Tynemouth Matters

06/09/2026

A brilliant day at Tynemouth Food Festival! 🍴

We managed to miss the worst of the heavy rain, and it was fantastic to see so many people enjoying this brilliant annual event.

If you’re visiting the festival, make a day of it—explore Tynemouth and support our wonderful local businesses while you’re here.

Did you make it along? Let us know your favourite stall or dish in the comments.

06/09/2026

Well done, Charlie and well done to Percy Park 

Well done to Charlie Turnbull on making his debut for Newcastle Red Bull against Rotherham yesterday 🐂

📸 Paul Jackson

06/09/2026

🔎 CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO NURDLE RESPONSE

Cllr Lewis Bartoli has called on North Tyneside Council for an independent inquiry into the response to the nurdle pollution affecting our coastline.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Lewis said:

“This should not be about pointing fingers or scoring political points.

“It should be about making sure the lessons are properly learned. We owe it to everyone to make sure something positive and practical comes out of what has happened.”

An independent inquiry would allow the response to be looked at properly, establish what lessons can be learned and help make sure we are better prepared in the future.

Lewis also paid tribute to the huge community effort involved in the clean-up, saying volunteers deserve “enormous credit” for giving up hours of their time and carrying out painstaking work to help clean our beaches.

That community spirit has been incredible.

Now we need to make sure their efforts are matched by a proper, transparent and independent examination of the response.

05/09/2026

📣 HIGH BORRANS UPDATE

Following a meeting with North Tyneside Council’s Chief Executive and senior officers, there are some encouraging signs for the future of High Borrans.

A number of options are now being explored—and at least some could provide an opportunity for High Borrans to remain a North Tyneside asset.

However, the people with the power to make the final decision—the Labour Mayor, Deputy Mayor and responsible Cabinet Member—were not at the meeting.

The next major milestone is the Full Council meeting on Thursday 24 September. Thanks to a petition signed by more than 2,000 people, the future of High Borrans will be debated in the council chamber.

If you care about High Borrans, please come along. It’s an opportunity to see local democracy in action—and to see who is prepared to stand up for this much-loved centre.

05/09/2026

Over the past few days, we’ve been out speaking to residents and getting their views on how we tackle crime and ASB in our area.
Since Labour got into government, police numbers have fallen by more than 2,100 officers - that’s why we need a strong local plan to get on top of the issues that matter to residents. 🚓
From anti-social behaviour and shoplifting to dangerous e-bikes and motorbikes, we want to know what your priorities are for making our community safer.
Take our quick online survey and help shape our local plan to cut crime 👇
https://www.ntconservatives.co.uk/crime

04/09/2026

🏊 COUNCIL URGED TO FINALLY DECIDE FUTURE OF TYNEMOUTH OUTDOOR POOL

North Tyneside Council is being urged to make a decision about the future of the former Tynemouth Outdoor Pool site rather than allowing one of the most prominent locations on our seafront to continue deteriorating.

It is now more than seven months since the Council concluded that the previous proposals to restore the pool were not financially viable, estimating the scheme would cost around £25 million.

But there are currently no active redevelopment proposals for the site.

Cllr Lewis Bartoli has told ChronicleLive that the condition of the pool is one of the issues most regularly raised with him by residents.

The site is increasingly dilapidated, with rubbish, broken panels and concerns about its overall condition.

Whatever ultimately happens to the former pool, doing nothing cannot be the long-term answer.

This occupies an incredibly prominent position on Tynemouth seafront and residents deserve to know what the plan is.

The Council needs to decide what it is going to do — and then get on with it.

03/09/2026

🇬🇧 PROUD TO REPRESENT TYNEMOUTH ON MERCHANT NAVY DAY

It was a real privilege to represent Tynemouth today at North Tyneside’s Merchant Navy Day commemorations.

Living in a coastal community, our connection with the sea and our maritime heritage is all around us. Merchant Navy Day is an important opportunity to stop and remember the men and women who have served at sea, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

It was an honour to be there today on behalf of our community and to pay tribute to all those who have served — and those who continue to serve today.

