SENRUG North East mayor hustings in Morpeth to put public transport in the spotlight

Each candidate will give a short talk setting out their priorities in this area, after which there will be an opportunity for questions from the floor.

However, as this meeting is specifically about public transport policy, questions and discussions will be limited to this issue.

Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative), Andrew Gray (Green Party), Jamie Driscoll (independent), Aidan King (Liberal Democrats) and Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) have all advised that they will be participating.

SENRUG chairman Dennis Fancett said: “We welcome the establishment of the new mayoral region covering the North East and widening the role to include public transport.

“Whoever is elected will have a key strategic responsibility for setting policy and priorities for transport in the North East.

“Whilst SENRUG itself is not politically aligned, and seeks to work constructively with all parties, we think it’s crucial that our members and the community as a whole are given the opportunity to hear what each candidate stands for, so as to be better informed when deciding who to vote for.”

The hustings meeting is to be held at Morpeth Town Hall on Thursday, April 11 from 7.30pm. Non-members are welcome and refreshments will be available.

SENRUG campaigned to bring back passenger trains between Newcastle and Ashington – a 19-year campaign that is now finally being delivered.

The group is also campaigning for other rail services and improvements, and details are listed on the campaigns section at www.senrug.co.uk