MEMBERS of Darlington Council have approved the latest constitution for the Tees Valley Mayoral role.

The local authority is one of five councils signed up to the agreement, including Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, and Redcar and Cleveland, which will see powers devolved from central Government to the region.

Council leader Bill Dixon believes the deal, which will bring £15m a year into the region for the next 30 years, is the best deal on the table.

Speaking at full council, he said: “I am convinced that each area will get £3m a year which we will be able to spend as we see fit.

"We will able to speak to the Highways Agency to get infrastructure built for developments before they are built unlike now where you have to wait until they are finished, for example the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre - you couldn’t make it up.”

Conservative group leader, Councillor Heather Scott, supported the principle of having more financial control of how the money could be invested in the town.

She said: “We can dictate how we spend the money rather than someone in London.”