FORBES TO RUN FOR MAYOR
City Council boss wants to lead new North of Tyne authority
NICK Forbes, the leader of Newcastle City Council , has announced he is running for North of Tyne mayor.
The Labour councillor, who was instrumental in securing a devolution deal for the North East, has long been tipped as a major candidate likely to enter the race.
Exclusively announcing his decision to seek election as the North East’s first ever regional mayor, Coun Forbes said he has the “credibility, experience and passion to be able to deliver a better future for the many, not the few”.
He said he would “make job creation my number-one priority, putting people from Berwick to Byker central to our future”.
After taking over the Labour group in 2007, Coun Forbes led Labour to victory in 2011 and has been leader of the council ever since.
He has been a prominent backer of efforts to bring a devolution deal to the region, teaming up with leaders in Northumberland and North Tyneside to secure an agreement. The deal, which is worth an extra £600m, will see a host of new powers transferred to a new combined authority which was formally established earlier this month.
In his campaign announcement, he said he would be “a mayor who isn’t afraid to stand up and be counted” and oppose “further privatisation” of NHS services and “campaign against any further cuts to public health or council budgets”.
He said he would extend Newcastle’s “groundbreaking” methods for tackling homelessness, call for a “fair share” of regional funds after Brexit and “fight for investment” on public transport and schools.
Coun Forbes added he would back efforts to bring back the Passionate People, Passionate Places marketing campaign, which was scrapped by David Cameron’s government.
North East MEP Paul Brannen is also seeking the Labour nomination for the May 2 election, having become the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring earlier this month. The election will be on May 2, 2019.