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.
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.
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.
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.
For a complete list of all villages, towns and cities see the list of places in Tyne and Wear.*
Gateshead**
Bill Quay**
Blaydon**
Gateshead**
Pelaw**
Rowlands Gill**
Ryton**
Whickham*
Newcastle**
Byker**
Dudley**
Gosforth**
Heaton**
Newcastle upon Tyne**
Kenton**
Throckley**
Walker *
North Tyneside**
Backworth**
Cullercoats**
Dinnington**
Earsdon**
Killingworth**
Longbenton**
Monkseaton**
North Shields**
Shiremoor**
Tynemouth**
Wallsend **
Whitley Bay**
Wideopen*
South Tyneside**
Boldon**
Cleadon**
Hebburn**
Jarrow**
Marsden**
South Shields**
Whitburn *
Sunderland**
Castletown**
Hetton-le-Hole**
Houghton-le-Spring**
Ryhope**
Roker**
Seaburn**
Fulwell**
Southwick**
Silksworth**
Herrington**
Sunderland **
Washington*
Gateshead**
Angel of the North**
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art **
Gateshead International Stadium**
Gateshead Millennium Bridge**
Gibside**
The Sage 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**
The Museum and Winter Gardens**
The National Glass Centre**
Sea to Sea Cycle Route**
Stadium of Light**
Northen Gallery for Contemporary Art**
WWT Washington, a
wildfowl and
wetland nature reserve of the
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust*
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority*
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service*
Tyne and Wear Museums*
Tyne and Wear Business Fourm & Information
