A devolution deal to reunite councils on opposite sides of the Tyne and elect a new North East mayor will be worth more than £3bn, it can be revealed.
Fresh details have emerged of the new funding and powers that look set to be handed to the region, if local leaders and the government can finally shake hands on a long-awaited agreement. A document seen by the Chronicle confirms that the proposed deal would deliver more than £3bn of government funding over 30 years and could generate more than 17,000 jobs.
Negotiations have been taking place for months over a move that would see a regional mayor elected to govern a new combined authority covering Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland. County Durham would be excluded from the deal as things stand, as it has been pursuing its own single-county devolution deal instead of joining a region-wide body.
