On Thursday 2 May 2024, there will be elections for the new North East Mayoral Combined Authority (NEMCA). This covers Durham, Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Durham. Over one million women and girls live in this region, and we want to use this opportunity to bring about real change and more opportunities.
One million women and girls
The campaign group was established last year and we are women from all walks of life (the voluntary and community sector, academics, health workers, business women, elected representatives, faith groups and many others in civic society). We came together to campaign for better, gender-informed policy making by the new Combined Authority.
We are a broad-based, cross-party movement and we are experienced enough to know it is much easier to influence something when it is being established, rather than into delivery. We know it’s tempting for decision-makers to think that women and men use public services the same way, but our experiences show us this is rarely the case. Considering the specific needs of women and men from the beginning, results in better public policy making, that works for everyone.
The specific responsibilities of the new Mayor will include transport, housing and regeneration policy, economic policy and adult education and skills. These are all areas of importance to women and girls.
For instance, we know that women carry out more unpaid work (including caring for children and older people), which helps society but means they are less able to take on paid work. We know fewer women are working in the North East than anywhere else in England. Nationally , women are more likely than men to be defined as ‘economically inactive’; and in the North East in 2021, 25.3% of women were economically inactive compared to 20.5% of men.
Petition
Over the last three months our campaign has set up a petition (which you can sign here), and you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We have had a resolution of support agreed by North Tyneside and Newcastle Councils, and hopefully other ones in the next few weeks. We have put together a list of five short pledges and asked all the mayoral candidates to support them. We have met with five of the candidates and engaged in lively conversations. And now we want hold a public discussion.
It’s very important for us that this campaign continues after the election and we hope to have an associated researcher for three years to monitor progress on the pledges and form part of the public account with the Mayor and the Combined Authority.
Discussion with candidates
To find out more and engage in this, we are inviting you to a discussion with all the current candidates, so we can hear what practical steps they will be taking in response to our questions. We are working with women’s organisations across the region to put together questions for the candidates. This event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend, but we ask people to book in advance. You can submit questions in advance, but also on the night.
The debate is being held on Wednesday 13 March, 7:00pm to 8:30pm in The Banqueting Hall, Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QH . This Banqueting Hall s fully accessible and there is paid parking on the site, and the Haymarket Metro, Haymarket bus station and Eldon Square bus station are a few minutes walk away. To book your place, click here.
