Your Chance To Quiz The Mayor In New Public Question Time

Members of the public will get the chance to quiz the Tees Valley Mayor in regular new Question Time events.

Starting on May 15, the Mayor will host a monthly one-hour public Q&A on BBC Radio Tees where listeners can call in to ask the mayor questions directly.

Additionally, the mayor will hold two in-person Q&A events each year, chaired by an independent journalist.

Attendees can submit questions to the chair, who will then ask them on their behalf.

These events will be free but ticketed, with locations rotating across the five local authority areas.

The Question Time events come during a period of significant progress across Tees Valley including the development of Teesworks as a centre for clean energy, the expansion of Teesside Airport and investments across the five boroughs.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Huge things are happening across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, from creating jobs, transforming our transport networks to supporting our incredible businesses.

“I know people always want to know more about what we are doing and what’s coming next so I can’t wait for these Question Time events where the public can quiz me and get the answers they are looking for.”

The introduction of the Mayor’s Question Time events brings Tees Valley Combined Authority in line with several other Combined Authorities which already hold similar events, including Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and West Midlands.

In addition, a proposal to provide public recordings of meetings of the TVCA Cabinet, Overview & Scrutiny, Audit and Governance and Transport Committee meetings has also been approved.