Any other business.

Byline: By Peter Young

Liberal Democrat Ian Proud found himself in hot water over his backing for the campaign to save RAF Boulmer from closure.

The Newcastle councillor was carpeted following a complaint that he misused council facilities for political purposes.

His offence was to send out a copies of a petition asking councillors to support the campaign on council-headed notepaper.

He was hauled before the council's legal chief to explain himself. He apologised and I understand that's the end of the matter.

Coun Proud who represents Denton believes the complaint was lodged by one of his Labour opponents.

"It really is very petty," he said. "It's a non-political matter and I didn't even realise I was doing anything wrong."

Coun Proud says he's received support from about 70 councillors from Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Gateshead, including several from the Labour side.

Thousands of people have already signed petitions supporting the base, near Alnwick, home to 700 RAF and 200 civilian staff, and a decision is expected in the spring.

BY all accounts, former councillor Darren Murphy who left Tyneside shortly after Labour's 1997 election landslide is now a member of Tony Blair's powerful political strategy group.

According to insiders the group, chaired by former Cabinet Minister and Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson, meets every week in Downing Street to discuss long term policy aims, objectives and plans on matters such as education, health, crime and welfare reform.

It includes ex-BBC chairman Lord John Birt, Mr Blair's chief spin doctor David Hill who took over from Alastair Campbell, and No 10 policy chief Matthew Taylor.

It's a far cry from the days when Mr Murphy chaired meetings of the education committee at Newcastle Civic Centre.

Even then though, he had a reputation as a political fixer who colleagues reckoned would end up at Westminster, though most thought he would become an MP rather than one of the backroom team.

He worked as a special adviser for two Government ministers, Hilary Armstrong and Alan Milburn, before becoming assistant political secretary in Mr Blair's office.

Could a star be born?

RIGHT wing parties are expected to mount a serious challenge at this year's town hall elections in Tyne & Wear following their successes last May.

I understand the National Front will be fielding around 14 candidates compared with just three last time.

The British National Party is also expected parade a record number of candidates after contesting 54 seats last year.

Right wing parties have failed to gain a toehold in the region so far but finished second in some wards and managed to secure nearly 14% of the vote in Sunderland and 15% in some parts of Newcastle last May.

And in June, the National Front rocked the mainstream parties by polling 2,554 votes in the North Tyneside mayoral election.

There's no doubt the far right see June's all-out elections, when every seat in Tyne & Wear will be up for grabs, as an opportunity.

Mainstream parties will ignore them at their peril.

AT 25, Tyneside-born Trevor Roberts is one of the youngest people on Labour's list of would-be MPs. The physics graduate from Ryton who works for the North West Development Association is one of eight candidates short-listed by the Blaydon constituency party to fill the vacancy when long serving MP John McWilliam stands down at the next general election.

The others are Brenda Graham, Fay Tinnion, Dave Anderson, Martin Gannon, Neil Weatherley, all from Tyneside, along with Suki Sohal from Essex and Jean Jacks from Scotland.

The candidate will be chosen following a ballot of all 450 members of the constituency party later this month. Mr McWilliam, MP since 1979, had a majority of 7,809 at the 2001 election.