(10 Sep 2015, 4:38 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Huge swathes of both Newcastle and Gateshead are without access to the Metro. However the Metro does touch venture into both boroughs so, I'm guessing, it was less of an issue for each respective council to pursue as there was, at least, some benefit for taxpayers through limited provision whereas Sunderland received no provision yet was still footing the bill.
This.
This is what there were an awful lot of vox pop complaints about on regional news programs and in local papers on a regular basis for a long time before the Sunderland extension even became a definite maybe.