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How Universal Basic Income (UBI) will work and why it may be trialed in a part of the North East
A group of residents living in Jarrow, South Tyneside, could be paid £1,600 a month as part of the trial.
Jarrow could be one of two places which may test the impact of UBI on people’s wellbeing and mental health.
But what is UBI and why has Jarrow been designated as one of the pilot locations?
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a regular and unconditional cash payment to all individuals. It is designed to reduce poverty, enhance economic security and improve overall well-being.
If funding is secured, 30 local residents (15 in each area) will be paid £1,600 a month for two years. There will be no restriction as to what they can spend the money on, and they would still be able to work to earn more money.
The aim of the trial is to find out how the UBI has impacted on their wellbeing and mental health.
Cleo Goodman, Co-Founder of Basic Income Conversation, one of the companies behind the pilot, said: “We’re hopeful that this plan will result in the first ever Basic Income pilots in England. No one should ever be facing poverty, having to choose between heating and eating, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.”
Researchers from Northumbria University also were behind the initiative with Matthew Johnson, who works for the university in Newcastle, the lead researcher.
The 40-year-old said: “I think this is exciting for the North East. For too long we have been subject to Government policy imposed upon us as a region. I think that the current system is unsustainable. It’s unfair to workers.
“Universal based income is a policy for workers and people that want to get ahead. It corrects the unfairness of the current system.”
Jarrow is classed as an area of deprivation. Its industries have closed, and the majority of homes are social housing.
The town is one of the 150 communities which are described as being “left behind” are supported by Big Local.
Big Local – a programme which enables residents in 150 areas to create lasting change in their communities.
The Big Local programme is a resident-led, long-term funding programme supported by Local Trust to improve their communities.
Anne Corrigan, project coordinator at Big Local Jarrow, said residents in the town have been having conversations about UBI since the lockdown in 2020 – three years ago.
Anne, 60, said: “The trial will show the impact which it has on people’s health and wellbeing and the knock-on effect that it could have on the community and those around them.
“We’d like to think that it would then be used to inform policy either locally or nationally or both.”
Anyone living in Jarrow can put themselves forward, and each candidate will be randomly selected. They are looking for residents of all ages and backgrounds.
20 percent of all places allocated will go to people considered to have disabilities.
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Newcastle’s Liberal Democrats have demanded “urgent” clarity on the future of the city’s main shopping street.
With work on a promised transformation of Northumberland Street yet to begin, the city’s opposition party has called on council bosses to take action on the “increasingly shabby” area. Designs for a major refurbishment of the busy pedestrian route, which Newcastle City Council said would get under way this year, have included installing a series of 50ft lighting pillars, as well as new trees, plants, and seating.
Coun Greg Stone, the Lib Dems’ spokesperson on the city centre, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there were concerns that the scheme may be pushed back to 2024 in order to avoid a negative impact on shops as the festive period nears. In response, the Labour-run local authority confirmed that it does still intend to start the improvements on Northumberland Street by the end of this year and was in the process of appointing a contractor.
Coun Stone complained that the high street’s paving is “looking increasingly tired”, adding: “The council has an important duty to ensure that the city centre’s public realm and the fabric of our major streets are well cared for and attractive for Newcastle’s citizens, visitors, and businesses. We have been told that renovation of Northumberland Street is on the way for several years now but works on Ridley Place and Saville Row have taken an age and there is no sign of work being imminent on Northumberland Street.
“The decision to avoid construction work during last year’s pre-Christmas trading season was understandable, but the window of opportunity for work to be done this year seems to be closing. There is an urgent need for clarity from the council leadership on their vision and delivery plans for city centre improvements.”
He added: “The Lib Dem Opposition is disappointed that the council’s ambitions for Northumberland Street seem to be more tarmac patches than high quality paving and public realm. We continue to have concerns about the Labour administration’s capacity to manage major projects for the city centre and we may be facing further long waits for delivery.”
A dramatic transformation of the city centre has been the topic of debate for years. The city council has long wanted to pedestrianise the iconic Grey Street and initial works to gradually achieve that are ongoing, but controversial proposals to remove all traffic from Blackett Street were shelved last year.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “We are progressing our plans to redevelop Northumberland Street to strengthen its position as the region’s most vibrant high street and encourage higher footfall.
“We are in the process of selecting a contractor to deliver the works and exact details and timescales will be confirmed when this process is complete. The improvements will include full repaving of the street and the introduction of new seating, planting, trees and lighting making it a more welcoming place that can be enjoyed both day and night.
“Northumberland Street is the city’s premier shopping destination, and our plans will reinforce this, setting apart from other streets and creating an attractive destination where people want to spend time.
“The council remains committed to delivering its long-term ambition to transform the city centre into a cleaner, greener, more welcoming place that attracts visitors and investment, and where our residents can feel a sense of belonging.
“The work on Ridley Place is now complete, new street furniture will be installed on Saville Row in the coming weeks and Grey Street should be complete by summer 2024 as planned. The initial works on Northumberland Street will start later this year.”
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Raw sewage was released into open water in Newcastle more than 1,500 times in 2022, figures show.
Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
In these cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people’s homes.
This has an impact on the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.
Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 1,637 times within Newcastle’s local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 4,724 hours.
All of these spills were from Northumbrian Water’s network.
Northumbrian Water saw 29,697 overspills across its network in 2022 – although 7% of the company’s facilities did not report overspill data last year.
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The government has finally published a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after days of mounting pressure.
The document, released by the Department for Education, showed the start of term had to be delayed at 19 schools – responsible for 11,150 pupils – as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The list came just before the first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) since the summer recess, where Rishi Sunak told the Commons the government had “acted decisively to ensure the safety of children and minimise disruption to education”.
The Liberal Democrats’ education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, also called for Mr Sunak to “come clean over his own role in this crisis”, and publish evidence given to him when he was chancellor on the risks to children’s safety from RAAC.
The list of North East schools affected are:
St James Catholic School, Hebburn, South Tyneside
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green, Gateshead
St Leonard’s School, Durham
St Benet’s Catholic Primary School, Ouston
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Darlington
Ferryhill School, County Durham
Each school listed will be closed throughout this first week of September!
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