2024 Tees Valley mayoral election explained

Election Name:2024 Tees Valley mayoral election
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2021 Tees Valley mayoral election
Previous Year:2021
Next Election:2028 Tees Valley mayoral election
Next Year:2028
Election Date:2 May 2024
Turnout:30.80%[1]
1Blank:Popular vote
2Blank:Percentage
3Blank:Swing
Image1:Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts Metro Mayors (53844203487) (Ben Houchen).jpg
Candidate1:Ben Houchen
Party1:Conservative Party (UK)
Popular Vote1:81,930
2Data1:53.6%
3Data1: 19.2 pp
Candidate2:Chris McEwan
Party2:Labour and Co-operative Party
Popular Vote2:63,141
2Data2:41.3%
3Data2: 14.1 pp
Candidate3:Simon Thorley
Party3:Liberal Democrats (UK)
Popular Vote3:7,679
2Data3:5.0%
3Data3:N/A
Map Size:320px
Mayor
Before Election:Ben Houchen
Before Party:Conservative Party (UK)
After Election:Ben Houchen
After Party:Conservative Party (UK)

The 2024 Tees Valley mayoral election was held on 2 May 2024 to elect the mayor of the Tees Valley, part of the 2024 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative incumbent mayor and member of the House of Lords, Ben Houchen, was re-elected with 53.6% of the vote.[2]

Background

The mayor serves as the directly elected leader of the Tees Valley Combined Authority and has powers considered lesser than those of other mayors such as Greater Manchester and the West of England. The mayor has power over an annual £15 million investment from the national government over a 30-year period, as well as control over adult skills training, social care and a consolidated transport budget- giving the ability to acquire bus services.[3] The mayor does not supersede or overrule the five boroughs within the Tees Valley city-region.[4] [5]

The first election for the role in 2017 resulting in a victory for the Conservative candidate Ben Houchen, who was re-elected with an increased majority in the 2021 election. That election had originally been due to be held in 2020, but had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Electoral system

Following the Elections Act 2022, the 2024 election took place using first-past-the-post voting.[7] Prior elections had employed the supplementary vote system.

Opinion polling

Dates
conducted		PollsterClientSample
size		ConLabReformLib DemsGreenOthersLead
data-sort-type="number" style="background:;"data-sort-type="number" style="background:;"data-sort-type="number" style="background:;"data-sort-type="number" style="background:;"data-sort-type="number" style="background:;"
2024 election–53.6%41.3%–5.0%––45.6
12–29 Apr 2024YouGovN/A92451%44%–5%––7
17–19 Apr 2024Redfield and WiltonN/A1,00047%47%–6%––Tie
9–19 Feb 2024CensuswideYasper1,00023%55%9%6%6%1%32
2021 election–72.8%27.2%––––45.6

Candidates

Conservative

Ben Houchen, who had served as mayor since the inaugural election in 2017, was re-selected as the Conservative candidate in March 2023.[8] Houchen said that if re-elected he would replace the University Hospital of North Tees with a new hospital,[9] however the government later confirmed that the mayor does not have the powers to build a hospital.[10]

Labour

Chris McEwan who previously worked for the NHS[11] is the deputy leader of Darlington Borough Council. He was announced as Labour's candidate in November 2023. McEwan was selected by members over the trade union organiser Luke Henman.[12]

McEwan who was raised in Middlesbrough said that his priorities would be transport and community,[13] and also said he would bring more openness and transparency to the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Liberal Democrats

Simon Thorley, a businessman from Darlington, general election candidate for Darlington, was selected to also stand for the Lib Dems for Tees Valley mayor.[14] [15]

Green Party

Sally Bunce was selected to stand as the Green Party candidate but withdrew at close of nominations for personal reasons, with insufficient time to nominate a different candidate. The local Green Parties have not endorsed any other candidates, despite unsubstantiated allegations made by local Conservative MP Simon Clarke of an electoral pact with Labour.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Result

