Everything on North East mayoral election 2024 explained

For the very first time, a regional mayor will be elected to represent around two million people living in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.

This marks the culmination of a long and tumultuous saga surrounding devolution to our region – and big things have been promised from what is a multi-billion deal with the Government.

The new mayor and their combined authority will radically alter the region’s political landscape, with major funding and decision-making powers being handed down from Westminster.

As the election campaign ramps up, here is everything you need to know about the North East mayor election.
 
When is the election?
The election is due to be held on May 2, 2024. This is the same day as local elections will be held in some areas of the UK, including Tyne and Wear, and for police and crime commissioners.
 
What area will the mayor cover?
The mayor will head a new North East Mayoral Combined Authority (NEMCA) covering Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham – meaning they will represent a population of roughly two million people.
This is the first time that a mayor will be elected to cover that whole region, after previous proposals for a devolution deal for the North East fell apart in 2016.

There is currently a North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll, who was elected in 2019 after Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside broke away to form their own combined authority. His term will end in May and the North of Tyne Combined Authority will be abolished to make way for the new one.

The existing North East Combined Authority, which currently covers the four council areas south of the Tyne and has no mayor or devolution deal, will also be wound up.
 
Why is this election important?
The election of a regional mayor will mark the culmination of a protracted and tumultuous saga around devolution in the North East. 

Negotiations between local councils and the Government have been going on for 10 years – a decade in which one region-wide deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, three councils then broke away, before leaders reunited to strike a new agreement.

You may also remember back to 2004, when a referendum was held in the North East over whether or not to establish an elected regional assembly – an idea that was overwhelmingly rejected. 

This latest deal brings with it a raft of new decision-making powers that will be put into the hands of local leaders and major Government funding – with at least £6bn committed so far, plus more to come over what will be a 30-year arrangement.

Politicians hope that the agreement will give the North East far greater control over its own destiny, particularly on crucial issues like transport, and provide the region with a stronger voice on the national stage.
 
What powers will the mayor have?
More than £6bn worth of Government investment has already been confirmed through the devolution deal, including more than £2bn to put into improving the region’s transport infrastructure.

Another key transport power that has been the subject of much discussion is the ability to bring bus services under public control through a franchising scheme, a version of which has been implemented in Greater Manchester by mayor Andy Burnham.

The devolution deal also includes:

• An investment fund of £1.4bn, or £48m a year, to support economic growth and support regeneration;
• An indicative budget of around £1.8bn, or £60m a year, for adult education and skills;
• £69m of investment in housing and regeneration, unlocking sites to bring forward new housing and commercial development.

Negotiations also continue over giving the North East the same devolution “trailblazer” status as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, which would involve even more powers being awarded – and beefed-up accountability from MPs.
 
And what can’t they do?
The mayor and the new combined authority do not replace local councils and do not assume responsibility for their functions – things like social care, planning, bin collections, parks and libraries.

Unlike some parts of England, the North East’s devolution deal also does not combined the roles of mayor and police and crime commissioner. This is because the geographic area covered by the new combined authority will overlap two police areas – the Northumbria Police force and Durham Constabulary, which also covers Darlington and therefore is partly outside the NEMCA border. 

It is also worth pointing out that the mayor will not be an all-powerful figure. They will sit at the head of an eight-person NEMCA cabinet but have the same voting rights as its others members, who will be the leaders of the seven councils.
 
Who are the candidates?
Jamie Driscoll – Independent
 

Mr Driscoll was first to announce his intention to stand for North East mayor some time ago. Having served for a year as a Labour councillor for Newcastle city centre, he was elected in 2019 as the first North of Tyne mayor – having beaten ex-council leader Nick Forbes to Labour’s nomination.

He had hoped to be Labour’s candidate in 2024 too, but was controversially blocked from standing in the party’s selection contest amid a bitter row surrounding an appearance he made on stage with film director Ken Loach. Mr Driscoll, who is a supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, then quit the party and announced he would fight the mayoral election as an independent – launching an attack on Sir Keir Starmer in the process.

His manifesto pledges include the creation of a ‘Total Transport Network’, including an expanded Tyne and Wear Metro and public control over buses, and creating full employment across the region.
 
Kim McGuinness – Labour
Labour’s pick to stand for mayor after the furore surrounding Mr Driscoll’s exclusion was Kim McGuinness, who is currently the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). Also a former city councillor in Newcastle, Ms McGuinness was first elected to the PCC post in 2019 following Vera Baird’s resignation and was re-elected in 2021.

Her main campaign promise has been a pledge to end child poverty in a region where deprivation rates are the highest in the country.

She has also promised to take bus services back into public hands and build new railway infrastructure, as well as setting up a mayoral development corporation to drive green energy investment in the North East’s ports and rivers.
 
Guy Renner-Thompson – Conservative
A councillor in Northumberland and a member of the county council’s cabinet, Guy Renner-Thompson beat Sedgefield MP Paul Howell to the Tories’ nomination.  He has been a councillor in Bamburgh, where he lives, since 2017 and studied at Newcastle University.

Mr Renner-Thompson courted controversy soon after being chosen to stand by Tory members, with a promise that he would abolish the Newcastle Clean Air Zone if elected mayor – something that local councils insist he would not have the power to do.

His other policies include a promise not to put any new mayoral precept on North East residents’ council tax bills, a drive to improve school standards across the region, and support for the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland.
 
Andrew Gray – Green 
A 55-year-old archivist at Durham University, Andrew Gray has been an active Green campaigner in Newcastle for some years. He was brought up in Northumberland and now lives in the Heaton area of the city, where he has been a regular on local election ballot papers.

He has said that his top priority as mayor would be retrofitting houses to make them warmer and cheaper to heat.

Mr Gray’s manifesto is also expected to include pledges to improve public transport and put local communities in control of the mayor’s resources, rather than having any benefits “trickling down from big regional projects”.
 
More to come? The Liberal Democrats are expected to announce their candidate in the coming weeks and it remains to be seen whether any other contenders throw their hat into the ring.
 
What are the big issues?
The campaign is still in its infancy and will be ramping up in the months leading up to May 2024, but there are some big issues that we know will be high on the agenda.

Climate change and how the region can reach net zero emissions over the coming years will be a question every candidate has to answer.

Already there have been pledges around major housing retrofit programmes and the delivery of thousands of jobs in renewable energy.

But don’t be surprised if hot-button topics like low traffic neighbourhoods and clean air zones are a big part of the debate too.

How to overhaul the North East’s transport network is another key issue – with big questions over projects like the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland, the reopening of the Leamside railway line, extensions to the Tyne and Wear Metro, and the future of the Shields Ferry.

And of particular note after the recent chaos caused by the Go North East bus strikes, whether to exercise the mayor’s power to take control over bus services out of the hands of private companies will be another key point of debate.

Candidates will also be expected to set out how they close the gaps that have emerged between the North East and other parts of England in areas such as child poverty, employment, A-level and GCSE grades, and life expectancy.

A long-term fear among many sceptics of devolution in the North East has been a concern that the mayor could become too Newcastle-centric, so expect answers on how they will strike the balance between urban and rural concerns across a diverse NEMCA patch.