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Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle City Council , has announced he is running for North of Tyne mayor.

The Labour councillor, who was instrumental in securing a devolution deal for the North East, has long been tipped as a major candidate likely to enter the race.

Exclusively announcing his decision to seek election as the North East's first ever regional mayor, Coun Forbes said he has the "credibility, experience and passion to be able to deliver a better future for the many not the few".

He said he would "make job creation my number one priority, putting people from Berwick to Byker central to our future".

After taking over the Labour group in 2007, Coun Forbes led Labour to victory in 2011 and has been leader of the council ever since.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

He has been a prominent backer of efforts to bring a devolution deal to the region, teaming up with leaders in Northumberland and North Tyneside to secure an agreement with Government.

The deal, which is worth an extra £600m, will see a host of new powers transferred to a new combined authority after being formally established earlier this month.

In his campaign announcement, he said he would be "a Mayor who isn’t afraid to stand up and be counted" and oppose "further privatisation" of NHS services and "campaign against any further cuts to public health or council budgets".

He said he would extend Newcastle's "groundbreaking" methods for tackling homelessness, call for a "fair share" of regional funds after Brexit and "fight for investment" on public transport and schools.

Coun Forbes added he would back efforts to bring back the 'Passionate People, Passionate Places' marketing campaign, a major effort to boost the region's tourist sector which was scrapped by the Coalition Government.

Should he win the Labour nomination and then triumph in the May 2 election, questions about leadership of the city council and other key bodies would be raised.

If he was elected mayor and Labour retained control of the council, a new leader would need to be selected at its annual general meeting shortly after the election.

ChronicleLive understands Coun Forbes will continue as leader of the council in the event he wins the Labour mayoral nomination but loses out in the main election.

Coun Forbes also sits on Labour's National Executive Committee by virtue of his role as head of the Labour group on the Local Government Association, a role he would likely vacate in the event he was elected mayor.

Membership of the key body is hotly contested by factions within the party so a vacancy would trigger a good deal of internal interest.

He becomes the second major candidate to announce his candidacy following the news North East MEP Paul Brannen is also seeking the Labour nomination.