A £4.2bn devolution deal for the North East is “not radical enough”, one of the hopefuls vying to become the region’s mayor has claimed.
Kim McGuinness says that, while the historic agreement is a “good step” forward, the deal “entirely fails to offset the damage done” by austerity cuts since 2010. The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) made the comments in her submission to a public consultation on the proposed deal.
She is one of the contenders to become Labour’s candidate for the new North East mayor post and is due to battle the current North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll for the nomination, the winner of which would be the clear favourite to then win the mayoral election scheduled for May 2024. The mayor will cover an area stretching across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham – with the 30-year deal reuniting councils from either side of the Tyne, who were split apart after previous devolution negotiations broke down in 2016.
