Friends vow to finish film Lee Halpin died making
Amateur filmmaker Lee Halpin was found dead in Newcastle, where he was sleeping rough to film a documentary about homelessness.
Cautious welcome for "business Budget"
Business leaders have given George Osborne's Budget a cautious thumbs up, but it's still unclear how far the North East will benefit
City council agrees arts funding cuts
Controversial cuts to arts funding and libraries have been passed by Newcastle City Council.
Live updates
North East misses out on tourism boost
Figures have revealed that although 2012 saw an increase in the overall number of overseas visitors coming to the UK, the North East missed out on a boost to its tourism industry.
The announcement comes as VisitBritain published its list of the top 50 cities for visitor numbers.
The only place in the North East to get a mention was the city of Newcastle, which was beaten by the likes of Leeds and Nottingham and did not even rank in the top 10.
Rate of home-owners buying up council houses more than doubles
The Government has announced that the rate at which people in Newcastle are buying their council houses has more than doubled.
The coalition re-launched Margaret Thatcher's famous policy last year and offered eligible tenants up to £75,000 off the price of their rented homes.
Currently you must have lived in your property for at least five years to apply, but that will be reduced to three years in the near future.
Housing Minister Mark Prisk told ITV News that the rise was because the Government had been appealing directly to prospective home-owners.
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Million pound share for North East advice services
Eleven advice services in the North East will benefit from a £3 million share of a support package which aims to provide help to projects during challenging times.
Across England, some 226 frontline services will benefit from a total of 67 million pounds from the Big Lottery Fund's (Big) Advice Service's Transition Fund, while the Cabinet Office is providing half of the funding.
The funding's aim is to help address immediate needs, but it is also hoped the fund will help strengthen organisations for future demand.
Halton Citizens Advice Bureau was handed £347,963, Gateshead Citizens Advice Bureau was given £349,789 and Wear Valley Citizens Advice Bureau was awarded £336,593.
– Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society"At a time of great change, it is important that people can continue to access high quality local advice.
"This partnership fund is designed to help local providers come together and deliver a better coordinated and more sustainable service."
Pricey paintings on the walls at Durham University
More than £1m has been spent on artwork at Durham University.
Pieces by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder hang on the walls of buildings like the Palatine centre.
The University say developing collections is essential. Students say the money could be put to better use.
Durham Uni: "Spending money on art is essential"
A spokesman for Durham University said developing its collections of art was "essential".
Students have called it a disgrace that the university spent £1.4m on art while increasing tuition fees to £9,000 a year.
But the statement, released by the university, said:
– Spokesman, Durham University“Durham University is a custodian of many fine treasures and developing our collections of graphic art and sculpture for public display was an essential part of the original concept for the Palatine Centre.
“Some of the artwork was commissioned and reflects the University’s academic strengths and the heritage of our region.
“The works that can now be viewed represent a rich and varied presentation of 20th and 21st century art.
“The University organises free guided tours and staff, students and the public are encouraged to come and enjoy it.”
Durham University's £1.4m bill for art
Durham University has spent £1.4m on art, including works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, while raising tuition fees for students. The costs have been uncovered by a Freedom of Information Act request by student journalists at Palatinate, the student newspaper.
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The People's Millions: still time to apply
There is still time to enter the People's Millions awards to have your chance to win up to £50,000. The deadline is midday on Monday, May 13. Here are the details of how your organisation can enter. Visit www.itv.com/peoplesmillions OR call 0845 0 10 11 12.
Each call costs up to a maximum of 3p per minute PLUS an additional 14p set-up fee from a BT residential landline.
Calls from other networks may be higher and from mobiles will be considerably more.
Entrants must be 18 or over.
Calls made after the closing time will not be counted but may still be charged .
The People's Millions is back
The People's Millions is coming back to ITV regional news, and there's grants of up to £50,000 to give away to winning projects which improve the lives of the community where you live. If you want to be part of it - here's how..
The People's Millions: Entry deadline Monday 13th May at midday
Over the past eight years, ITV - in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund - has awarded nearly thirty million pounds to more than five hundred community projects across the UK.
Prizes of up to fifty thousand pounds each will be awarded to the winning projects.
We want to encourage applications from a wide range of organisations that can submit community-based projects which improve the lives of local people.
The following organisations are eligible:
Voluntary or Community Organisations
Schools
Local Authorities
Health Bodies
Branches of Organisations or Partnerships.
You can enter any time between now and noon on May the13th.
Here are the details of how YOUR organisation can enter:
Visit www.itv.com/peoplesmillions OR call 0845 0 10 11 12.
Each call to the application line costs up to a maximum of 3p per minute PLUS an additional 14p set-up fee from a BT residential landline.
Calls from other networks may be higher and from mobiles will be considerably more.
Entrants must be 18 or over.
Lines close on Monday 13th May 2013 at midday.
Calls made after the closing time will not be counted but may still be charged.
The People's Millions: Still time to apply
There is still time to enter the People's Millions awards. Prizes of up to £50,000 each will be awarded to the winning projects.
The deadline is midday on Monday, May 13. Here's how to apply:
Here are the details of how YOUR organisation can enter:
Visit www.itv.com/peoplesmillions OR call 0845 0 10 11 12.
Each call to the application line costs up to a maximum of 3p per minute PLUS an additional 14p set-up fee from a BT residential landline.
Calls from other networks may be higher and from mobiles will be considerably more.
Entrants must be 18 or over.
Lines close on Monday 13th May 2013 at midday.
Calls made after the closing time will not be counted but may still be charged.
