Today is your last chance to have a say on a £4bn deal to create a new North East mayor.
A public consultation on a massive shakeup of the region’s politics closes at midnight tonight. The historic deal struck with the Government will reunite seven areas across Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, and County Durham under the leadership of an elected mayor, with an election due to be held in May next year.
A new North East Mayoral Combined Authority would take on major new funding and decision-making powers that the region does not currently have – including a £48m-per-year investment fund and the ability to bring the bus network back under public control. Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove visited Tyneside in January to sign the deal alongside council leaders and the North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll.
