Our announcement that the legislation for a new £1.4billion devolution deal for the North East was laid in Parliament has been celebrated in regional media.
This significant milestone which brings the North East of England one step closer to electing an historic mayor in May was covered positively online by BBC News, The Northern Echo, Northumberland Gazette and Chronicle Live. They report that greater powers will see the current North of Tyne Combined Authority replaced with a new North East Mayoral Combined Authority covering areas such as Newcastle, Northumberland, Sunderland and Durham.
All note that once the legislation is formally approved, this will set the stage for an election on 2 May for the first mayor of the North East. They also quote Minister Young praising the deal as ‘an important milestone for communities’ across the region which will give local people ‘the levers and money they need to improve their areas’.
In trade media, New Start Mag also reports the news positively, highlighting the deal’s multi-billion-pound investment package and that the legislation has been welcomed in a joint statement by the seven council leaders and North of Tyne Mayor. Together, they stated that this is a “transformative year”’ for the region.
The Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young also celebrated the deal reaching Parliament in a piece to camera which was published on our social channels.
In his press quote issued to media last week (Wednesday 7 February), Minister Young said:
Today is an important milestone for communities across the North East as their landmark devolution deal moves one step closer to becoming a reality.
The reason we’re so excited for this to get over the line is because a major part of levelling up is giving local people, who know their areas best, the levers and money they need to improve their areas.
That’s exactly what this deal does - from Sedgefield to the Scottish Border - providing new decision-making powers, billions in funding and a new mayor who can champion their area on behalf of the two million who live there.