Lord Houchen attended the count with his wife Rachel and their three-month-old baby HannahImage caption: Lord Houchen attended the count with his wife Rachel and their three-month-old baby Hannah
Ben Houchen said it was the "greatest honour anyone could give me" to be re-elected as mayor in the "place where I'm going to be for the rest of my life".
However, he also acknowledged there was "still a long way to go".
Lord Houchen said: "I am absolutely humbled by everybody that voted for me, Teesside is a place where I was born where I grew up, other than a very short sabbatical to Newcastle for four years and then I came straight back.
"It's a place where I'm going to be for the rest of my life.
"And to be re-elected for a third term in my home, in my community, is absolutely the greatest honour anyone could give me."
Analysis: Win a relief to Ben Houchen and Rishi Sunak
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Ben Houchen’s win will be a relief to him but also to
Rishi Sunak.
It proves a Conservative can still win in the areas the
Prime Minister needs to retain to stay in government, even if it was a far
tighter result than when the Tory mayor took 73% of the vote in 2021.
But perhaps not just any Conservative can win.
Despite a
controversial second term where he’s had to face constant questions about a
deal with local businessmen to regenerate a former steelworks site, the main
problem he faced was his own party’s crashing poll ratings.
Ben Houchen was clear then in his campaign that
supporters should base their choice of mayor on local issues and ignore
Westminster politics.
It has worked for him, but is not likely to be an appeal
the area’s Conservative MPs can repeat come a General Election.
Labour will then feel they did well enough here to set
the party on course to undo the 2019 gains Boris Johnson made in their
heartlands - and perhaps a bit more.
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Houchen wins, but with a reduced majority
Lord Houchen won all five council areas but with a reduced majority over Labour.
His majority has been cut from 73% in 2021 to 53.6% this year.
Labour got 41.3% while the Liberal Democrats received 5.0% of the votes.
The turnout was 31%, down by 3.10% since the last election.
BBCCopyright: BBC
BreakingBen Houchen wins Tees Valley mayor election
Conservative Ben Houchen has won a third term as Tees Valley Mayor.
Ben Houchen wins Darlington
Ben Houchen has won the fourth of five local authorities in the Tees Valley mayoral election.
In Darlington, he got 14,233 votes ahead of 10,014 for Labour's Chris McEwan and 1,849 for Simon Thorley of the Liberal Democrats.
Lord Houchen has already won Hartlepool, Redcar and Middlesbrough, with just Stockton still to be announced.
Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Lord Houchen has
arrived at the count in Thornaby.
There was no love lost between him and Liberal
Democrat candidate Simon Thorley during the campaign and the BBC Tees debate,
but all now seems friendly as they share a conversation together awaiting the
result.
But local issues do matter. The party haemorrhaged support and
councillors in South Tyneside as residents punished an administration that has
struggled to end a strike by refuse workers that has led to a key service for
householders being - well - rubbish. The party now has to reflect on repeated
losses that now leave control of a council they once counted on hanging by a
thread.
Green gains in Newcastle (for the first time) as well as
South Tyneside might also raise alarm bells.
First Newcastle Conservative councillor for 30 years
Josh Steer
BBC News, North East & Cumbria
A Conservative has become the party’s first councillor on
Newcastle City Council in more than 30 years.
Retired GP Doc Anand, 77, won the Gosforth seat from the
Liberal Democrats by 111 votes.
The Labour-controlled council had mixed results with the
Greens also gaining their first two council seats.
Speaking after his win, Dr Anand said he had “achieved the
impossible” defying the wider context of a tough night for the Tories.
The campaign by the Tories distanced themselves from the
national party by focussing on local issues.
The result came as a surprise twist towards the end of the
night, after the Greens had also won their first ever seats of the council.
Elswick’s Khaled Musharraf became the city’s first Green
councillor, quickly followed by Nick Hartley for Byker.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Analysis: 'Some turnaround for Labour in Hartlepool'
David MacMillan
BBC Tees
It’s been
some turnaround for the Labour Party here in Hartlepool.
