Bamburgh councillor chosen as Conservative candidate to be North East mayor

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, who represents the Bamburgh ward on Northumberland County Council, was selected by Conservative members from across the North East on Sunday.

He says his campaign to become mayor of the North East Combined Authority will focus on a series of pledges including the creation of a new Mayoral Development Corporation, a regional transport strategy and a small business grant scheme.

He said: “As someone from the North East, it is an honour to be selected as the Conservative candidate to try to become the first North East mayor.

“This is a huge job and a huge opportunity for the whole region to grow and thrive and one I’m passionate about.

“I know this is an election we can win especially with a good set of ideas and ideals.

“The new mayor will have all the right tools to be able to get the investment the region needs, but it’s about getting the right person in to pull these levers.

“If elected mayor, I will deliver for all of the North East and be a champion for the area here, and across the world,” he added.

Cllr Renner-Thompson is Northumberland’s cabinet member for children’s services and has served on the council since 2017. He is also chairman of Belford Parish Council.

Kim McGuinness, Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has already been declared as Labour’s candidate, while the sitting North of Tyne Mayor, Jamie Driscoll, also pl ans to run as an independent after quitting Labour after he was barred from the party’s selection process.

The election for the North East mayor takes place on May 2, 2024.

The new authority will cover Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham.

The regional mayor role is being created under a new £4.2bn devolution deal which will bring with it new funding and decision-making powers.

It includes an investment fund of £1.4bn, or £48m a year, to support economic growth and regeneration; around £60m a year for adult education and skills; a £900m package of transport investment; and £69m of investment in housing and regeneration.