Meet Chris McEwan - Labour Candidate Tees Valley Mayor

Cctv to stop crime?
Free parking to visit a town that isn’t worth visiting?
Funding a price cap on public transport funded by the Freeport (what’s the connection?)
Seriously?
 
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fmttmadmin said:
Many people on the message board have been saying that they do not know enough about Tees Valley Mayor Labour candidate Chris McEwan. Obviously it isn't always going to be so easy for him to get as much space in local newspapers etc with or without pay walls. Last week many Boro fans had a chance to meet Chris when he was invited guest of Steve Gibson at the Q and A at the Riverside.

For the benefit of all those that couldn't get tickets I thought I would find out a little about the Labour candidate and what difference he could make for you in the Tees Valley area.

Chris grew up in the Green Lane area of Middlesbrough and has lived in Darlington for over 30 years. He lives with his wife Amanda, a Nurse Practitioner, and has three daughters who were brought in the Darlington area.

Chris went to school in Middlesbrough and later sunk his first pint in the Linny. After completing a degree he has worked for the NHS, and as a local councillor (and Mayor) in Darlington. Locally, Chris is a Trustee of Redcar-based Charity, the Junction Foundation, which works to improve the lives of young carers.

It says in his biog that 'he has lived in our communities his entire life, he understands them, and knows that what they need is to be listened to, not offered gimmicks and unfulfilled promises.'

There has been a disappointing lack of transparency in the Tees Valley over the last 7 years. Chris would open up the office of Mayor to proper scrutiny, and rebuild the trust that has broken down in recent years. Bringing communities and business together to get the Tees Valley moving again.

What will he change?

- He will bring back free town centre car parking – this will help people and town centres that are currently struggling, Funded from the Freeport.

- Introduce a £2 fare cap on buses and trains. And also work to join up the broken transport system. While continuing to back the airport. Transport and infrastructure are a big part of the remit of the Tees Valley Mayor and trying to get anywhere on the bus, especially one town to another is ridiculously time consuming and expensive (and unreliable) these days.

- He will work to create thousands of new jobs, supporting green industries of the future. "I’ll make sure local people can make the most of those opportunities, by giving a Guaranteed Skills and Employment Review to everyone at ages 16,24 and 50."

- Invest in CCTV to make streets safer again. Labour have done this already in Darlington. If anyone has been recently you will find that it is the one local town centre that has really turned things around of late.

“I will be a Mayor you can trust to deliver on your priorities,” Chris says, “I’ll host regular Mayor’s Question Time sessions. Work together with our communities, local businesses and charities, so that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. I’ll open up the books on Teesworks and Freeport, to give business the confidence to invest.”

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There is seriously not one proposal on there that makes me go "wow, I'll vote for him then". Same ***** talked by every politician.
 
McEwan gets my vote, because he seems honest. Whereas Houchen is at best a gullible waster, at worst a crook.

McEwan has hardly blown me away with his promises mind.

Free parking and low cost bus fares to a desolate town centre won't turn the town centre around.
 
Frazza65 said:
Cctv to stop crime?
Free parking to visit a town that isn’t worth visiting?
Funding a price cap on public transport funded by the Freeport (what’s the connection?)
Seriously?
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The CCTV one really puzzles me too

i know from Personal experience that both Middlesbrough and Stockton Town Centres have some of the best coverage in the country and have had for some time. (both have decent coverages in the immediate area around the centres too.) Hartlepool is also pretty well covered based on what I saw when working up there (albeit that was 20 years ago.)

I dont know about Darlington, but I would be gob smacked if they didnt have at least equal levels of coverage as the others.


the Bus fares also puzzles me too. since the buses around here are in private hands surely its upto them if they want to run the scheme? (as per the above with Stagecoach pulling the plug in July and not December)
 
Whoever is successful tomorrow the winner will also become the chair of the Middlesbrough Development Company- the undemocratic forum that will take charge of most of the councils assets, Houchen will hand them over to developers, while Chris will keep them in public hands. Same goes for the Hartlepool Development Company.
 
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Acklam_Lad said:
The CCTV one really puzzles me too

i know from Personal experience that both Middlesbrough and Stockton Town Centres have some of the best coverage in the country and have had for some time. (both have decent coverages in the immediate area around the centres too.) Hartlepool is also pretty well covered based on what I saw when working up there (albeit that was 20 years ago.)

I dont know about Darlington, but I would be gob smacked if they didnt have at least equal levels of coverage as the others.


the Bus fares also puzzles me too. since the buses around here are in private hands surely its upto them if they want to run the scheme? (as per the above with Stagecoach pulling the plug in July and not December)
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The busses will be brought back into public ownership.
 
Aztec chimera said:
There is seriously not one proposal on there that makes me go "wow, I'll vote for him then". Same ***** talked by every politician.
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All Houchen has done in this campaign is promise more of the same and to build a hospital that even the Tory government has confirmed that he can't because it's not even in his remit.
 
