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Alnwick Friends of the Earth is to host candidates for the new Mayor of the North East role to share a platform discussing rural and environmental issues.

The environmental hustings will take place on Wednesday, April 3 with Mayor of North Tyne, Jamie Driscoll, confirming his attendance alongside Conservative candidate Guy Renner-Thompson, the Liberal Democrats’ Aidan King and the Greens’ Andrew Gray.

Labour’s candidate Kim McGuiness and Reform UK’s Paul Donaghy have also been invited.

Alnwick FoE’s Mike Powell will chair the event, which starts at 7pm in St James Church Centre.

Chair, Mike Powell, FoE (centre) flanked by, left to right, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Tom Hancock, Trish Williams and Tom Stewart, pictured at the 2019 General Election FoE hustings.

He says he is heartened to see mayoral candidates taking green transition policies and the climate crisis seriously.

Mike said: “We are really looking forward to the event and are delighted the candidates have agreed to share this platform and their views on these crucial issues.

“The new mayor will be Mayor of the North East region - a significant part of which, (in Northumberland especially), is very rural - and it is great that they recognise that this is an area that is important and worth addressing.

“On top of that of course there’s the climate crisis and the green transition, which will affect everyone living in the North East, urban and rural, and I think it is vital for voters that they know where their candidates stand on this subject.”

The North East Mayoral Combined Authority, part of an ambitious devolution for the region, will wield a budget of over £4 billion after the election of the new Mayor on May 2, followed by the forming of the new authority on May 7.

Mayoral candidates to discuss environmental issues at hustings organised by Alnwick Friends of the Earth