| After an anxious wait, hundreds of thousands of students across the country received their GCSE grades yesterday and the results - while fantastic for some and perhaps disappointing for others - have exposed a "gaping" North-South divide. Pupils in London got 45% more top grades than those in the North East or Yorkshire and the Humber. Official figures show teenagers in the North West also lagged far behind those in London in the first exams since before Covid. By comparison, the gap between pupils in the South East and London was much smaller, despite Tory pledges to 'level-up'. "These results suggest the government has not just failed the north of England, but systematically failed many of the poorest children in our country," said Northern Powerhouse Partnership chief Henri Murison.  The results gap (Graphic: Paul Gallagher)
Students receiving exam results yesterday were braced for disappointment after top grades for GCSEs were down on last year - when teachers assessed their results due to Covid. The proportion of top grades fell from 28.9% in 2021 to 26.3% this year, down 2.6 percentage points. This remains higher than the equivalent figure for 2019 of 20.8%. But the Education Policy Institute warned there was a "continuing divide" between London - where 32.6% of grades were Grade 7 (A) or above - and the rest of the country. The percentage of top grades was just 22.4% in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, 22.5% in the East Midlands, 22.8% in the West Midlands and 23.1% in the North West. Jon Andrews of the EPI said: "Around a third of grades achieved by pupils in London were at Grade 7 or above, while in the north and the midlands it's under a quarter." He said the causes were unclear but education in the North and Midlands has been "more severely impacted by the pandemic than in other parts of the country". He added: "It's clear the Government must do more to combat geographic inequalities in educational outcomes."  On the topic of the North-South divide, we reported earlier this week about the disparity in life expectancy between places like Middlesbrough, County Durham and Redcar and the South East. Today a new report has highlighted how chronic pain, alcohol problems, COPD and cardiovascular disease are the key conditions that account for the huge inequality that makes the North East the least healthy region in England. Research from the Health Foundation highlights how the four illnesses play a worrying role contributing to the area having the poorest life expectancy in the country. The charity – which works to analyse and improve health in the UK – has urged a "joined up approach to health" from the next Prime Minister. The research "adds to the evidence of a north-south health divide", the charity said. It offered examples showing a 60-year-old man living in the most deprived areas of England – and the North East has the highest proportion of such areas – would live nine years less than those in areas of the East of England. The report concludes: "The NHS wasn't set up to carry the burden of policy failings in other parts of society. A healthy, thriving society must have all the right building blocks in place, including good quality jobs, housing and education. "Without these, people face shorter lives, in poorer health. This has a big economic impact, with many older workers now leaving the labour market due to ill-health."
Mayor calls for energy nationalisation amid price rises  Energy prices are set to surge again this winter (Graphic: Paul Gallagher)
This morning Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise again in October - sending the average household bill rocketing to £3,549. This means the yearly gas and electricity bill for the average household will rise from from £1,971 - more than 80 per cent. Energy bills will be around £2,300 more than a year earlier. North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll told the Northern Agenda "enough was enough" as he urged his Labour colleagues to back a policy of nationalisation. He said: "This is an emergency. We saw in Covid that we can act when we need to. Exceptional times warrant exceptional measures. Not only will we see families fall into unpayable arrears, we'll see businesses fold and people out of work, we'll see our public services paying their budgets to energy firms, and social enterprises will close their doors just when vulnerable people most need them. "Right now we need an emergency budget. But we do not need to pay £100's of billions to energy suppliers. "Nationalise the energy supply companies. Nationalise the distribution networks. Nationalise the wholesale suppliers and electricity generators. And do it properly, with citizens' panels scrutinising them, with local authorities advising regulators, and workers from those industries on the board. We can only have energy security when we own it."
CO2 supply fears re-emerge as plant halts production  The Billingham plant will halt production
One of the UK's major fertiliser plants on Teesside is set to halt production, raising concerns it could lead to a shortage of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the food and drink industry. CF Fertilisers said soaring energy costs made production "uneconomical" at its ammonia plant in Billingham. Its by-product, CO2, is used in the slaughter of pigs and chickens as well as in food packaging and fizzy drinks. The government said it was examining options to secure UK CO2 production. In September 2021 the government stepped in to meet the cost of running the plant after its shutdown due to high gas prices threatened food supplies. Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, told the BBC that the government will have to act once more. He said: "While we are in a much better position now than we were a year ago, if CF Industries follows through on its threat to close Billingham the British meat industry will have serious concerns. "Without sufficient CO2 supplies the UK will potentially face an animal welfare issue with a mounting number of pigs and poultry unable to be sent for processing."
