2024 North East mayoral election

The North East Mayoral Combined Authority is due to come into existence four days after this election, on 7 May 2024.^[3] The authority will replace the North of Tyne Mayoral Combined Authority and the North East Combined Authority.^[3]

The mayoral combined authority has a budget and powers relating to growth, adult education and skills, housing and regeneration.^[4]

While previous mayoral elections in the United Kingdom have used a supplementary vote (SV) system, this election used a first-past-the-post (FPTP) system to elect the mayor as a result of the changes made by the Elections Act 2022.

All registered electors living in the North East aged 18 or over on 2 May 2024 were entitled to vote in the mayoral election. Those who were temporarily away from the North East (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the mayoral election. The deadline to register to vote in the election was 11:59pm on 16 April 2024.^[5]

Tyneside was suggested as a potential location for another barge like Bibby Stockholm to be used to house asylum-seekers. The Labour candidate Kim McGuinness and the independent candidate Jamie Driscoll both said they opposed any such proposals.^[6]

On transport, Driscoll proposed a "total transport network" covering buses and the Tyne and Wear Metro. This would mean he would "take the buses back under public control, open new rail routes around the region, integrate public transport and make one ticket for rail, bus and metro and lower fare, making them free altogether for under 18s".^[7] He also proposed "on demand" bus services for rural areas.^[8] McGuinness said she would get public control of buses and "build new railway infrastructure".^[4] The Conservative candidate Guy Renner-Thompson said he would turn the A1 road into a dual carriageway.^[4] He supported integrating bus and rail transport but opposed public ownership. The Reform UK candidate Paul Donaghy proposed 50% public ownership of public transport. The Green Party candidate Andrew Gray said he supported 15-minute city principles that would reduce demand for transport.^[9]

Newcastle implemented a Clean Air Zone in the city centre in 2022. Renner-Thompson said he would remove it, which local authorities said the mayor would not be able to do.^[4] The Reform UK candidate Paul Donaghy, Driscoll and McGuinness all criticised the model, saying that public transport was a better way of improving air quality. The Green Party candidate Andrew Gray and the Liberal Democrat candidate Aidan King both supported the use of Clean Air Zones.^[10]

The Conservative UK government proposed using money that had been planned for High Speed 2 to re-open the Leamside line, estimated to cost close to £2 billion. They later said that the combined authority could fund it. Renner Thompson said that the suggested cost was far too high for "some metal rails on some gravel". Driscoll and McGuinness said they were seeking central government funding for the estimated £20 million cost of producing a business case to reopen the railway.^[11]

Driscoll said he would work to achieve full employment in the region. McGuinness proposed a "mayoral development corporation to drive green energy investment in the North East's ports and rivers". Grey said he would improve housing installation.^[4] King said he would "build the UK's largest on-shore wind farm", revenue from which would fund public transport investment, and buy low quality farmland in "every town and village" to build modern housing.^[9][12]

A film company proposed establishing a large film studio in the region contingent on public funding. McGuinness said that the UK government should supply the necessary funding, while Renner-Thompson said he would use combined authority funds to support the proposal.^[13]

Tony Gillan in the Sunderland Echo highlighted that all of the candidates were from or closely associated with Newcastle rather than other parts of the region.^[14]

Driscoll was endorsed by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.^[15]

On 28 April, the campaign group More in Common released opinion polling placing McGuinness and Driscoll as the front runners, stating "a win from either candidate would be well within the margin of error."

They cited the 2019 Conservative vote fragmenting and Driscoll voters saying they are more likely to turn out than McGuinness voters as the cause of the independent vote, describing the race as a "dead heat."^[42]