Durham ‘won’t be forgotten’ in devolution deal
NORTH East mayor hopefuls have promised that County Durham will not be left out in the new devolution deal for the region.
The candidates visited Barnard Castle on Friday to promote their campaigns to voters before the election on May 2.
At the hustings event, four of the six candidates standing said that working together between all seven local authorities is crucial to make sure the new combined authority is successful.
There are worries that County Durham will not get a fair share of the deal, a view first voiced by the Labour Party in Durham when it didn’t back the county council’s plan to join the joint North East authority.
The opposition party instead suggested a County Durham-only deal.
But despite their plea, Durham County Council joined local authorities in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland in signing the deal, which is set to see millions of pounds invested in the region.
On Friday, candidates reassured residents that the diverse area, which covers two million people and stretches from Berwick to Barnard Castle, will be equally represented through its decision-making powers and investment.
Conservative candidate and Northumberland county councillor, Guy Renner-Thomspon said he was initially doubtful of the deal due to worries over how beneficial it would be to his local area.
He further explained: “We had a red line [in the deal which said] ‘all this money isn’t just going to go to Newcastle, is it?’. We have got to make sure that the rural parts of the region are represented, and that’s why it’s written into the deal that we have to have a rural board, which is chaired by Northumberland County Council and includes Durham and Gateshead.”
“Being the mayor of such a huge area is a challenge, and when I am elected it is going to be about getting out there and talking to communities. But the mayor is only one person.
“Your voice will be heard through the democratic process and your county councillors in Durham. Places like this will not, and cannot be forgotten about.”
Independent candidate Jamie Driscoll also spoke about his work in Northumberland, and how it can influence future decision-making.
The current North of Tyne mayor said: “I was very keen to bring people into decision making and that money was spread on different projects around the region.
“Whether it’s over in Hexham, rural jobs in Northumberland or tourist projects along Hadrian’s Wall it’s the same in County Durham. For places like Barnard Castle that needs to happen.”
“How will we do it? A public transport network only works if it covers everywhere.
“If nothing else, having a bus system that works here is worth the entire deal.
“The second one is that the projects are all strategic and they follow the needs and opportunities.
“It’s not divvied up on a one part for each local authority basis, and that’s absolutely the way it’s got to be.”
Andrew Gray from the Green Party isn’t keen on a mayoral government, saying: “You shouldn’t put your power down to one person”, but he thinks the deal could let us do some “useful, worthwhile things with it”.
He also said: “It’s about giving communities more control. It’s a diverse area and we’ve got to make it work for everyone.”
Mr Gray, who works as an archivist at Durham University, thinks Newcastle has too much control over the rest of the region.
He said: “I live in Newcastle and it’s really bad when it treats itself as the capital city of the region; it harms its local neighbourhoods. It puts money into the city centre instead of into neighbourhood services, so it is damaging to have an overpowering centre.”
For Aidan King from the Liberal Democrats, working together with local councils is very important.
He said at the event: “It’s very much going to be about working with [local authority] leaders, building those relationships.
“There’s going to be a lot of hard work, working with other leaders to get what they want in their regions, to make sure they’re fully represented otherwise the mayoral will grind to a halt. It’s important to get everyone involved.”
Labour candidate Kim McGuinness and Paul Donaghy, of the Reform party, did not attend the hustings event.
The new North East Mayoral Combined Authority should start on May 7, 2024. This means the North of Tyne and the non-mayoral North East Combined Authority will end.
■ The initial £4.2bn investment package within the 30-year deal includes:
■ Around £60m a year for adult education and skills
■ A £900m package of transport investment
■ £69m of investment in housing and regeneration.
It is hoped that the deal will create 24,000 new jobs and unlock an additional £5bn in private sector investment.