In his victory speech, Mr Houchen said there was still a long way to go. He said: We have not seen the peak of what we can achieve. I m very proud to continue with what we have started. There s still a long way to go. I m not going to stand here and pat myself on the back. We need to get back to work. We have made a fanastic start. Speaking to the Echo after his victory, he said the Government would have to show sustained interest in the region if the Conservatives are to repeat their electoral success. He said: If the Conservative Government wants to win the next general election they are not going to be able to take Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool for granted.
Victorious Ben Houchen overwhelmed at thumping win but is eager to get back to work
The mayor won a second term with almost three quarters of the vote but vowed to not rest on his laurels
18:46, 7 MAY 2021
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Voters go to polls in elections for Hartlepool MP, Tees Valley Mayor, crime commissioner and councils
Hartlepool s by-election is the headline attraction on a busy day which will also see the Tees Valley Mayor, Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner and council battles decided
07:00, 6 MAY 2021
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Teesside is going to the polls today in a set of elections with huge national implications.
WELCOME to Super Thursday, the biggest electoral day outside a general election that this country has seen. Forty-eight million people are about to express their first opinions on the handling of the pandemic, on life post-Brexit, on levelling up, on Boris Johnson, on Keir Starmer, on Ben Houchen and on a myriad of local issues as well as the future of the United Kingdom. And the North-East is very much in the spotlight. Today, there is one Parliamentary by-election – in Hartlepool – which neither of the two main parties can afford to lose. There are 183 seats in Scottish and Welsh assemblies up for election which could precipitate the break-up of the UK, and there are 4,500 seats on 143 English councils being fought over – with Durham County Council one to watch if the Tory tsunami of 2019 continues.