“ Even though I campaigned to remain in the EU, there is no point expressing regret about the outcome of the referendum. We must respect the will of the people.
“As Leader of Newcastle City Council it is my role to ensure that our city is protected and not divided as we consider the implications of an exit from the EU.
“By its very nature the referendum campaign was divisive with strong views and opinions expressed on both sides. The results show that we have been divided as a country – between north and south, urban and rural , young and old. There must now be a healing process. We must come together to decide what sort of country we want to be in the future.
“During the negotiations about what happens next it is essential that local government has a seat at the table. So much of what the EU does impacts first and foremost on local government – from investment and development, to environmental standards food standards and equalities it is local councils that experience the greatest impact.
“We should not assume that the only transfer of powers and investment should be from Brussels to Whitehall. We have an opportunity to ensure that we embed devolution to local areas as the exit process is established.
“We recognise that, as a modern, vibrant and outward looking city, we cannot afford to withdraw from the world and put up the shutters. Nor can we rely on Westminster to look after our interests. We will be ensuring that the case for Newcastle and the North East is clearly heard in the difficult weeks and months to come.”