:00:00. > :00:08.Good evening from Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough. In two weeks of
:00:09. > :00:11.voters choose the first ever elected mayor for Tees Valley. On the panel,
:00:12. > :00:17.the four candidates who want the job. Ready with their questions,
:00:18. > :00:21.people with questions from the local area. Join me as we debate who
:00:22. > :00:44.should be the first mayor for the Tees Valley.
:00:45. > :00:51.On our panel tonight, for the Liberal Democrats, Chris Foote Wood,
:00:52. > :00:57.for the Conservatives, Ben Houchen, for Labour, Sue Jeffrey, for Ukip,
:00:58. > :01:06.John Tennant. Audience have their questions ready. You can join the
:01:07. > :01:11.debate at home, on social media. That begin with our first question.
:01:12. > :01:17.It comes from Martin, who used to work in Redcar at the steelworks. I
:01:18. > :01:21.worked in the steel industry for almost 40 years, starting straight
:01:22. > :01:25.after leaving school. What I would like to know is, what would be your
:01:26. > :01:30.plan for the steel site at Redcar? What would be the timescale and who
:01:31. > :01:35.will fund the clean-up? Ben Houchen, Conservative candidate, there has
:01:36. > :01:40.been some uncertainty about whether the Government will fund this, an
:01:41. > :01:44.estimated cost of ?1 billion, who should fund it and what should be
:01:45. > :01:48.done with the site? The Government are continuing to fund the upkeep of
:01:49. > :01:54.the site. There is also the task force that has been set up to help
:01:55. > :01:56.those affected by the closure back into employment, potentially
:01:57. > :02:00.starting their own businesses. A big chunk of the money is still to
:02:01. > :02:06.spend, because it was a significant amount. What would you do as Mayor?
:02:07. > :02:12.We have the development corporation, which is key to the development. It
:02:13. > :02:20.needs a full plan, which is in place at the minute. But the combined
:02:21. > :02:23.authority have proposed, in conjunction with the corporation,
:02:24. > :02:28.should be seen through. Sue Jeffrey, you have been involved as a local
:02:29. > :02:35.council leader in this, what is your plan? There are three parts to my
:02:36. > :02:41.plan. I am already trying to push them really hard, trying to get
:02:42. > :02:41.moving. As a huge site of international importance, it
:02:42. > :02:46.requires proper redevelopment to requires proper redevelopment to
:02:47. > :02:50.bring jobs back. What I am interested is getting jobs back into
:02:51. > :02:54.that site, and good jobs, not the sort that some of the steelworkers
:02:55. > :02:59.had to take, which has not been the climate I would like to see. Getting
:03:00. > :03:04.good jobs back, absolutely crucial. We have to do a number of things. We
:03:05. > :03:10.need to secure ownership of the site from the official receiver, and that
:03:11. > :03:14.piece of work are still ongoing. But I am pushing extremely hard to try
:03:15. > :03:18.to ensure that that site comes back under our control as quickly as
:03:19. > :03:22.possible, so we can start making use of all of those interested parties
:03:23. > :03:27.who want to come and invest, because there are a huge number of people
:03:28. > :03:32.who want to invest and create jobs. Ready to get it into a position
:03:33. > :03:37.where we can do that. Third, we need Government to stand up to the mark
:03:38. > :03:41.and if of the money that we need to ensure that the site is put into a
:03:42. > :03:47.position where those investors can start to make that investment. John
:03:48. > :03:53.Tennant for Ukip, what is your priority for the site? The rarity is
:03:54. > :04:00.to secure the long-term future for all four more workers -- for
:04:01. > :04:08.workers. It needs cleaning up, we have to get the funding for that. We
:04:09. > :04:11.have to get the funding not just from the development corporations,
:04:12. > :04:16.but we need to speak to the Department of communities and
:04:17. > :04:20.industry. The way to secure the long-term jobs and future is to
:04:21. > :04:24.build an infrastructure that is needed. The way to do that is to
:04:25. > :04:28.attract investment, jobs and introduced the voluntary sector, and
:04:29. > :04:32.that involved, of course there is a captive audience there, a captive
:04:33. > :04:37.workforce that is crying out for those jobs. You need a mayor that
:04:38. > :04:43.will stand up for that. Chris Foote Wood for the Liberal Democrats, how
:04:44. > :04:47.do you work it? I would like to see more urgency. It has stood empty and
:04:48. > :04:53.then it for 18 months. I am pleased that a good deal has been done to
:04:54. > :04:57.help the people made redundant find new jobs and get retraining, but
:04:58. > :05:01.there is nothing happening on the site, and it is disappointing to
:05:02. > :05:08.hear, we are waiting for the receiver. I would not wait, I would
:05:09. > :05:15.have seen the receiver on day one to get things moving. That is how I see
:05:16. > :05:20.my role as Mayor. The development corporation cannot start until the
:05:21. > :05:27.mayor starts it, and it should start on day one. We need to get things
:05:28. > :05:31.moving. We all know what we want to do, and Sue has confirmed something
:05:32. > :05:35.which I was going to mention, there are firms ready, willing and able to
:05:36. > :05:42.move on to the site, why are they not moving on already? Things should
:05:43. > :05:48.be happening now. Can I just make a point on the receiver? That is the
:05:49. > :05:52.reality of the situation. What I am talking about is real life that is
:05:53. > :05:57.happening now. I agree with the need for pace, there is no way we are
:05:58. > :06:01.going to sit around for 25 years and just build a car park. There will be
:06:02. > :06:05.movement as soon as we can, but we are dealing with real life. It is a
:06:06. > :06:10.shame other people do not realise that. The Government could be
:06:11. > :06:15.accused of dragging its feet. You talked about what it has done, but
:06:16. > :06:19.there is a ?1 billion bill for the clean-up, it would help if the
:06:20. > :06:24.Government said it would fund it. It is dependent on what the use of the
:06:25. > :06:28.site will be. If we get more heavy industry, the cost of the clean-up
:06:29. > :06:34.is different from if you are going to stick houses on it with retail
:06:35. > :06:40.units. In a large sense, we are in some agreement. What the plan is
:06:41. > :06:43.correctly and what the combined authority can do to assist is the
:06:44. > :06:47.right way forward and it is seeing that through which is important. I
:06:48. > :06:52.will go back to the question of Martin. You worked on that site, you
:06:53. > :06:57.must feel very sad to see where it is. Are you convinced that this is
:06:58. > :07:03.going to come back into meaningful employment? Considering that it is
:07:04. > :07:10.still owned by the Thai banks, which needs a compulsory purchase, no.
:07:11. > :07:13.Political parties have a chance to back the steel industry, not only on
:07:14. > :07:20.Teesside nationally. They have not done that. We will come back,
:07:21. > :07:26.because I want to get our second question in, which is relevant to
:07:27. > :07:30.jobs. That comes from Joel. I am currently unemployed and taking
:07:31. > :07:35.training in the hope of getting a job. With the Tees Valley region
:07:36. > :07:42.having one of the highest unemployment rate in the country,
:07:43. > :07:46.what will you do to bring it down? Chris Foote Wood, Liberal Democrats.
:07:47. > :07:54.The number one job for the mayor is to get jobs. Everything else depends
:07:55. > :08:01.on that. The mayor will have quite a number of powers at his or her elbow
:08:02. > :08:03.to do it. I agree, we do need improvements in infrastructure, road
:08:04. > :08:08.and rail and bridges, as I have mentioned, but that will take time.
