THE UK’s first devolved mayor has asked the Government to take over running the local council.
Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley, and Simon Clarke, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and Chief Whip for the Conservatives, wrote to the Government calling for commissioners to be introduced at Middlesbrough Council, writing that “the wider governance culture at the council is of serious concern”.
The letter is co-signed by local Conservative councillors Meika Smiles, David Coupe, Luke Mason and Luke Hurst.
Here is the letter. "We believe the public in Middlesbrough could face no worse outcomes under statutory intervention, and might enjoy better options." Given the propensity for politicians to share this sort of thing themselves, it begs the question: why haven't they done it? https://t.co/0eHTxAFXqe pic.twitter.com/EIjhitTCyv
— Leigh Jones (@leighsus) December 15, 2023
Addressed to Simon Hoare MP, parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government, the letter reads: “We are writing to you today to ask formally for the Government to intervene at Middlesbrough Council using the Secretary of State’s powers under the Local Government Act 1999.
“Where councils do not meet the high standards that we set for local government, it is right that Government intervenes in order to protect the interests of residents.
“We believe that it is now in the public interest that commissioners should be introduced to run Middlesbrough Council as part of a formal intervention.”
The letter cites a delay in the council publishing its financial accounts, the disposal of public assets and a recent report on credit-card spending among the reasons for the decision.
The letter continues: “In any event, we believe that we have now reached a point where it is our responsibility to say that we do not believe that the council can address the challenges it faces alone.
“The time has come for a statutory intervention before matters deteriorate further.”
Houchen (below) was the first devolved mayor in the UK, taking office in 2017.
Prior to this, Houchen was a Conservative councillor on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, as well as the Conservative parliamentary candidate in the 2012 by-election in Middlesborough.
He was nominated for a life peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours in June 2023 and now sits in the House of Lords for the Conservative Party.
The Institute for Government (IfG) estimates around 41% of England’s population are under mayoral devolution.
Andy McDonald (below), an independent MP for Middlesbrough, responded by calling the move a “party political stunt”.
McDonald said: “This is nothing but vindictive, partisan and wholly irresponsible.
“It is a party political stunt and nobody would be fooled by that.
“Middlesbrough Council has moved heaven and earth to correct the errors of the previous administration.
“Councils up and down the land are struggling with the impact of 13 years of Tory austerity and for these idiots to choose this moment to score cheap political points is beyond and beneath contempt.
“The pair of them need to grow up.”
McDonald was suspended from the Labour party whip in October 2023 after giving a speech at a pro-Palestine rally.
He stated: “We won’t rest until we have justice, until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea can live in peaceful liberty".
Houchen was criticised earlier this year after it emerged that a 90% stake in the company that operates the vacant Redcar Steelworks site was transferred to two local developers.
It also emerged that the developers had received at least £45 million in dividends from the project despite there being no evidence they had invested any of their own money in the project.
McDonald responded to the allegations in the House of Commons, arguing that “shocking industrial-scale corruption” had taken place.
