Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in the North East of England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear.

The county was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and borders the non-metropolitan counties of Durham and Northumberland. It is divided into the metropolitan boroughs of South Tyneside, North Tyneside, City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and the City of Sunderland.

In 1986 the county council was abolished and most of its powers devolved to the metropolitan boroughs. The county itself has not been abolished and still exists as a legal entity and a ceremonial county.

Administration

Although the metropolitan county council was abolished in 1986, several joint bodies exist to run certain services on a county-wide basis. Most notable is the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority, which co-ordinates transport policy. Through its Passenger Transport Executive, known as Nexus, it owns and operates the Tyne and Wear Metro light rail system, and the Shields ferry service and the Tyne Tunnel, linking communities on either side of the River Tyne. Also through Nexus, the authority subsidises socially-necessary transport services (including taxis) and operates a concessionary fares scheme for the elderly and disabled.

The Passenger Transport Authority is a "precepting authority", raising funds by imposing a levy on the Council Tax of the five constituent authorities of Tyne and Wear.

Other joint bodies include the Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives Service and the Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade. These joint bodies are administered by representatives of all five of the constituent councils. In addition the Northumbria Police force, which covers the whole of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, is one of several joint forces in England spanning two or more counties. The force was created in 1974, and so is not a by-product of the abolition of the county council.

Identity

The metropolitan county crosses the traditional border between Northumberland, and County Durham: the River Tyne. Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside are in north of it, and Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside are in the south.

Some organisations do not use Tyne and Wear as a county, instead retaining the traditional boundary between Northumberland and County Durham. This includes particularly wildlife and biological recording groups, for whom the stability of recording boundaries is important for the maintenance of long-term records (see Watsonian vice-counties).

The River Tyne was used as the border in 1883 when Parliament created the Church of England Diocese of Newcastle out of the Diocese of Durham and remains so still.

Additionally, administrative convenience, demographics and loyalty mean that many sporting organisations also use the traditional boundary; For example, the Northumberland Football Association is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, as is the minor counties Northumberland County Cricket Club and its four regular grounds.

Some residents also prefer to use the traditional counties when referring to places in Tyne and Wear.

Others feel that the Tyne is linking factor, not a dividing line. Many inhabitants refer to themselves as Tynesiders or Geordies, regardless of which side of the river they are from. Despite a strong local rivalry, there are strong links between Newcastle and Gateshead, as well as the many bridges that link the two communities; one example being the (failed) joint bid for European Capital of Culture in 2008. In recent years, several plans have been put forth with various degrees of seriousness to unite Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside and sometimes Sunderland as a single city.

Sunderland is somewhat separated from Tyneside, with its inhabitants calling themselves Wearsiders or Mackems. Affinity for the Wearside area extends beyond Sunderland - consultative referenda among communities in East Durham have shown majorities in favour of joining Sunderland and Tyne and Wear.

Politics

The county is divided into 14 Parliamentary constituencies. In July 2005, all these constituencies were represented by Labour. Historically, the area has been a Labour stronghold: for example, South Shields is the only Parliamentary constituency that has not returned a Conservative MP to the House of Commons since the Reform Act of 1832,

Research is being carried out into changing the number of parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear, reducing them by one. If changes are made, it could see a constituency returning a Conservative M.P. as changes to constituencies in the City of Sunderland could lead to a 'Sunderland Central' constituency, encompassing the Conservative-held wards north and south of the River Wear. Sunderland North and Washington and Sunderland South and Houghton are the other potential new constituencies, although there has been criticism that Sunderland does not share the same cultural and historical links that Washington and Houghton-le-Spring do, which is currently reflected in the Houghton and Washington East constituency. The parts of the Gateshead East and Washington West constituency that lie within the City of Sunderland would be included in the Sunderland North and Washington constituency.

At the level of local government, three of the region's five unitary authorities were controlled by Labour in 2005, the exceptions being Newcastle City Council and North Tyneside Council. Since an upset result in the local elections of 2004, the former has been controlled by the Liberal Democrats. No one party has overall control of North Tyneside Council: while the Conservatives hold the greatest number of seats, they lack an overall majority.

Towns and villages

For a complete list of all villages, towns and cities see the list of places in Tyne and Wear.

Places of interest

Gateshead
Newcastle
- Discovery Museum (previously Museum of Science & Technology)
- Hadrian's Wall
- Hancock Museum
- Jesmond Dene public park
- Newcastle Castle Keep
- St James' Park
North Tyneside
- Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum, Wallsend
- St Mary's Island bird reserve
- Tynemouth Castle
South Tyneside
- Arbeia Roman Fort & Museum, South Shields
- Marsden Rock bird reserve
- Souter Point Lighthouse
Sunderland

External links