A porter at Clare College has been confirmed as the Labour Party candidate for the inaugural Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority mayoral election.

Cllr Kevin Price was backed by a majority of Labour members across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire in a ballot, and will contest the election on May 4 for the party.

Price, who represents the King’s Hedges ward and is deputy leader of Cambridge City Council, beat fellow King’s Hedges representative Fiona Onasanya to the selection.

In a statement, Price said “I am very grateful to Labour members across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have put their trust in me to fight the mayoral election in May.

“Decisions taken in Westminster have failed our region and I look forward to making the case that, under Labour, we can do a far better job of running it ourselves.”

The mayoralty of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was created with the collaboration of local authorities under the auspices of the government's devolution programme.

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Whoever wins the election will receive a number of new powers. The mayor is set to be granted control of £20 million of funding per year to boost growth in addition to a total of £170 million to be spent on housing. They will also work with the government to devise a new National Work and Health programme, which will focus on treatment of those with health conditions and disabilities, and on the long-term unemployed.

The selection of Cllr Price was the final candidate announcement by Labour ahead of the first elections for the newly created local authority mayoralties. Along with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, elections will be held in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West of England, and the West Midlands.

Price is one of seven candidates taking part in the election, alongside Paul Bullen (UKIP), Rod Cantrill (Liberal Democrat), Peter Dawe (Independent), Stephen Goldspink (English Democrat), Julie Howell (Green), and James Palmer (Conservative).