In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2024, we look at the first election of the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, which took place this year.

From bold pledges to surprising results, the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire election delivered more than was expected.

The introduction of an elected mayor for the county raised eyebrows when it was first unveiled some three years ago.

The candidates were eclectic — a clothes shop owner, a young Conservative, and the owner of Swinton estate — but not the big-hitting politicians as seen elsewhere.

Regardless, the election campaign in the run-up to polling day in May was a tale of two candidates.

Keane Duncan, the young councillor who had worked his way up to a senior executive position on North Yorkshire Council, was trusted to win the mayoral office for the Tories.

His task seemed a plumb one. North Yorkshire is a vast rural county with a Conservative ruling council and multiple Tory MPs.

But his campaign was bold, with pledges ranging from buying a hotel in Scarborough to introducing facial recognition technology to North Yorkshire Police.

Much of Mr Duncan's campaign was focused on utilising social media to promote his pledges. He published high-production videos and pictures to push his message.

He also went on a tour around the county in his van, which notably did not include anything which mentioned that he was a Conservative.

For Labour, David Skaith, the owner of Winstons of York, was tasked with turning North Yorkshire red.

Skaith, who had no previous political experience, led a somewhat traditional campaign by being pictured with the then shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and avoiding headline-grabbing pledges.

In the end, the campaign had the desired effect.

Mr Duncan narrowly won the vote in North Yorkshire by 44,794 votes to Mr Skaith's 41,122, but the Labour man's strong York base saw him cruise home.

The result was a blow to the Conservatives, who had hoped to secure the mayoralty to go alongside their grip on power at North Yorkshire Council.

However, in the aftermath of the declaration, Mr Duncan defended his campaign, which included ambitious pledges such as buying the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

So Labour expanded its reach of metro mayors across the north of England. It now has control over areas including Liverpool, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Sheffield City Region and York and North Yorkshire.

The result also proved to be the shape of things to come as the Tories also fell short two months later at the national polls.