In the ongoing Tees Valley mayoral election, Conservative incumbent Ben Houchen is currently leading in the Hartlepool area with preliminary results showing him with 10,074 votes. His closest competitor, Labour's McEwan, trails with 8,732 votes, followed by Thorley of the Liberal Democrats with 972 votes. Despite Houchen's lead, his margin over Labour has significantly decreased compared to the previous election in 2021, where he secured 72% of the vote in Hartlepool. This year, his share has dropped to 50.9%. The overall results for the Tees Valley area are still pending as counts continue. Meanwhile, the Conservatives lost six council seats while Labour gained eight in the region.
NEW: Tory mayor Ben Houchen clings on in Tees Valley as Labour narrows the gap https://t.co/N7WaLgJ12j
๐ณ๏ธ A Labour source conceded the Tees Valley mayoral election but said Tory incumbent Ben Houchen had won with a significantly reduced majority compared with 2021 Follow the latest ๐ https://t.co/cRM9NKgX6Y https://t.co/OKKEXY5t0d
Ben Houchen ahead in the Hartlepool area (NOT full result) Houchen (Cons): 10,074 McEwan (Lab): 8,732 Relief for Conservatives - but worth pointing out Houchen won 72% of vote in Hartlepool area in 2021 and 50.9% this time
๐ณ๏ธ Tees Valley mayor results begin to roll in The Tory incumbent Ben Houchen won more votes than his Labour rival in Hartlepool The Tees Valley area is made up of numerous local authority areas, of which Hartlepool is one Follow the latest ๐ https://t.co/cRM9NKgX6Y https://t.co/yWmydbUmA4
Here is that mayoral Hartlepool result - Houchen wins comfortably but was 14,000 ahead last time round. So thatโs heavily reduced. https://t.co/2cQkazusJT
Update on that all important Ben Houchen count... The results for the Hartlepool patch of the Tees Valley Mayoral vote are in and Ben is ahead: Houchen 10074 Lab 8732 Lib Dem 972 Count is still ongoing for the rest of the patch...
Ben Houchen comes out top in Hartlepool as it is the first Tees Valley Council to declare. Houchen (Con) 10074, McEwan (Lab) 8732, Thorley (Lib Dem) 972. Encouraging result for the Mayor in an area where Conservatives lost six council seats last night and Labour gained eight. https://t.co/rD9mIRrUkl