26
Apr
Mayor Watch: Legal threats, Christmas cards and mass surveillance 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 April, Mayor Skaith faced more criticism over highways funding as North Yorkshire Council threatened legal action over his decision to change its funding formula.
He also faced backlash over plans to hand powers for bus services back to North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council for another year.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles said she was seeking assurances over police plans for live facial recognition cameras.
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?
At the start of April, Mr Skaith hit back at criticism of his efforts to manage bus services in York and North Yorkshire.
Tory-controlled North Yorkshire Council criticised the Labour mayor after he handed control over the bus network back to constituent authorities for another year and claimed the mayor needed to “step up to the mark” on buses.
But, Mr Skaith hit back and said it was “quite a low bar” for Conservatives in North Yorkshire to criticise his handling of buses, given how the network has performed over the last 10 years.
Meanwhile, on April 13, Mr Skaith faced further backlash over his decision to change the formula used by the Department for Transport to allocate highways funding as North Yorkshire Council threatened legal action.
Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of the authority, said the council was taking the action because the budget decision was “prejudicial to the residents of North Yorkshire”.
However, Mr Skaith said the action was “beyond regrettable”.
On April 19, the Stray Ferret revealed that the mayor had used public money to post more than 1,000 cards at Christmas.
Mr Skaith spent £998 to post 1,192 cards to councillors on North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, as well as individual parish councils and community organisations.
Defending the decision, he said the move was to thank organisations and individuals for their work and support on behalf of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which he chairs.
On April 24, Mr Skaith declared his objection to fracking in the county ahead of an application to frack in Burniston.
In a post on his Facebook page, the Labour mayor pointed out that mayors would be given powers to call in strategic planning applications “in the near future”.
He added that, if he had those powers today, he would call in the Burniston fracking application and refuse it.
What decisions did he make?
On April 16, Mr Skaith approved funding for 26 projects from his Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.
Five schemes from the Harrogate district were awarded a total of £583,656 in the third and final funding round.
Mr Skaith granted the money to projects in Harrogate, Ripon and Nidderdale, You can read about them in full here.
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:
Connectivity is vital, but our region has been left behind for too long. We took a major step forward this month by securing extra train services between York and Scarborough. It’s a significant win for commuters and businesses that brings us closer to my goal of a half-hourly service that puts passengers first.
Taken alongside York’s inclusion in Northern Powerhouse Rail, we’re on with the journey towards better rail connectivity in York and North Yorkshire. I’m really conscious that North Yorkshire is huge, and that every area needs to feel the impact on those improved services and connectivity. I’ll continue working to ensure areas like Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon feel the benefits of better connectivity across the North.
In the Harrogate district, my High Street Fund is investing nearly £600,000 across five creative projects. Funding events from Harrogate International Festivals, celebrations of Ripon’s heritage, and a new programme of activity in Nidderdale, we're backing the people who know their areas best. These exciting ideas have given local community partnerships the ability to decide how they want to transform their high streets into vibrant places where residents and visitors want to return to again and again.
We are backing our communities and our businesses because they go hand in hand. This month, I was pleased to support even more local businesses through my export programme, including businesses across the Harrogate district like Techbuyer and Whittaker’s Distillery. We know they can grasp global opportunities and that’s why we have tripled our grant pot, unlocking the potential for £45 million in new sales.
Deputy Mayor Jo Coles with PCSO Ronnie Woods.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did she do?
On April 2, Ms Coles issued a statement after North Yorkshire Police revealed it was looking into plans for live facial recognition cameras.
The technology scans people's faces as they pass and compares them to a watchlist to find matches.
Ms Coles said in a statement that the use of any new technology “requires particular scrutiny and assurance as some members of the public may be concerned about implications in terms of civil liberties, safeguarding and the potential targeting of minority groups”.
The Labour deputy mayor held an online public meeting on April 16 to scrutinise the performance of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Ms Coles’ remit includes oversight of both North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The Stray Ferret published an article following the meeting looking at the five key takeaways from the service’s performance data, which you can read in full here.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles welcomed an government inspection report published on April 22 into North Yorkshire Police which revealed that the force had made improvements.
She said it was “encouraging to see how much progress” the police had made.
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, 2025.
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 March this year, which are the most recent data available.
Last month, Ms Coles claimed £3.80 for a car parking ticket in Scarborough on March 11 for an event.
She also claimed £3 for a bus ticket to Clifton Moor on March 16 for a meeting and a £14.98 for a taxi from Clifton Moor to Fishergate to be on time for a meeting with police staff on the same day.
Meanwhile, she also claimed 218 miles in mileage in March which included events in Scarborough, York, Pickering, Tadcaster, Acomb 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:
Delivering on our priorities, Mayor David Skaith and I hosted the National Rural Crime Conference in York a few weeks ago which was the first time the conference has taken place outside London and the first time it has been addressed by the Policing Minister, underlining the important national focus on tackling crime and keeping people safe in rural communities.
And as part of the work taking place to reduce violence against women and girls, I brought together senior representatives from agencies and services across the region to discuss how to strengthen our strategic approach as we develop our regional delivery strategy.
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