Luke Walton
Political correspondent, BBC North East and Cumbria

And the debate has take off .. and it’s all down to Teesside’s much-debated airport.

Ben Houchen – who brought the airport into public ownership - accuses his Labour rival of previously wanting to close it and build houses on the site.

Labour’s Chris McEwan denies that saying the airport is "critical for the local economy".

Lib Dem Simon Thorley challenges Lord Houchen on the cost of the airport to the taxpayer. Mr Thorley later says the bill runs to £120m but says he doesn’t want to shut it either.

The first question and the first clash has arrived, and it's all about Teesside Airport.

Ben Houchen, who bought the airport for £35m six years ago, accused Chris McEwan of wanting to turn it over to housing through his role at Darlington Borough Council, which Mr McEwan strongly refuted.

Mr Houchen said he had delivered on his promise to buy the airport and it was a "key piece of infrastructure" and "absolutely vital we can connect to the rest of the world".

Mr McEwan said he had always supported the airport as it was "critical for our economy and our pride as a region".

Simon Thorley said the he would not close the airport but neither would he "do anything" for it, adding: "I don't think it's value for money. It's been an extremely poor investment."

Our first question comes from Rashida Butler who works at Hays Travel in Yarm.

She says: "I’ve worked in the industry for more than 20 years and there is a huge demand for Teesside flights.

"What is your vision for the airport over the next five to 10 years?"

You can contact us and share your thoughts on the debate as it happens.

You can follow the debate live through the link at the top of the page and also by clicking on the link below.

Our three candidates are in the BBC studio ready to answer your questions.

The debate will begin shortly. It will be chaired by BBC North East and Cumbria political editor Richard Moss.

The lead-up to the election has seen months of controversy about the regeneration of the site of Redcar's former steelworks.

Teesworks is a private-public joint venture formed by the mayor, the combined authority and two local businessmen.

A report was commissioned by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove after allegations of "corruption" were made in parliament by Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald.

Image source, Teesworks

The inquiry found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing, but made 28 recommendations for improvements covering governance, transparency and value for money.

Ben Houchen has accepted the report's recommendations and acknowledged that improvements can be made, but said it had also shown it was generating thousands of jobs, with more investment to come.

Labour's Chris McEwan said he would "open the books" and support a new investigation by the National Audit Office, while Liberal Democrat Simon Thorley said he would look to renegotiate the deal with the two businessmen.

Luke Walton
Political correspondent, BBC North East and Cumbria

Image source, Getty Images

With a population of about 670,000, Tees Valley is one of England’s smaller mayoral authorities.

But the political significance of the contest here is much bigger than that number would suggest. Much of that is down to the high profile of current mayor, Conservative Ben Houchen, whose success in a previously Labour-dominated area made him a symbol of his party’s progress in the north.

In 2017, he beat Labour by a whisker. Four years later he picked up a whopping 73% of the vote. But this year, bookies have Lord Houchen (who became a peer last year) and his Labour challenger, Darlington Council deputy leader Chris McEwan, neck and neck in the betting odds.

One reason for the change is Labour’s sizeable lead in national opinion polls – a very different situation to 2021.

Lord Houchen will be hoping his record on Teesside issues – including bringing the airport into public ownership and attracting Treasury jobs to Darlington – will ensure local supporters stay loyal even if they are disillusioned with his party at a national level.

But Lord Houchen has faced negative headlines too – most notably linked to his flagship Teesworks regeneration project.

An independent review found no evidence of wrongdoing or corruption but did find a lack of transparency. Either way, the political stakes are high.

No surprise then that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer have visited in recent weeks.

And whatever the Tees Valley result, you can expect one of those two party leaders to be back in the area following the election, to share the winner’s limelight.

Image source, Reuters

Ben Houchen's record has been at the heart of the campaign.

The current mayor said he had delivered during both his terms by creating jobs and attracting investment into the area.

He also made good on his initial pledge to take public control of Teesside Airport and has said the freeport he oversees has been shown to be the most successful of its kind in the country.

But Labour's Chris McEwan has criticised a lack of transparency, while Liberal Democrat Simon Thorley said the mayor had failed to tackle rising rates of poverty.

Transport is also likely to be among the key issues.

It is one area where the mayor has significant money to spend, particularly as the government said it will divert resources from the cancellation of the HS2 Manchester link to mayoral authorities.

There are three men hoping to be elected Tees Valley Mayor at the 2 May election.

Image source, PA Media

Teesside-born Conservative candidate Ben Houchen, 37, is the incumbent mayor and is hoping to be elected for a third time since the role was created in 2017, with his priority being to build a new hospital in the region and grow Teesside International Airport.

Image source, Chris McEwan

Standing for Labour is Chris McEwan, 58, who grew up in Middlesbrough and now lives in Darlington and whose priority would be to be a mayor people could "trust" and who would boost the region.

Image source, Simon Thorley

Liberal Democrat candidate Simon Thorley, 38, was born in Darlington and his priority would be to tackle the "scandalously high" levels of child poverty in the region.

Image source, Duncan Leatherdale

The mayor represents 670,000 people in five local authorities - Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.

The councils are still in charge of day-to-day services while the mayor focuses on areas such as economic development, transport, skills and adult training, regeneration, culture and tourism.

Other responsibilities include being in charge of the freeport site which includes the former steelworks and offering tax breaks for businesses.

Council leaders do play a part in decision-making, as they sit in a Tees Valley Combined Authority cabinet alongside the mayor.

Conservative Ben Houchen currently holds the job after getting re-elected in May 2021.

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of BBC Radio Tees' live debate with the three candidates hoping to become the Tees Valley Mayor.

The trio vying for votes in the 2 May election are Conservative Ben Houchen, Labour's Chris McEwan and the Liberal Democrats' Simon Thorley.

They will be answering questions posed by people from across the Tees Valley area with topics set to include improving the region's buses, reducing poverty and celebrating the region.

The hour-long debate being held at Broadcasting Centre in Newcastle will start just after 11:00 and can be viewed at the top of this page or listened to on BBC Radio Tees.