Reports from tees valley. An icon of a vibrant an icon of a vibrant industrial an icon of a vibrant industrial past, now out of action, symbolising area struggling to find its feet. Tees valley, and infinite hercules in its day, a white capital of imake income is now clearing a site of past glories and looking for new ventures. A painful process with economic decline, alongside pockets of affluence. That has placed this area on the national map, and now a mayoral contest with high stakes mayoral contest with high sta kes from mayoral contest with high stakes from the two main parties. A poster boy of the red bull, after his narrow win here in 2017. Re elected in a landslide in 2021, ben houchen is now hoping to buck the national trend. A local labour stalwart, hopes to win back what was once a heartland for his party, and a winnerfor heartland for his party, and a winner for chris heartland for his party, and a winnerfor Chris Mcewan Heartland for his party, and a winner for chris mcew
old redcar steelworks which closed in 2015, no mention of a recent review, which criticised oversight of the multi million pound project with 28 recommendations for greater transparency. for labour, a more conventional party campaign with more modest pledges, on free town centre parking and a £2 cap on train and bus fares. from the lib dems, a pledge to deliver £25 million per yearfrom pledge to deliver £25 million per year from early years dislike for an early years support programme. showing off his plans to his leader. bennett meets the test commit when he says he will do something, he does it. people say that he couldn t save the airport, but he did. people said they wouldn t be a free port, but he delivered it. people said there was no way that steel making will come back to teesside, he has made it happen, he embodies that teesside fighting spirit and he has made things happen. this is obviously a really difficult time
for the conservative party, but i think ben is perhaps the one person who can rise above it. who can rise above it. labour s candidate who can rise above it. labour s candidate believes who can rise above it. labour s candidate believes he - who can rise above it. labour s candidate believes he can - who can rise above it. labour s candidate believes he can tap. who can rise above it. labour s i candidate believes he can tap into the potential of this former industrial behemoth. i the potential of this former industrial behemoth.- the potential of this former industrial behemoth. i was raised here. i ve industrial behemoth. i was raised here- i ve got industrial behemoth. i was raised here. i ve got my industrial behemoth. i was raised here. i ve got my mum industrial behemoth. i was raised here. i ve got my mum in - industrial behemoth. i was raised| here. i ve got my mum in redcar, industrial behemoth. i was raised - here. i ve got my mum in redcar, my stepmum here. i ve
trend. a local labour stalwart, hopes to win back what was once a heartland for his party, and a winnerfor heartland for his party, and a winner for chris heartland for his party, and a winnerfor chris mcewan heartland for his party, and a winner for chris mcewan would ease keir starmer s pass nationally. and the lib dems outsider, placing the outsider of child poverty at the heart of his campaign. 0ver outsider of child poverty at the heart of his campaign. over the past decade or so, tees valley felt neglected by the party that thought it was the area s champion. so voters delivered a series of bloody noses to labour, try electing a conservative mayor and then injecting labour from the conservative mayor and then injecting labourfrom the prized parliamentary seat of hartlepool in a by election, the lowest of low points. injecting labour. that is why this may or context reverberates further beyond here, the tory win, and rishi sunak will grab a lifeline. a labour win and keir starm