The North East must “leapfrog” other parts of England as it plays catch-up in trying to finally seal a new devolution deal, the North of Tyne mayor says.
There are fresh hopes of a new mayor being elected by 2024 to serve Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland, and South Tyneside – in a pact that could bring a raft of new powers and more than £1bn to the region.
If a deal can be struck between local leaders and the government, it would mark a long-awaited mending of a rift between councils on either side of the Tyne that saw previous devolution talks fall apart at the 11th hour in 2016.
