THE five leaders of the Tees Valley councils travelled down to London to meet up with Communities Secretary Sajid Javid to mark a year since the signing of the devolution deal.

The proposal will see the handing over of powers from Westminster for significant issues including transport, training and regeneration.

This includes the recent transfer of £15million of new money to the area through the deal – the first of payments from a total of £450million due over the next 30 years.

And David Budd, Mayor of Middlesbrough, Sue Jeffrey, leader of Redcar and Cleveland, Christopher Akers-Belcher, leader of Hartlepool, Bill Dixon, leader of Darlington and Stockton leader Bob Cook joined forces to meet with the Government minister.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Just 12 months ago the people of the Tees Valley came forward with a devolution deal that is already making a real difference to local people’s lives.

“From control over transport, to millions of pounds of new money this deal hands significant powers away from Whitehall to people who know the area best and know what the area needs most.”

The next steps of the deal were also discussed including a further application for financial assistance through a dedicated Local Growth Fund and the Chancellor’s guarantee on European funding.

Chairman of the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Mayor of Middlesbrough, David Budd, said: “This meeting was an opportunity to take stock of progress with the new Secretary of State, and reaffirm our collective commitment to making further progress.

"Tees Valley can be a flagship of successful devolution, and local leaders are determined to make a difference to bring good quality jobs and investment to our area.”

And the chairman of the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, Paul Booth, who joined the council leaders in London, said: “We will use our devolved powers and resources to strengthen the resilience of the local and the national economy."

The Tees Valley is one of nine ground-breaking devolution deals with areas all across the country, from the Tees Valley and Liverpool City Region in the Northern Powerhouse, to Cornwall in the rural South.