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A North East MP has demanded the "immediate scrapping" of controversial benefit Universal Credit. The system will worsen child poverty, increase homelessness and even lead to people taking their own lives, Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery has claimed. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned the country could face "chaos" similar to the poll tax riots if the national roll out continues, in the Daily Mirror today, He branded the welfare reforms a "cruel and vindictive" experiment that will exacerbate the "convulsions" of Brexit and risk public disorder. The Government says the reforms ensure working is worthwhile for claimants and simplifies the benefits system. But opponents believe it leaves claimants worse-off, and creates delays which leave people waiting for much-needed cash. Now, Labour Party Chair Ian Lavery has called for an end to Universal Credit, predicting dire consequences for Northumberland if the roll out goes head.

A residential site development offering new, high-quality homes for affordable rent in Bedlington has been completed.

News that pub giant Wetherspoon is to host a 12-day ale and cider festival will be bringing a smile to the faces of customers this autumn. From October 10 to 21, 10 of the company's pubs in and around Newcastle will be inviting customers to enjoy a Real Ale & Cider Festival - and with a selection of up to 30 beers on offer from independent British craft brewers, there certainly will be plenty to enjoy. Each of the brewers involved is a member of the Society of Independent Brewers and some of the beers to be served will be award-winners while others are brewed exclusively for the festival. Kristopher Lee, manager of The Quayside Wetherspoon branch in Newcastle, said: "The festival is the perfect opportunity to showcase the wonderful range of beers from independent British craft brewers. "It will give people the opportunity to enjoy a superb selection of the beers that they brew, many of which have not been served in the pub before." Ales on offer will include Blueberry Classic Bitter, from Coach House; Jurassic Dark (Dorset), Jemima's Pitchfork (Glamorgan), Freddy Brewger (Robinsons), Hope & Glory (Brentwood), Hop Twister (Salopian), Big Job (St Austell) and Wheel of Fortune (Castle Rock).

Northumberland County Council today confirmed that they will build a stand-alone leisure centre in Berwick, separate to the planned new hospital. Councillor Peter Jackson, Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “The feedback from the people of Berwick is clear - they don’t want a co-located site - and we’re acting on that. “We’re fully committed to making sure Berwick gets the very best, and I have promised that the County Council will build a brand new state of the art leisure facility on the Swan Centre site. We will keep our promise, and continue to listen to our residents through the planning stages.” This announcement replaces previous plans for a joint site. Integrated and coordinated working will proceed where appropriate, but all the services will not be co-located on one site. This followed strong representations by the three Berwick county councillors and the wider community. Following requests by the three local councillors, additional investment is also being considered for a potential extra care development alongside the new hospital. This would support provision of services to vulnerable and older people in Berwick. Peter Jackson added: “After 50 years of inaction in Berwick, there will be £45 million invested in the town – our own investment of £20 million in a brand new state of the art leisure centre, and £25 million has been passed onto the Northumbria Healthcare Trust.”

Concerned police are appealing for help to find a missing Romanian woman who went missing from her Bedlington home. Maria Stoica was reported missing in the early hours of Wednesday morning and officers are urgently appealing for help to find her. A Northumbria Police statement said: "Officers in Bedlington are concerned for the welfare of Maria Stoica...who has been reported missing from her home in the town since the early hours." Maria is Romanian and speaks very little English, the statement adds. The 36-year-old is described as 5ft tall, of thin build with shoulder-length light-brown hair and tanned skin. She was last seen early on the morning of October 3 and was wearing a two-tone blue coat with a hood and black leggings.

A troubled teenager spat in a police officer’s face the day after her mum’s funeral as “emotions were running high”, a court heard. Charlie Toner, 19, assaulted the officer in Newcastle when police were called out to a racially aggravated incident on July 24. Bedlington Magistrates’ Court heard that a man who lived on Beaconsfield Street called police in the early hours of the morning reporting that he was being abused by two occupants of a neighbouring house. When they arrived, Toner is said to have used racially aggravated language saying to the officer: “Tell the p**i downstairs to f*** off.” Prosecutor Rebecca Gibson said Toner then spat in the policeman’s face hitting his cheek and chin. Toner admitted the assault and public order offence on Friday as well as one charge of being in possession of the class B drug Spice at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in January.

The Independent candidate was the emphatic winner of last Thursday’s by-election for the vacant seat in the West Bedlington Town Council Central ward.

Bobbies who brought down a slave master and a PCSO who helped snare a rapist have been recognised at a glittering police awards ceremony. Northumbria Police’s officers were honoured at the force’s Pride in Policing Awards on Tuesday night. The Chronicle sponsored the top gong, the Outstanding Contribution Award, which was awarded to veteran bobby PC James Desmond. The long-serving officer was nominated for his efforts to “humanise” policing for mental health staff and patients in his role as Hospital Liaison Officer ar Newcastle’s St Nicholas’ Hospital. PC Desmond, who is due to retire next month, also picked up another gong at the awards - having won 40% of the public’s vote in the Outstanding Contribution category. Chief Constable Winton Keenen said: “Occasions such as this are truly humbling – I’m honoured to be able to showcase the outstanding work carried out by our officers, staff and volunteers.

