Tees Valley Mayor hopes new Durham Council succeeds the two regions have links
Ben Houchen says there are people that live in Teesside that work in Durham
The Mayor of the Tees Valley says he hopes County Durham will succeed as the two regions have links.
It comes as Durham County Council, which is controlled by Reform, appointed Cllr Andrew Husband yesterday as its new leader.
Ben Houchen said: "Hopefully they're a success. There are people that live in Teesside that work in Durham so I want to see Durham succeed as an area for local people, so I'm looking very, very closely 1. As to how the new leader gets on and 2. What are the policies they're going to put in place to make sure Durham as a city and as a county is successful, how they're driving investment and most importantly how are they going to work with me to do that collectively for not just Durham but Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool as well.
"It's about the working relationship, a bit like The Great North is about how do we work best together to be greater than the sum of our parts. Durham's an incredible place, the University's absolutely incredible and we often leverage the incredible things going on in Durham to attract investment into the Tees Valley, so a good working relationship. Hopefully they can put politics to one side to make sure we work for the betterment of local people and that's all I can ask of them.
"I work with anybody who wants to get on and help deliver the things that I want to do improve the lives of local people. Look, I've worked with five Labour local authorities for most of my time as Mayor, we've had three independent councils for a period of time, we've even had one Conservative administration for a time so it doesn't matter the political colour of a local council. If they want to be sensible and deliver for local people, I'd work with anybody who wants the same thing."
Cllr Husband was voted into the post, with his appointment marking a new political leadership for the council.
He announced the following appointments to his Cabinet:
• Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Finance, Policy and Communication – Cllr Darren Grimes
• Cabinet member for Adults and Health Services – Cllr Howard Brown
• Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services – Cllr Cathy Hunt
• Cabinet member for Digital and Customer Services – Cllr Stephen Gray
• Cabinet member for Economy and Partnerships – Cllr Lyndsey Fox
• Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and Environment– Cllr Karen Allison
• Cabinet member for Stronger Communities and Belonging – Cllr Nicola Lyons
• Cabinet member for Resources, Investment and Assets – Cllr Joe Quinn
• Cabinet member for Rural Communities and Highways – Cllr Tim McGuinness
Cllr Husband was born and raised in County Durham and represents the Chester Le Street North division.
Cllr Husband said: “As someone who was born and brought up in County Durham, I want to grasp the opportunity that people have given us to make a difference.
“Over the coming weeks and months, I will be setting out our plans to address many of the issues that we know are important to people from discussions we have had with them on the doorstep.
“I am interested in common sense policies – how we can make a real difference to people’s lives here in County Durham. Our county is an amazing place, but we know there are areas that need investment and development, and we will be looking carefully at how we can ensure that those local communities can be listened to and supported.
“I am also very aware that our local businesses are key to the economic success of this county – and from day one we will work with them to help them succeed and grow. County Durham has the largest economy in the North East, and we will be working closely with the North East Combined Authority to bring investment and jobs here.
“We do not go into the leadership of the council unaware of the huge challenges that face us in relation to local government funding. We will continue to work on ensuring the council is as efficient as it can be, and we will be speaking to government about county Durham being allocated the level of financial resources it needs to provide the services our communities rely on.
“I look forward to working with my new Cabinet to deliver meaningful change for our local communities."