Voting in the North East mayoral election is the most important thing you can do this week

This week will see the North East elect its first regional mayor – and we are urging people around the region to embrace the opportunity by turning out to vote.

The mayor for the North East will have wide-ranging powers to make a difference in communities across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham, including ways of improving public transport, building new homes and bringing more and better jobs to the region. The deal could be worth more than £6bn and aims to support the creation of 24,000 new jobs.

Recent polling suggested that public awareness of the election is lower than in areas that have already had devolution, with just 28% of people said to be aware of the vote on Thursday. But strong public support is crucial for the candidates hoping to help shape the region’s future from the North East rather than in London.

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Earlier this year, ChronicleLive said that 2024 could be a “pivotal” year for the region, with elections locally and nationally setting out what people want for their communities over the next four or five years. Successful negotiations with the Government means that the mayor has been given even greater powers but a strong mandate from the public is crucial to providing legitimacy to the new mayoral authority.

ChronicleLive has long argued that devolution is crucial to turning around the fortunes of the region.

The North East has wonderful people and strong communities but it also has huge challenges in areas like the economy, health and education. Tackling those challenges and finding solutions within the North East has to be better than allowing decisions to be made purely in Whitehall.

There have already been signs of the benefits that a North East Mayoral Combined Authority could bring, not least the funding agreed to help build the massive Crown Works film studios in Sunderland. There are likely to be more announcements in the coming weeks and months on issues such as the future of the Shields Ferry, the running of bus services in the region and measures to boost the rural economy.

Once the new mayor is elected, ChronicleLive will hold that person to account to ensure he or she does the best for the region. But this week, the most important thing is that as many people as possible cast their vote to elect who that will be.