:08:09. > :08:16.We need to get moving very quickly. It is easy to say, we want jobs, but
:08:17. > :08:21.what did you do to ensure that jobs actually come to the area? One thing
:08:22. > :08:29.that the mayor can do is to identify a land for development, that is one
:08:30. > :08:34.thing. Another, the mayor will have responsibility for reviewing
:08:35. > :08:38.education, training and employment right across the Tees Valley. That
:08:39. > :08:47.is important. That could happen within a year. I do not want to see
:08:48. > :08:51.a long drawn out report. If we can implement what is in the Tees Valley
:08:52. > :08:57.agreement and the devolution deal, that will definitely improve the
:08:58. > :09:01.situation and the infrastructure will also bring jobs. John Tennant,
:09:02. > :09:07.do you believe that you can create jobs? There has to be a recognition
:09:08. > :09:11.that the public sector and private sector both have different ways of
:09:12. > :09:16.creating jobs. The private sector needs infrastructure that is built
:09:17. > :09:20.by the public sector. That is what is needed in the Tees Valley, there
:09:21. > :09:26.is no doubt about it, we need to attract investment, because we have
:09:27. > :09:31.one of the highest levels of deployment in the country. What can
:09:32. > :09:34.you do? Other parties have had their chance to build the infrastructure,
:09:35. > :09:43.and what I would suggest is we need a metro system. We will come back to
:09:44. > :09:46.transport. That is how I would create jobs, by building
:09:47. > :09:52.infrastructure. Sue Jeffrey, you have an vision to create 25,000
:09:53. > :09:57.jobs. It is easy to ban the figures around, how do you start creating
:09:58. > :10:01.those? The work has been done to identify the sectors where the those
:10:02. > :10:08.jobs will come. The way that we secure that growth is by different
:10:09. > :10:12.investment, in both small companies, medium companies and large
:10:13. > :10:16.companies, about ensuring we get inward investment into the Tees
:10:17. > :10:20.Valley, that our children and young people get the skills to get the
:10:21. > :10:27.jobs that we are going to create. You choosing what to invest in? Of
:10:28. > :10:31.course we will pick winners. What qualification have you got to know
:10:32. > :10:34.who will create jobs successfully? There has been a range of research
:10:35. > :10:42.that has been done over the last year and a half to stop this is one
:10:43. > :10:47.of my advantages, that work has been done, I have published a strategic
:10:48. > :10:52.economic plan. It makes it very clear how those 25,000 jobs are
:10:53. > :10:55.going to be created, and the sectors they will grow in. I am convinced
:10:56. > :11:00.that if we apply the right investment in the right laces to
:11:01. > :11:06.those sectors, that growth will come. One of the first things I will
:11:07. > :11:09.do on election, if I am elected, I will meet with each of those sectors
:11:10. > :11:14.and talk to them about those figures and about the reality of how and
:11:15. > :11:20.where we will get those jobs from. Ben Houchen, how do we create jobs?
:11:21. > :11:24.There are three sections to this. You have to grow the economy,
:11:25. > :11:30.because only with a successful economy can be create jobs. There is
:11:31. > :11:32.the education element, you have to increase a more co-ordinated
:11:33. > :11:37.approach with businesses, apprenticeships, placement, there is
:11:38. > :11:41.a raft of work that the authority and the mayor can get involved with
:11:42. > :11:45.to identify opportunities, rather than saying what they should do.
:11:46. > :11:49.There is nothing worse than when the state gets involved with creating
:11:50. > :11:53.winners, we have to create an environment in which business can
:11:54. > :11:58.grow. And business should step up to the plate. Businesses are happy to
:11:59. > :12:04.say, we need these skills, but they are not willing to put in the time
:12:05. > :12:09.and effort and resource. You prepared to tell businesses that?
:12:10. > :12:13.You create a one-stop shop of information, but you can have
:12:14. > :12:19.businesses going to it and say, we are looking for these skills, I am
:12:20. > :12:23.looking for a job in this sector, and you create the environment. That
:12:24. > :12:27.is a key role of the matter. I want to hear from the audience. A
:12:28. > :12:36.gentleman with the blue suit and the tie. Sue said if she can get the
:12:37. > :12:43.jobs, how come she has not started now? People have been unemployed for
:12:44. > :12:47.years. A gentleman he. I am shocked to save the state cannot pick a
:12:48. > :12:53.winner. Why is he tried to buy an airport?
:12:54. > :12:59.There is a gentleman they are in the cold tyres. Recognising this
:13:00. > :13:05.sincerity of the aspiration of each of the candidatess's answer, how on
:13:06. > :13:10.earth do they think they can achieve this winning decision has been made
:13:11. > :13:14.that Michael Heseltine described as the worst decision of any British
:13:15. > :13:19.post-war government, by taking us out of the EU and going for a hard
:13:20. > :13:26.Brexit out of the single murky and depriving the north-east...?
:13:27. > :13:29.CHEERING The accusation as we can accuse the
:13:30. > :13:34.government of perhaps creating a situation that we are there is high
:13:35. > :13:38.unemployment relatively, although it has dropped, but labour authorities
:13:39. > :13:39.have run the area for a long time, why have they not create jobs
:13:40. > :13:43.already? We have been for the last ten years
:13:44. > :13:47.and this is the huge advantage that we have, we have been working in
:13:48. > :13:51.partnership with business all the last ten years creating jobs across
:13:52. > :13:54.the Tees Valley and I think the figure is something around 20,000
:13:55. > :14:04.created in that period, and these are real jobs, jobs that are
:14:05. > :14:06.creating wealth, growing our economy and ensuring of our security in
:14:07. > :14:09.terms of our economy going forward. I have no compunction about saying
:14:10. > :14:12.that we can create these new jobs going forward because I have a track
:14:13. > :14:16.record of already doing so and I think we can do so again and
:14:17. > :14:20.continue to do so. John, why not trust Labour to carry on? We have to
:14:21. > :14:23.be clear about this, jobs are not being created, they are being lost
:14:24. > :14:26.here and we are not building the infrastructure needed to create
:14:27. > :14:29.jobs. The point being only to the voluntary sector to get more
:14:30. > :14:34.involved, to give young people... How would you explain that
:14:35. > :14:37.unemployed has dropped significantly? I did not say
:14:38. > :14:42.significantly, but jobs have been lost. We are not protecting industry
:14:43. > :14:45.in this area. This is a strong industrial area, it is not being
:14:46. > :14:50.protected. Creating jobs is about building the infrastructure you
:14:51. > :14:53.need. That is the bond sector, the educational sector and giving
:14:54. > :14:58.businesses an area that they can look at and say they want to invest
:14:59. > :15:01.in there. That is how you create jobs. A lot more hands up in the
:15:02. > :15:06.audience, I will come back to the panel and a second. I would like is
:15:07. > :15:13.the one job taken away, and that is the job of the newly elected mayor.
:15:14. > :15:15.About 14 years ago, we had a referendum on a regional assembly
:15:16. > :15:21.that Labour tried to bring in. It was beaten by 80-20 in the polls.
