2017 Tees Valley mayoral election

The inaugural Tees Valley mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. The mayor was elected by the supplementary vote system. Subsequent elections will be held in May 2021 and every four years after 2024.[1][2]

2017 Tees Valley mayoral election
4 May 2017
Turnout21.3%
 
Candidate Ben Houchen Sue Jeffrey
Party Conservative Labour Co-op
1st Round vote 40,278 39,797
Percentage 39.5% 39.0%
2nd Round vote 48,578 46,400
Percentage 51.1% 48.9%
 
Candidate Chris Foote Wood John Tennant
Party Liberal Democrats UKIP
1st Round vote 12,550 9,475
Percentage 12.3% 9.3%
2nd Round vote Eliminated Eliminated
Percentage Eliminated Eliminated
Map of the results by borough

North East England is a Labour stronghold and prior to the election, the Labour candidate Sue Jeffrey was considered the overwhelming favourite.[3] The eventual victory of the Conservative candidate Ben Houchen was reported as a shock and a poor result for Labour following their losses in the local elections that same day.[4]

Background

Following a devolution deal between the UK government and the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), it was agreed to introduce a directly-elected mayor for the combined authority, with an initial election to be held in May 2017. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 required a directly-elected metro mayor for combined authorities to receive additional powers from central government.[5]

Candidates

Conservative Party

Ben Houchen, Conservative group leader on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.[6][7]

Labour Party

Sue Jeffrey, Redcar and Cleveland Council leader.[8][9]

Liberal Democrats

Chris Foote Wood, author and former Bishop Auckland district councillor, was selected to be the Liberal Democrat candidate after defeating Anne-Marie Curry, Liberal Democrat group leader on Darlington Borough Council, in a ballot of party members.[10][11]

North East Party

John Tait, former Parliamentary candidate in Stockton North, withdrew from the race after failing to raise the required £5,000 deposit.[12]

UK Independence

John Tennant, UKIP group leader on Hartlepool Borough Council.[13]

Results

Overall
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017[14][15]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative Ben Houchen 40,278 39.5% 8,300 48,578 51.1%
​​
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 39,797 39.0% 6,603 46,400 48.9%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 12,550 12.3%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 9,475 9.3%
​​
Turnout 103,767 21.3%

Darlington
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017 (Darlington)[16]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative Ben Houchen 7,155 41.9% 1,708 8,863 56.2%
​​
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 5,571 32.7% 1,343 6,914 43.8%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 3,395 19.9%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 938 5.5%
​​
Turnout 17,059

Hartlepool
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017 (Hartlepool)[16]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 4,242 35.2% 1,250 5,492 53.2%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 3,486 28.9%
​​
Conservative Ben Houchen 3,233 26.8% 1,607 4,840 46.8%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 1,102 9.1%
​​
Turnout 12,063

Middlesbrough
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017 (Middlesbrough)[16]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 8,470 47.5% 969 9,439 55.9%
​​
Conservative Ben Houchen 6,223 34.9% 1,210 7,433 44.1%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 1,887 10.6%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 1,243 10.6%
​​
Turnout 17,823

Redcar and Cleveland
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017 (Redcar and Cleveland)[16]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 9,471 44.4% 1,189 10,660 53.7%
​​
Conservative Ben Houchen 7,555 35.4% 1,628 9,183 46.3%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 2,740 12.8%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 1,576 7.4%
​​
Turnout 21,342

Stockton-on-Tees
Tees Valley Mayoral Election 2017 (Stockton-on-Tees)[16]
Party Candidate 1st round 2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
Total Of round Transfers Total Of round
Conservative Ben Houchen 16,112 47.7% 2,147 18,259 56.8%
​​
Labour Co-op Sue Jeffrey 12,043 35.6% 1,852 13,895 43.2%
​​
Liberal Democrats Chris Foote Wood 3,426 10.1%
​​
UKIP John Tennant 2,232 6.6%
​​
Turnout 33,813

References
  1. "The Tees Valley Combined Authority (Election of Mayor) Order 2016". Legislation.gov.uk. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. "Date Set For First Tees Valley Mayoral Election - Tees Valley Combined Authority". Teesvalley-ca.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. Jonn Elledge (27 April 2017). "Who will be mayor of the Tees Valley?". CityMetric – New Statesman. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  4. Felicity Collinson (5 May 2017). "What are the nationals saying about the shock result at the Tees mayoral election?". Teesside Gazette. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  5. "Everything you need to know about metro mayors: an FAQ". Centre for Cities. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  6. "Ben Houchen (@BenHouchen) - Twitter". twitter.com.
  7. "Ben Houchen chosen to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of Tees Valley - Conservative Home".
  8. Brown, Mike (31 October 2016). "Sue Jeffrey intends to stand for 'Teesside Metro Mayor'". gazettelive. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. "Labour North on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  10. Keane Duncan (23 February 2017). "Liberal Democrats select 'veteran campaigner' as Tees mayor candidate". GazetteLive. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  11. "Brother of comedian Victoria Wood set to stand for Teesside Mayor". Hartlepool Mail. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  12. Julia Breen (24 March 2017). "Tees Valley Mayoral candidate John Tait, of the North East Party, pulls out of race". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  13. "David Macmillan on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  14. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  15. Jonn Elledge (5 May 2017). "Liveblog: What is happening with England's metro mayoral elections?". City Metric.
  16. "Certificate of Verification: Tees Valley Mayoral Election, Thursday 4 May 2017" (PDF). Stockton-on Tees Borough Council.
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