Ben Houchen quizzed on Teesworks in hotseat
BBCThe Tees Valley Mayor has been quizzed on his involvement in the Teesworks site while in the BBC Radio Tees hotseat.
Ben Houchen was asked by a listener why he continued to defend "an organisation that has had a very critical independent review".
He admitted there was room for improvement at Teesworks but defended the organisation for providing "billions of pounds of investment" for the region.
The independent review into claims of cronyism and corruption surrounding finances at the Teesworks site in 2024 found no evidence of wrongdoing, but criticised a lack of transparency.
Houchen said: "Most of the controversy that came about over the last couple of years was highly political."
He spoke of one large investment which he said had been deterred from committing to the region because of the controversy.
"As soon as those accusations were made it caused certain investors to pause looking at Teesside as a location for investment," he told BBC Radio Tees.
"There was one particular investor, Atlantic SuperConnector, that people can look up that publicly decided not to come to Teesside with their £800m investment because of the accusations that had been made.
"That's 1,200 permanent jobs that are not coming to the region because of that."
Auditor recommendations
On Tuesday, a Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) cabinet meeting was held in reaction to criticism of the local authority from Ernst and Young (EY) auditors.
During a 40-minute meeting, the TVCA director of finance highlighted three recommendations in the EY report, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The combined authority was recommended to review the finance team "to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to support the breadth of its activities" and its process around the public inspection period "to ensure it fully understands the statutory requirements".
It was also asked to set out a clear timetable for the production of its 2024-25 accounts.
The recommendations were all approved by the cabinet members.
In the BBC Tees interview, Houchen was also asked questions about Teesside International Airport, Tees Flex buses, when the cycle lane on Linthorpe Road will be closed and crime in Stockton.
Analysis
You never know what to expect in a phone in. And hearing an 87-year-old address the Tees Valley Mayor like Brian Clough scolding a trainee footballer was certainly unusual.
But while Norma in Skelton's determination to take Ben Houchen to task was a surprise, the large number questions that came in about the Teesworks controversy certainly wasn't.
Gillian called to highlight the criticisms that organisations led by Houchen have been hit with – 28 recommendations to improve from the independent review, a Best Value Notice from the government and external auditors ordering the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) to improve its book keeping.
Houchen's defiance was hardly a surprise either – telling Gillian that "unfounded accusations" about Teesworks had cost the region jobs and investment.
But there was an acceptance from the mayor that changes do have to be made, saying the TVCA wasn't perfect, and that it has to get better as it gets bigger.
Norma in Skelton, it should be said, wasn't interested in Teesworks – she called about Tees Flex, an on-demand bus service for remote areas.
Houchen said it would continue as long as the government gave him enough money.
Norma made it clear she would hold him to his word.
Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.