:15:22. > :15:27.The Tory Government have imposed on us with the help and support of five
:15:28. > :15:30.Labour councils, to something in an area that does not exist called the
:15:31. > :15:35.Tees Valley. They have brought Durham into our area. We do not have
:15:36. > :15:38.Cleveland, we do not have Teesside, this is a complete nonsense. Give us
:15:39. > :15:42.a referendum, let the people have their say and I think you would find
:15:43. > :15:47.it would be overwhelmingly we do not want a mayor and we do not want this
:15:48. > :15:51.devolution. OK, a fair bit of support for that in the audience but
:15:52. > :15:55.let's see if anybody has got more points on jobs. I am amazed that
:15:56. > :16:02.none of you have addressed the potential job creation of... Our
:16:03. > :16:11.tourism, and heritage potential. We have got lots of unique inventions
:16:12. > :16:15.in this whole region, including Durham, and tourism is a great job
:16:16. > :16:23.creator. There was a gentleman over here in the grey shirt. I have a
:16:24. > :16:28.question. I live in Hartlepool and I invest about ?1700 per year in the
:16:29. > :16:34.council, the repayment rates, and the return I get on that is ruled
:16:35. > :16:37.that are breaking up, decaying infrastructure and general... We pay
:16:38. > :16:40.the seventh highest rates in the country, we invested the same amount
:16:41. > :16:46.of money as resident in Chelsea and yet the return we get on it is zero.
:16:47. > :16:48.What I would like to know is, this is a Labour-controlled majority
:16:49. > :16:52.counsel, what are the Labour Party going to do when they have got
:16:53. > :16:58.control of the whole region? It is bad enough with one council. I want
:16:59. > :17:02.to raise with Ben, the Conservatives did take it in the nick of the SSI,
:17:03. > :17:07.failing to see that fight. There is the impression of why should they
:17:08. > :17:12.trust you to backs Tees Valley in the future if you let it down over
:17:13. > :17:15.the steelworks? There are two Mac parts to that. The second part is
:17:16. > :17:19.that while what happened at SSI was a tragedy, and it was a horrible
:17:20. > :17:23.situation for all those affected directly and indirectly from the
:17:24. > :17:26.culture, we have to look at what the government did and this Conservative
:17:27. > :17:30.government did to rest on afterwards. The vast majority,
:17:31. > :17:32.verging on all the people, either find new employment, albeit not
:17:33. > :17:37.perfect, or have started their own businesses. Should more action have
:17:38. > :17:41.been taken to keep it in your view? The other part we have got to
:17:42. > :17:44.address as well is that Labour find themselves in this dichotomy in this
:17:45. > :17:48.region because they want to see it is doing very badly, we are losing
:17:49. > :17:51.jobs, we are not doing very well but because they control the region,
:17:52. > :17:55.they're happy to turn around and the jobs are being created. We have a 3
:17:56. > :17:58.million jobs created since this Conservative government scheme and
:17:59. > :18:01.nationally, 1 million apprenticeships. Start-ups in this
:18:02. > :18:10.region is the highest rate of any in the country. There is a lot of
:18:11. > :18:13.things to be positive about when it comes to job creation... Respond to
:18:14. > :18:16.that but also, why should they trust Labour if they feel they are let
:18:17. > :18:18.down by the council already? First of all, in terms of job creation, we
:18:19. > :18:21.have been interested and been delivering on the job creation
:18:22. > :18:24.agenda despite the Tory Government and despite austerity. That is what
:18:25. > :18:28.we have been doing and continue to do it and will continue to do that.
:18:29. > :18:32.There is no doubt about that at all. The fact is that in relation to the
:18:33. > :18:36.SSI site, and what we have seen a global jobs have been created and
:18:37. > :18:41.people have been brought into jobs and the work of the task force has
:18:42. > :18:44.been excellent in that regard, the average wage in Redcar and Cleveland
:18:45. > :18:47.has gone from the highest in the region to the lowest and that
:18:48. > :18:50.reflects the types of jobs that actually are being created in Tees
:18:51. > :18:54.Valley. I want to address the types of jobs that we are creating,
:18:55. > :18:57.ensuring that they are much higher value, paying better wages and are
:18:58. > :19:03.more secure so that these sorts of jobs you can bring your family up on
:19:04. > :19:09.and not have to depend on having the welfare system. That is my ambition.
:19:10. > :19:13.The issue about the referendum was mentioned. I know one of the
:19:14. > :19:19.candidates or you would have a referendum, would you? No. I think
:19:20. > :19:25.we are creatures of the government. A Conservative government was
:19:26. > :19:29.elected, with 37% of the vote. They became the government. That is a
:19:30. > :19:35.wonderful system. This system has been imposed upon us. The fact is,
:19:36. > :19:39.it is here now. The question is what do we do about it? Do we pretended
:19:40. > :19:43.he did not happen or do we try to turn the clock back and stop
:19:44. > :19:47.everything that has been made? The combined authorities has been
:19:48. > :19:52.meeting for a year now. Do you want to scrap everything that they have
:19:53. > :19:56.done? I think John Tennant is a remarkable man, the only guy I have
:19:57. > :19:58.known in all of my long life involved in politics that said
:19:59. > :20:05.please vote for me and if I am elected, I will resign. That is not
:20:06. > :20:10.a very good thing to do! Is a pretty cynical to go into an election soon
:20:11. > :20:13.you will have to referendum, but in my view, even though I am standing
:20:14. > :20:18.for the job, I think it should be got rid of? Let's be clear, I am the
:20:19. > :20:22.only candidate offering a referendum and if I was not standing for
:20:23. > :20:25.election in this election, there would not be the offer of a
:20:26. > :20:29.referendum on the Tees Valley combined authorities. The point
:20:30. > :20:32.being there is so much voter apathy editor about the combined
:20:33. > :20:36.authorities, nobody is interested. There is not enough PR about it,
:20:37. > :20:43.nobody wants this thing. Nobody was ever asked about it and if I... Two
:20:44. > :20:50.things. They signed up without your say so. One thing very clearly, the
:20:51. > :20:57.fact if it is not possible to have a referendum so that is nonsense to
:20:58. > :21:03.start with. The second thing... Anything is possible. Quickly. This
:21:04. > :21:07.is a really important move for the 660,000 people why did you vote
:21:08. > :21:16.against their mayoral position when it was in the council?
:21:17. > :21:19.PEOPLE SHOWED OVER EACH other and YOU SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THE PEOPLE OF
:21:20. > :21:22.THE TEES VALLEY THE CHANCE TO SEE WHETHER WE WANTED IT. YOU HAVE DONE
:21:23. > :21:29.IT AND THEN POSTED ON US. IT IS NOT DEMOCRATIC. It is totally wrong. The
:21:30. > :21:33.Conservative government decided it was not an offer for the Tees
:21:34. > :21:36.Valley. I was not going to turn down the opportunity to create jobs,
:21:37. > :21:41.bring in infrastructure, build houses and create a better place for
:21:42. > :21:45.people to live and that is not... Let's discuss some of those issues,
:21:46. > :21:53.because they cannot have a referendum until it is over anyway.
:21:54. > :21:58.Let's go to a third questioner. Teesside has benefited immensely
:21:59. > :22:01.from EU funding. When this is no longer available, what plans do the
:22:02. > :22:06.candidates have to opt in alternative funding? John Tennant, I
:22:07. > :22:12.am sure it was a great day for your and your party last year, and
:22:13. > :22:15.obviously the people of... The north-east of course voted to leave
:22:16. > :22:19.the European Union but there will be a hole left by the finding that
:22:20. > :22:23.comes to the area. What will you do? The point needs to be said that it
:22:24. > :22:28.is our money in the first place for as we leave the EU money is still
:22:29. > :22:34.there. We will not be giving it to the European institutions. Only for
:22:35. > :22:37.them to us to tell the defendant. We knew it was coming from Europe and
:22:38. > :22:40.do not know it is coming from anywhere else. We are still paying
:22:41. > :22:44.the same business rate and income tax. We will still get the same
:22:45. > :22:47.amount into the government department will not be giving it
:22:48. > :22:50.to... But we do not have a guarantee, and I know you're not in
:22:51. > :22:53.government, that the government will replace that money in a long term.
