THE debate for increased local powers for anything from funding to key decision making has been reignited following the recent spotlight thrown on to regional directly-elected mayors in the North of England’s largest areas.

From Jamie Driscoll in the North Tyne, Steve Rotheram in Liverpool and Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, the coronavirus pandemic has boosted the their profiles as leaders demanded greater powers in the north.

In Parliament last week, North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll was present at the business, energy and industrial strategy committee meeting to discuss the impact of Covid on economies and the functioning of combined authorities.

Outlining the impact of Covid-19 on the North of Tyne - Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland - Mr Driscoll reported few positives.

“The impact of Covid has come on top of what wasn’t a particularly prosperous region in the first place,” he said.

However he stressed the importance of local decisions being decided by local leaders, a point which has been repeatedly been raised with the Government this year.

He explained: “My job is to bring people together. It’s a cross-party combined authority and we’ve never yet fallen out. We have all of the sectors working together because our objective is delivering what is best for the region.

“I want to create wealth for our entire region - that’s why I think this system works.”

The Government’s 'levelling up' ambitions formed a key part of its December 2019 election victory across many ‘Red Wall’ seats in the north.

But Mr Driscoll was cautious in his approach to the topic. He said: “Levelling up is often cast as money coming from central government to the regions, but I want us to get the point where we’re able to generate wealth and create and keep wealth in our own region."

Mr Driscoll added that “serious regional devolution” would allow the region to get better results than being a delivery arm of government.

“The North-East struggles by not having the levels of private equity available that you get in somewhere like London,” he said. “That would allow us not only to create jobs, not only to shape the economy for a green recovery, but it would also give us a significant level of financial independence.”

Last week the Northern Powerhouse Partnership renewed its call for a stronger devolved voice for the North-East.

“For the first time people are saying they want a mayor,” said director Henri Murison. “Devolution has always been a good idea in terms of local decision making because it’s a good way of unlocking the local economy but it’s not something people say they need.”

George Osborne, the former chancellor, was a big advocate of directly-elected mayors and said this week that they had come of age during the coronavirus pandemic, but admitted they still lacked certain powers.

“There has to be more than funding,” Mr Driscoll added, after starkly stating that the powers of regional mayors are absent.

He explained: “We need a long-term funding settlement, we should be able to agree what the objectives are with central government, but then the means of delivery has to be devolved.

“That’s why I think we need regional wealth funds to be able to generate wealth and shape our economies as opposed to just spend on our economies.”