MIDDLESBROUGH FLIES THE FLAG SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE

Mayor Andy Preston has arranged for Ukraine's colours to fly above Middlesbrough Town Hall in a show of support following the invasion by President Putin's Russian military.

Middlesbrough plans to fly Ukraine's flag above the Town Hall by the end of today (Friday), and the town's prominent buildings will be lit in the blue and yellow of Ukraine's flag.

MILLION POUND BOOST TO HELP TACKLE TOWN'S EMPTY HOMES

A £1 million cash injection is being used to put Middlesbrough's empty homes back to use.

They'll be the focus of targeted activity in National Empty Homes Week 2022 which runs from Monday (February 28) to Sunday, March 6.

Middlesbrough Council and its real estate company Middlesbrough Development Company (MDC), will be working with partners to use innovative ways to bring run-down and dilapidated homes back to use.

HOSPITALITY & LEISURE GRANTS TO SUPPORT COVID RECOVERY.

More support is up for grabs to help hospitality and leisure businesses recover following the latest wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The cash is available to local businesses as part of the Government's £556 million Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) scheme.

In Middlesbrough, more than £48 million has been handed out to businesses so far, from a total Government fund of £22 billion in Covid-19 support.

REMINDER ISSUED OVER RECYCLING RIGHTS AND WRONGS

Middlesbrough residents are being reminded of recycling dos and don'ts.

Over the past two weeks a dip sample has been carried out on blue-lidded bins to assess the levels of items people put into their recycling which they shouldn't.