By local authority

Stockton-on-Tees

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayoral election. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. 3 May 2024.
  2. News: Bilalova . Pamela . Ben Houchen re-elected as Tees Valley Mayor . 10 June 2024 . BBC News . 3 May 2024.
  3. Web site: Tees Valley . 15 October 2019 . . 10 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410210737/https://www.centreforcities.org/combined-authority/tees-valley/ . live .
  4. Web site: What the Mayor Does . 15 October 2019 . . 15 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191015145000/https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/mayor/what-the-mayor-does/ . live .
  5. Web site: Directly elected mayors . 15 October 2019 . . en . 27 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190327123320/https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/devolution/directly-elected-mayors . live .
  6. News: Metcalfe . Alex . 13 March 2020 . Coronavirus sees Teesside mayoral and police chief elections delayed . 11 August 2020 . . . 13 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200913090342/https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/coronavirus-sees-teessides-mayoral-police-17921334 . live .
  7. act. 2022. 37. Elections Act 2022. 13.
  8. Web site: 29 March 2023 . Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen reselected to contest 2024 election . 15 January 2024 . The Northern Echo . en . 8 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240408133110/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23420189.tees-valley-mayor-ben-houchen-contest-2024-election/ . live . Andrew . White.
  9. Web site: Allan . Dave . 9 January 2024 . Mayor's election pledge to build new hospital . 15 January 2024 . Tees Business . en.
  10. Web site: Jones . Leigh . Government says Ben Houchen 'does not have powers to build hospital' .
  11. News: Brown . Mark . 2024-04-10 . 'We have to get the basics right': Labour's Chris McEwan in Tees Valley . 2024-04-28 . The Guardian . 0261-3077.
  12. Web site: Jones . Morgan . 7 November 2023 . Labour candidate for Tees Valley mayor: Chris McEwan picked to fight Houchen . 15 January 2024 . LabourList . en-GB . 3 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240103223441/https://labourlist.org/2023/11/labour-mayor-tees-valley-candidate-tory-houchen/ . live .
  13. Web site: 12 September 2023 . Darlington Labour councillor puts name forward to campaign against Ben Houchen . 15 January 2024 . Darlington and Stockton Times . en . 15 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115204815/https://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/23784815.darlington-councillor-reveals-tees-valley-mayor-campaign-bid/ . live . Tom . Burgess.
  14. Web site: Liberal Democrats announce their candidate for Tees Valley Mayor . 31 January 2024 . Northern Echo . Tom . Burgess . 1 February 2024 . 1 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240201032906/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24086946.simon-thorley-announced-lib-dem-tees-valley-mayor-candidate/?fbclid=IwAR3qnHA85A6NteayOP7Oks0ArpiXdrEJ7nSj__HRyV1gOIzzPJ-w_TkqxpE_aem_Adxf-KGNEkCGYCKtMzvxLso1XFRY99aC3HCpZtNK97ZJ-PPkzyXGU-C0Ucpw3nCx0sQ#5zu1ahd68o . live .
  15. Web site: Lib dem mayoral candidate sets out top priorities . 31 January 2024 . 1 February 2024 . 1 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240201032906/https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/poverty-transport-no-more-joint-28543236?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target . live . Teesside Live . Naomi . Corrigan .
  16. News: Simon . Clarke . 4 April 2024 . Green candidate to stand down . Twitter . 4 April 2024 . 4 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240404173535/https://twitter.com/SimonClarkeMP/status/1775908526902165648 . live .
  17. Web site: Green Party announce candidate to challenge Ben Houchen in Tees Valley election . Yorkshire Post . Leigh . Jones . 9 December 2023 . 15 January 2024 . 15 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115204814/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/green-party-announce-candidate-to-challenge-ben-houchen-in-tees-valley-election-4439625 . live .
  18. Web site: Instagram .
  19. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DowvGCu88aUUWkRi/?mibextid=WC7FNe
  20. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Y5eBEZ66DQRwwL9K/?mibextid=WC7FNe

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