The new Mayor has vowed to ensure Sunderland benefits from the creation of the North East Combined Authority.
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00:00Kim McGuinness is the new North East Mayor. Congratulations.
00:04Thank you.
00:05What does the job entail and how is it different from what's gone before?
00:07Well, the job for me is all about creating opportunity in the region.
00:10This place is the best place in the world. I think we'd all agree with that.
00:13We're known for that pride and that's something that I've heard time and time again
00:18as I've knocked on doors throughout the campaign.
00:20But now it's about making it even better.
00:23So creating opportunity, jobs, fixing our broken transport system,
00:27tackling the child poverty that blights and ruins too many lives.
00:31That's what this role's all about.
00:33And how does the combined authorities role differ from the individual local councils?
00:37Well, nothing in your local council will change.
00:40So Sunderland Council or whichever council area you live in
00:43will still be responsible for everything it was before.
00:46You know, all of the bins and the grass and all of that sort of neighbourhood stuff.
00:51Whereas a combined authority will take power from government.
00:54And that's what's really key to us.
00:55We're getting power from London, from central government
00:58that we've never had before in this region.
01:00We're bringing it closer to the people of the region
01:02so people can have more of a say over our own future.
01:06And so we can have a voice and take everything that's great about this region
01:11as well as all the things we need out there and shout about them
01:14so we can get more power, more money, more investment
01:17and also more visitors and more tourists and more into our economy.
01:23Obviously there's a certain perception in Sunderland that we tend to lose out to Tyneside.
01:27It's not going to escape people's notice that the combined authority is based in Newcastle.
01:32You look at things like the time it took for the Metro to come to Sunderland.
01:36What reassurances can you give to the people of Wearside that they're not going to miss out?
01:39Well, I've represented almost all of this region for quite a long time now
01:43as Police and Crime Commissioner.
01:45And it's fantastic to see Sunderland thriving, it really is.
01:48You know, there's some incredible development in Sunderland
01:51and some real focus actually on Sunderland in the first phases of the combined authority.
01:57Crown Works Studios, for example, really key to our future as a region
02:02and really, really a big and important pledge from me
02:06is that when we expand that Metro further, it'll be into Washington
02:09which obviously is in Sunderland.
02:11But where we're based, I want to expand that.
02:14We want people who work for the combined authority to be based right across the region.
02:18Obviously, this office was previously north of Tyne.
02:21It's a natural base.
02:22However, we need to be setting up in Sunderland and probably in County Durham as well
02:27so that we're having that presence.
02:28For people to really represent the region, they need to know it, to be in it,
02:32to spend time with people here.
02:33That's what I'll do as Mayor and that's what I want the people who work here to do as well.
02:39In fact, as it happens, we already have staff working out of Sunderland City Hall
02:43as well as the local authority buildings right around the region
02:47so that they're getting to know the local areas
02:49and making sure that we're delivering for people right across the region
02:52and I'll be doing that as well as Mayor.
02:55Talking about Crown Works Studio, obviously it's a huge investment, huge potential for Sunderland.
03:02How can you help make it a reality?
03:03Well, I know that we'll need investment into Crown Works Studios from the local area
03:08as well as from government
03:09and so we're working on that together with the other leaders.
03:12One of the things I should have said before is that the leaders of the local authorities
03:16make up the combined authority along with the Mayor
03:18so I am one of eight leaders and they make up that cabinet.
03:22So together, we're working on a plan as to how we can help to support Crown Works Studios.
03:27But crucially, and I think this is a really big thing,
03:30that comes with the promise of 8,500 jobs
03:33and I think it's really incumbent on us to make sure that those jobs are for people in this local area,
03:39that we're training people in the right skills so they'll be able to work there
03:43so that we're not bringing in people from all around the country to work in Crown Works.
03:46We want those to be for local people
03:49and so it's all of the training work that goes behind that to support Crown Works,
03:53to make it a success and to make it so that it's a benefit for the people of the region.
03:58This represents creating real opportunity here in a new industry that's going to be huge for this region,
04:05the biggest outside London, some of the biggest in the world.
04:09It's absolutely fantastic news and we need to make sure it's delivered.
04:13Obviously, as well as Crown Works, Nissan is hugely important to the city of Sunderland.
04:17What can we do to ensure that the company retains its commitment to the city?
04:20Well, we're going to keep working with Nissan.
04:23I will meet them in due course and talk to them about our long-term future.
04:28But it isn't just about Nissan.
04:30Manufacturing, particularly that really skilled advanced manufacturing that you get in factories like Nissan,
04:36is really key to our plans for the future.
04:38And so whilst, yes, we need to work hard to keep them,
04:41we also need to attract more businesses like Nissan
04:44and, crucially, help businesses that are started here, that are founded here, to grow,
04:49so that they can employ more people.
04:51So people have access to more and different types of opportunity,
04:54as well as really leaning into the opportunities that we have,
04:58specifically in the North East, around our rivers and ports
05:02and the access to the North Sea and offshore wind and green energy.
05:05We've got so many opportunities here to create great quality jobs,
05:09working with the likes of Nissan,
05:11but also working with newer and smaller businesses
05:15and those who are attracted to the North East,
05:17so that there's more jobs here for people.
05:19And you're not the region's only elected mayor, obviously.
05:23There are a couple in our area, but there's also, of course,
05:27Ben Houchin at Tees Valley.
05:30Conservative, your labour, how confident are you that you can work together?
05:34Well, I've already reached out to Ben and said,
05:37look, hi, I'm your neighbour.
05:39Shall we have a sit down and a conversation?
05:41And he's accepted that invitation.
05:43I think it's really important.
05:45You know, I don't expect the residents of either the North East or the Tees Valley
05:49to recognise the borders that we politically have.
05:52And we know that there are many people who live in our region,
05:55work in the Tees Valley, many people who live in the Tees Valley and work in our region.
05:59And so, particularly on things like public transport and job creation,
06:02it's going to be really important that we build and maintain that relationship
06:06for the good of everyone that lives here.
06:08So I certainly have no problem doing that.
06:10This is about representing the people of the North East.
06:13And that is what I'm here to do, to represent those people,
06:17to create opportunity in this region to tackle the child poverty that blights the area
06:22and ultimately to take this brilliant place that we all love and make it even better.
06:26And lastly, when do you reckon we're getting a general election?
06:30Oh, I wouldn't like to say.
06:32I don't know, do I want to add my voice to all of those commentators about the general election?
06:37But all I will say is I've just knocked on a lot of doors.
06:41I've had a lot of conversations with people out there about what they want and what they need.
06:47And the appetite for change is really big.
06:49People want that election and they want it now.
06:52And I think after 14 years of Conservative government, particularly in our region,
06:57nobody feels any better off.
06:59As North East Mayor, I intend to do something about that.
07:01But that will be a lot easier with a Labour government in Westminster.