Tyne Tees Newcastle City Council

A controversial map produced by Newcastle City Council shows that people in the North East are bearing much higher cuts than those in the south.

The 'heat map' reveals that many councils here have seen funding reduced by more than £225 per head, compared to an increase in southern authority areas.

It also says that the region has seen a near 20% decrease in its spending power, compared to 6.1% in the South East.

Newcastle City Council is considering closing children's centres across the city as part of £40m of savings.

Sure Start centres have been running for over 15 years, and provide learning, health and childcare services for those with children up to five-years-old.

They're focussed on some of our most deprived areas, but are open to everyone.

Today, parents held a protest picnic to try and persuade the counsellors to change their mind.

But when challenged by ITV news, council leader Cllr Nick Forbes directed criticism at central government, saying he needed 'no convincing' Sure Start centres should stay.

The leader of Newcastle City Council said he needs 'no convincing' of the value of Sure Start children's centres, but reiterated that cuts must be made to balance the books next year.

Cllr Nick Forbes directed criticism over the proposed closures of two-thirds of the centres in the city towards central government.

The local authority must save £40m in government enforced cuts.

Unions are campaigning against the proposed closure of Sure Start centres in Newcastle.

The council say government cuts are forcing them to consider closing children's centres across the city.

Ed Whitby, from Unison, is urging councillors to think again.

Parents who are angry at proposed cuts to childcare and support services in some of Newcastle's most deprived areas have been taking part in a 'protest picnic'.

Newcastle Council say it may be forced to close two-thirds of the 20 Sure Start centres.

The leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Nick Forbes, said it was "fantastic" that gay and lesbian couples can now marry. The change in the law legalising marriage for same-sex couples came into effect in England and Wales at midnight.

Councils across the region were told today the extent of overall cuts to funding for 2014/15.

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles published the figures which showed an average cut of 2.9% across the country.

A spokesman for Newcastle Council said they were facing an overall cut to spending of 4.6% - more than ten million pounds - but that the news was what they expected.

Middlesbrough Council is facing a reduction of more than 5%.

Funding cuts to both councils are well above the national average.

ITV News Tyne Tees contacted all of our region's councils about the figures but many said it was too early to tell what the cuts meant for them.

Newcastle City Council says that its pension fund does invest in the payday loan company Wonga, but it has no control over it.

It added that the council has voiced its dislike that the pension fund invests in companies which it believes 'harms the city'.