Mallon: Support me - or get out

Mr Mallon - the former detective who championed zero tolerance policing - said: "I say this to my enemies: if you cannot let the past go, then go. There is no place for you in Middlesbrough."

Mr Mallon did not just win. His victory was overwhelming.

He polled 63 per cent of the vote. Sylvia Connolly, the official Labour candidate and deputy council leader, managed an embarrassing 23 per cent.

The magnitude of his win gives Mr Mallon a clear mandate to act - and last night it emerged how determined he is to enforce change.

Members of his camp suggested a scenario in which independent candidates would stand against "old guard Labour councillors" who were refusing to fall into line with Mr Mallon's vision for Middlesbrough.

The Northern Echo understands that the new regime's first battle will be over Cleveland Police Authority. Mr Mallon intends to appoint a Law and Order Commissioner, and he wants the Commissioner to sit on the police authority so he can work with Cleveland Police.

That will require the co-operation of the controlling Labour group, whose former leader, Ken Walker, is the chairman of the authority, and it will, therefore, be the first significant test of the new partnership.

Last night, the signs were that Labour was already bridling at the suggestion that it could be bullied into co-operation.

Mr Mallon went on the attack in his victory speech. He said of his foes: "They are in a minority. My message to those enemies is simple: I know you will do everything you can to undermine me, to ensure as much as possible that we fail. If you do that you let the public of Middlesbrough down.

"We must harness everybody so we are together and we must go forward in the interests of the good of this town."

In an uncompromising mood, the 46-year-old said: "The public of Middlesbrough have given us a mandate for change and change there will be.

"There are some councillors in this town who are arrogant and they don't think one jot about the public. I absolutely give you a cast iron guarantee every single councillor in this town will do the job properly."

Over the weekend, Mr Mallon will be inviting all members of the council to apply for jobs as Cabinet members - called Commissioners - to take charge of specific portfolios. He will then interview them and select "the best people" for the job.

But the early indications were that this too might lead him into conflict with Labour.

The whole Labour group would have to agree to one of its members joining Mr Mallon's cabinet, and it is known that at a national level there are some reservations about becoming so closely linked to such a controversial character.

A fortnight ago, the Labour group replaced Mr Walker as leader, by 21 votes to 20, with Paul Thompson.

Mr Mallon's tactic seems to be drive a wedge further into this fault line so that the "old guard Labour councillors" are marginalised.

It is understood that veteran councillor Bob Brady may be offered the position of Mr Mallon's deputy.

Councillor Barry Coppinger, who stood against Mr Walker a couple of years ago, may also be offered a Cabinet post along with the LibDem mayoral candidate Joe Michna. Mr Michna came third yesterday with nine per cent of the vote.

Mr Mallon, a former detective with Cleveland Police, fell from grace when allegations were made about his conduct and his officers were investigated under Operation Lancet.

"The only thing to come out of Lancet was that we gave the streets back to the criminals," he said.

"On top of that, a climate was created where criminals could make allegations against good police officers and the police accepted those allegations with great enthusiasm."

He said his message to the council workforce was they would get his full support and he would move heaven and earth to improve the lot of Middlesbrough.

Mr Mallon, who has yet to give many details of his policies, will control a budget of £160m-a-year during his five years as the £30,000-a-year mayor.

Middlesbrough MP Stuart Bell, who had questioned Mr Mallon's suitability for the job, said: "We will work together. He understood my opposition to him was political in a sense of trying to get a Labour candidate elected.

"We both agreed we would both work together in the interests of the town. We will complement each other's strengths."

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar commented: "This is a big wake-up call for Labour. A defeat on this scale cannot be explained away as a blip or a protest vote.

"Labour has ruled Middlesbrough almost continuously since 1945. A degree of dangerous complacency has crept into the council chamber. A number of our councillors live within the internal world of the town hall, remote from the concerns of their constituents."

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "We will work with any elected representative."

The force declined to comment on his remarks about the legacy of Lancet.

Result: Ray Mallon (Ind) 26,362. Sylvia Connolly (Lab) 9,653. Joe Michna (LibDem) 3,820. Ron Darby (Con) 1,510. Jeff Fowler (Soc All) 352. Rod Jones (Ind) 297.