Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear

Tyne and Wear is one of six metropolitan counties in England, comprising the estuary areas of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It is divided into the following council areas: South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland. In 1986 the council was abolished, and its powers devolved to the metropolitan boroughs, but the county still exists legally.

It borders on County Durham and Northumberland, from which it was created in 1974. It is in the North East region.

The area is served by a light railway system called the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Many organisations do not accept Tyne and Wear as an entity, instead retaining the pre-1974 boundary between Northumberland and County Durham along the River Tyne. This includes particularly wildlife and biological recording groups, for whom the stability of recording boundaries is important for the maintenance of long-term records, and many sporting organisations - the Northumberland County Cricket Club and the Northumberland Football Association are for example both based in Newcastle upon Tyne. For these purposes, Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside are included in Northumberland, and Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland are included in County Durham. A wider, overall legal return to the pre-1974 boundary is wanted by many local inhabitants.