a lifesize T-Rex, the new exhibition is expected to bring 300 000 visitors a year, and provide over 200 local jobs.

This is just one of a range of cultural attractions that have opened across the North East this decade. The Sage in Gateshead can attract artists of international standing. Museums across the North East attract more than 3 million visitors every year. Segedunum Roman Fort at Wallsend was voted one of the top ten museums in the world by the Sunday Times.

These developments play a key part in promoting the North East as a tourist destination. Tourism accounts for about 5% of our regional, as well as a similar proportion of jobs. We’re well placed to take advantage of the extra visitors who will come to Britain for the Olympics in 2012.

Nick is backing the campaign to make sure that St James’ Park will play a key part in England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup.

The Labour Government’s decision to scrap entry fees for museums and art galleries in 2001 has meant more visitors than ever before, and the move has been backed up by investment in a range of new attractions. This year’s Government schemes to provide free swimming and free theatre tickets for youngsters have also proved popular.

Unfortunately, Newcastle City Council’s response to the free swimming initiative has been to propose shutting the smaller of the two pools at the City Baths. Nick is backing Newcastle’s Labour Councillors in their bid to keep it open.

Nick said: “It’s crazy that at a time when the Labour Government has introduced free swimming provision for the under 16’s and over 60’s and is investing millions of pounds to create dedicated, 21st century facilities for our youngsters, the Council propose to close a popular, well used swimming pool. The money provided by the Government was designed to add provision for young people, but not at the expense of existing, well used leisure facilities.”

Nick at a One NorthEast event earlier this year to promote the region's green economy

Nick Brown has criticised threats to cut the North East’s development and training funding. The Lib Dems have suggested they would cut money used to support One NorthEast and other regeneration groups, while at the same time slashing the budget for the export guarantee credit department.

Minister for the North East Nick Brown said the cuts “could not be more damaging” to the Region.

Nick said: “From both the Tories and the Lib Dems we would see the development agency closed down. The Lib Dems would cut by at least half the Train to Gain budget and cut the export guarantee scheme. It is almost impossible to imagine a bigger blow to the region’s economy.

“Everything we have heard from the business sector has told us how useful these schemes, especially the export guarantee, have been. A move like this would wipe out any hope of an economic recovery in the region.”

47 councils across the country were told today that they would receive a share of the new money, which will lead to thousands of social homes being built, and an estimated 5000 jobs being created. Housing Minister John Healey called it “the biggest council house building project for almost two decades”.

Newcastle East MP Nick Brown said: “There’s a high demand for council housing for rent in Newcastle. We should have bid for this money and Newcastle City Council didn’t.

“This tells you everything you need to know about the Liberal Democrats and their hopeless one-star regeneration department, who have let Newcastle down again.

“There is going to be a second round of funding and Newcastle City Council ought to get its act together and submit a bid for the city.

“Some 51 councils managed to submit bids, of which 47 were successful.”

You can read about the new homes which are going to be built in the North East in today’s Chronicle.

The government’s intervention means that Council house residents across the North East will not have to pay above inflation rent increases, as long as councils bid for the money and pass the cut on to residents. This is part of the Government’s efforts to provide support for people in the economic downturn by intervening to make up for the lost revenue.

However on the week that it came to light that Lib Dem controlled Newcastle City Council had decided not to bid to bring forward £3.5m spending school building projects, Nick Brown has demanded that Newcastle bid for the government money to cut the rent increase in half.

Nick Brown MP said: “This will be widely welcomed in the region. It is a chance for councils to cut housing rent rises in half, providing real help now, for council house residents.

“In Newcastle, the council has proposed to increase the cost of housing by 6.31% from April. The Labour government has decided that this is not fair.

“Following the Lib Dems decision in Newcastle not to bid to get our fair share of school investment, I am demanding that they bid for the governments money and cut the rate increases in halve for hard working families.”

As part of the Government’s efforts to support local businesses and jobs through the recession, millions of pounds of spending on school buildings and repairs are being brought forward from 2010/11 to 2009/10.

Every school in Newcastle will benefit with £1,684,455 of funding brought forward from next year to this year – making a total of £5,895,593 of spending this year. The funding will go direct to headteachers and schools can choose how to spend the money as they see fit, from building new classrooms or science laboratories to fitting out new gyms or ICT facilities.

However, Lib Dem controlled Newcastle City Council has not bid to bring forward spending for bigger school building projects which has been offered to every local authority in the country. Up to £3,524,168 of spending could have been brought forward.

Nick Brown MP said: “I hope local schools will get on and spend the money – not just to improve facilities for pupils but to support small businesses and jobs in our area too.

“I’m shocked that the Lib Dems on Newcastle Council have not taken up the Government’s offer to bring forward spending on school building projects co-ordinated by the Council.

“The Lib Dems in Newcastle should be supporting the Government’s efforts to increase spending this year to boost the economy. It’s wrong that local schools and businesses will miss out. Newcastle Council should think again.”

I’ve visited the New and Renewable Energy Centre out at Blyth – one of the world’s leaders in the fight to develop fuels that don’t harm the planet. I’ve seen salt being mined half a mile under the sea down in Cleveland. For the first time our region is developing a strong service sector with tourism, heritage and hospitality playing a full part. Time and time again in the private sector I am impressed with the thought and ingenuity that has been put into the business. This point applies to the manufacturing sector just as much as it applies to the rest of the region’s economy.

Even more striking is the drive for efficiency and modernisation in the public sector, and in particular in local government in the region. The Audit Commission published a report a couple of weeks ago showing how the various councils have done over the last twelve months, and it made really encouraging reading.

North Tyneside had the biggest improvement in the country in housing services. Sunderland and Middlesbrough made great strides in their adult social care services. And Darlington scored top marks in “value for money”. All 12 of our region’s strategic local authorities are in the top two categories of the Audit Commission’s evaluation. The recent setbacks in Newcastle are of course disappointing, but across the region the general standard of local government services is good.

In a few weeks time the annual local government elections take place. Of course I want people to vote Labour, and believe that there is a great deal that the Labour Party can be proud of. However, I would much rather that people thought about the issues and took part in the election, rather than not taking part. Leaving it to other people to make the decision is giving up a valuable personal right, the right to vote, which centuries ago was only in the hands of the rich and powerful. Previous generations fought hard battles to get the vote for every adult citizen. In other parts of the world people are dying to get this basic right that we take for granted. There is not much point in having a vote if you don’t use it.

We decided on an experiment just in Walker, and just for a year. We set aside about a £1,000 of the local priority area team budget to pay the course fees for anyone in Walker who wanted to go on an adult education course. There was a large take-up for this and we used up the entire budget.

It’s clear to me that many people enjoy adult education classes, but some are deterred because of the charges. Education is not just for young people. It is liberating and enriching at any age.

I was reflecting on all of this when I visited Heaton Adult Education Association in September during the Summer Parliamentary Recess. The Association is based in the Council-run building that used to be Manor Park Lower School.

The Council have cancelled their funding. It is no good trying to blame the Learning and Skills Council for having prioritised courses that can lead directly to enhanced employment opportunities. Similarly it is equally pointless to blame the European Union’s regulations. The Council argue that the small voluntary association that runs the adult education courses didn’t meet “essential criteria” and that therefore “following legal advice” the Council couldn’t award them a contract to provide the courses. There is no evidence of the Council making any effort to help either by advising the Association or looking for an alternative route to provide support. The Council simply didn’t want to do these things.

Under political pressure to keep the Council Tax bill low, this relatively small item of public expenditure is cut and a small, useful, and worthwhile service is lost.