Mayor of the North East candidates put under environmental spotlight by Friends

ALNWICK Friends of the Earth has attracted candidates for the new Mayor of the North East role to hustings dedicated to rural and environmental issues.

It means that for one night only next month, Alnwick will become the focus of the battle to land the region’s top political job and the night will be devoted to the Mayor’s impact on green topics.

The environmental hustings will take place on Wednesday, April 3rd with Mayor of North Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, confirming his attendance alongside Conservative candidate Guy Renner-Thompson, the Liberal Democrats’ Aidan King and the Greens’ Andrew Gray.

Labour’s candidate Kim McGuiness and Reform UK’s Paul Donaghy have also been invited.

Alnwick FoE’s Mike Powell will chair the event, which starts at 7 pm with St James Church Centre the venue for the latest debating round in a hard-fought political contest.

Green transition policies and the climate crisis have polled near the top of voters’ concerns in recent years and Mike said he is heartened to see North-East Mayor candidates taking them seriously.

Mike said: “We are really looking forward to the event and are delighted the candidates have agreed to share this platform and their views on these crucial issues.

“The new mayor will be Mayor of the North East region – a significant part of which, (in Northumberland especially), is very rural – and it is great that they recognise that this is an area that is important and worth addressing.

“On top of that of course there’s the climate crisis and the green transition, which will affect everyone living in the North East, urban and rural, and I think it is vital for voters that they know where their candidates stand on this subject and how high a priority it will be for them to address it.”

The North East Mayoral Combined Authority, part of an ambitious devolution for the region, will wield a budget of over £4 billion after the election of the new Mayor on May 2nd, followed by the forming of the new authority on May 7th.

The £4.2bn package includes:

• An investment fund of £1.4bn, or £48m a year, to support inclusive economic growth and regeneration
• An indicative budget of around £1.8bn, or £60m a year, for adult education and skills – to meet local skills priorities and improve opportunities for residents
• A £900m package of investment to improve transport systems, with £563m from the City Regional Sustainable Transport Fund, on top of funding already announced for our buses and metro system
• £69m of investment in housing and regeneration, unlocking sites to bring forward new housing and commercial development

It is also predicted to create an extra 24,000 jobs in the region and unlock an additional £5bn in private sector investment.

The new authority came about after the seven councils – Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland – and the two combined authorities gave the go-ahead for a historic parliamentary order to be made.

Mr Powell said: “It’s such an important moment for the region politically and Friends of the Earth is pleased that rural issues and the environment will feature prominently.

“There is an opportunity here for the region to show leadership in ensuring a successful green transition while at the same time guaranteeing the future of our rural communities and our beautiful natural environment.

“I’m looking forward to chairing the meeting in such a way that the public will find it informative and all the candidates will feel they have a fair crack of the whip in terms of getting their views across.”

The election is on May 2.

• For more information on the Alnwick April Hustings, email: contact@alnwickfoe.org.uk, visit the website: www.alnwickfoe.org.uk/ or the branch’s Facebook page.
• Entry is free to the hustings but places are limited.