According to the Durham diocese of the Church of England, rising incidents of metal thefts are risking the future of some churches. Church leaders in County Durham are saying costly repairs are hitting many parishes. A Church of England spokesman said: "Theft of metal is a huge problem.
Some car firms are finding it increasing difficult to maintain production commitments due to a lack of parts. Honda has already announced a 50 per cent reduction in production at its Sunderland factory and fellow Japanese maker Nissan has also made cut-backs at its Sunderland plant because of parts shortages.
Three hundred workers’ jobs are at risk after parts of a Wearside leisure group called in administrators. The Principle North East and Principle Yorkshire trading subsidiaries run bars in the north-east of England and the midlands, and have run into problems.
About 120 jobs have been created on Teesside because a car parts firm is building a new plant. Nifco makes parts for Nissan, Toyota and Honda and is spending £8.5 million on a new facility in Stockton’s Durham Lane. The existing 180 jobs at the company have also been safeguarded.
A North East-based hotel and fitness chain has revealed plans for a new head office. The Bannatyne Group could start work on the new four storey building in Darlington within eight weeks. The firm is owned by entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, best known for his appearances on television show Dragon’s Den. It employs 3,000 people around the country.
Cleveland Police Authority (CPA) has had to agree a cull of 230 officers as a means of meeting a 20 per cent cut in government funding. The authority said officer ranks would reduce from 1,727 to 1,572 over the next 12 months. It added that the authority had agreed to make savings of £12m in the next financial year alone.
The North East region has a big hope for the creation of many jobs after the Corus Teesside Cast Products site in Redcar was finally sold to a company from Thailand. Business Secretary Vince Cable said the deal would help to secure 700 jobs at the plant. He said: "This deal is very good news for workers at the Teesside plant and the region.
North Yorkshire Police has revealed it is to cut up to 350 staff jobs in the wake of public service cuts. The county authority announced its budget for 2011/12 would be £140.5m. During the coming financial year ten police officer jobs would be lost through natural wastage.
A specialist legal company which employs more than 130 people, is about to open its sixth office in the UK to boost the north-eastern economy. The firm is at the advanced stage of looking for a suitable premises for a fledgling Newcastle operation.
The York branch of union Unison was considering its response to the announcements that City of York Council officials are planning to make £21m of savings within 12 months. One of the results of the authority’s cutbacks in the next financial year is 170 jobs going during that period, plus 650 posts will be shed over four years.