As it happened: North East mayoral candidates debate

1. Six candidates are standing to become North East mayor
2. The mayor will represent two million people in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham
3. Residents in the seven local authority areas in the North East will be eligible to vote
4. It has been estimated the deal could be worth more than £4bn over a period of 30 years
5. The election is on 2 May at the same time as local council and police and crime commissioner elections

Join in the debate

You can join in the debate over the next hour by contacting us in the below ways.

The debate will be shown at 22:40 on BBC1.

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Watch the debate live

You can watch the debate live here or through the link at the top of the page.

Let the debate begin

Here we go, the debate is starting.

The candidates from left to right are Guy Renner-Thompson, Andrew Gray, Jamie Driscoll, Kim McGuinness, Aidan King and Paul Donaghy.

BBC

BBC

The candidates are in the building

All six candidates have safely made it to the studio here at BBC Broadcasting Centre in Newcastle.

The debate is due to start at 11:00 and can be watched live at the top of this page.

BBC

Why does this mayoral election matter?

Luke Walton

Political correspondent, North East and Cumbria

Getty Images

Whoever is elected will have a direct mandate for a region of about two million people, stretching from Barnard Castle to Berwick.

The mayor will be a figurehead, lobbying for the region on the national stage, aiming to get the same political profile as other mayors in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

But the mayor will also have a key role closer to home, shaping policy on transport, skills, housing and economic development – working alongside local authorities but not replacing them.

He or she will head up a mayoral authority, led by a board which will also include local council leaders.

The mayor will have little scope to dictate decisions, instead the focus will be on teamwork and building consensus.

How did we get here?

Helen Richardson

Political correspondent, BBC Radio Newcastle

All seven council areas spent months arguing about whether or not to go ahead with a devolution deal that was offered by the government.

Initial talks had involved all of the regions, except County Durham.

However, Durham County Council’s Tory-Lib Dem coalition administration jumped on board at the eleventh hour.

In January 2023 the seven authorities finally agreed to join together and create a North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

Listen to more on the mayor

Helen Richardson

Political correspondent, BBC Radio Newcastle

PA Media

We have been taking an in-depth look at the role of the new mayor and what they could achieve.

You can listen to our series here on BBC Sounds..

The big issues they would probably have to tackle include the region's response to climate change, improving transport (for example dualling the A1 in Northumberland), child poverty, unemployment, and low life expectancies in our region.

What will the mayor's role be?

Richard Moss

Political editor, North East & Cumbria

Reuters

The new North East mayor and their Mayoral Authority will cover Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham - an area home to some two million people.

They will be the area's figurehead, similar to the role played by Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, and will receive special government funding as part of the North East devolution deal.

The seven councils of Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and County Durham will still be in place and will each have a representative on the Mayoral Authority.

The mayor's responsibilities will include infrastructure and transport and they will champion the North East and lobby government for support

Meet the candidates

Ahead of the debate, we have compiled short biographies of each of the six candidates (listed alphabetically) which can be found by following the links in their names.

Paul Donaghy

Standing for Reform UK is Paul Donaghy, 42, a hotel manager from Washington whose top priority would be to create and support youth and community projects.

North of Tyne Combined Authority

Standing as an independent candidate is Jamie Driscoll, 52, who is the current North of Tyne mayor and who would prioritise creating an improved transport network.

Andrew Gray

The Green Party candidate is Andrew Gray, 56, an archivist at Durham University who wants to prioritise insulating cold homes.

BBC

Representing the Liberal Democrats is Aidan King, 44, a doctor at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary whose priority would be to build Europe's largest onshore windfarm.

Kim McGuinness

Labour's candidate Kim McGuinness, 38, is the current Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner and her top priority would be to tackle child poverty.

Guy Renner-Thompson

Representing the Conservatives is Guy Renner-Thompson, 32, a construction manager whose priority would be the creation of jobs.

Welcome to the debate

Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the North East mayoral debate.

The six candidates vying for your votes will soon be in the BBC's Newcastle studio to answer your questions about the issues most important to you.

Topics will include saving the future of the region's high streets, providing better bus services and helping people find affordable homes.

The debate is due to start at 11:00 BST and you can watch it live at the top of this page.

The election is on 2 May.