Many people on the message board have been saying that they do not know enough about Tees Valley Mayor Labour candidate Chris McEwan. Obviously it isn't always going to be so easy for him to get as much space in local newspapers etc with or without pay walls. Last week many Boro fans had a chance to meet Chris when he was invited guest of Steve Gibson at the Q and A at the Riverside.
For the benefit of all those that couldn't get tickets I thought I would find out a little about the Labour candidate and what difference he could make for you in the Tees Valley area.
Chris grew up in the Green Lane area of Middlesbrough and has lived in Darlington for over 30 years. He lives with his wife Amanda, a Nurse Practitioner, and has three daughters who were brought in the Darlington area.
Chris went to school in Middlesbrough and later sunk his first pint in the Linny. After completing a degree he has worked for the NHS, and as a local councillor (and Mayor) in Darlington. Locally, Chris is a Trustee of Redcar-based Charity, the Junction Foundation, which works to improve the lives of young carers.
It says in his biog that 'he has lived in our communities his entire life, he understands them, and knows that what they need is to be listened to, not offered gimmicks and unfulfilled promises.'
There has been a disappointing lack of transparency in the Tees Valley over the last 7 years. Chris would open up the office of Mayor to proper scrutiny, and rebuild the trust that has broken down in recent years. Bringing communities and business together to get the Tees Valley moving again.
What will he change?
- He will bring back free town centre car parking – this will help people and town centres that are currently struggling, Funded from the Freeport.
- Introduce a £2 fare cap on buses and trains. And also work to join up the broken transport system. While continuing to back the airport. Transport and infrastructure are a big part of the remit of the Tees Valley Mayor and trying to get anywhere on the bus, especially one town to another is ridiculously time consuming and expensive (and unreliable) these days.
- He will work to create thousands of new jobs, supporting green industries of the future. "I’ll make sure local people can make the most of those opportunities, by giving a Guaranteed Skills and Employment Review to everyone at ages 16,24 and 50."
- Invest in CCTV to make streets safer again. Labour have done this already in Darlington. If anyone has been recently you will find that it is the one local town centre that has really turned things around of late.
“I will be a Mayor you can trust to deliver on your priorities,” Chris says, “I’ll host regular Mayor’s Question Time sessions. Work together with our communities, local businesses and charities, so that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. I’ll open up the books on Teesworks and Freeport, to give business the confidence to invest.”
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For the benefit of all those that couldn't get tickets I thought I would find out a little about the Labour candidate and what difference he could make for you in the Tees Valley area.
Chris grew up in the Green Lane area of Middlesbrough and has lived in Darlington for over 30 years. He lives with his wife Amanda, a Nurse Practitioner, and has three daughters who were brought in the Darlington area.
Chris went to school in Middlesbrough and later sunk his first pint in the Linny. After completing a degree he has worked for the NHS, and as a local councillor (and Mayor) in Darlington. Locally, Chris is a Trustee of Redcar-based Charity, the Junction Foundation, which works to improve the lives of young carers.
It says in his biog that 'he has lived in our communities his entire life, he understands them, and knows that what they need is to be listened to, not offered gimmicks and unfulfilled promises.'
There has been a disappointing lack of transparency in the Tees Valley over the last 7 years. Chris would open up the office of Mayor to proper scrutiny, and rebuild the trust that has broken down in recent years. Bringing communities and business together to get the Tees Valley moving again.
What will he change?
- He will bring back free town centre car parking – this will help people and town centres that are currently struggling, Funded from the Freeport.
- Introduce a £2 fare cap on buses and trains. And also work to join up the broken transport system. While continuing to back the airport. Transport and infrastructure are a big part of the remit of the Tees Valley Mayor and trying to get anywhere on the bus, especially one town to another is ridiculously time consuming and expensive (and unreliable) these days.
- He will work to create thousands of new jobs, supporting green industries of the future. "I’ll make sure local people can make the most of those opportunities, by giving a Guaranteed Skills and Employment Review to everyone at ages 16,24 and 50."
- Invest in CCTV to make streets safer again. Labour have done this already in Darlington. If anyone has been recently you will find that it is the one local town centre that has really turned things around of late.
“I will be a Mayor you can trust to deliver on your priorities,” Chris says, “I’ll host regular Mayor’s Question Time sessions. Work together with our communities, local businesses and charities, so that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. I’ll open up the books on Teesworks and Freeport, to give business the confidence to invest.”
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