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27
Sept
Mayor Watch: Langdale Moor fire and Yorkshire rail investment
As part of a monthly political feature, the Stray Ferret will analyse the activity of the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, and his deputy mayor for policing, Jo Coles.
In this new feature, we will analyse the decisions, public and online presence and use of money by both politicians.
During September, Mr Skaith joined other Labour mayors in calling for greater investment in Yorkshire’s rail network.
Meanwhile, both Mr Skaith and Ms Coles sought national support for firefighters tackling the Langdale Moor wildfire.
Here is what else we found after analysing their online presence
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did he do?
In September, Mr Skaith announced a series of business roadshows across North Yorkshire to encourage firms to export globally.
He also joined fellow Labour mayors in West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire to call on the government to invest in in newer trains, major stations and upgraded lines across Yorkshire.
Mr Skaith also launched a strategic place partnership with Homes England, which aims to speed up housebuilding in coastal, urban and rural areas.
He also sought national support for firefighters tackling the Langdale Moor wildfire, which started on 11 August and covered nearly 10 square miles at its height. The fire lasted for mroe than 40 days.
Meanwhile, the Labour mayor appeared before a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority overview and scrutiny committee on September 24, where he gave an update on bus franchising, housing and transport.
During the meeting, Mr Skaith warned that some areas of York and North Yorkshire should not expect a bus "every five minutes" under a franchising model.
He also appeared before a Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on September 25 to give an update on his activities.
What decisions did he make?
Mr Skaith chaired a meeting of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority board on Friday (September 26).
During the meeting, the board made decisions on a £1 million budget for a strategic promotion and event programme to raise the profile of York and North Yorkshire and “drive inward investment”.
What else?
The Stray Ferret tried to analyse Mr Skaith’s expenses claims, but could not find any information on the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website.
Last month, a spokesperson for the combined authority said it was not a legal requirement to publish expenses for the mayor in the same way there is for the Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning. However, it added that it was "planning to start publishing" the mayor's expenses soon.
The Stray Ferret also asked the combined authority if it had anything further it wished to add to Mr Skaith’s activity.
In a statement, Mr Skaith said:
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has this week downgraded the wildfire that started at Langdale Forest more than 40 days ago, so it is no longer a major incident. We must now take this opportunity to support the area’s recovery and extend our sincere thanks to all the firefighters, farmers, gamekeepers, and residents who came together to respond to this fire.
It’s this spirit of community which I am committed to championing and over the rest of the year will be putting forward a number of schemes to keep our communities moving forward.
This week, I attended the Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Committee. I have now visited all our area committees and just like the painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, I go back to the start as part of an annual update. Each area has its own strengths and issues, but they are all connected by the proud and passionate people including local councillors who are working hard to support their communities. I am deeply committed to openness and transparency and this forms part of my efforts to keep local communities informed on the work we are doing across York and North Yorkshire.
On a national level, I represented the region on the Mayoral Council where we discussed the ongoing impact of devolution across the country and how we can work with government to deepen this relationship. We have seen in Greater Manchester where prolonged devolution has turned the local economy around and the English Devolution Bill is a key start in the process of giving Mayors the powers to protect, invest in, and support what matters most to our communities.
Jo Coles.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing
What did she do?
On September 10, Ms Coles criticised the Stray Ferret for highlighting safety concerns caused by an acute shortage of local on-call firefighters.
In an article, we revealed that crew availability had declined significantly among on-call crews in the Harrogate district over the last two years.
However, when asked what she was doing to tackle the problem, Ms Coles said it was “extremely disappointing” that the Stray Ferret has run the story during the Langdale fire.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the deputy mayor released a statement for National Rural Crime Week of Action reiterating her commitment to tackling rural crime.
She also supported the launch of a new app designed to improve street safety in York and North Yorkshire.
The “Start Safe, Stay Safe” app offers confidential way for members of the public to report street, town and city centre incidents. Ms Coles the app will help police and other agencies “get better evidence of incidents that take place”.
What decisions did she make?
The deputy mayor’s office published no formal decision notices in September.
However, Ms Coles chaired an online public meeting on September 18, where fire officers gave an update on the Langdale Moor fire.
What else?
On the Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning website, personal expenses for Ms Coles are published monthly.
The most recent figures for July show Ms Coles claimed £80.33 in expenses for taxis and dinner allowance in Nottingham and a train ticket to Northallerton.
Meanwhile, the deputy mayor also claimed £196 in mileage for July which included meetings in Sherburn-in-Elmet, Northallerton and an engagement in Selby. She also claimed mileage for a filming engagement at Harrogate Police Station and in Burnt Yates.
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, Ms Coles said:
In September we saw the largest ever wildfire in North Yorkshire which covered 25km2 and has burned for the last 6 weeks. It's extremely welcome news that this has now entered the recovery phase. I’d like to thank the farmers, gamekeepers, local residents, partner agencies, and of course our hardworking firefighters for all of their work getting the fire under control.
Rural crime action week took place in early September. Tackling rural crime is a priority for the Mayor David Skaith and I and this week was an opportunity to highlight the challenges our rural communities face and the work taking place locally to support them.
Recently I’ve been contacted by several people who are concerned about hate crime in our communities and I have been monitoring reported cases closely. It’s crucial that anyone who experiences hate crime reports it to the police so that they have an accurate picture of what’s going on.
As part of the wider programme of work to tackle violence against women and girls and wider community safety, we have also launched the Start Safe, Stay Safe app. The app offers a straightforward, and confidential way for members of the public to report street, town and city centre incidents.
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