NORTH-EAST leaders will travel to London today to meet with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to seek clarity and assurances on the devolution process.

Members of the North East Combined Authority leadership board will hold talks with Sajid Javid amid reports that Theresa May is to ditch George Osborne’s policy of directly elected mayors for city regions.

North-East leaders confirmed earlier this month they remained committed to the devolution process - subject to confirmation that the terms of the region’s deal will be supported by the new Government in full.

Cllr Paul Watson, chair of the North East Combined Authority, said: “Two or three members of the leadership board and I will meet Mr Javid to get his outlook on things - and how necessary elected mayors are or not (depending on what he decides to disclose to us of course).

He added, as of the last combined authority meeting, Prime Minister Theresa May had been unable to bring herself to say “the words devolution or Northern Powerhouse and more specifically North-East devolution”.

Cllr Watson said: “What we have done is written to Sajid Javid seeking a face-to-face meeting to see where we are – whether an elected mayor is the bottom line or not, as an act of parliament does not require an elected mayor for devolution.”