Liverpool falls silent to remember Olivia  Olivia Pratt-Korbell
Liverpool Town Hall fell silent last night in memory of victims of violent crime including nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Prior to the start of the Liverpool Council culture and economy meeting, a minute's silence was held to remember Dovecot schoolgirl Olivia, Ashley Dale, Karen Dempsey and Sam Rimmer. All four have tragically lost their lives in the last few weeks in violent killings. Committee chair Cllr Liz Parsons said: "It's been a particularly difficult week with a number of tragic incidents. We've lost Olivia, Ashley, Karen and Sam, and people are rightly shocked and saddened at what's happened across the city." Cllr Parsons thanked Cllr Harry Doyle, cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, for his attendance after the traumatic events taking place in his ward where Olivia was tragically killed. She added: "We share the grief felt by the family, but we will never feel the same grief. We can't imagine the horror of what they're going through. Everybody will echo the thoughts of those standing in solidarity at this time." It came as Merseyside police this morning arrested a 36-year-old man, from Huyton, on suspicion of murdering Olivia. A spokesperson for Merseyside police said: "We have arrested a 36 year-old man on suspicion of the murder of nine year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. The man, who is from the Huyton area, was also arrested on two counts of attempted murder."
New Tyne and Wear Metro fleet revealed  Inside the first complete trains in the Tyne and Wear Metro's new fleet. (Image: Nexus)
Tyne and Wear Metro passengers have been given an exciting new glimpse inside the network's new £362m train fleet. The modern carriages should start arriving in the North East later this year, before being brought into service in 2023, and newly-released images show that the first of the long-awaited trains are now complete. Pictures from the Stadler factory in Switzerland where the new Metros are being built offer the most detailed look yet at what passengers will experience on board, with two new trains now ready to roll off the production line. They showcase the trains' London Tube-style linear seating, with each seat cushion decorated with a design based around the Metro's recognisable black and yellow 'M' logo. Nexus bosses hope that the different style of seating will create extra space for passengers, making the Metro less crowded at peak times and make it easier for people to bring luggage on their journey. The photos also take a look through a fully kitted-out carriage interior, including spaces marked up for bicycles and pushchairs. The two finished trains are now due to be sent to a test track in the Czech Republic, where they will be put through their paces in a rigorous testing process that will also allow some Metro drivers to go and drive them for the first time. The Northern Agenda will be back in your inboxes from Tuesday, from all the team here - have a great Bank Holiday weekend. 
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Northern Stories  Middlesbrough station
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Demolition work on a £34m overhaul of Middlesbrough station is underway with officials offering a deadline for its completion. Work to cut the perimeter of the undercroft with a specialist saw, excavator, and breaker has started. Experts are working on breaking through the ceiling in the station's western area to create an access ramp into the undercroft. Efforts to overhaul Middlesbrough Station have continued for a number of years. -
Comedian Eddie Izzard has confirmed that she wants to stand as the MP for Sheffield Central seat when Paul Blomfield steps down at the next election. Eddie confirmed her aim when she visited the city yesterday to back Sheffield's bid to host Eurovision 2023. She told BBC Radio Sheffield: "I think it would be beautiful if it comes to Sheffield. It's a city that's reinvented itself and we have a great cultural heritage. It would be wonderful to have it here. It would be such an honour to have it. Sheffield would be the perfect city." -
The cost of living crisis is affecting councils, pushing up costs on static budgets. Spiralling school transport costs and rising energy bills were just two items threatening balancing the books and this autumn's budget discussions will need to address these, Calderdale Council has heard. Coun Victoria Porritt said the situation worried her, despite Calderdale having a balanced outcome at this point. "I am very concerned about how we cover costs for the year ahead and possibly longer than that," she said. -
Warrington's Conservatives say 'serious questions remain' over the council's plans to spend £63.5 million to buy and fund a new solar farm near Doncaster. Members of the Conservatives, the Opposition group, have renewed their criticisms of the Labour-run council's cabinet for approving new council borrowing to fund the solar farm investment. Conservative councillors 'called in' the cabinet's decision to the council's scrutiny committee, which recently had a meeting to discuss the issue. The Conservative group say that there were a 'number of general shortcomings' with the scrutiny process. -
Sheffield Council said the number of households in temporary accommodation had increased by 17 percent in the city over the past year. The figure was revealed in the latest corporate performance report ahead of a strategy and resources committee meeting next week. In the report, Nicola McHugh, performance manager at the council, said a number of factors contributed to the increase including delays to new houses being built, slow progress on bringing empty buildings back into use and less services for people with complex needs. She added that homelessness remained high, with around 300 presentations every month – this had also increase by 22 percent over the past year.
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