Jesmond Liberal Democrats

26/08/2026

Newcastle has a very special reason to remember Dolly Parton. ❤️📚

While the world will remember an icon of music, here in Newcastle her legacy can also be found in the homes of thousands of children.

Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, children across our city receive free books, helping families read together and inspiring a love of reading from an early age.

Her music will live on and here in Newcastle, so will her love of reading.

Our thoughts are with Dolly’s family, friends and everyone mourning her loss. ❤️

25/08/2026

Leader of the Council Cllr Colin Ferguson had backed hospitality venues and called for the end to the Late Night Levy, a surcharge that has been in place since 2013.

Newcastle is just one of two cities outside London that has retained a version of the levy.

Now the Lib Dem-led council's licensing committee has agreed with Colin and the Cabinet that the levy should be revoked.

Colin said "We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to protect the incredible hospitality offer Newcastle is famed for.

"We also recognise simply ending the levy doesn’t solve pressures facing the sector, so we will also continue to lobby Government for new measures to ensure our city can thrive.”

The removal of the levy will now be subject to a consultation exercise and a final decision made by a meeting of the full council in October.

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19/08/2026

Nearly ready!

19/08/2026

15/08/2026

We're up and running for our surgery at the Jesmond Library this morning.

Come and find us, report any issues or ask for updates. 🟧

11/08/2026

Parks update!🌲🌲🌲

Thanks to the new Lib Dem administration, we've secured extra funding for green spaces in the ward to fix up the bridge at Colemans's Field in Jesmond Dene which will be reopened this autumn after being shut for several years. 🌲

We're investigating further funding options to repair the other bridge too.

In other news, you may have seen the wonderful new café run by coffee and (delicious) donut maker Deep North in Exhibition Park. Peter, James and Philip had made it a campaign priority since the closure in February and we're delighted that it's open again! ☕

🟧🟧🟧

31/07/2026

Back lanes, a perennial issue in Jesmond and a significant cause of hazard and nuisance for people that live here.
Last week, Peter, Philip and James went on a walk around Jesmond with a number of council officers to highlight just some of the issues with contaminated recycling bins, waste scattered across the streets and landlords using them as a place to fly tip.
Promptly following this, and after several months of work, letters were issued to all landlords in the area telling them to bring their bins in and make sure they have sufficient capacity for their properties. The tone was firm, signalling a shift in approach to this continued nuisance. We hope to see an improvement in the coming months and we will continue to explore routes to increase enforcement against poor behaviour.

28/07/2026

A message to those who want to divide our city 😡📢

As Geordies, we are so proud of our reputation across the world. Friendly, decent people. Neighbours who regard every stranger as a friend.

When we travel anywhere, it fills us with pride when someone comments on our accent, our football club, our night life. It makes us happy when they say the Toon has such a good soul.

Do you know what we’re not known for? Hatred and division. But that’s what we have seen more and more across comments on our social media pages.

We have just celebrated Pride in Newcastle with thousands bringing colour, love and celebration to the streets of our city centre – and not least a big economic boost for businesses.

Our Cabinet, led by Deputy Leader Cllr Mark Mitchell, were front and centre at the celebrations and early in their administration made the decision to fly the Rainbow flag with pride at the Civic Centre.

The majority were really positive on social media following Pride weekend, but amid the engagement we saw discrimination, bigotry and hate from a small minority. Often those accounts had no connection to our city, our country and many we suspect to be fake accounts.

We see similar comments when we post about support for other minority communities, or when we post anything around housing or waste services.

The usual typical misinformation or discriminatory tropes published by a conspiracy theorist on some other digital platform. Sometimes this misinformation spreads and is perpetuated by larger citizen “journalists”.

The council has no role in housing asylum seekers, we aren’t responsible for hotels, we don’t give our freebies to “boat people”, LGBTQ+ residents are not all weirdos or paedophiles and we’re not going to tear down your England flags.

We won’t shut down legitimate concerns but there is a line. A post about refugee school children helping in the community for example, will never be the place for racist comments or misinformation.

This isn’t censorship. It is about respect, decency and being inclusive.

Every resident deserves to be able to engage with our content and celebrate the warm and friendly place this city is known for, without fearing that the comment section will be full of bigotry and discrimination.

We have long challenged such comments, we delete those that cross the line, and we correct misinformation. Fake accounts will be removed, repeat offenders will be blocked.

Our social media policy is in the comments below but our position is clear. Newcastle is the best city in the world. Geordies are the friendliest people in the land.

We are a city of black and white. Nobody will be made to feel unwelcome 🖤

25/07/2026

Newcastle Pride weekend is nearly here and Newcastle Liberal Democrats want to wish everyone a wonderful time.

The march will begin at Civic Centre at noon on Saturday 25 July and make its way to Monument where there will be a number of speakers, including West Fenham Liberal Democrat councillor (and Deputy Leader of the Council) Mark Mitchell.

There's a lot going on in the city for Pride, so whether you're part of the LGBT+ community, an ally, or simply want to celebrate everything that makes our city welcoming and inclusive, do come along to support and celebrate.

All the info about the event can be found on Newcastle Pride website: https://www.newcastlepride.co.uk/

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️

21/07/2026

Yesterday the Cabinet of Liberal Democrat-led Newcastle City Council agreed a package of priorities that will help deliver visible improvements across Newcastle.

The plan includes:

🛣️ Pothole repairs
🌿 Grass cutting and w**d control
🗑️ Bulky waste collections
🏡 Council housing
🌳 Parks and green spaces
👥 Dedicated youth services

These investments are designed to improve neighbourhoods, support communities and deliver practical changes that residents will notice.