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21
Mar
Mayor Watch: Funding cuts, tourist tax opposition and speed cameras
Each month, the Stray Ferret analyses the activity of the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, and his deputy mayor for policing, Jo Coles.
We look at their decisions, their public and online presence and their use of money by both politicians.
During March, Mr Skaith faced criticism over highways funding as the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council said it would see the county lose £7 million for the forthcoming year.
The Labour mayor also faced further backlash against his tourist tax plans as North Yorkshire’s Tory MPs objected.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles backed plans to introduce fixed speed cameras across the county.
Here is what else we found after analysing their online presence.
David Skaith.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did he do?
At the turn of the month, Mr Skaith opened applications for his £1 million active travel fund at an event at Oatlands Junior School in Harrogate.
The funding is part of a wider £4 million active travel fund, which aims to support initiatives that improve walking routes, improve accessibility and encourage behaviour change, such as School Streets, bike buses and park and stride.
The Labour mayor also faced further criticism of his tourist tax after Tory MPs in North Yorkshire signed a letter objection to the proposal.
Four Conservative MPs in the county, including Ripon MP Sir Julian Smith and Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke, wrote to the mayor outlining their opposition to the policy.
Meanwhile, on March 16, Mr Skaith was nominated to co-chair the Transport for the North board.
The Labour mayor faced criticism in March over claims he planned to cut £7 million from North Yorkshire’s highways funding, which would be diverted to City of York Council.
The move saw Mr Skaith criticised by Ripon councillor, Cllr Andrew Williams, who compared the plan to “Dick Turpin reinvented”.
Mr Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, demanded that Cllr Williams “keep his answers professional” and said he did not like being referred to as the 18th century highwayman.
He said the combined authority was still working on a formula for the funding allocation, but added that North Yorkshire would be receiving “more money than you have ever had”.
Meanwhile, Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, described the funding change as “somewhat worrying” and said he planned to meet with the mayor about the matter.
What decisions did he make?
On March 17, Mr Skaith awarded 49 projects grants from his £1 million mayoral sports and activities fund.
The programme, run in partnership with North Yorkshire Sport, aims to reduce inequalities and improve wellbeing through sport and activity. You can read about the local recipients here.
Mr Skaith also awarded grants for 31 projects as part of his £635,000 business innovation fund, which aims to increase export activity.
What else?
The Stray Ferret asked the combined authority if it had anything further it wished to add to Mr Skaith’s activity.
In a statement, the mayor said:
We’re ambitious for our people and our businesses. This month we took a big step forward by setting out our Local Growth Plan. To me, growth means very little if the people who live and work in our region don’t feel it. That’s why, in front of a packed room at our Ambition 2035 event, I spoke about how backing ambition improves productivity, makes work fairer, and equips our people with the specific skills our businesses need to thrive over the next decade.
We are taking steps toward these goals every day. We’re already supporting businesses by boosting exports and simplifying innovation, but this month we’ve gone further. We've now invited our small and medium enterprises to apply for Get Funded. This new programme directly tackles one of the biggest barriers to growth: access to finance. By unlocking investment, we unlock the productivity of the entire region.
Supporting our communities also means supporting healthier, more active lives. Movement and sport are essential for mental health and tackling social isolation. That’s why we’ve invested more than £1 million into 49 projects across the region, including five special projects in the Harrogate district.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for policing.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did she do?
On March 4, Ms Coles backed a move to introduce fixed speed cameras in the county.
North Yorkshire currently has no fixed speed cameras. However police use mobile units to catch speeding motorists.
But Jo Coles, the Labour deputy mayor, said it was “completely unacceptable” that thousands of people had been killed on the region’s roads in the last five years.
Ms Coles also held an online public meeting into North Yorkshire Police’s performance on March 19.
What decisions did she make?
Ms Coles made no formal decisions in January, according to the Office for Policing, Fire and Crime transparency details. Her last one was on December 12.
What else?
On the Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning website, personal expenses for Ms Coles are published monthly.
The office published expenses claims for February this year, which are the most recent data available.
Last month, Ms Coles claimed £12.95 for a car parking ticket in Manchester on February 9 for a meeting.
Meanwhile, she also claimed 301 miles in mileage for a meeting in Manchester and visits to Colburn, Richmond and Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret approached York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to ask if it had anything further it wished to add to Ms Coles’ activity.
In a statement, the deputy mayor said:
One of the challenges for policing and fire in York and North Yorkshire is ensuring there is good engagement across our large and diverse region. Over the past month, there has been some particular focus on this inclusion work.
For example, I took part in numerous activities for International Women’s Day; attending the North Yorkshire Police event, visiting the Women’s Centre in Scarborough and joining regional partners at Askham Grange Prison. I also launched our Community Feedback survey for the Emergency Services at an event with families marking the start of Ramadan. Our Community Feedback survey invites feedback on people's experiences of the police and fire services over the last year. It's really important we capture a full range of those experiences as the results will support my work in holding these services to account on behalf of residents. The survey remains open until 19 April.
The York and North Yorkshire's first Major Criminal Incident Day took place this week in Harrogate. The event which was funded through Ministry of Justice resources secured by my office, will strengthen our understanding of the national and local processes needed to support the public if they are affected by a major incident. It was an honour to open the event and to share some of my experiences in this area with the professionals and local volunteers who do so much every day to keep us all safe.
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