North East's £4bn devolution deal wins public backing – with more than 60% in favour of new mayor

Almost two-thirds of the people who shared their views of the historic deal, which will see a regional mayor elected next May, are in favour of the huge proposal going ahead.

The results will come as a relief to leaders who have spent years trying to agree a devolution package to unite the North East, especially having seen Cornwall recently abandon its mayoral deal following local opposition.

A proposed North East Mayoral Combined Authority will cover County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland, bringing with it billions of pounds worth of investment and new decision-making powers.

The results of the public consultation, which was not binding and had 3,235 responses, on the plans showed majority backing for the broad principle of the mayor being created – 61.2% of people agreed, with 29.6% opposed, and 9.2% neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

However, it did not break down how people in each of the seven council areas were split on the devolution question.

Supporters said that the plans “make sense” and welcomed the prospect of increased powers and creating a higher profile for the North East.

There was also roughly two-thirds support for the mayor being handed major transport powers, with praise for the idea of creating a better integrated public transport network, as well as powers over housing, education and employment.

However, 230 responses identified a “lack of trust” – raising concerns over power being concentrated into the hands of a mayor and the new combined authority being “unaccountable”, while some people highlighted the North East’s ‘No’ vote in the 2004 regional assembly referendum.

Other criticisms included claims of creating an extra layer of bureaucracy and fears that some areas would benefit more than others, particularly larger areas like Newcastle benefiting at the expense of rural communities.

The aspect of the 30-year devolution deal which attracted the least support was the mayor’s financial powers, to which 52.9% of people agreed.

While some respondents said that financial decisions would be better made locally than in Whitehall, concerns were raised about potential council tax increases and unequal distribution of funds across the region.

Each of the seven local councils will now consider the findings at meetings over the coming weeks, before they are sent to Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove ahead of orders being laid in Parliament to establish the new combined authority.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the seven councils said the results “paint a clear picture of a united North East”.

They added: “This consultation has provided us with a significant amount of positive feedback, as well as lots of important considerations to take on board, to ensure the North East Mayoral Combined Authority delivers for the near two million people who call our region their home. We would like to thank everyone who took part for helping us to progress with this historic opportunity that has the potential to transform our region for the better.”