:22:54. > :22:57.They have said they will in the short-term but how do you do it in
:22:58. > :23:00.the long run? Speak at the mayor is going to have to go down to
:23:01. > :23:05.Westminster and fight and make the case to keep that funding going and
:23:06. > :23:09.it can be done, because we already have that funding. It is just we now
:23:10. > :23:13.have a situation whereby the EU is telling us to spend it, how to spend
:23:14. > :23:17.it. We will not have that problem any more. The government have given
:23:18. > :23:21.short-term guarantees. Ukip wants to see long-term guarantees. 'S ben,
:23:22. > :23:24.the government did make some short-term reassurance of about that
:23:25. > :23:29.but her vital is it that it is recognised that this money will need
:23:30. > :23:31.to be replaced, because it did make a difference? It did make a
:23:32. > :23:35.difference that I have to agree with John in that it does not mean that
:23:36. > :23:40.we cannot nationally impose our own system in which to support areas of
:23:41. > :23:44.the economy. We did not go far enough in that it is all very well
:23:45. > :23:47.and did getting ?100 million to Europe for them to send back half of
:23:48. > :23:51.it and tell you with strings attached how it should be spent. I
:23:52. > :23:54.would rather an elected national government of the UK fed on a
:23:55. > :23:58.platform we are going to spend this money and get to these regions in
:23:59. > :24:01.this form and we will support local economy. I do not think there is an
:24:02. > :24:04.issue from that point of view that we are all going to be in agreement
:24:05. > :24:23.that there needs to be some support in the form
:24:24. > :24:27.that it is going to take, and whoever becomes mayor, diffidently
:24:28. > :24:29.and Robbie Findley that funding, to continue to support the economy. In
:24:30. > :24:32.the longer term, I would suggest that we need to be able to grow the
:24:33. > :24:35.local economy so we are less reliant on those funds than in the past.
:24:36. > :24:37.Chris Foote Wood, Liberal Democrats and they enthusiasts for you, what
:24:38. > :24:40.is the alternative? It is to make the most of the situation that we
:24:41. > :24:43.have got. I was in favour of remaining but I am also a Democrat
:24:44. > :24:46.and the country voted to leave, they are for as far as I'm concerned, we
:24:47. > :24:48.are going to leave but make the best of that situation. It is quite
:24:49. > :24:52.obvious that with what Theresa May has set out we are going to leave
:24:53. > :24:55.and... What are you going to do as where to drive -- to try to fill any
:24:56. > :24:58.gaps might be poised to become a bursting to do is to make sure from
:24:59. > :25:02.government that European funding that we have previously got and the
:25:03. > :25:07.north-east is one of the biggest areas to receive European funding,
:25:08. > :25:11.that we want to make sure that all that funding still comes to us from
:25:12. > :25:15.the government, because it will not be paying it to the EU. We still
:25:16. > :25:18.made that equivalent of European funding to come here and that is
:25:19. > :25:21.something which you need to negotiate hard and make sure that
:25:22. > :25:25.you get it. I will. CHEERING
:25:26. > :25:30.Brexit is coming, how do you deal with that?
:25:31. > :25:33.45% of the investment pot that the combining authority have is made up
:25:34. > :25:37.of the EU funding. You can see immediately the scale of what we may
:25:38. > :25:47.lose. There is a clear investment process that we need to enable us to
:25:48. > :25:52.replace that fund and that is a ?25 million additional amount from
:25:53. > :25:57.government added to per year from 1919 onwards, and that will make up
:25:58. > :26:00.from the deference that we were losing European funding. I hope, and
:26:01. > :26:05.I would like to hear all of this panel, commit to ensuring that our
:26:06. > :26:10.government, whoever it might be after the election, will give us
:26:11. > :26:14.that ?25 million -- ?25 billion and ensure it is made up because of it
:26:15. > :26:18.is not we will be losing out as a region. I want to hear from the
:26:19. > :26:22.audience again, the gentleman there with his hand up in the middle of
:26:23. > :26:27.the back row. On past performance, all that money not go to the south
:26:28. > :26:33.east and not the north-east? Thank you very much for that comment. A
:26:34. > :26:37.woman just there. That is exactly the point I want to make. When you
:26:38. > :26:42.look at funding of the arts, for transport, per head of population it
:26:43. > :26:47.is disproportionately biased towards the south east, we are in dire
:26:48. > :26:51.straits without a European funding. It is going to get worse. I don't
:26:52. > :26:55.know how much more money you have got to cut from your local authority
:26:56. > :27:00.because of austerity, but in County Durham we have got another 100
:27:01. > :27:05.million to cut. What are you going to do to make central government,
:27:06. > :27:13.especially after this election, do something about that and treat the
:27:14. > :27:18.north-east fairly? The point is, I suppose, you are a Labour
:27:19. > :27:21.politician. Go down to London, try and talk to ministers, are they
:27:22. > :27:26.going to give you much of a hearing with your gap in your hand asking
:27:27. > :27:29.for more money? I am not going to go anywhere with a cap in hand. I am
:27:30. > :27:32.going to go with an investment plan which shows why they need to invest
:27:33. > :27:35.in the Tees Valley and by investing in the Tees Valley you will create
:27:36. > :27:39.wealth not only by the people that live here but the whole of the UK. I
:27:40. > :27:43.am very clear about what we did it. We need to see their distribution of
:27:44. > :27:46.those resources repatriated to this country as a result of Brexit and no
:27:47. > :27:49.more of this business of not distributing on the basis of need,
:27:50. > :27:52.which the government is doing time and time again. We have just seen
:27:53. > :27:57.the last revision of skills funding that severely disadvantaged schools
:27:58. > :28:02.in the North of England, and that sort of thing has got to change. --
:28:03. > :28:04.of schools. Some of the audience do not trust the Conservatives to
:28:05. > :28:09.deliver for this region. You may well be in government again passed
:28:10. > :28:15.this next election. Can you as a conservative influence them? The
:28:16. > :28:19.devolution deal was given to the Tees Valley area by a Conservative
:28:20. > :28:25.government, by the MP for Stockton South... Not as yet saying they will
:28:26. > :28:28.replace the European funding. He was the Northern powerhouse visitor who
:28:29. > :28:33.delivered on this page brought this additional funding.
:28:34. > :28:41.Will you tell the minister you want the European money replaced? It is a
:28:42. > :28:45.British money. It is coming back. If we elect a national Government,
:28:46. > :28:50.there will be additional funds available, because we are not paying
:28:51. > :28:54.to Europe, and it is up to the Government how we spend it. I would
:28:55. > :29:00.influence it by electing more Conservatives in the region. On the
:29:01. > :29:08.8th of June I am confident... What are you going to do at the mayor?
