A SENIOR woman politician has joined the prospective candidates for a town's first elected mayor.

Councillor Sylvia Connolly, deputy leader of Middlesbrough council, has declared her wish to become the Labour Party's candidate for the town's mayoral elections, in May.

Fellow councillors Michael J Carr and Eddie Dryden have already expressed a desire to enter the race, and it is thought more will follow suit.

But suspended Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon, who is credited with generating Middlesbrough's landslide yes vote for an elected mayor, now looks unlikely to be able to stand.

He must await the outcome of a disciplinary hearing before being free to do so, and this is predicted to drag on, so he will miss the April 2 deadline for nominations.

Coun Connolly practised locally as a lawyer for nine years before taking up the post of senior law lecturer at Teesside University. She is married with two grown up daughters, and has lived in Middlesbrough for 40 years.

She said: "Improving the whole range of services provided by the council would certainly be my top priority. We need to look to the future to ensure that Middlesbrough's key position within the Tees Valley is properly recognised and that we get our fair share of new investment and jobs.

"At the same time, the mayor must act as an ambassador for Middlesbrough, promoting the town and arguing our case at every level."