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Location: Home / Politics / Tees Valley Mayor Details

All You Need to Know About Voting for the Tees Valley Mayor on 4th May 2017 - Sunday 26 March 2017

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Tees Valley Mayor Details

Documents Published about the Future of Tees Valley

The Tees Valley Combined Authority have recently published various documents outlining their plans after a Mayor is elected. These documents can be found below as PDFs.

Tees Valley Mayoral Booklet PDF

Investment Plan PDF

Strategic Economic Plan Summary PDF

What is the Tees Valley Combined Authority?

It is a devolution program for the Tees Valley area, encompassing Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. A couple of years ago the Councils agreed a devolution arrangement with central Government to allow the Tees Valley area to make some decisions about the area. The idea is people in the area will be able to make better decisions about the area because they live here.

The Combined Authority has only been permitted to exist if a democratically elected Mayor is voted in. This Mayor will ultimately be publicly accountable for the decisions that the Combined Authority make. Until a Mayor is elected the Combined Authority is only an idea, and devolution cannot start until this position is filled.

You can find out more about the Proposed Combined Authority by calling 01642 524 440, emailing info@teesvalley-ca.gov.uk, or visiting www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk

What will be the Role of the Elected Mayor?

The Mayor will Chair the Combined Authority. Once a Mayor has been elected, the Authority will legally be established, and devolution can take place. The main purpose of the Mayor, particularly as this will be the first elected mayor, will be to ensure the Tees Valley area gets the best deal from any negotiated devolution package from central Government. The five Tees Valley Councils will work together, alongside the business community and other partners, to ensure the Tees Valley area, as a whole, will flourish.

Details about how the Combined Authority will meet are still a little vague as nothing can be arranged prior to a Mayor being elected. There will most likely be a ‘phoney war’ period where the public will see nothing changing. This will be because the five Authorities, and the Mayor, will be arranging what the best way to run the Combined Authority will be. This process will likely take several months after the election to sort out.

Once the Combined Authority has finally agreed upon a process it is assumed multiple meetings, held on a monthly basis, will be set up. Representatives of the five Authorities, Business People, Individuals and the General Public, will be able to attend the meetings, chaired by the Mayor, where key decisions are made across the five Authorities. Although the public will be able to attend they will not be able to vote in meetings. This power will, just like a local Council Meeting, be for the representatives of the Authorities.

It is expected these representatives will hold ongoing discussions with the public within the Authority they represent to ensure the public get their voice heard in each Chaired meeting. The Mayor will oversee this voting process.

Will the Five Combined Authorities be merging?

Absolutely not. The local councils will continue to exist as their own separate entities and still be responsible for the services in their local area (e.g. social care, refuse collection, libraries etc.).

There will, of course, be times when the Combined Authorities will have to make decisions that affect all five Authorities. A vote will need to be cast, and the result of the vote will become law. This is where things can get tricky as, although the relationship between the Councils is strong, it may be the case some Councils may get a bet deal than others, or a decision will adversely affect one Council and hinder another. Debates, discussions and deals will be made to get the best deal for everyone as a whole.

How Will the Authority Vote on Key Decisions?

This question is difficult to answer yet because the Combined Authority cannot agree on a voting structure until it exists after the Mayor election. Certain assumptions can be assumed though.

One such assumption is that the decision-making voting system will be a majority vote, as opposed to a unanimous vote. A majority vote works where all parties with the right to vote do so, and the most votes wins. This would fall in line with typical local Council voting processes.

A unanimous vote is where all parties have to agree on something before the vote is passed. If one party votes against something, it is back to the drawing board.

A similar voting system is used in the European Union on trade deals. A recent vote, by a province in Belgium, held up a trade deal with Canada because they voted against it. This meant the trade deal wasn’t passed into law until the Province voted for the trade deal. Since the majority of the North East, including the Tees Valley area the Combined Authority will represent, voted to leave the European Union because of decision-making systems like this, it is unlikely this model will be used by the Combined Authority.

