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Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen will face a live audience at a special “Ask Me Anything” event this July – the first in a new series of open forums taking place across the region.

The event will be held at the Yarm School Princess Alexandra Auditorium at 7pm, Wednesday, 23 July, giving people from Tees Valley the chance to put their questions directly to the Mayor.

It marks the launch of new live, in-person question time events in each of the region’s five boroughs, following the popularity of the Mayor’s regular BBC Radio Tees ‘Ask Me Anything’ programme, which returns on Tuesday, 2 July.

Each event will be chaired by a local independent journalist, with the first in Stockton borough moderated by Chris Lloyd, known for his long-standing work with the Northern Echo.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Whether it’s at community meetings, on the radio, or in the street, I’ve always made it a priority to listen to local people across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool – and this new series of live events will take that a step further.

“No scripts, no pre-submitted questions – just straight answers to whatever people want to ask. It’s your chance to hold me to account, raise concerns, and hear about what we’re doing to improve life across our region.”

The Mayor and Combined Authority Cabinet approved a Mayoral question time in March.

Its introduction brings Tees Valley Combined Authority in line with several other Combined Authorities which hold similar events, including Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and West Midlands.

Further dates and venues for Question Time events in Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, and Darlington will be announced in the coming months.

Tickets to this event are free. However, spaces are limited.

To apply for tickets follow this link