Three years ago
Labour hit their lowest ebb as they were roundly thrashed by the Conservatives
in the Parliamentary by-election here. Losing by a majority of 7,000 and handing the Conservatives a seat for the first time since its creation.
But last
year Labour were back on track missing out on a majority at Hartlepool Council
by just a handful of votes and this year they have very much got that majority and by a comfortable margin.
That by-election defeat in 2021 is said to
have really upset the Labour Party leadership. So much so that Keir Starmer
apparently considered resigning in its aftermath.
Labour were somewhat taunted too if you
remember by a giant, inflatable Boris Johnson that was paraded through the
town.
And so they’ll be absolutely
delighted that just three years later they’ve won back control at
Hartlepool Borough Council.
Labour won nine of the twelve seats being contested
with independents claiming two and the Conservatives winning one.
Labour’s victory also means
Hartlepool has its first female council leader – former teacher Brenda
Harrison.
Live Reporting
All times stated are UK
Tees Valley result 'major wake-up call' for Prime Minister - Labour
Labour has reacted to Lord Houchen's win as Tees Valley Mayor, calling the result a "wake-up call" for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Lord Houchen got 53.6% of the vote on Thursday, a reduction on the 73% he took in 2021.
A Labour spokesperson said: "This swing towards Labour in Tees Valley puts Labour on track to win every single seat in the area in a general election.
"The Conservatives should be extremely worried that their candidate had to run as an independent to win.
"If Rishi Sunak doesn't take this result as a major wake-up call he is in denial."
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Read moreHouchen says election victory 'greatest honour'
Ben Houchen said it was the "greatest honour anyone could give me" to be re-elected as mayor in the "place where I'm going to be for the rest of my life".
However, he also acknowledged there was "still a long way to go".
Lord Houchen said: "I am absolutely humbled by everybody that voted for me, Teesside is a place where I was born where I grew up, other than a very short sabbatical to Newcastle for four years and then I came straight back.
"It's a place where I'm going to be for the rest of my life.
"And to be re-elected for a third term in my home, in my community, is absolutely the greatest honour anyone could give me."
Ben Houchen re-elected Tees Valley Mayor
The Conservative candidate has secured his third term as Tees Valley Mayor.
Read moreAnalysis: Win a relief to Ben Houchen and Rishi Sunak
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Ben Houchen’s win will be a relief to him but also to Rishi Sunak.
It proves a Conservative can still win in the areas the Prime Minister needs to retain to stay in government, even if it was a far tighter result than when the Tory mayor took 73% of the vote in 2021.
But perhaps not just any Conservative can win.
Despite a controversial second term where he’s had to face constant questions about a deal with local businessmen to regenerate a former steelworks site, the main problem he faced was his own party’s crashing poll ratings.
Ben Houchen was clear then in his campaign that supporters should base their choice of mayor on local issues and ignore Westminster politics.
It has worked for him, but is not likely to be an appeal the area’s Conservative MPs can repeat come a General Election.
Labour will then feel they did well enough here to set the party on course to undo the 2019 gains Boris Johnson made in their heartlands - and perhaps a bit more.
Houchen wins, but with a reduced majority
Lord Houchen won all five council areas but with a reduced majority over Labour.
His majority has been cut from 73% in 2021 to 53.6% this year.
Labour got 41.3% while the Liberal Democrats received 5.0% of the votes.
The turnout was 31%, down by 3.10% since the last election.
BreakingBen Houchen wins Tees Valley mayor election
Conservative Ben Houchen has won a third term as Tees Valley Mayor.
Ben Houchen wins Darlington
Ben Houchen has won the fourth of five local authorities in the Tees Valley mayoral election.
In Darlington, he got 14,233 votes ahead of 10,014 for Labour's Chris McEwan and 1,849 for Simon Thorley of the Liberal Democrats.
Lord Houchen has already won Hartlepool, Redcar and Middlesbrough, with just Stockton still to be announced.
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Ben Houchen wins in Redcar & Cleveland
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
More good news for Ben Houchen - he’s come out on top in a second council area.
