Sam Allcock

Analysis by Sam Allcock

1. People

   Artist Sally Southern appointed to West End community bookshelf project in Newcastle

   The six-month residency, delivered by Newcastle City Council, the charity Healthworks and New Tyne West Development Company, will put free bookshelves along trails in Benwell, Scotswood and Denton Dene, with apprentices from The Rise asked to help build them.

   27 Oct 2026

2. Property

   Newcastle among 21 councils to treat less than 1% of minor roads in 2025/26

   Department for Transport figures show maintenance work on 0.8% of Newcastle's B, C and unclassified roads in the year to March 2026, against 3.0% across England, but on 11.8% of its A roads.

   27 Oct 2026

3. Hospitality

   Newcastle pubs and bars second of 17 UK cities for food hygiene, with none rated 1

   An analysis of Food Standards Agency ratings by the training provider Virtual College puts Newcastle ninth overall, with an average of 4.59 out of 5, and second for pubs, bars and nightclubs.

   27 Oct 2026

4. Companies

   Newcastle business births fall 3.8% in the first half of 2026

   Office for National Statistics figures show 635 new businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne from January to June 2026, down from 660 a year earlier, against a fall of 3.1% across the UK.

   27 Oct 2026

5. Finance

   Diesel in Newcastle averages 198.1p a litre, 0.7p below the UK average

   Official Fuel Finder figures to 22 October 2026 put diesel at 194.7p a litre at the cheapest forecourt open to all drivers in Newcastle and 202.9p at the dearest, against a Newcastle average of 198.1p and a UK average of 198.8p.

   27 Oct 2026

6. Finance

   Newcastle firms used 619 GWh of electricity in 2024 as Britain's smallest firms pay a record 38.36p a unit

   Business electricity use in Newcastle was 29.3% lower than in 2012, while the smallest firms nationally paid 38.36p per kWh in Q2 2026.

   27 Oct 2026