Angela Rayner, the minister for local government, has announced a major change in who decides how a significant portion of public money is spent. Metro mayors are to be given more money and responsibility for housing, transport, energy and health amongst others.
This could be transformational for local communities – decisions being made, not by ministers, but by people who know the needs of their area, and have ‘skin in the game’, so to speak.
What will happen in the Tees Valley?
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley mayor, has not been shy in coming forward to tell the world how brilliant he is and how he is the person to transform the Tees Valley.
He could have been running round his house in joy after hearing this news.
Hang on though … Don’t spend that money yet!
There is a huge shadow hanging over Houchen, in the form of review carried out under the previous government.
This review, called for by Michael Gove must still be causing Houchen a headache. As a result of this review, money is being withheld pending improvements.
With more money and responsibility comes scrutiny. However, scrutiny seems to something of an anathema, preferring more of a cloud of secrecy.
Opaque, just doesn’t even come close.
Ask members of the public who attend the TVCA cabinet meetings about how difficult it can be to get information out of Houchen
Mayoral session
Houchen has finally announced a real Q and A Mayoral session, so it will be very interesting to see what happens there.
Can Houchen be trusted with more money and an increased portfolio?
Track record
Houchen does have significant experience with transport around the Tees Valley … who can ignore the impact the Tees Flex, an ‘on demand’ bus service hasn’t had.
Let us not forget Houchen’s flagship achievement is the retaking of Teesside Airport into public hands.
It is currently losing money year on year – another £6mn+ in the last year, and is sadly showing no sign of turning a profit any time soon. Add this to the approximate £150mn it already has in outstanding loans and the airport is arguably a millstone around the finances of the region.
He has created a number of jobs, both at the airport and at Teesworks … it is unknown how many, but if we go by announcements made by him – it could be in the hundreds and thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands … nobody knows.
What will Angela Rayner do about it?
On a lighter note … or possibly not, Teesside desperately needs a real, proper integrated transport system, but would Houchen actually give us even a monorail?
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