Redagain said:
There are but ignored by some as it looks good on his manifesto
Not getting my vote, simple as that
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I actually like this post. You are honest and not saying don't care etc you are actually stating you won't vote for him
Much healthier to have discussions on a board with people who are honest
While I voted for him (postal vote) I don't think McEwan will win
 
ThePrisoner said:
Is a few quid to park a car really what is causing town centres to struggle?

Car drivers can afford petrol, tax, insurance, MOT and servicing costs, yet £3 to park in the Cleveland Centre is the deal breaker.
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No but it will help, as would the cap on bus fares
 
ThePrisoner said:
Is a few quid to park a car really what is causing town centres to struggle?

Car drivers can afford petrol, tax, insurance, MOT and servicing costs, yet £3 to park in the Cleveland Centre is the deal breaker.
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Charging has had a massive effect on Mbro town centre car parks.
I wondered at first whether it was shop closures in Capt Cook centre that enptied out its multi storey. It did impact. But when the price went from £1 to £1.50 it immediatelbecame half deserted
Frazza65 said:
Cctv to stop crime?
Free parking to visit a town that isn’t worth visiting?
Funding a price cap on public transport funded by the Freeport (what’s the connection?)
Seriously?
Click to expand...
They are all parts of the remit of a Tees Valley Mayor - he/she has several different purse strings - a new hospital is not one of them. Transport and infrastructure is. The massive windfall from the freeport can actually be channelled to help the people of Teesside get to work and get to play to spend money in the local economy. At the moment you would struggle to get to the Boro match without a car, even from Stockton or Billingham, never mind from a village in East Cleveland. If you were working at the football club you would also struggle to get to work without a car. They have massive vacancies at the Riverside. Am just using the Boro as an example here. But many across Teesside are disadvantaged by a woefully inadequate, non joined up and very expensive public transport network. The mayor has the powers and finance to turn this on its head for the benefit of the people of Teesside (Tees Valley).
 
CCTV is interesting. I watched Inside the Force the other night and they had CCTV of a bloke going into the back of a Royal Mail van and nicking a package. Clear as day and in his catatonic drug addled state he pretty much admitted it was him. The episode closed by saying ‘no further action was taken’ . It is a theme that repeats itself throughout the series if I’m honest. Good quality CCTV images but no prosecutions. Big fan of CCTV, although deep fake frightens the life out of me ,but without effective well funded policing and a judicial system with appropriate sentencing powers it is just a vehicle for filming pretty awful things.
 
I do think McEwan has an outside chance.

I think a lot of people now see there are some significant flaws with Houchen, while at the last election he had a lot of positive support. Enough to stop them from voting for him is the key.

Having a Conservative badge is a negative too for Houchen - some of the negative National stuff for the Tories will rob off. He must have considered running as an Independent.

Labour did win back Middlesbrough Mayor.

Steve Gibson changing horses is an interesting move and will not help Houchen, particularly in the hardcore MFC supporter wards.
 
Duffman said:
CCTV is interesting. I watched Inside the Force the other night and they had CCTV of a bloke going into the back of a Royal Mail van and nicking a package. Clear as day and in his catatonic drug addled state he pretty much admitted it was him. The episode closed by saying ‘no further action was taken’ . It is a theme that repeats itself throughout the series if I’m honest. Good quality CCTV images but no prosecutions. Big fan of CCTV, although deep fake frightens the life out of me ,but without effective well funded policing and a judicial system with appropriate sentencing powers it is just a vehicle for filming pretty awful things.
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I agree with everything you've put there
The party in government for the past 14 years blame everyone but themselves
 
TheLodger said:
Whoever is successful tomorrow the winner will also become the chair of the Middlesbrough Development Company- the undemocratic forum that will take charge of most of the councils assets, Houchen will hand the over to developers, while Chris will keep them in public hands. Same goes for the Hartlepool Development Company.
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That's a big reason to vote against Houchen. They should be in public hands as most were bought with public funds.
 
Free parking and cheap buses do not get people going to spend their money in town centres. Safety, cleanliness, decent shops and things to do generally do! That's why Teesside Park is thriving and growing. People need more disposable income in their pockets and that's created by jobs and well paid ones at that. There is not a chance in Hell I will vote for the dull and boring Chris McEwan, I just do not see the attraction ???? In the general election I will either vote for Reform or the workers party once i know enough about them. I hate the tories but come on really what has Labour really done for this area??
 
Archienoeyes said:
Free parking and cheap buses do not get people going to spend their money in town centres. Safety, cleanliness, decent shops and things to do generally do! That's why Teesside Park is thriving and growing. People need more disposable income in their pockets and that's created by jobs and well paid ones at that. There is not a chance in Hell I will vote for the dull and boring Chris McEwan, I just do not see the attraction ???? In the general election I will either vote for Reform or the workers party once i know enough about them. I hate the tories but come on really what has Labour really done for this area??
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I dunno, they haven't been in charge for 14 years
 
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