Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead

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Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
Geography
Status:	Metropolitan borough
Region:	North East England
Admin. County:	Tyne and Wear
Area:   Total:	Ranked 214th 142.35 km²
Admin. HQ:	Gateshead
ONS code:	00CH
Demographics
Population:   Total (2006 est.):   Density:	Ranked 75th 190,500 1338 / km²
Ethnicity:	98.4% White
Politics
Gateshead Council http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/
Leadership:	Leader & Cabinet
Executive:	Labour
MPs:	David Anderson, David Clelland, Sharon Hodgson

Gateshead is a metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, in north-east England. It is named for its main town, Gateshead. Other settlements include Rowlands Gill, Felling, Whickham, Blaydon, Ryton, Pelaw, Dunston and Low Fell.

It is bordered by numerous local authorities including Newcastle Upon Tyne to the north, Tynedale to the west, Wear Valley and Derwentside to the south, Sunderland to the south west and South Tyneside to the east.

[edit] History

The district has some 190,000 inhabitants and lies within the historic county boundaries of County Durham. The county borough of Gateshead was combined along with the urban districts of Felling, Blaydon, Ryton and part of Chester-le-Street Rural District into the new Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1974. In 1986 the County Council of Tyne and Wear was abolished, and so Gateshead Council effectively became a unitary authority.

There were originally two civil parishes in Gateshead - Birtley and Lamesley, both from the Chester-le-Street RD. Birtley Town Council and parish were abolished on April 1, 2006. [2]

[edit] Governance

[edit] Parliamentary constituencies

In national government the borough contains three parliamentary constituencies. These are Blaydon, Tyne Bridge and Gateshead East and Washington West. The Blaydon constituency covers the west of the borough as well as Birtley and is represented by Dave Anderson. The Tyne Bridge constituency covers parts of central Gateshead (and parts of the inner west of Newcastle) and is represented by David Clelland. The Gateshead East and Washington West constituency is located to the east of the borough and includes parts of Washington (in the City of Sunderland). Its MP is Sharon Hodgson.

[edit] Local government

In total there are twenty two electoral wards in the borough, each ward elects three councillors. The twenty two wards are: -

• Birtley
• Blaydon
• Bridges
• Chopwell and Rowlands Gill
• Chowdene
• Crawcrook, Greenside and Clara Vale
• Deckham
• Dunston and Teams
• Dunston Hill and Whickham East
• Felling
• High Fell
• Lamesley
• Lobley Hill and Bensham
• Low Fell
• Pelaw and Heworth
• Ryton, Crookhill and Stella
• Saltwell
• Wardley and Leam Lane
• Whickham North
• Whickham South and Sunniside
• Windynook and Whitehills
• Winlaton and High Spen

Gateshead Council is Labour controlled, although the borough does have a significant number of Liberal Democrat councillors. These are largely in the more affluent west of the Borough including Whickham, Ryton and Crawcrook, as well as the more central wards of Low Fell and Pelaw. In total there are 41 Labour councillors, 24 Lib Dem councillors, and 1 Liberal Party councillor.

[edit] General

As political parties tend are abandoning their previous policy of hosting conferences at seaside resorts, Gateshead has hosted two major political conferences. The first of these was Labour's Spring conference, ahead of the 2005 General Election.^[1]. The Conservatives also held a conference at the Sage Gateshead in March 2008. The Conservatives don't have a single councillor in Gateshead and have only one MP in the whole of the north east region. The conference is seen as an attempt to connect to voters in the area.^[2]

[edit] Education

Gateshead has a number of schools across the borough at both primary and secondary level. Results are well above average, with a number of outstanding schools. ^[3]. Indeed, Gateshead has amongst the best primary and secondary schools in the country overall.^[4]. A range of schools are present in Gateshead, including Jewish, Roman Catholic, Church of England, Methodist and non-religious state schools. There is one independent school in the borough, Chase school in Whickham.^[5]. Further independent schools can be found in Newcastle, Sunderland and Tynedale.

Gateshead town itself has a further education college, Gateshead College, and a leading Jewish higher education institution.

[edit] Environment

Gateshead has a variety of landscapes, urban and industrial areas include the town itself, Felling and Blaydon, with more semi-rural and rural locations in the west including Ryton and Rowlands Gill. Overall though, it is a fairly green area with over half of the borough being green belt or countryside.^[6]. Most of this is located away from built up Tyneside to the south of the borough into Derwentside and to the west into Tynedale.

In total, there are over twenty contryside sites in the borough, from ancient meadows and woodland to local nature reserves.^[7]

Notable features of Gateshead's countryside include Ryton Willows, found at Old Ryton Village on the banks of the Tyne at Ryton. Ryton Willows is 43 hectares of locally rare grassland and ponds located near to an affluent village with Georgian and Victorian houses. Because of this it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[8][9]

The Derwent valley, in the south/south west of the borough, offers panoramic views and pleasant walks. It was in the Derwent valley, near Rowlands Gill, that the Northern Kites Project re-introduced Red Kites. This was part of a national project to introduce the birds, that were once so commonplace across the country, back into the wild. This scheme has proven to be a big succes, with birds being spotted across the west of the borough, from Crawcrook to Rowlands Gill itself.^[10][11]

The borough also contains one National Trust site, the expansive Gibside estate near Rowlands Gill, containing a stately home and a chapel, parts of its grounds have also been give SSSI status.^[12]

Even in the more urban areas of the Borough, in Gateshead itself and to the east, efforts have been made to maintain green spaces and wildlife sites. One such project is Bill Quay Community Farm in east if the borough. Offering a rural experience within an urban setting, it provides an important educational tool for local schools.^[13]

[edit] Economy

The area was once dependent on heavy industry such as steel making in the Derwent Valley and coal mining (across the borough). Shipbuilding on the Tyne was also a major source of employment. However, with the decline of these industries, Gateshead has attempted to re-invent itself. Although there are significant areas of deprivation in the borough, particularly in the centre and east, a number of towns and villages in the borough are popular with commuters and professionals who are employed in the service industry and well paid areas of secondary industry such as engineering (which remains a major source of employment). Such commuter areas inclue Ryton, Rowlands Gill, Whickham and Low Fell.

Gateshead Quayside, once dominated by industry, has benefited from significant investment and gentrification in the past decade.^[14] It is now home to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the Sage Gateshead. The Anthony Gormley structure, the Angel of the North (the largest free standing sculpture in the United Kingdom) is also nearby. This puts Gateshead at the forefront of the arts both regionally and nationally.^[15]

The area is also an important retail hub, with the largest shopping centre in the European Union, and second largest in Europe as a whole, the MetroCentre, situated in Dunston. Further retail, and a significant number of engineering companies, at the Team Valley, a large trading estate.

[edit] References

v • d • e Districts of North East England Alnwick • Berwick-upon-Tweed • Blyth Valley • Castle Morpeth • Chester-le-Street • Darlington • Derwentside • Durham • Easington • Gateshead • Hartlepool • Middlesbrough • Newcastle upon Tyne • North Tyneside • Redcar and Cleveland • Sedgefield • South Tyneside • Stockton-on-Tees • Sunderland • Teesdale • Tynedale • Wansbeck • Wear Valley Counties with multiple districts: County Durham • Northumberland • Tyne and Wear