:29:09. > :29:13.Try and elect Conservative MPs? Of course the mayor will have
:29:14. > :29:16.influence, the mayor will walk into Whitehall with a new Conservative
:29:17. > :29:20.Government after the 8th of June and knock on the open door and say, we
:29:21. > :29:27.need additional funding. We will see what happens. A gentleman in the
:29:28. > :29:36.middle, in the striped shirt. Yes, sir. The only people who are going
:29:37. > :29:44.to make a profit out of this election and the forthcoming general
:29:45. > :29:52.election are the people who are the Chief Executive 's, and therefore
:29:53. > :30:14.the election officers, who will get a bonus of up to 15,000 just for
:30:15. > :30:14.running the election. I am sure that is not
:30:15. > :30:22.you not think this role has just you not think this role has just
:30:23. > :30:22.created to deflect attention from the
:30:23. > :30:22.delivering this deal, we have up to delivering this deal, we have up to
:30:23. > :30:27.against other investment. I will against other investment. I
:30:28. > :30:32.leveraged against the pension fund, which could contribute towards
:30:33. > :30:38.investment. Half ?1 billion goes into this area. When there is a
:30:39. > :30:44.Conservative Government, we saw it with the developer the Corporation,
:30:45. > :30:47.the retail park, the Teesdale site revamp, that is all under a
:30:48. > :30:54.Conservative Government, all funds that came through, and we will see
:30:55. > :30:57.it again. The Labour candidate intends to create the jobs to drive
:30:58. > :31:02.the market. That is a Labour candidate, we have five Labour
:31:03. > :31:11.authorities, they have not created the jobs. The Northern powerhouse is
:31:12. > :31:16.a complete failure. We had a Labour Government that ruined the economy
:31:17. > :31:23.nationally and... They lost jobs. We must move on. The Labour councils
:31:24. > :31:26.have been working with business over the last ten years creating jobs in
:31:27. > :31:32.the Tees Valley and doing a sterling job, despite the economic
:31:33. > :31:42.circumstances that we have had to work with. The next question. As a
:31:43. > :31:44.student at Newcastle University I often come across transport issues
:31:45. > :31:49.when travelling around the north-east. What plans do the
:31:50. > :31:51.candidates have for improving the local infrastructure and the
:31:52. > :31:59.transport connections within our area? Chris Foote Wood, I looked at
:32:00. > :32:04.your statement. You have a thing at the top, talking about an hour test
:32:05. > :32:08.track, which I worked out that if you went from hot to Darlington, it
:32:09. > :32:15.would take two minutes, 800 miles an hour! What would you do? It is a
:32:16. > :32:20.test track, it is to bring top-level technology to the area. It will be
:32:21. > :32:26.somewhere in this country, why not in the north-east? Why should we not
:32:27. > :32:32.build it? That will not help her move around. We need a metro. Every
:32:33. > :32:38.cannot have one in the Tees Valley cannot have one in the Tees Valley
:32:39. > :32:43.because the River Tees is in the way. We need a link downstream, it
:32:44. > :32:50.has already been mooted that we should have a road link downstream,
:32:51. > :32:55.let's have a road and rail link, I combined super bridge that will not
:32:56. > :33:01.only improve the road transport right around the Tees Valley, but
:33:02. > :33:08.also create a rail loop, and if you go to any... I have lived in
:33:09. > :33:12.Tyneside, in London, the Metro is essential for getting people around
:33:13. > :33:17.Wrigley, cheaply and easily. That would get everybody moving around.
:33:18. > :33:22.You could get to school, college, whatever, and that is what I want to
:33:23. > :33:28.see. I will come back to how we will fund this. John Tennant, you have
:33:29. > :33:32.talked about a metro as well. If we look at the success of the Metro
:33:33. > :33:37.system in Tyne Wear, it has helped the airport, both for people to go
:33:38. > :33:44.abroad and for people from abroad to visit, we do not have that in
:33:45. > :33:48.Teesside, but we could have it. How would you find it? You get ?15
:33:49. > :33:54.million a year and a transport budget, a metro costs hundreds of
:33:55. > :33:57.millions of pounds. The Last Panthers was mooted, thrown out by
:33:58. > :34:06.the coalition Government, they said no, we can bring it back to life,
:34:07. > :34:11.the last time it was priced at ?220 million, and a lot of private
:34:12. > :34:14.investment was interested. Could you do it yourself or is this something
:34:15. > :34:18.you would have to go to the Government for? Who would have to go
:34:19. > :34:23.to the Government, but we need the infrastructure. People have to
:34:24. > :34:26.travel from Hartlepool to Darlington and work, we have to get people
:34:27. > :34:32.travelling around. Businesses can go, we have a captive workforce,
:34:33. > :34:36.they are prepared to travel, and there is a system in place to help
:34:37. > :34:43.them get there quickly. It will also help the airport. It needs its
:34:44. > :34:47.infrastructure. I know you support the idea of the metro as well, but
:34:48. > :34:52.what else can be done? We need to see where we are. Because the local
:34:53. > :34:57.authorities have been working together collectively, we have a
:34:58. > :35:00.stronger position with an organisation which has ensured we
:35:01. > :35:05.will get Government funding for a number of big projects, not least
:35:06. > :35:08.the new crossing across the river Tees, which is really important,
:35:09. > :35:13.improvements to the railway tracks to ensure we can get freight from
:35:14. > :35:15.the port and out onto the main lines, and ensure that the road
:35:16. > :35:19.network is more effective going forward. One of those things are
:35:20. > :35:23.happening anyway, that is really good, and we are doing it because we
:35:24. > :35:29.have a collective voice, and if we had not stood together, we would not
:35:30. > :35:32.have had it. What is also important is we start getting public transport
:35:33. > :35:37.right, especially the buses. We have a new opportunity with the bill that
:35:38. > :35:40.will give us the option to start speaking to the bus companies and
:35:41. > :35:45.start thinking about how we can apply public subsidy in a way that
:35:46. > :35:52.ensures that we have got bus routes that get people to and from work,
:35:53. > :35:55.town centres, and around the region, to encourage our economy to grow,
:35:56. > :36:02.and that is crucial. Ben Houchen, how would you help people get around
:36:03. > :36:07.that? There are practical things. There is already an effort structure
:36:08. > :36:10.plan. Improvements to the a 19, Darlington station, track
:36:11. > :36:18.improvements, which would improve passenger numbers, as well as
:36:19. > :36:21.freight. We have the legislation of the line which links with the
:36:22. > :36:29.trans-Pennine. That is already going on. Would you go the same way? I
:36:30. > :36:34.think the buses is a shocking idea, and I would like to rule out the
:36:35. > :36:39.idea that a combined authority would run a bus franchise, but was
:36:40. > :36:45.otherwise the authority would become a bus franchise. It is all right for
:36:46. > :36:50.them to run an airport, apparently! Interesting! Tyne Wear looked at
:36:51. > :36:54.this idea, and a transport Commissioner decided it would not be
:36:55. > :36:59.able to afford to do it. Ready to look at the powers that the act
:37:00. > :37:03.gives us, because that was not available. I do not think the
:37:04. > :37:09.combined authority would wonder bus services, it would work with
:37:10. > :37:11.business and industry to work out where public funded bus services
:37:12. > :37:16.would support economic growth across the Tees Valley and use that
:37:17. > :37:19.selective investment to ensure we get services where we do not have
:37:20. > :37:26.them now. The next question, it is pertinent to transport. In light of
:37:27. > :37:29.recent controversy surrounding the airport, what with the candidates do
:37:30. > :37:33.to ensure a viable future for the local airport? There is one
:37:34. > :37:40.candidate who has been very clear about what his plans are, we will
:37:41. > :37:44.question him about it. Firstly, I quality side airport, the idea we
:37:45. > :37:49.call it Tees Valley anything is ridiculous, this made up in the
:37:50. > :37:55.deep. It is a positive, because... What is your plan? Who want to buy
:37:56. > :38:00.it. We could talk about infrastructure, transport to and
:38:01. > :38:03.from, how fantastic the local economy would be, but the biggest
:38:04. > :38:09.problem with the airport are the owners. Until it is addressed about
:38:10. > :38:14.what we do about the current owners, who are not interested in running it
:38:15. > :38:17.as an airport, and are holding all five Labour run authorities to
:38:18. > :38:22.ransom on pension contributions, and houses that have been approved,
:38:23. > :38:26.until we address the issue of ownership, and the only option is
:38:27. > :38:30.taking them out of ownership, the airport will not be here in five
:38:31. > :38:36.years. There will be no money left. It is an important issue. The
:38:37. > :38:40.company are not here to defend themselves, they want to carry on
:38:41. > :38:46.running services. If you are committed to this and this is your
:38:47. > :38:47.policy, you have to deliver it, they just keep raising the price to sell
:38:48. > :38:54.it to you. They have you over a it to you. They have you over a
:38:55. > :39:02.barrel. I disagree. There is a plan that would mean that is not a's that
:39:03. > :39:04.that would not happen. There are compulsory purchase powers that have
:39:05. > :39:08.been devolved to the Mayor, which would be used as a last resort. We
:39:09. > :39:13.resolution around the table. There resolution around the table. There
:39:14. > :39:16.are other powers that could be set up. There are partnerships in
:39:17. > :39:20.Newcastle Airport and Manchester Airport that have seen them thrive.
