South Tyneside and Gateshead Confirmed as National Pilot Area for Place-based Budget Programme
South Tyneside and Gateshead have been officially selected as one of the Government's new Place‑Based Budget Pilots, a flagship national programme designed to transform how public services work together to prevent youth offending and improve life chances for young people.
The pilot, delivered through the North East Combined Authority, will focus on the radical prevention of youth offending, bringing councils, police, health, education and voluntary sector partners together to jointly redesign early support for children and young people up to age 25. It will test pooled budgets, shared data, and joined‑up decision‑making to tackle issues early. The aim is to reduce crisis demand, long‑term costs, and the persistent inequalities that hold young people back.
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said:
"Being chosen as a national pilot is a huge step forward for our borough. It gives us the tools to redesign support around young people. Earlier, smarter and together. Prevention works, and by breaking down organisational barriers we can reduce youth offending, improve life chances and ease pressure on overstretched crisis services. This is about giving our young people the brightest future possible."
The North East has some of the highest NEET rates, school exclusions and levels of economic inactivity in England. The confirmed pilot gives South Tyneside and Gateshead the chance to shift the system upstream, replacing fragmented crisis response with earlier, coordinated help rooted in prevention.
Cllr Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said:
"This confirmation recognises the strength of partnership working already embedded across our region. Too many young people face challenges that we know can be prevented with the right support at the right time. This pilot allows us to build a more integrated, compassionate and efficient system that delivers real, lasting change for our communities."
Work will now begin on mapping every pound currently spent across the two boroughs on youth offending and prevention, identifying duplication, gaps and opportunities to pool budgets.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
"This pilot is a vote of confidence in our region's ability to lead meaningful public service reform. By pooling budgets, sharing data and focusing relentlessly on prevention, we can deliver better outcomes for young people while making every pound of public money work harder. It shows what is possible when we take a whole‑system, place‑based approach to improving lives."
Full delivery expected to begin in April 2027, with evaluation running until 2029.
South Tyneside and Gateshead have been officially selected as one of the Government's new Place‑Based Budget Pilots, a flagship national programme designed to transform how public services work together to prevent youth offending and improve life chances for young people.
The pilot, delivered through the North East Combined Authority, will focus on the radical prevention of youth offending, bringing councils, police, health, education and voluntary sector partners together to jointly redesign early support for children and young people up to age 25. It will test pooled budgets, shared data, and joined‑up decision‑making to tackle issues early. The aim is to reduce crisis demand, long‑term costs, and the persistent inequalities that hold young people back.
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said:
"Being chosen as a national pilot is a huge step forward for our borough. It gives us the tools to redesign support around young people. Earlier, smarter and together. Prevention works, and by breaking down organisational barriers we can reduce youth offending, improve life chances and ease pressure on overstretched crisis services. This is about giving our young people the brightest future possible."
The North East has some of the highest NEET rates, school exclusions and levels of economic inactivity in England. The confirmed pilot gives South Tyneside and Gateshead the chance to shift the system upstream, replacing fragmented crisis response with earlier, coordinated help rooted in prevention.
Cllr Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said:
"This confirmation recognises the strength of partnership working already embedded across our region. Too many young people face challenges that we know can be prevented with the right support at the right time. This pilot allows us to build a more integrated, compassionate and efficient system that delivers real, lasting change for our communities."
Work will now begin on mapping every pound currently spent across the two boroughs on youth offending and prevention, identifying duplication, gaps and opportunities to pool budgets.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
"This pilot is a vote of confidence in our region's ability to lead meaningful public service reform. By pooling budgets, sharing data and focusing relentlessly on prevention, we can deliver better outcomes for young people while making every pound of public money work harder. It shows what is possible when we take a whole‑system, place‑based approach to improving lives."
Full delivery expected to begin in April 2027, with evaluation running until 2029.
