North East Combined Authority (2014–2024)

The North East Combined Authority (NECA), officially the Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland Combined Authority, was one of the combined authorities in North East England. It was created in 2014, and consisted of the City of Sunderland; Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, South Tyneside; and Durham County local authorities.

The local authorities for Newcastle upon Tyne; North Tyneside; and Northumberland were also included in the combined authority until 2018, when they left to form their own combined authority, the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA). For transport policy, both combined authorities had a joint transport committee. Other combined authorities in the North East England region that are not in the North of Tyne or the North East areas are part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

The North East Combined Authority was established in 2014 by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. It had some powers over economic development and regeneration.

It was announced in October 2015 that NECA would receive an enhanced devolution settlement and elect a mayor in 2017. These plans were later cancelled by the Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid on 8 September 2016 after Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside, and Sunderland Councils withdrew their support, which led to the other councils withdrawing from NECA and forming the NTCA. NECA was a non-mayoral combined authority unlike NTCA which had a mayor.

NECA was abolished and absorbed into the larger North East Mayoral Combined Authority in May 2024.