Yes, as a commercial business Newcastle don't have their own magic money tree and so have to borrow commercially, but have also been paying dividends to their shareholders - including the local authorities - over the years. The big 'if' is if and when Teesside makes a profit. And whether the best use of taxpayers money is providing competition to commercial businesses, and whether that is the best use of the big bucket of taxpayers money when there are so many other priorities on Teesside.