'It's Teesside in Yorkshire that's still in my blood', as the folk song goes.
Teesside, Langbaurgh, Tees Valley or Cleveland or whatever the local council calls it after the Government split up our county for administrative purposes. This area south of the Tees has an identity crisis. The confusion started in 1974 it when a new county of Cleveland was established together with parts of what was County Durham. This was abolished in 1996 but the area is still administratively part of the North East, rather than the Yorkshire region. Many local politicians are afraid of recognising the area as part of Yorkshire because they think it might lead to local government reorganisation and loss of power. It is, however, still part of the historic region of Yorkshire and has been since before the Norman Conquest.
Middlesbrough is surrounded by open countryside, attractive villages and market towns, with easy access to the stunning North East coastal towns, beautiful villages and the North Yorkshire Moors - a most beautiful part of Yorkshire. Most areas near Middlesbrough - such as Yarm, Guisborough and Saltburn - embrace their Yorkshireness. Yorkshire is one of Britain's famous tourism brands and the Teesside area should be part of its success.
We should not let the politicians rob us of our identity.
