Mayor candidates talk transport, poverty and jobs at hustings event
THE race for the post of Tees Valley Mayor stepped up a gear as the four contenders shared their ambitions with members of the business community.
Ahead of the elections in May, a hustings event was held at Middlesbrough College, with incumbent mayor Ben Houchen, Chris McEwan, Simon Thorley and Sally Bunce making opening pitches before fielding questions. Policies and plans to boost the area surrounded transport, job creation, adult skills and poverty.
The discussion was largely courteous and affable, bar a couple of minor swipes over findings of the review into the redevelopment of Teesworks.
Labour’s Cllr McEwan said negative headlines were “impacting on investment” for the area while Ms Bunce, of the Green Party, said, if elected, she would work to ensure the Teesworks project represented value for money to the taxpayer.
In terms of business, Ms Bunce said she would strive to ensure small and medium-sized enterprises within the Tees Valley can achieve their aspirations, “by listening to their needs and ideas and encouraging entrepreneurism through diverse start-ups.”
Noting the region’s high rates of child poverty, suicide, substance addiction and the “lowest life expectancy”, she said an approach to tackle these issues was vital.
“You can’t build on a crumbling foundation,” she said. “If we can make life better, make life easier for people who are really struggling then the benefits will be seen across the board. We need an approach to improve the situation in our society as a whole and that will filter down.”
Ms Bunce also suggested that boosting tourism across the Tees Valley would provide more jobs which are accessible for more people. “What I hear all the time is everybody should be aspiring to a highly-skilled job and a lot of people will never be able to aspire to that,” she said.
“It’s great to have investment but let’s not forget everybody else.”
Support for job seekers should be taken into colleges and community organisations, she said, particularly in more isolated villages in the region. Cllr McEwan, who is deputy leader of Darlington Council, said his plan involves giving everyone in the Tees Valley a skills and employment review at ages 16, 24 and 50.
“Working with colleges and schools and providers, the programme would help people find work in new and emerging industries, he said. “Clearly we have massive potential and opportunity but need to ensure people have the relevant skills with a skills system to support people through every stage of their lives,” he said.
Jobs should be created for “everybody”, he said and, along with Ms Bunce, insisted development should not come at the cost of the environment. His “absolute focus”, he said, would be to drive inclusive and sustainable growth underpinned by five main missions – the economy, skills, transport, team Tees Valley “where everybody can have their say” and “being a mayor you can trust”.
The current public transport system in the area was “not fit for pur