Cost of Regional Assemblies risen from £5 million to £17.5 million in five years

Regional quangos cost the taxpayer £1m for every day
Telegraph

It might interest you to know that we have been informed by a source that WVDC has been asked along with other County Durham local authorities to stand guarantor for the pensions of the staff at the North East Assembly and the Association of North East Councils.

Naturally, this perfectly reasonable request will be granted using YOUR money.

This comes at a time when the Assembly is quietly moving itself from the prestigous Guildhall building on Newcastle Quayside to a location on Gateshead's Team Valley where it will pay a commercial rate.

It looks like the pressure we created over a year ago on the legality of the extra financial 'support' Newcastle were giving the Assembly has been successful.

After occupying the Guildhall for over 6 years at a peppercorn rent the true cost to the Newcastle ratepayers, due to loss of a market rent for such a prestigous building, is expected to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The story of the moonlight flit is covered here

Questions to Newcastle City Council will follow.