Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes has been talking to ITV News about how the council is marking International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The councillor said he was proud of the steps forward that the region had made in tackling discrimination.
Phillipa Scrafton also spoke to us about how important it was to educate people about the issues surrounding discrimination.
Newcastle City Council has a raised a rainbow flag above its civic centre to mark International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The council is just one of three around the country which is led by an openly gay councillor, Councillor Nick Forbes.
Newcastle City Council is marking International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.
A rainbow flag has been raised over the civic centre in Newcastle this lunchtime to support the day that fights against the discrimination of the transgender community.
We have all seen pictures of people who drink too much on nights out and end up causing problems.
Cities like Newcastle are famous for their nightlife, but the council is concerned about the high levels of drinking.
Newcastle City Council is asking bars and clubs to stop selling very cheap drinks and giving away alcohol on very cheap promotions.
It has also announced that it will not be letting new nightclubs stay open later than 2am.
Our reporter Lucy Taylor joined Pam and Ian in the studio to explain more.
Newcastle City Council has confirmed that it will stop new nightclubs and bars opening in the city from selling alcohol after two o'clock in the morning.
The move follows concern over the high levels of drinking in the city.
Newcastle City Pool & Turkish baths are closing to the public from today (28 March).
Campaigners who have fought to keep it open - following cuts by Newcastle City Council - plan to stage a final 'swim-in'.
Newcastle City Council have released a statement after over sixty cases of food poisoning were reported following the Street Spice festival.
The Street Spice festival took place at Newcastle's Times Square last week where sixteen businesses attended the event.
Stephen Savage, the Director of Regulatory Services and Public Protection at Newcastle City Council, said:
“The City Council’s environmental health officers, in partnership with colleagues in the Health Protection Agency, are carrying out an investigation following reports of diarrhoea and vomiting illness in some people who attended the Street Spice festival which took place in Times Square last week.
"We have been working closely with neighbouring authorities to collect samples from those affected and we hope to have preliminary results by the end of this week. We are also working closely with the 16 businesses which attended the event to identify the foods which were on sale.”
Hundreds of people are expected to attend the final council budget talks taking place at Newcastle Council today.
Proposals to save 100 million pounds over the next three years will be discussed by the full council.
Sunderland Council, who also need to save 37 million pounds over the next year, will also meet today.
Both councils are proposing a freeze on council tax but have had to make savings elsewhere.
Newcastle has announced plans to earmark £600,000-a-year for cultural projects.
Newcastle City Council was criticised by stars such as Sting, Mark Knopfler and Bryan Ferry when it announced last year budgetary pressures meant it had no cash for the arts.
The budget, which is being debated on Wednesday, has found £600,000-a-year for arts subsidies.
Leader of the Labour Council Nick Forbes said the money for the Newcastle Culture Fund came from a range of sources including public health funding and income from a loan to Newcastle Airport.
– Councillor Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council"I'm tremendously excited by the progress made on the Newcastle Culture Fund. It's an example of what can be achieved when organisations like ourselves, the Arts Council and cultural venues come together and think differently.
"We are on the final straight, and if full council agrees the plan later this week, we should be able to get the fund running within two months.
"The value of arts and culture to Newcastle has never been in doubt; what has been in doubt is the funding to support them. This new approach not only provides that security, but means those who wish can also make a contribution."
The council will also pursue a partnership with Newcastle University where savings generated from shared services between the university and the council will be reinvested in the cultural life of the city.
The turn-around has been backed by the Arts Council England.
– Peter Bazalgette, Arts Council England chairman"The Arts Council is grateful for the way in which the City Council has worked closely with us to broker this new funding package for key cultural venues. But, of course, a 50% cut to the culture budget still means serious economic and social impact for Newcastle and beyond."
The cabinet of Newcastle City Council has today agreed proposals to make cuts and savings of one hundred million pounds.
Budget cuts, including the proposed closures of libraries across the city, have faced increasing opposition and protest from the public in recent months.
The council has since announced that it has modified its proposals, including:
The council has said that it has to make the 100 million pounds worth of savings to make up for a 48 million pound cut in Government grant and 52 million pounds of cost pressures the council must meet.
