Mayor Jamie Driscoll, speaking at the Steam Machine: “In May 2024 Newton Aycliffe and the rest of County Durham will become part of the North East Combined Authority. We’ve seen a few goes at uniting our region. The 2017 devolution deal collapsed when our local councils couldn’t agree. The 2004 regional assembly was rejected, not least because we weren’t offered any real power or money.
“When I was elected as North of Tyne Mayor in 2019, I had promised in my manifesto to unite the region. County Durham was caught between the North of Tyne and Tees Valley, and missing out on £millions of investment.
“So, in February 2020, I went to Treasury and started negotiations. I’ve fulfilled that promise and landed £4.3 billion of investment for us – it’s high time the North East got our fair share.
“I’m currently working to get a share of the £80 million investment zone into NETPark, pushing for the Leamside Line and Ferryhill station to reopen and, just last week, lobbied for more trains to be built at Hitachi.
“But, the real strength is control over our own transport system. As North East Mayor, I’ll be able to bring all our buses back into public control, so every town and village can be properly connected, including evenings and weekends.
“I want to integrate the public transport network so one ticket will work on every bus and train across our region. It will increase passenger numbers, bring in more revenue, so I can deliver free travel for under 18’s.
“In my current role as Mayor for the north of our region – from Newcastle to Berwick – I’ve created a pipeline of over 5,300 permanent, well-paid jobs, and 1,800 new homes on brownfield sites. We run a child poverty prevention programme in 120 schools, and have increased training courses from 22,000 to 33,000 a year – all on the same budget.
“This hasn’t cost council tax payers a single penny. There’s no new layer of politicians – just me. And I’ve claimed £0 in expenses since I was elected.
“I am an Independent, and just want the best for the North East. I’m an engineer by profession, fixing broken systems is what I do. I didn’t become a politician until I was 48. I grew up on Teesside, my Dad was a tank driver in the army. I’d like to think we can get beyond political game playing and work together for the good of our region.
“I want to know what you think of my plans for job creation and a Total Transport Network. I’m holding a public meeting on Thursday, 28th September, 7pm, at the Steam Machine Brewing Company in Newton Aycliffe. To guarantee a free ticket, go to jamiedriscoll.co.uk/meet-jamie-events – So come along, meet me in person, and decide for yourself.”