There are only a few weeks to go before the Election of a Tees Valley Mayor on 2nd May.

Combined Authorities across the UK are led by an elected Mayor – and Tees Valley Combined Authority is no different.

On 4 May 2017 and 6 May 2021 residents of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees voted in elections for a Mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. 

The next Mayoral election will take place on 2nd May 2024, with the term of the next Tees Valley Mayor being four years.

The Northern Echo:

The Mayor chairs the Combined Authority, a body set up by law to lead the economic development of Tees Valley. The Combined Authority works alongside the five Tees Valley councils to improve the economy of the area, bring in new investment, create jobs and transform Tees Valley.

The Combined Authority also works closely with the business community and other partners to make local decisions to support the growth of our economy. It has responsibility for transport, place, culture & tourism, skills & education, business growth & investment and devolution.

The Mayor also chairs the Boards of the three Mayoral Development Corporations in the region – South Tees Development Corporation (STDC), Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC) and Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC).

The Northern Echo:

The South Tees Development Corporation is charged with overseeing the regeneration of Teesworks, the 4,500-acre industrial zone south of the river Tees, while Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Development Corporations have been formed with the goal of transforming the town centres through driving investment.

That’s why it’s important for you to have your say on these topics and vote.

Registered voters aged over 18 and living in the Local Authority areas of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees are eligible to vote at the region’s polling stations, which will be open from 7am to 10pm.

The deadline for registering to vote in this election is midnight on 15 April 2024. You can find out if you are registered to vote by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office or visiting your local council website.

You can vote in person at the polling station specified on your polling card, by post or by asking someone else to vote for you (by proxy). You can apply for a postal or Proxy vote on the Gov.uk website. Your application form for a postal vote must arrive at your local Electoral Registration Office by 17 April at 5pm. If you want to vote by proxy, your application form must arrive at your local Electoral Registration Office by 24 April at 5pm.

Voters in England need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations. If you do not have any forms of accepted ID you can apply for a free voter ID document on the Electoral Commission website.

More information can be found at teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/election