What are the Cost Implications of Having a Tees Valley Mayor?

The devolution deal will bring more money into the Tees Valley area. The cost of having a Mayor (their salary will be published along with any expenses, and established by an Independent Panel, we’ll get the details once the Mayor has been elected) will be paid for by this new funding. This will mean that there will be no extra cost to local Taxpayers.

However, there is one area of funding that needs clarification.

Some funding will ‘be supported by the Tees Valley Combined Authority from within established budgets’, a phrase used in official Tees Valley publications. This could mean that some money is diverted away from services in order to pay for the Combined Authority presence. Clarification has been requested about this term from the Authority. Once we have been given an answer we shall publish it.

What will the Elected Mayor and the Authority have Influence Over?

Once established and Authority will be responsible, or have influence over, the following:

Transport – trains, bus services and infrastructure across the 5 Authorities.

Homes and Communities – new builds and working with local councils to ensure local communities are heard on a larger platform

Skills and Education – local apprenticeships, jobs and education

Culture and Tourism – promoting the Tees Valley area as a viable place to visit and invest in

Business Growth and Investment – promote the Tees Valley area as a whole to bring new jobs and opportunities into the area.

Devolution – securing the best deal from central Government to allow the 5 Combined Authorities to make joint decisions.

Who is standing to be the Elected Mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority?

The following candidates have put themselves forward to be the elected Mayor.

Conservative Party

Ben Houchen, Conservative group leader on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Ben Houchen

Twitter: @BenHouchen

Email: ben.houchen@stockton.gov.uk

Telephone: 01642 788 784

Labour Party

Sue Jeffrey, Redcar and Cleveland Council leader

Sue Jeffrey

Email: sue.jeffrey@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Telephone: 01642 465 796

Read Sue's Manifesto Here

Liberal Democrats

Chris Foote Wood, author and former Bishop Auckland district councillor

Chris Foote Wood

Email: chris@footewood.co.uk

Telephone: 01388 605181

UK Independence Party

John Tennant, UKIP group leader on Hartlepool Borough Council

John Tennant

Email: john.tennant@hartlepool.gov.uk

Telephone: 01429 523 704 

 

What is Each Person Standing For?

Often during election process, the public are provided with details from each campaigner to say what they are standing for and why the public should vote for them. The Combined Authority Mayor election is a little bit different because all of the candidates are standing for the same thing – to be the Mayor of Tees Valley and to be held to account for the decisions the Combined Authority make.

Their political allegiances are also crucial in this vote. No matter what party they represent (if any), they will need to form relationships with authorities that have different political philosophies, and also be a stop gap between the local Councils and the elected National Government. This will be a challenging skill to have because, as it is now, a differently political partner is in power nationally (the Conservatives) that doesn’t represent the Tees Valley area (predominantly Labour). In situations like this, the Mayor will come under even more scrutiny from the public to make sure they stand for the best interests of the Combined Authority and are help accountable.

We will contact each person directly to ask them for their reasons for standing to try and help differentiate between each individual. Members of the public are also encouraged to contact each person to try and make their own decision about who to vote for, if any (see the section below).

Can we Vote to Not Have a Mayor Elected?

Since the election of the Mayor will bring forth the creation a new layer of democracy in the Tees Valley area, and essentially trigger the start of a devolution process, it seems democratically lawful to allow votes to say they don’t want a Mayor. If no Mayor is elected the devolution process cannot begin and the Combined Authority will not exist.

Although it has been rumoured that this option to not vote for a Mayor will be included, no confirmation has been given. If this option on the ballot paper is not included many people have already declared they will legally challenge the election. It is a unique election because the election not only elects a Mayor, but also creates a new democratic entity. Many people will challenge the existence of this entity if the option to not allow it to be formed is not offered.

Registering to Vote

In order to vote in the Tees Valley Mayor Election you must be registered to vote by 13th April 2017. You can register to vote online via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote (ensure you know your Date of Birth and National Insurance Number), or residents in Hartlepool can call 01429 523 088 to register.

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