:39:21. > :39:24.There are plenty of options available, but until they come
:39:25. > :39:27.around the table, rather than picking the pockets of the
:39:28. > :39:34.authorities and asking for more and giving nothing back... They have
:39:35. > :39:38.only committed to keeping the airport open for five years, because
:39:39. > :39:42.the local authorities said there would take on the responsible the
:39:43. > :39:49.pension, and they have given houses in Darlington. That at least is a
:39:50. > :39:56.plan for revising an airport that is in bad trouble. About the planning
:39:57. > :39:59.system, it is unacceptable for the candidate to sit there and say that
:40:00. > :40:03.the planning system in some way is skewed towards secure objectives
:40:04. > :40:10.that are not planning objectives. The system is was a judicial, run in
:40:11. > :40:19.a fair way. We need to know that. It is wrong... You are not in favour of
:40:20. > :40:22.taking them into public ownership. I would not buy an airport that is
:40:23. > :40:30.losing ?2 million a year and pass that debt onto every single one of
:40:31. > :40:35.you. You just sold one for ?500,000. You would take a piece of
:40:36. > :40:40.infrastructure that is so important and give it away. That is what
:40:41. > :40:48.Labour did in the early 2000. Will not listen to the answer! Let her
:40:49. > :40:53.speak. I will not buy the airport, I will invest in it and turn it into
:40:54. > :40:57.the thriving international gateway that we should have in the Tees
:40:58. > :41:03.Valley if our economy is going to grow. You not doing the company's
:41:04. > :41:07.job for them? Everything I will do is about growing our economy,
:41:08. > :41:11.creating jobs and making is a thriving community, and this is a
:41:12. > :41:16.key part of that. I am not doing their job for them. I am working in
:41:17. > :41:21.partnership with a major business in the Tees Valley, as I am doing
:41:22. > :41:26.across the Tees Valley, physical the best possible outcome. There are a
:41:27. > :41:31.number of things that need to be done. I do not want to go into all
:41:32. > :41:36.of them. Are you confident it will revive the airport? There are real
:41:37. > :41:41.opportunities, not least with the third runway at Heathrow, we will
:41:42. > :41:47.get direct flights. That bring the rest of the panel in. The one thing
:41:48. > :41:50.that is stopping us having a thriving airport that we need this
:41:51. > :41:54.the recent decision by the Labour-controlled Darlington Borough
:41:55. > :42:04.Council to give planning permission for 350 houses right next to the
:42:05. > :42:10.airport. That decision has to be reversed if the airport is to have a
:42:11. > :42:13.proper future. Here we have Sue Jeffrey sitting here talking about
:42:14. > :42:17.the airport, she is a member of the airport board applied for the
:42:18. > :42:20.planning permission. She has a conflict of interest, she should not
:42:21. > :42:28.be on the board and on the combined authority. I will let you come back
:42:29. > :42:31.in one minute. It is not often that I agree with the Liberal Democrats,
:42:32. > :42:36.but having said that, the most important thing is as regards the
:42:37. > :42:41.airport, it needs the infrastructure around it. It needs the ability for
:42:42. > :42:47.people to get there and it will attract investment. 350 houses built
:42:48. > :42:52.next to an airport is an absolute shambles, it is a terrible idea,
:42:53. > :42:55.because if the airport gets its investment and it expands, those
:42:56. > :43:01.houses will have to be pulled down. We need a longer term plan. Let's
:43:02. > :43:03.stop wasting taxpayers' money. Labour cannot be trusted on the
:43:04. > :43:14.economy. 13 years of Government... The suggestion that there is any
:43:15. > :43:17.influence but I have over a planning decision in Darlington is completely
:43:18. > :43:23.and absolutely wrong... You applied for at! You applied for the planning
:43:24. > :43:26.permission. And yes, I do have an interest in Durham Tees Valley
:43:27. > :43:31.airport. I have an interest to make it grow and thrive and be
:43:32. > :43:37.successful. Letter from the audience because there are a lot of passion.
:43:38. > :43:40.Just to put this into perspective, what happened on the 29th of March
:43:41. > :43:47.was that the Labour-controlled council in Darlington gave Peel ?25
:43:48. > :43:51.million. Prior to that date, the Peel Holdings were telling you that
:43:52. > :43:56.the port was losing ?200,000 per month. It was effectively worthless.
:43:57. > :44:01.Since they got the planning approved, it is now worth ?25
:44:02. > :44:06.million minimum. But look at it this way. The port, that ?25 million
:44:07. > :44:11.value is the land at about ?1 million per hectare. There is 338
:44:12. > :44:15.hectares of land there. How are you going to resist any further planning
:44:16. > :44:25.applications for housing? I will tell
:44:26. > :44:35.you, if I go for? Wake up, you lot. We have already talked in terms of
:44:36. > :44:37.the cost of the board. Fundamentally, it is because we did
:44:38. > :44:41.not get regional theatres when we had a Labour government. Why did the
:44:42. > :44:45.Conservative Government not give it regional status and allowed to raise
:44:46. > :44:48.funds and expand? We talk about costs, it is rather surprising that
:44:49. > :44:53.Sue Jeffrey is not mentioned that the council just got cost for a
:44:54. > :44:58.millions of pounds pension make up for appeal all in October the outset
:44:59. > :45:02.it was 300,000, and no one point of a million is to be found for me, you
:45:03. > :45:07.and everybody else in this room to pay for that. Let's take the
:45:08. > :45:12.gentleman in the golden tie. The shambolic management of the entire
:45:13. > :45:18.Teesside airport is a demonstration of why we need devolution, to have
:45:19. > :45:22.an authority that is big enough to manage the critical fight off the
:45:23. > :45:28.value itself and, above all, and under no circumstances should this
:45:29. > :45:32.be an extension of the 1-party state by the Labour Party that has brought
:45:33. > :45:44.this region to its knees over decades. One more coming from the
:45:45. > :45:48.audience. This whole issue about the Tees Valley airport, or Teesside
:45:49. > :45:52.airport, has been brought about because of the combined authority,
:45:53. > :45:56.they sold it for a pittance. They owned 11% of the airport right now.
