A £24M commitment for a greener North-East was confirmed by the mayor of the region's newest authority.

Jamie Driscoll, the mayor of the North Tyne Combined Authority covering Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside, held a virtual Q&A session to mark the anniversary of his first term in office since the authority was started.

During the session, he confirmed the authority would invest £24m in a Green Deal for the area.

The Q&A, hosted through Facebook Live, focused on the recovery and rebuilding of the region’s economy post Covid-19.

The mayor’s first Question Time took place at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, in February this year.

Residents of Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland were invited to submit questions in advance for the one-hour-long event and were able to vote on the questions they most wanted answered.

Mr Driscoll was elected in May last year, with his manifesto pledging to focus on community wealth building, addressing the climate emergency and developing meaningful adult education.

A number of the questions received referred to the Good Work Pledge, sustainable travel and digital inclusion.