Labour Party members have chosen the national leader of Britain's pitmen as their candidate to fight a traditionally safe seat in a former North East coal mining stronghold.

Ian Lavery - president of the National Union of Mineworkers - emerged as the winner from a shortlist of four drawn up to choose the General Election candidate for the Wansbeck constituency.

Yesterday his selection to defend the seat held by retiring MP Denis Murphy was described as 'a backward step' by his Liberal Democrat election rival, Simon Reed.

A last minute promise of extra cash for Northumberland's crumbling roads and a climbdown on spending cuts in care of the elderly was enough to avoid a potential council budget crisis last night.

The 11th-hour package of concessions by County Hall leaders enabled the unitary authority to finally agree its 2010/11 budget plans, with just four days to spare.

The agreement averted the risk of the council failing to set a legal budget in the required timescale, and the threat of Government-appointed commissioners being sent in to do the job.

Wansbeck-based community transport charity & social enterprise WATBus are pleased to announce that they will be running a series of organised cycle trips along the Northumberland Coast.

WATBike was launched in February and is aimed at opening up Northumberland for cyclists. By linking up a minibus with a bicycle trailer, WATBike will provide easier and affordable access to the National Park and Northumberland's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Local people in Blyth Valley and Wansbeck will get the chance to ask questions of councillors and officers at a meeting of Northumberland County Council's south east area committee to be held at 6pm next Wednesday in the Lynemouth Resource Centre, Bridge Road.

Alternatively, they can forward questions to Mike Bird, Democratic Services, County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF, or email mike.bird@northumberland.gov.uk and they will be raised at the meeting.

A study is being launched in Northumberland to find out what residents think about the county's green spaces and recreational areas.

Officials at the county council are working with consultants Strategic Leisure on the research, which is in response to Government guidance that local authorities should assess facilities and identify clear standards of provision for all recreational spaces.

It will involve a programme of consultation with partners and organisations such as Natural England, Sport England, sports development teams, grounds maintenance teams, schools and sports clubs.

Witnesses are being urged to begin the fightback against a plague of vandalism in Northumberland that has left parked cars, bins and bus shelters damaged. Northumbria Police are asking for the public's help to stamp out the criminal damage.

Recently neighbourhood teams in the South East of Northumberland have had a number of reports about criminal damage, including to cars and windows as well as graffiti. In response, officers are urging the public to stay vigilant and contact them with any information about who is responsible.

With so many beautiful views and lots of open space, we're spoilt for choice in Northumberland when it comes to sitting down for a picnic - but which spot is best?

The Great Northumberland Picnics aims to find the best locations for eating out and wants people who have enjoyed an alfresco sandwich to let them know where they best like to spread their picnic blanket, as well as the best places to go and things to eat in the county.

Northumberland Tourism will launch the event in the coming months.

For your chance to win a Picnic Hamper for four, tell us all about your most memorable picnic in Northumberland, click here.

Political leaders in Northumberland were ordered back to the drawing board last night after their budget plans for 2010/11 were rejected by an alliance of opposition councillors.

The minority Liberal Democrat administration at County Hall will now have to come up with a revised package of proposals after its plans to make £21.5m in savings to balance the books failed to win the support of Conservative and Labour opponents.

Opposition councillors were accused of "political grandstanding" at a meeting of the full council in Morpeth, which had been called to approve this year's budget following months of detailed consultations.

Claims of class warfare were hurled at a Labour MP who branded plans to stage a major equestrian event in Northumberland as a "weekend out for toffs".

Blyth Valley's Ronnie Campbell has strongly criticised the county council for using £80,000 of Government funding intended for unemployment blackspots to help organise the horse trials planned for Burgham near Felton this summer.

The event, which it is estimated could eventually attract 120,000 spectators from all over the country, is aimed at raising the profile of the county, boosting tourism and creating rural jobs.

Two separate council planning committees in Northumberland are being merged in the latest effort to cut budget costs and increase efficiency.

When the new unitary county council was established last year, there were four committees set up to deal with local planning applications and issues on a geographical basis.

One covered the north of the county, one the west and two others were set up - one conducting planning business for the former Blyth Valley area and the other for Wansbeck.