MY congratulations to Sue Jeffrey, Labour candidate for Tees Valley mayor, for saying she will work with the successful candidate, Tory Ben Houchen (Echo, May 12).
Cllr Jeffrey has an important role to play as leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and thus a member of the combined authority. It is essential that all six members of that authority work closely together to get the best for the Tees Valley.
As LibDem candidate, I said if elected I would lead the combined authority as an all-party body representing the whole of the Tees Valley. I am sure that Ben Houchen will do just that.
While I believe that the announcement of the snap general election overshadowed the mayoral election, and undoubtedly affected the result, I was pleased to see that at least two thirds of voters used their second preference vote, a record number. This resulted in a clear win for Mr Houchen, rather than the narrow one that it would have been under “first past the post”.
As the only candidate who urged people to use both their votes, I am pleased that one message at least did get through.
Chris Foote Wood, Lib Dem candidate for Tees Valley Mayor, Darlington
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here