The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) are holding joint business audience hustings events ahead of the regional elections, due to take place on 2 May.

The leadership hustings will provide businesses across Darlington, Hartlepool and Teesside with a platform to hear from and question their Mayoral candidates on their vision and ambitions for economic prosperity.

Candidates* for the Tees Valley Mayoral election include:

Sally Bunce (Green Party)
Ben Houchen (Conservative)
Chris McEwan (Labour)
Simon Thorley (Liberal Democrats)
*Declared candidates correct at the time of writing

The political role is the result of a devolution deal for the Tees Valley, operational since 2017, which has seen and will continue to see major funding and decision-making powers handed down from the central government in Westminster.

The devolution settlement, covering the five local authorities across Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland covers an area which is home to around 680,000 people, has the power to make decisions on areas such as transport, skills, housing, finance and economic development.

This event is only open to members of the FSB, CBI, and NECC.

Exact venue details will be shared 3 days ahead of the event as part of your joining instructions. Please ensure you provide a valid email address. 

Refreshments
Tea and coffee will be available. 


To enable FSB to deliver a high level of customer service at our events, and to tailor the content where appropriate, we will share your full name and business name with the host of the event you have registered to attend. The event hosts are representatives of FSB who irretrievably delete your details following the event.  Should you not consent your full name and business name being shared with the event host, please contact [email protected] within three working days of the event taking place, with details of the event.

Event Contact

•  For enquiries regarding the event, please contact Hayley Gallimore.