:45:57. > :45:59.Had they not sold it for next to nothing, the council would still own
:46:00. > :46:04.it and we would not have this problem of no houses being built on
:46:05. > :46:06.it and we could invest in it. It is totally disgraceful what these
:46:07. > :46:15.Labour run councils have done over the years. The councils have been
:46:16. > :46:18.working as hard as they can over the last numbers of years to secure the
:46:19. > :46:27.future of Durham Tees Valley airport. We continue to do that by
:46:28. > :46:31.ensuring... By building housing on it. By ensuring that there will be
:46:32. > :46:34.investment going forward and that investment is going to do a number
:46:35. > :46:39.of things that will secure the future of that airport and the fact
:46:40. > :46:43.is, without doubt airport, our economy will not succeed and it is
:46:44. > :46:48.in all of our interest to get pains plans to see its future secured. Is
:46:49. > :46:55.there anybody in the audience who has got a comment on buses, trains,
:46:56. > :47:00.any other element of transport? Gentleman in the middle. On the
:47:01. > :47:13.metro, be careful of what you ask for, because the Tyne... Tyne and
:47:14. > :47:18.Wear Metro. Yes, every now and again, about once in seven days, it
:47:19. > :47:24.announces that there are no problems on the metro. The reason it has to
:47:25. > :47:29.announce it is because breakdowns are so frequent, because there is
:47:30. > :47:37.not enough investment to keep the metro going properly. Anybody else
:47:38. > :47:44.with views on transport? My comment is not about the metro, actually,
:47:45. > :47:54.but what I find very often... Issues being discussed by people who are
:47:55. > :47:59.not by a large transport users. I do not drive until I on public
:48:00. > :48:02.transport and sadly over the years, the years, the subsidies to bus
:48:03. > :48:05.services have been cut. I live in East Cleveland and it is extremely
:48:06. > :48:09.difficult to travel around East Cleveland on a bus after five
:48:10. > :48:14.o'clock in the evening and that is fundamental to people's quality of
:48:15. > :48:18.life, and that is the kind of integrated transport plans that we
:48:19. > :48:26.need for ordinary people who actually... Whose lives are affected
:48:27. > :48:31.by lack of public transport. Applause
:48:32. > :48:34.Slight problem with the sound. I take the train every day to
:48:35. > :48:38.Middlesbrough where I work and frequently between dialects. The
:48:39. > :48:46.trains that we take were built when I was six years old, 30 years ago,
:48:47. > :48:49.there is no connection. When my dad was ill in James Cook, if you go
:48:50. > :48:53.from Saltburn to Middlesbrough you have to wait for ageing. There is no
:48:54. > :48:56.connections between the different train companies or if you need to
:48:57. > :48:59.take a bus. They do not come at the same time. Everybody has to wait and
:49:00. > :49:03.there is now joined up nice and that is why Transport for London works
:49:04. > :49:06.because they do that with lots of private companies as well as the
:49:07. > :49:13.public once so what are you going to do about that? John Tennant, what
:49:14. > :49:15.would you do to help some of these problems? Basically you're making
:49:16. > :49:22.the same point that I made earlier on, we need to have a metro system
:49:23. > :49:26.with frequent services. And those services, and each station needs to
:49:27. > :49:29.have its bus service so it is fitting it to. It has got to be
:49:30. > :49:37.integrated, as the lady said earlier on. Chris Foote Wood as well. I am
:49:38. > :49:40.well old enough to have a bus pass and use it frequently and I think it
:49:41. > :49:44.is one of the best things that ever happened. The only thing is, having
:49:45. > :49:48.a bus pass is no good if there is no buses. So you need to find some ways
:49:49. > :49:54.of improving the situation, because it is quite true. The subsidies on
:49:55. > :49:59.buses have all gone, and that is why the services have been cut back. It
:50:00. > :50:02.simply means that if you want better services, you're going to have to
:50:03. > :50:06.find some means of getting money into them, whether it is from
:50:07. > :50:13.wherever it comes from. The other thing is of course escort mission. I
:50:14. > :50:17.quite agree. Having travelled widely on the continent, you go to cities
:50:18. > :50:20.on the continent, what do you find? The buses and trains actually
:50:21. > :50:27.coincide with one another! Is it not wonderful? Why can we not do that?
:50:28. > :50:31.Just on the trains. We are running short on time so I am going to run
:50:32. > :50:38.it on to our next question, Yvonne Richardson. Much of our older local
:50:39. > :50:40.housing stock is being bought up by private, Providence accessed
:50:41. > :50:46.landlords who have no interest in the community and do not carry out
:50:47. > :50:50.proper repairs. -- profit obsessed. What will you do to tackle this and
:50:51. > :50:56.ensure investment goes into these homes? We are starting to run short
:50:57. > :51:00.on time but Sue Jeffrey, on housing, how would you answer that? Housing
:51:01. > :51:03.market renewal funding ran out into those in sex. That was the money
:51:04. > :51:06.that was going to regenerate communities right across the Tees
:51:07. > :51:10.Valley. It was lost, it does not happen, we need to get that money
:51:11. > :51:13.back into those communities to ensure that those areas are
:51:14. > :51:20.generated. It cannot just be about building houses on greenfield sites.
:51:21. > :51:23.It must be about putting the heart back into our town centres and our
:51:24. > :51:26.communities, as I say, like the place that I represent, South bank
:51:27. > :51:31.in Middlesborough. For too long, we have the money going into, as I say,
:51:32. > :51:34.just building new homes. We need money going into regeneration and
:51:35. > :51:37.proper regeneration, not just in terms of bricks and mortar but also
:51:38. > :51:42.the people and communities that live there. What would you do on housing
:51:43. > :51:45.if elected mayor? There must combined authority has a land
:51:46. > :51:50.commission and to be able to address the housing issue, we need more
:51:51. > :51:53.affordable housing and for me across the set, Denton and Hartlepool we
:51:54. > :51:57.need more housing generally and one of my key policies is to allow the
:51:58. > :52:02.land commissioner, as part of the combined authority, to find a viable
:52:03. > :52:06.sites for a new village, a new town with a master plan so it has the
:52:07. > :52:10.infrastructure... Have you got any idea of where that would go?
:52:11. > :52:16.Mol-mac, I am not an expert on land planning. So is this to avoid the
:52:17. > :52:20.knot in my backyard issues will you park it in the middle of nowhere?
