Tom Bryant has been appointed interim chief executive of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) in place of the departing Julie Gilhespie.

A restructure will see Gilhespie's role split in two with Bryant, TVCA's current director of infrastructure, taking charge of the authority while John Barnes is set to step up from his role as chief operating officer of the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC) to become its chief executive.