Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) is planning a funding increase of 78.68 per cent for the mayor’s office.

The draft budget proposals for 2026/27, which are currently out for consultation, include a major rise in Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen’s office budget, most of which is set aside for paying employees.

TVCA has attributed the increase to “a previous period of understaffing”.

The total mayoral office budget will rise from £272,000 in the current financial year (2025/26) to £486,000 in the upcoming financial year, from April 1.

The sum is broken down into different........

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