North East Mayor: What's the role and who is running?
The North East is getting a new mayor in the spring.
Just like Manchester, Teesside, Liverpool and West Yorkshire, the idea is that the mayor will be a figurehead for the region who can champion the North East and lobby government for support.
Residents in the seven local authority areas in the North East will be eligible to vote.
It has been a long time coming and the role will change the political landscape in the North East significantly.
How big a deal is this?
All seven council areas spent months arguing about whether or not to go ahead with a devolution deal that was offered by the Government.
Initial talks had involved all of the regions, except County Durham.
However, Durham County Council’s Tory-Lib Dem coalition administration jumped on board at the eleventh hour.
In January 2023 the seven authorities finally agreed to join together and create a North East Mayoral Combined Authority.
Who will the mayor represent?
The new mayor will speak for all of the two million people living in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.
It does not mean an end to local councils - they will still exist.
The Mayoral Authority will create a new figurehead for the region, the North East Mayor.
What will the mayor be in charge of?
The North East Mayor will get more powers from Westminster to make decisions locally.
They will also get more money from central government to spend on things like infrastructure and transport.
It has been estimated that the deal could be worth over £4bn for the region over a period of 30 years.
More than £6bn worth of Government investment has already been confirmed through the devolution deal, including more than £2bn to be spent on improving the region’s transport infrastructure.
Another key transport power could be the ability to bring bus services under public control through a franchising scheme.
This would be similar to what the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has introduced.
The North East devolution deal also includes:
An investment fund of £1.4bn over 30 years to support economic growth and support regeneration;
A budget of around £1.8bn over 30 years for adult education and skills
£69m investment in housing and regeneration over 30 years
Negotiations are also continuing over giving the region the same devolution “trailblazer” status as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which would involve even more powers being awarded.
What powers will the mayor have?
The mayor and the new combined authority will not replace local councils and they won’t take on responsibility for things the council looks after like providing social care, weekly bin collections, parks and libraries.
The North East’s devolution deal also does not include the role of the police and crime commissioner.
This is because there are two police forces in the region - Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary.
The new mayor could not be in charge of both because the Durham force covers Darlington, which is not one of the seven areas.
The mayor will also not be an all-powerful figure.
The role will involve being the head of a board of eight people - the other seven being representatives from the seven areas.
Isn't there a mayor in the North East already?
Jamie Driscoll is the current mayor for the North of Tyne, which covers Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
The new North East mayor will replace this role, now that areas have agreed to come together, including south of the Tyne.
The existing North East Combined Authority, which currently covers the four areas south of the Tyne and does not have mayor or devolution deal will also be wound up.
Who is in the running?
The current mayor for the North of Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, is standing as an independent after the Labour party decided not to shortlist him as their candidate.
The Labour Party has chosen the current Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness as its candidate.
The Conservative Party has put forward Northumberland County Councillor Guy Renner Thompson as its candidate.
Andrew Gray from Newcastle will be standing for the Green Party.
Sunderland councillor Paul Donaghy is Reform UK's candidate.
Dr Aidan King, who works at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, will be running for the Liberal Democrats.
What are the big issues likely to be?
Climate change and how the region can reach net zero emissions over the coming years will be a question every candidate has to answer.
How to improve transport in the North East will be another key issue.
Candidates will likely be asked about their policies on projects like the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland, the reopening of the Leamside railway and the future of the Shields Ferry.
After the recent upheaval caused by the Go North East bus strikes, the question of whether to use the mayor’s power to take control of bus services and put them back into public hands will be another key debate.
Candidates will also be expected to have ideas about improving the fortunes of the North East by tackling child poverty, unemployment, and low life expectancies in our region.
Who can vote and when?
If you are registered to vote and live in Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland or County Durham then you can vote.
The election is on 2 May at the same time as local council and new police and crime commissioner elections.
We should know the result the next day.
It is a First Past the Post system, so just like electing your MP, you will only get one vote and the candidate with the highest vote will win.
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