I think Newcastle can become the centre of a Northern revival and get ahead of Manchester

That is the message from the city’s leaders, as they mount a fresh push for Newcastle to boost its national and international reputation.

The two women at the top of Newcastle City Council, Labour leader Karen Kilgour and chief executive Pam Smith, have vowed to be louder and prouder about what Tyneside has to offer.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week, Coun Kilgour admitted that Newcastle had been “far too reticent” in publicising itself over recent years and “lagged a little bit behind” the likes of Manchester.

But the pair now want to see Newcastle become the “epicentre of a Northern revival”, with visions for a regeneration that can match the overhaul of the Quayside through the 1990s and 2000s.

The council has hopes of capitalising on the buzz in the city that has accompanied Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup win and the extraordinary trophy parade images that followed, seeing it as part of a cultural boom that has also included hosting the MOBO awards, Warner Music preparing to open a “world class” recording studio, and a thriving foodie scene.

Using that opportunity to help attract more tourists, major events, and investment in new homes, jobs, and infrastructure from both the Government and private companies is high on the agenda in the city’s corridors of power.

Coun Kilgour told the LDRS that “everything is coming together at the right time” for a Geordie renaissance, adding: “Manchester is very good at shouting about how good Manchester is. Newcastle is better and we need to tell everybody that.”

Ms Smith, who came to Newcastle from Greater Manchester in 2022, describes it as “the Goldilocks city – it is just right for everyone”, thanks to its affordability, compactness, stunning architecture, and ability to mix city, coast, and countryside, as well as the famously friendly Geordie public.

She added: “We have been shy bairns a bit in shouting about the assets we have got. There is a real heart and a magic to the city and you only find that out when you come here.”

While keen to push major building projects on derelict sites like the Quayside West plot, Coun Kilgour does not want Newcastle to become a “sprawling metropolis” dominated by skyscrapers, but retain the “distinct, quirky neighbourhoods” like Heaton and Ouseburn that have become central to the city’s identity.

She added: “I love Manchester, but I don’t want Newcastle to become Manchester. Newcastle doesn’t need to be like anywhere else or copy anywhere else, because we are Newcastle.

“Yes, I’m sure we will end up with a changing skyline because that is the nature of thriving cities – they move and evolve as their population moves and evolves, as jobs move and evolve, and the retail offer moves and evolves. There will be changes to the skyline, I have no doubt, and hopefully it will be welcome to people. But it is not about trying to be a second Manchester, or a second New York, or a second London – it is about being the very best Newcastle we can be.”

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One key factor in delivering those ambitions may be whether a promised international conference centre and 12,500-seat arena can be built on the Gateshead Quayside.

That project has suffered a number of delays and the lack of such modern facilities has been viewed as one of the main factors behind Newcastle missing out on some big events, like the Eurovision Song Contest.

Coun Kilgour added: “It is important, for us, for Gateshead, and the region. It would be a real asset to get that conference centre and a new arena there. Our plans aren’t dependent on it, but obviously it helps. It doesn’t just help us, it helps our neighbours in Gateshead and we are very happy to work with them to make sure we do everything we can to make sure it happens.”

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