In Redcar & Cleveland he got 15,987 votes. Chris McEwan for Labour got 12,015, Lib Dem Simon Thorley 1639.
Three more councils left to declare but a clear picture building.
Houchen wins in Hartlepool
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Ben Houchen comes out top in Hartlepool as it is the first Tees Valley Council to declare.
The Conservative candidate got 10,074 votes, Chris McEwan (Labour) received 8,732, and Simon Thorley (Liberal Democrats) got 972.
Encouraging result for the mayor in an area where Conservatives lost six council seats last night and Labour gained eight.
Four more councils are yet to declare before we have the full result.
'Disappointing' night for Conservatives in Hartlepool
Thursday's election saw Labour take full control of Hartlepool Borough Council after last leading the council in 2019.
Jill Mortimer, the town's Conservative MP, said it had been "a very disappointing night".
"It's very sad that Hartlepool's going to lose some very good councillors," she told the BBC.
"I think it's the swings and roundabouts of politics, isn't it. Sometimes it's our night, sometimes it's somebody else's night.
"No one comes into this game expecting to win all the time."
Labour made gains in seven wards, six of which were previously held by Conservative councillors.
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Read moreBen Houchen arrives at election count
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Lord Houchen has arrived at the count in Thornaby.
There was no love lost between him and Liberal Democrat candidate Simon Thorley during the campaign and the BBC Tees debate, but all now seems friendly as they share a conversation together awaiting the result.
The result is expected about lunchtime.
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Labour achieves goals, but Green gains might raise alarm bells
Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Labour largely achieved its aims in the region overnight.
They are not only back in control of Hartlepool Council, they now dominate it once more as the Conservatives fell away.
Gains in Sunderland reinforced its strong grip on the city.
But local issues do matter. The party haemorrhaged support and councillors in South Tyneside as residents punished an administration that has struggled to end a strike by refuse workers that has led to a key service for householders being - well - rubbish. The party now has to reflect on repeated losses that now leave control of a council they once counted on hanging by a thread.
Green gains in Newcastle (for the first time) as well as South Tyneside might also raise alarm bells.
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Gary Belfield, 40, died after an alleged stabbing at a property in Gateshead on 27 April.
Read moreFirst Newcastle Conservative councillor for 30 years
Josh Steer
BBC News, North East & Cumbria
A Conservative has become the party’s first councillor on Newcastle City Council in more than 30 years.
Retired GP Doc Anand, 77, won the Gosforth seat from the Liberal Democrats by 111 votes.
The Labour-controlled council had mixed results with the Greens also gaining their first two council seats.
Speaking after his win, Dr Anand said he had “achieved the impossible” defying the wider context of a tough night for the Tories.
The campaign by the Tories distanced themselves from the national party by focussing on local issues.
The result came as a surprise twist towards the end of the night, after the Greens had also won their first ever seats of the council.
Elswick’s Khaled Musharraf became the city’s first Green councillor, quickly followed by Nick Hartley for Byker.
Analysis: 'Some turnaround for Labour in Hartlepool'
David MacMillan
BBC Tees
It’s been some turnaround for the Labour Party here in Hartlepool.
Three years ago Labour hit their lowest ebb as they were roundly thrashed by the Conservatives in the Parliamentary by-election here. Losing by a majority of 7,000 and handing the Conservatives a seat for the first time since its creation.
But last year Labour were back on track missing out on a majority at Hartlepool Council by just a handful of votes and this year they have very much got that majority and by a comfortable margin.
That by-election defeat in 2021 is said to have really upset the Labour Party leadership. So much so that Keir Starmer apparently considered resigning in its aftermath.
Labour were somewhat taunted too if you remember by a giant, inflatable Boris Johnson that was paraded through the town.
And so they’ll be absolutely delighted that just three years later they’ve won back control at Hartlepool Borough Council.
Labour won nine of the twelve seats being contested with independents claiming two and the Conservatives winning one.
Labour’s victory also means Hartlepool has its first female council leader – former teacher Brenda Harrison.