The Gateshead Newcastle Joint Bridges Committee will be asked to approve the minutes of their last meeting and will receive reports on the Tyne Bridge Restoration project, and the capital and revenue budgets for the Joint Tyne Bridges.

The most significant item on the agenda for the public is likely to be the report on the ongoing restoration of the Tyne Bridge.

Tyne Bridge Restoration

The report on the Tyne Bridge Restoration will update members of the committee on the progress of works, the budget for the project, and the future delivery programme. The Committee will be asked to note that:

Since the bid was submitted in 2019 there has been an exceptional increase in costs across the construction sector.

The report describes the works that have been undertaken in the nine months since the last meeting of the committee. These include: structural steelwork repairs, removal of old paint, and repainting. The report also confirms that the target date for the project's completion is Summer 2028.

The report also includes information on the management of the Kittiwake colony that nests on the bridge and the impact that the restoration project is having on them.

Joint Tyne Bridges Capital Budget 2025/26

The Committee will also consider a report on the Joint Tyne Bridges Capital Budget for 2025/26. A capital budget is used by councils to fund large, one-off expenditures, like the construction of new buildings, or large-scale renovations.

The Committee will be asked to note the progress made on the planned capital works programme for 2024/25, and to recommend a programme of capital works, and the budget for those works, for 2025/26 to the appropriate committees of the two councils for approval.

The report asks the committee to recommend a budget of £2,029,000 for 2025/26. The largest portion of this budget, £1,029,000, is the local authority contribution to the Tyne Bridge Restoration Project.

The largest portion of the remainder is allocated to the Redheugh Bridge. This includes £100,000 for a principal inspection¹ of the bridge. A further £1,000,000 is identified as potentially being required to address concrete spalling on the bridge piers.

Joint Tyne Bridges Revenue Budget 2025/26

The committee will also consider a report on the Joint Tyne Bridges Revenue Budget for 2025/26. Revenue budgets are used by councils to fund their day-to-day services and running costs.

This report asks the committee to recommend a budget of £74,495 for 2025/26, which is more than double the £38,050 budget agreed at the last meeting of the committee.

The largest portion of this budget, £50,315, is allocated to the Redheugh Bridge. Most of this is allocated to regular maintenance (£22,000), utility payments (£20,400), and the security system (£3,415).