AN elected mayor for the Tees Valley became more likely today with council leaders and Stockton South MP James Wharton agreeing to work together to push for greater devolved powers.

In a joint statement, the five Labour leaders and the MP said they intended to work with the Government to establish a democratically accountable arrangement that built on the strength of the existing partnerships.

The statement has been issued days after the leaders joined Mr Wharton in London for a meeting with Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, to discuss now the Tees Valley could acquire greater powers.

The Conservative Government is adamant that only region that agree to having a mayor will be handed the extra powers and funding.

The Tees Valley politicians said they wanted to strike a deal that was in the interest of the local economy.

Admitting there would be big changes that required hard work, they added: “It must be the right deal for us and work for our area. There will be ups and downs, but together we want to deliver it.

“We are confident the Tees Valley will rise to the challenge, and reap the rewards for decades to come.”

The statement has the backing of five council leaders from Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool.

The authorities already work together within local enterprise partnership Tees Valley Unlimited.

The statement stressed that any new arrangement would be different to the current mayoral system in place in Middlesbrough, and previously in Hartlepool.

"In Middlesbrough, or previously in Hartlepool, the Mayor's powers came upwards, away from the existing council structures and committees," they said.

"Here the powers being devolved to our combined authority would be coming down, away from London and away from Whitehall bureaucrats; closer to the area they effect."

Tees Valley leaders joined a raft of other northern areas looking to take control of their own affairs, overseen by new elected mayors.

Their move indicates growing momentum behind the Chancellor’s ‘devolution revolution’, with the Government now negotiating deals with Sheffield City Region, Leeds, West Yorkshire and its partner authorities, the Liverpool City Region as well as the North East Combined Authority.

Welcoming the Tees Valley leaders' decision to engage in talks on obtaining devolved powers, George Osborne said it was an "important step in building the Northern Powerhouse".

He added: "The momentum towards devolution is unstoppable and the North is leading the way. What we are offering is radical.

"We are handing power to the people who know their area best with an accountable elected mayor working for the whole area. We will now work constructively with all parties across Tees Valley to land a deal which works for everyone."

The support for a Tees Valley mayor comes as members of the North East Combined Authority (Neca) seek talks on how the North of the region will get similar devolved powers.

Neca, which is made up of seven councils – County Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle and Northumberland – confirmed it would consider appropriate forms of government including a metro mayor.

THE leaders of the five Tees Valley council and Northern Powerhouse Minister and Stockton South MP James Wharton say in a joint statement they want to "reap the rewards" of devolution - and are prepared to accept a so-called metro mayor in return for greater powers. Here is the statement in full:

THERE are great towns and cities across the North of England, but for years our economic growth has lagged behind that of the South. It does not need to be that way. If we corrected that imbalance across the North it would generate additional growth of £44 billion by 2030. That is an extra £1,600 for everyone who lives here.

It is a prize worth having for the Tees Valley. It is the reason we must put ourselves at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, making the idea a reality for the people of the Tees Valley. This is not a free ticket to future prosperity. We know it will require hard work and continuing strong local leadership.

In recent months the focus has been on Greater Manchester, and the Government is now negotiating devolution deals with the Sheffield City Region, Leeds, West Yorkshire and its partner authorities, and the Liverpool City Region. We want Tees Valley to be part of this important first round of devolution deals. We are achieving a lot here already, with unemployment falling and significant business investment being secured for our local economy.

Train-making is coming to our doorstep in Aycliffe; we have secured and are securing new investment for local roads and rail; steel-making is back and the new potash mine near Whitby will bring more jobs and opportunities. All have been achieved in a tough economic climate.

The Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership is one of the most successful in the country. We have secured a City Deal and our combined authority proposal is nearly there. But we can still do more.

That will require using new powers to make our own decisions and tackle local problems. Like Manchester, these new powers could include control over, house building, transport, skills and employment, and some new areas important to our local circumstances including further education and culture.

Local councils have already shown that here in Tees Valley we can come together and work for the collective interest. We know the challenges and what we need to do. If we secure the right devolution deal it would mean less bureaucracy and an end to the meddling of the Whitehall machine in London. It would mean better decisions could be made locally and taken quickly. It would facilitate cooperation across services and spending in ways which have never been achieved before.

We have the opportunity to determine our own destiny, and it is a chance we must seize. Deals, though, work two ways. The offer is that with these new powers would come greater local democratic accountability.

In Manchester that has meant an elected mayor. Likewise a deal here would depend on an elected mayor working with local leaders to oversee new powers devolved from ministers. We already have a strong governance arrangement through the Shadow Combined Authority and with private sector partners in the LEP and any new arrangement must build on the strengths of what is already working well here in the Tees Valley.

Government and Tees Valley will be working together to establish a democratically accountable arrangement that builds upon the strength of the existing highly successful partnership. This would be a different model from any we have known before. In Middlesbrough, or previously in Hartlepool, the Mayor's powers came upwards, away from the existing council structures and committees. Here the powers being devolved to our combined authority would be coming down, away from London and away from Whitehall bureaucrats; closer to the area they effect.

The task now is to strike a deal that is in the interests of our local economy, resonates with the people our five local councils represent, and contributes to the success of the entire country. There will be big changes that require hard work and more democratic accountability. It must be the right deal for us and work for our area. There will be ups and downs, but together we want to deliver it. We are confident the Tees Valley will rise to the challenge, and reap the rewards for decades to come.

* The statement was issued by the leaders of the five Tees Valley councils, Cllr Christopher Akers-Belcher, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, Cllr Bill Dixon, leader of Darlington Borough Council, Middlesbrough Mayor David Budd, Cllr Sue Jeffrey, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Cllr Bob Cook, leader of Stockton Borough Council, together with Northern Powerhouse Minister and Stockton South MP James Wharton.