Congratulations on being selected Sue, tell me a little bit about your background in the co-operative movement?

My first job was with Banks of the Wear Housing Co-operative. It was about establishing ownership and tenant co-operatives, so in Middlesbrough I worked with groups to help them become self-managed. Actually, it was one of the few equal pay Co-ops, so I got the same money as my boss! I worked there for five years and it gave me an understanding that we can do things better when we do things together. It’s about that combined endeavour, the community caring, not just shutting your front door and ignoring what is happening outside.

How has that influenced your politics?

Co-operative principles have been core throughout my political career, you make the best social policy when you work with people and give them control. That sits behind my philosophy about the Mayor. We need everyone engaged, we need to build capacity in our communities, we need to unlock our potential.

What’s your current involvement with co-operatives?

I am a member of our credit union locally and it’s important that we support them. They are a fundamental building block to bring economic power to communities. I am also a governor at a school that is part of a co-operative trust with other primary schools. It’s working well, but it is being forced to be a Multi Academy Trust. It’s not right that it’s being forced to work in a certain way, when it isn’t necessarily the best.

And the obvious question, why do you want to be Teesside’s first metro mayor?

For me, it’s about realising the economic success of Tees Valley. Over the last few decades the area has been left behind time and time again. It’s now time to do things for ourselves; time for a system that everyone can share in. We are wasting talent in our area and it’s just not good enough. 

What are your pledges for the area?

The SSI steelworks closed over a year ago, with the loss of 2000 jobs, and many more in the supply chain. It brought 150 years of steel making to an end, and the new Mayoral Development Corporation will be the first outside of London, and cover the former SSI site. One of the key issues is how we redevelop the area and bring back jobs lost. Many of the jobs lost were high value, they gave people a decent standard of living, but they have been replaced by low value jobs, with wages subsidised by benefits. I have an ambition for the Tees Valley to be a Living Wage area. That everyone gets paid a decent wage, with job security. We can do it, we don’t have to wait for some else to do it for us

Finally how can Co-op Members help you get elected?

It’s important we go out and win this election. Members can get in touch through:

• Facebook sue4teesvalley
• @sue4teesvalley
• and you email me at sue4teesvalley@gmail.com