Northern mayors are united on getting a better deal for region

THE Tees Valley Mayor has hailed the arrival of The Great North, while addressing concerns about the upcoming spending review.

- By DANIEL HODGSON Local democracy reporter

Ben Houchen was optimistic about the future at a gathering of Northern mayors in Leeds on Monday.

During an interview, Mayor Houchen said that he thought he had been treated better by the current Labour government than previous Conservative governments had treated Labour mayors.

The Tees Valley Mayor was quizzed on what he hoped to achieve from the day's launch.

He was also asked how he felt about the upcoming spending review, taking place on June 11.

The review is a point of interest for many combined authorities, not least the Tees Valley, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves will determine how much of the previously allocated £978m the Tees Valley will receive from CRSTS2 (City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements) funding.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, on what he hoped to achieve from the gathering in West Yorkshire, Mayor Houchen said: "I think for a number of years now, we obviously had the Northern Powerhouse, which went very very well, and kind of launched the North as a distinct place.

"We then had Boris kind of levelling up and that had its time and place as well.