THE woman hoping to be the first elected mayor of the Tees Valley has pledged to submit a bid to be the UK’s City of Culture if she is voted in.

Sue Jeffrey, Labour candidate in next month’s Tees Valley Metro Mayor elections, made the promise as part of a pledge to invest £10m into tourism as part of cultural plans to “lead the Tees Valley out of the shadows”.

Her manifesto includes bringing together a bid to be the UK City of Culture in 2025, joining up funds to ensure there is a £10m pot of funds for tourism and events, and turning the River Tees into a key tourism asset.

She also plans to make sure the Tees Valley features heavily as part of the Great Exhibition of the North next year, which will celebrate the region’s culture.

Cllr Jeffrey also promised that if elected she will carry out an immediate tourism audit. She said she wants to see more open air events in the area, and will be looking into a new measures to make more of the River Tees.

That could mean opening up new riverside spaces, moorings, pontoons, riverside café, festival and event space and creating greater access to the river.

Cllr Jeffrey said: “It is time we ended the days in which the Tees Valley is Britain’s best kept tourism secret. We here know there is so much to be proud of, and it’s time we stepped out on to the national stage.

“I want to lead a City of Culture 2025 bid that will bring together our tourism efforts. We know that even just bidding brings in the attention we deserve.

“It is vital to our future cultural success that we start saying loud and clear that we have something we are proud of and that others should come see. A bid along the lines of that seen in Hull would generate £3m of publicity even before a decision is made on the winning area.”

The candidates are: Chris Foote-Wood, Liberal Democrat; Ben Houchen, Conservative; Sue Jeffrey, Labour; and John Tennant, UKIP.