We will remember them.

02/09/2026

BARTOLI CALLS ON BAILEY TO QUIT AS TYNEMOUTH COUNCILLOR

Conservative Tynemouth councillor Lewis Bartoli has called on former Labour councillor Tom Bailey to resign his council seat following Bailey’s decision to leave the Labour Party and sit as an independent.

Bailey announced this week that he was quitting Labour, citing “big differences on values” and criticising what he described as politicians who had been “incompetent, unaccountable, absent or capable only of playing political games.”

But Bartoli has hit back, saying Bailey is “in no position to lecture anybody else about accountability” while he remains the subject of standards complaints and has recently been suspended by his former party.

Bartoli also says Bailey “appears to have walked away from Labour before Labour had the opportunity to conclude its disciplinary process.”

And he has challenged Bailey to put his position directly to voters.

“If he believes his criticisms of everyone else are justified and that residents still support him, there is a very simple way to prove it: resign his council seat, stand in a by-election and put himself before the people of Tynemouth.”

Bartoli added:

“He has resigned from Labour. Now he should do the decent thing and resign as a councillor too.”

Bailey says he will continue representing Tynemouth as an independent councillor, telling residents that he intends to keep working on the issues affecting the community.

02/09/2026

🚨 𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃? — 𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐑

Tom Bailey’s resignation from the Labour Party should not be allowed to distract from the serious questions surrounding his own position as a Tynemouth councillor.

Bailey has quit Labour while already suspended by his own party and before its disciplinary process had concluded.

It is difficult to escape the impression that he has jumped before he was pushed.

In recent weeks he has been at the centre of controversy over the extraordinary “armed patrols” WhatsApp post, was the subject of a police inquiry and has faced multiple complaints under the councillors’ standards process.

While the police matter did not result in criminal action, that is not the same question as whether his judgement and conduct meet the standards residents should expect from someone holding elected public office.

At least three standards complaints concerning Cllr Bailey also remain active.

Yet rather than address those issues, his resignation statement attacks other politicians as “incompetent, unaccountable” and “absent”.

There is a considerable irony in lecturing others about accountability while walking away from the political party under whose banner you were elected.

Leaving Labour does not wipe the slate clean.

Tynemouth residents elected Tom Bailey as a Labour councillor. He has now abandoned that party following his suspension and amid serious ongoing questions about his conduct.

If he genuinely believes in accountability, there is now one straightforward course of action:

Resign from North Tyneside Council, trigger a by-election and allow the people of Tynemouth to decide whether they still want him representing them.

After a police inquiry, suspension by his own party and multiple standards complaints, we do not believe Tom Bailey is suitable to continue representing Tynemouth residents.

He has resigned from Labour. Now he should do the decent thing and resign as a councillor too.

02/09/2026

🗣️ HAVE YOUR SAY ON TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

North Tyneside residents are being invited to have their say on how the Council and Police deal with anti-social behaviour across the borough.

The Council is holding a series of focus groups to hear directly from residents about issues including anti-social behaviour in open spaces, problems on local estates and at the coast, and the enforcement of Public Space Protection Orders.

Lewis and Jay will be at the main session open to all North Tyneside residents, which will take place at:

📅 Saturday 24 October⏰ 10.30am–12.30pm📍 Whitley Bay Library

Representatives from the Council and Police will be there to explain the current approach, answer questions and hear residents’ views about what is working — and what could be improved.

Two earlier sessions are also being held specifically for council tenants and leaseholders:

📅 Wednesday 9 September — The Oxford Centre, Longbenton📅 Saturday 12 September — North Shields Library⏰ Both sessions run from 10.30am–12.30pm

With anti-social behaviour remaining a concern for many communities, particularly during the summer months and around our coastline, this is a useful opportunity for residents to make their views known and help shape how problems are tackled in future.

Places must be booked in advance.

👉 Book your place: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/YwC59FCWai

Residents who cannot attend will also be given an opportunity to provide feedback online at a later date.