North East Mayor Kim McGuinness gives acceptance speech

In her acceptance speech, Ms McGuinness thanked activists, her staff as Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner, and her family.

The Labour candidate secured 41.3% of the vote, beating independent candidate and former North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll by 58,000 ballots.

In her acceptance speech, Ms McGuinness said: “Thank you for putting your trust in me to be your first North East Mayor, it is such an honour. Today is a really big moment for the North East as we take our first steps towards taking control of our own future.

“My campaign for North East Mayor starting with an overarching sentiment – I love the North East and I really do to. That love and pride that we feel in this region, is something we are known for – it is our identity and it is also our biggest asset.

“Today you have elected a mayor who is proud of this region, just as you are – a mayor committed to giving this region a voice, because this is a great region. For too long we have been held back.

“Held back by 14 years of austerity and generations of centralisation; held back by the biggest decisions being made by ministers and civil servants in Whitehall, who simply don’t get our region.

“Now, however, we can finally can begin the work of bringing real devolution to our North East.

“My pledge as your first North East Mayor is to turn our region into the home of real opportunity. That means creating good quality local jobs in the foundations of our economy, as well as grasping our future as a place for green energy.

“It means creating safe green public transport – the network we deserve – with buses under public control and with integrated expanded network with people of the region at its heart.

“It means building social housing to green standards and creating jobs while we do it - employing people and attracting people and telling our story. It means supporting those that really need it most. Rebuilding our neighbourhoods and its services and with Sure Start back on the table.

“Simply put, my job as your mayor is to create the infrastructure of opportunity, because that is how we will take on the unacceptable levels of child poverty that is ruining too many lives.”

She added: "The story of our region is one that has been told to me on doorsteps by people who love this place - they are here because they choose to be here.

“They are proud to call the North East home and they want to be part of our future. So we are going to end the day that people feel penalised for staying. End the trend of young people feeling that they have no choice but to leave and go to London.

"We are going to tell the world there is more to the North than Manchester and Leeds – are going to put regional pride at the centre of our economy.”

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She said: “We won’t turn around the fortunes of households overnight, after 14 years of Tory decline – we are in it for the long haul. We are in it together.

“We will build the infrastructure of opportunity around clear long-term goals – goals we’ll deliver together across our region – end child poverty, fix our broken transport system – build an economy that grows from the foundations up. Put our region back on the global stage.

“It will take time. We are ambitious. From today we are taking control of our future. I don’t think anyone here will be surprised to hear me say that being elected to do this for you is the greatest honour in my life. I am here to serve our region. I could not be prouder to be standing here.