They are the people and places we rely on whether we want to look the part for a special occasion or just enjoy some 'me time' and there were plenty of winners at the first ever North East Beauty Industry Awards on Sunday night. With a whole host of awards up for grabs to rival even The Grammys in number, competition was fierce, as were the outfits as nominees dressed to impress for the awards dinner held at The Grand Hotel in Gosforth. The awards seek to recognise and reward the growth of the beauty sector and the success of the professionals working within it, from dentists and doctors to hair and beauty businesses, teams and clinics. Therefore, the awards acknowledged not only beauticians and hair stylists, but also other talented individuals from the cosmetic sector, who deliver exceptional customer services and work within clinics and practices, where excellence is a standard. The black-tie event was hosted by Heart Radio Breakfast Show presenter, Kelly Scott, who handed over 26 awards to people from all over the region. Several of the awards were split into local areas to ensure the diverse establishments from across the North East of England are recognised for their impeccable work.

A killer danger driver could be released from prison - exactly three years to the day since causing the death of teenager Bethany Fisher. “Beautiful” Bethany was out with friends celebrating her 19th birthday on August 19, 2017, when tragedy struck. Jordan O’Donnell lost control of his uninsured Ford Mondeo while giving her a lift home and smashed into parked cars on a street in Bedlington, Northumberland. Passenger Bethany died from her injuries while Meg McBurnie, who was also in the car, was badly hurt. O’Donnell pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was handed a six-year sentence. Now, Bethany’s mum, Isabel Easson, has been left heartbroken to learn he could be released from prison having served just half his sentence behind bars.

Labour members in Bedlington are calling on Northumberland County Council to intervene and protect woodland that could be under threat from development.

Cleared of a one-punch attack on an Aussie rugby star, Sam Oliver is back on home soil and declared: “I’m glad it’s all over.” And the relieved 23-year-old was especially happy to get a big hug from his mum when he arrived at Newcastle Airport as he was welcomed by his emotional family. “I just wanted it to be over and get back to my family, I’m so pleased to be home right now,” said Sam, at his Bedlington home in Northumberland. Sam hit the headlines when he was accused of flooring James Stannard with a “king hit” - Australian slang for a single punch - outside a kebab shop in Sydney in the early hours of March 30. The 35-year-old former Australia Rugby Sevens captain, who announced his retirement from rugby in June, struck his head on the pavement and suffered a fractured skull, spending two nights in hospital. He was unable to compete at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April. Sam had denied recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and the alternative charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, claiming Mr Stannard hit him first and that he had acted in self-defence.

A young girl from Bedlington is on a mission to encourage others to help the environment and marine life.

The next stage of the major overhaul of Bedlington town centre has been given the green light by councillors.

A baby-faced road menace is finally behind bars - after blowing a final chance to keep his freedom by crashing a car while banned from the roads. Craig Shaw was warned last year that his feet wouldn’t touch the ground if he offended again when a judge sentenced him for sparking a police chase. But within six months he got behind the wheel to deliver a takeaway for a friend, lost control on a roundabout and smashed into a lamppost. Now the 19-year-old, who fled the scene but was caught by DNA on the car’s airbag, has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court. It was on October 16 last year that police were called to the site of the crash on the B1505 at High Pit, Cramlington, Northumberland. A lamppost had been hit with such force it was bent over at an angle.

A beloved community club could be forced to close before celebrating its 70th birthday, if it can’t end a campaign of terror by vandals. The volunteers who run Bedlington Terriers FC say they may have to shut the club because of the astronomical cost of repairs They say their clubhouse has suffered three attempt break-ins, leaving doors and locks seriously damaged. Intruders have also “wantonly smashed” glass in the club’s floodlights, rendering them “not fit for purpose”, volunteers who run the Northern League Division Two club, from the grounds at Doctor Pitt Welfare Park, claim, Chairman Ronan Liddane said: “We’ve been hit by vandals over the last few months repeatedly breaking into the park, destroying fences, damaging locks, they’ve broken into our little hospitality box, smashed a television, fired pellet guns at our floodlights. “The police really can’t do much because we don’t have any CCTV - which we can’t afford because we’ve got to pay to repair the damage.

The GCSE results at Bedlington Academy today show significant improvements across the board, with the number of grades 9-7 (old A*-A grades) awarded having more than doubled from the previous year.

The investment firm behind two major North East funds has invested more than £1m in local businesses in just a few months. NEL Fund Managers is one of the only investment houses to be awarded two of the five funds that make up the £120m North East Investment Fund. After being given responsibility for the Small Loan Fund and the Growth Capital Fund back in April, the company has invested more than £1m in the region’s firms. The milestone was passed when NEL invested £10,000 in Bedlington-based JNCS Business Services, through the Small Loan Fund. The cash is being used by JNCS to improve its manufacturing process around the TorqTag device, which improves safety within the oil, gas and power industries. Dr Yvonne Gale, chief executive at NEL Fund Managers, says: “We’re pleased with the volume of enquiries that have come in so far around investments from both these new funds, and to have got past the million pound mark within just a few months of their launch.

A man remains unconscious more than three days after he was involved in an alleged brawl outside a Wetherspoon’s pub. The 56-year-old suffered a serious head injury during the incident at the Red Lion on Hartford Road, Bedlington, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Emergency services arrived at the scene to find the man laying unconscious and he was taken to hospital where he remains. Detectives arrested another 56-year-old man and a 33-year-old man in connection to this incident. Both men have since been released under investigation. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police investigating an assault in Bedlington are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

A man is still unconscious 36 hours after an alleged brawl outside a Wetherspoon’s pub in Bedlington . The 56-year-old suffered a serious head injury during the alleged fight, which happened outside the Red Lion on Hartford Road in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police and paramedics arrived and the suspected victim — who was laying unconscious outside the pub — was taken to hospital for treatment. Detectives arrested another 56-year-old man and a 33-year-old man in connection to this incident. Both men have since been released under investigation. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police investigating an assault in Bedlington are appealing for witnesses to come forward.