Devolution and levelling up with Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of the North of Tyne

As part of a special series of events on devolution, levelling up and local leadership, featuring local leaders from across England, the Institute for Government was delighted to be joined by Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of the North of Tyne region. Powers over infrastructure, skills, and housing have already been transferred to the North of Tyne combined authority, and the government's levelling up agenda may see more follow – as well as expand the devolution deal to cover Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside too. At the event, the mayor discussed his role, how to make levelling up a reality in the North Tyne area and how he would like to see devolution extended. Jamie Driscoll was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. This event was broadcast live from Newcastle in front of an invited audience. Jamie Driscoll was a Labour and Cooperative councillor in Monument ward, Newcastle city centre, before being elected Mayor of the North of Tyne in May 2019. He studied engineering at Northumbria University and worked in the electronics and IT sector before setting up his own software development business. #IfGdevo We would like to thank the Centre for Researching Cities and the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) at Newcastle University for kindly supporting this event.