Tees Valley Mayor election: Who is Ben Houchen?
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Voters will elect the Tees Valley Mayor on 2 May, to represent about 670,000 people across five local authorities: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.
The mayor has devolved powers and funding to make local decisions, including on: economic development, transport, skills and adult training, regeneration, culture and tourism.
The role was created in 2017 and is currently held by Conservative Ben Houchen, who was re-elected in May 2021.
Ben Houchen is the current Tees Valley Mayor
He is running again as the Conservative Party candidate. Mr Houchen, 37, was born on Teesside, has worked as a qualified solicitor and founded an international sportswear business before stepping down to work full time in his mayoral role. He is also known as 'Lord Houchen of High Leven' after being named in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list. He currently lives in Yarm with his wife, a French teacher at a local secondary school.
He has pledged to build a hospital and grow the airport
He says his number one priority for the region is building a "new state-of-the-art hospital it needs and deserves", and he said he will grow Teesside International Airport with "more flights and more investment".
He will continue to bring 'jobs, hope and prosperity'
Mr Houchen says he will ensure local people feel the benefit of everything he and his team have done for the past seven years through the regeneration of town centres. "We have a plan that is transforming our communities for the better," he said.
He says he delivers on his promises
"I do exactly what I say I’m going to do," he said, adding: "Whether it be saving our airport, bringing steel making back to Teesside, securing the UK’s first and largest freeport, creating thousands of jobs or delivering the Treasury to Darlington – I deliver."
The Tees Valley is his home
When asked what he loves most about the region, he said it was where he was born, raised and where he would live for the rest of his life. Mr Houchen said: "It’s where I started my own family and it’s where I want my daughter to grow up to live a wonderful and prosperous life right here in our region."
