Tyne Bridge row deepens as government accused of 'crass neglect'

A row over government funding for the Tyne Bridge's restoration has deepened amid claims the structure is being treated with "crass neglect".

The Department for Transport (DfT) has pledged more than £40m towards the scheme, but the money has not yet been handed over to local councils.

The government says the authorities did not submit necessary paperwork until last month.

Labour's Gateshead MP Ian Mearns said the matter must be resolved quickly.

He claimed the government had shown "crass neglect" towards one of the most recognisable symbols of the North East.

He has mentioned the bridge in Parliament three times this month, including during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday when he said it was "instantly recognisable around the world as an emblem of Tyneside".

Mr Mearns warned of "significant additional cost implications if funding does not come forward" soon.

There are worries further delays to the repairs - the first major maintenance on the bridge for more than two decades - will result in the crossing's condition worsening even further.

Engineering works are expected to take around four years to complete, and setbacks could mean work would not be completed in time for the structure's centenary celebrations in October 2028.

Mr Mearns told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the funding would have been delivered by now "if this was Lambeth Bridge, or Westminster, or Waterloo" - three bridges within sight of the Houses of Parliament in London.

Newcastle City Council said the DfT had been in possession of the final business case for the revamp since last July, and that minor clarifications were then submitted in November.

It added that work on the main bridge had been scheduled to start in early 2024 but that the government funds were "still outstanding".

The DfT said the business case was "in the process of being assessed", having now received the final supporting documents.

It added the bridge would be restored alongside other projects across the North of England using money "reinvested" from the scrapping of the Northern leg of the HS2 rail project.

Following years of campaigning, the DfT announced in June 2022 it would put £35.3m into a project to refurbish both the bridge and the Central Motorway.

More recently it promised to cover the full £41.4m cost.

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