:52:21. > :52:25.No. There is a serious point. For too long, across the area we have
:52:26. > :52:28.got local authorities that do not have up-to-date local plans and so
:52:29. > :52:32.haphazardly approving planning proposals across the region that are
:52:33. > :52:35.affecting our market towns and villages and hamlets, that are being
:52:36. > :52:39.attacked by ad hoc planning applications from developers. A
:52:40. > :52:45.chunk of those ad hoc housing requirements could be soaked up by a
:52:46. > :52:48.new site, that is one of the key reasons for it. On top of that, the
:52:49. > :52:52.combined authority, and I would be looking at funds of additional
:52:53. > :52:57.funding to bring back into use some brownfield sites were in previous
:52:58. > :53:02.years that funding has not come in. John, on housing, short of time, one
:53:03. > :53:06.idea? The thing is, we have to look at... Bringing a lot of indie houses
:53:07. > :53:11.back into use. There is a lot of them in the Tees Valley. -- empty
:53:12. > :53:14.houses. That is how we solve the social houses crisis we're having
:53:15. > :53:18.because the Right to Buy scheme destroyed social housing. We have
:53:19. > :53:21.got to put a stop to that and to protect people, particularly
:53:22. > :53:23.vulnerable and people who cannot afford to get onto the housing
:53:24. > :53:27.ladder. That is what we should be doing and not what Labour or the
:53:28. > :53:33.Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats are offering you. Chris
:53:34. > :53:38.Foote Wood, what would you offer? I would like to see, when I was a
:53:39. > :53:41.Council Leader, we emphasised renewing houses, repairing houses,
:53:42. > :53:47.renovating and bringing up to modern standards. It is almost always
:53:48. > :53:51.better, instead of knocking a house down to modernise it. It costs less
:53:52. > :53:56.and it keeps the community together. That is the principle I would like
:53:57. > :53:59.to see done, particularly whereas in Middlesbrough, where I used to live,
:54:00. > :54:03.vast areas in dereliction of where it has been flung clearance to stop
:54:04. > :54:09.when you clear the slums, you're not just clearing houses, the people are
:54:10. > :54:11.making out and you are losing your communities. I agree it is silly.
:54:12. > :54:17.Let's keep the community together by making sure that housing is brought
:54:18. > :54:22.up to modern standards. -- I agree with Sue Jeffrey is. It saves a lot
:54:23. > :54:29.of money. Let's move onto our final tonight. This is a lot of response
:54:30. > :54:38.ability. What experience do you have that makes you best suited for the
:54:39. > :54:41.job? Let's go to Ben. I think I've got a lot of experience. I am
:54:42. > :54:44.currently reading the Conservative group on Stockton Council, so I have
:54:45. > :54:47.a good understanding of the pressure that local authorities face but also
:54:48. > :54:52.some of the opportunities that local authorities are possibly not taking
:54:53. > :54:55.advantage of that can be done by the combined authority. I also run my
:54:56. > :55:01.own business, started my own business just over 12 months ago. I
:55:02. > :55:05.grew that with myself -- from myself and a couple of other people to more
:55:06. > :55:08.than 20 employees. I understand the pressures faced by the business
:55:09. > :55:13.community over skills, training, access to funding, business rates. I
:55:14. > :55:17.was also in private practice as a solicitor for a number of years and
:55:18. > :55:20.so have seen the same problems from clients across the Tees Valley, who
:55:21. > :55:23.are facing both finishes. I have got not just the public experience but
:55:24. > :55:30.also the private experience of what is happening on a daily basis. John
:55:31. > :55:33.Tennant. Your qualifications? I am the leader of the UK opposition
:55:34. > :55:36.group on Hartlepool Borough Council and that experience at a local
:55:37. > :55:39.level. From ordinary people, I understand about the Tees Valley
:55:40. > :55:42.combined authority and most people do not like it. They do not support
:55:43. > :55:46.it. As somebody who has been involved in Ukip for a long time, we
:55:47. > :55:50.were the party that brought to there the pressure on the government to
:55:51. > :55:53.offer the referendum. We can do the referendum. We can do this in here
:55:54. > :56:04.and I have that experience. I have heard you talk about career
:56:05. > :56:06.politicians, but what do you have talked about having no career
:56:07. > :56:09.politicians, but you are a career politician. Of course not. I have
:56:10. > :56:13.been Ukip for a long time. The point being we have always been turkeys
:56:14. > :56:16.voting for Christmas and we have achieved far more as a party in 23
:56:17. > :56:20.years... You are not really getting personal qualities. I am going to
:56:21. > :56:25.move it on. Chris Foote Wood, your personal qualities? I am not a
:56:26. > :56:31.modest guy. I know my capabilities and I would say without doubt I am
:56:32. > :56:35.the best qualified person of the four to be mayor of Tees Valley. I
:56:36. > :56:40.have been a Council Leader for six years, making real decisions. I have
:56:41. > :56:44.also been, more important, a member of all-party bodies. I make a point
:56:45. > :56:50.here. We already have five out of the six members of the combined
:56:51. > :56:55.authority are Labour. If we have a Labour mayor, it will be the
:56:56. > :57:00.equivalent of a 1-party state. The way that this should be run, this
:57:01. > :57:04.should be run to be successful on an all-party basis and I believe when
:57:05. > :57:09.you go to government, and I used to go to government, lead a delegation,
:57:10. > :57:11.but I made sure that delegation included representatives of the
:57:12. > :57:17.other parties on the council, because when you go to government,
:57:18. > :57:20.it is much better to say we are representing on an all-party basis,
:57:21. > :57:24.the whole of the Tees Valley, and that is what I will do. I need to
:57:25. > :57:28.get Sue Jeffrey on. You might want to answer that. It is a labour cabal
:57:29. > :57:33.of you're the head of this. The command my personal qualities, first
:57:34. > :57:37.and foremost, I have only the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council.
:57:38. > :57:43.Before that, I was a housing professional. I work in planning,
:57:44. > :57:46.development and the regional level. I have written authorisation that
:57:47. > :57:49.after Madrid was the Tees Valley and more. More than that, I am a
:57:50. > :57:54.resident in Southbank. I know about my community and work on it.
:57:55. > :57:59.And how about the causes of you sitting with five Labour councillors
:58:00. > :58:02.questioned a big Mac and I am a mum and grandmother, which I am proud
:58:03. > :58:09.of. In terms of being a Labour cabal, as you call it, what it is
:58:10. > :58:13.about is a partnership of local authorities, the mayor, business and
:58:14. > :58:16.the community and the whole of the Tees Valley, 600,000 -- more than
:58:17. > :58:19.600,000 people standing together, fighting for the Tees Valley thing
:58:20. > :58:22.we are going to do things for ourselves, make a difference, grow
:58:23. > :58:25.our economy, create jobs and be a better place. That is what I am
:58:26. > :58:30.standing for. I would love to have time to go back
:58:31. > :58:34.to the audience but unfortunately, it is against us and has run out. My
:58:35. > :58:38.thanks to the panel, to our audience here at the Macmillan Academy and,
:58:39. > :58:43.of course, to you at home for tuning in. The debate goes on. Just
:58:44. > :58:46.remember that the Twitter # is tease me if you want to have your say in
:58:47. > :58:49.what you have heard and there is much more about the mayoral
:58:50. > :58:52.conflicts coming up over the next few days with more online. It has
:58:53. > :58:55.been a lively debate and it is a pretty big job ahead for whoever
:58:56. > :58:58.wins this election on the 4th of May but for now, it is good night from
:58:59. > :59:04.Middlesbrough. Spring is arriving -
:59:05. > :59:07.in a whirlwind of pink. We're in Japan to celebrate
:59:08. > :59:10.the sakura. So join us on Friday,
:59:11. > :59:15.21 April at 8.30 on BBC TWO. TV: He's not your father.
:59:16. > :59:27.WOMAN GASPS so why not pay your TV licence in
:59:28. > :59:41.weekly instalments, too?