Those vying to be the first North East mayor should be “big and bold” with their plans, a Labour candidate has insisted – after the campaign kicked off with a string of ambitious promises.
Kim McGuinness officially launched her bid to secure Labour’s nomination for next year’s historic mayoral election on Monday. The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has made eradicating child poverty in the region the focal point of her pitch to party members, with the North East having the worst rates anywhere in the country.
It comes after her main rival for the candidacy, current North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll, last week pledged that he would end unemployment if he were elected. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service at Equinor’s South Shields operations base for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Ms McGuinness said that candidates were right to dream big for what can be achieved with the region’s £4.2bn devolution deal.
Read More: North East mayor race hots up as Labour hopeful launches campaign with pledge to end unemployment
Asked if her plans were realistic, she said: “We have got to have an ambitious plan for the region. We have to be big and bold for the ambition we are going to set for what we are going to do, not just over the next couple of years but for the next 10, 15, 20 years.
“I want us to have a plan that looks at creating green jobs; we are obviously here at Equinor looking at the operation that will eventually create the biggest offshore wind farm in the world. And that means great jobs, it means we will need new skill sets, it means we will need better transport to get people here – it is a whole range of things.
“Everything I do, I want to be focused on ending child poverty – that cannot be the story of our region. But, for me, it is about making us the home of opportunity. I love this place, I think this is the best place in the world, and now we need to reach our potential and have the voice we need to do that.”
The new mayor will govern a combined authority stretching across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham after seven local councils struck a devolution deal with the Government after years of political wrangling over the subject. A mayoral election is due to be held next May and the battle this summer to decide Labour’s candidate is being closely watched, with the victor certain to be the heavy favourite to win in 2024.
Endorsing Mr Driscoll on Friday, alongside RMT union boss Mick Lynch, Sunderland City Council leader Graeme Miller called the fight “us against the machine” – with Ms McGuinness seen as the preferred candidate of the Labour establishment under Sir Keir Starmer, up against a man described as the last Corbynista in power.
Responding to those comments on Monday, the PCC said: “The machine that I want to create is the one that puts this region where it needs to be – no longer in the shadow of anywhere else. Creating the best jobs, the best outcomes for everybody that grows up here, ending this absolutely horrendous title that we have got as being the capital of child poverty, and turning this region into the home of opportunity.
“I am here to fight for this region, I love this place more than anything else. I think Labour members can really get behind this message because ultimately this is about us telling our story and putting our values at the real centre of it. More importantly, not just Labour members but I think the people who live here can get behind that mission.”
Ms McGuinness has been endorsed by South Tyneside council leader Tracey Dixon and North Tyneside mayor Dame Norma Redfearn, as well as MPs including Sharon Hodgson, Kevan Jones and Catherine McKinnell. Her other policies have included setting up a mayoral development corporation covering the region's ports and rivers and setting up careers hubs in towns and villages.
Both she and Mr Driscoll have pledged to create thousands of jobs in the green energy sector, expand the North East's Metro and railway network, bring bus services into public control and make public transport free for young people.
Read Next:
- Walkergate school sent into 'lockdown' after intruders enter grounds
- Investigation after girl 'grabbed by the throat' by security guard during under 18s event at Rainton Arena
- North East's £4bn devolution deal wins public backing – with more than 60% in favour of new mayor
- Police commissioner kicks off North East mayor campaign with promise to fight child poverty crisis
- RMT boss Mick Lynch says Jamie Driscoll as mayor is 'opportunity of a lifetime' for the North East
