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26
Oct
Mayor Watch: More powers from Westminster and hate crime in Harrogate
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 October, Mr Skaith paid out a further £1.7 million from his high street fund and launched a £7 million initiative aimed at tackling health and wellbeing.
Mr Skaith also said in an interview with the Stray Ferret that he was open to more powers from government.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles warned that Harrogate has a disproportionately high level of hate crime compared with the rest of the county.
Here is what else we found after analysing their online presence.
David Skaith, pictured in Ripon.
David Skaith Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did he do?
At the start of the month, Mr Skaith gave an interview to the Stray Ferret where he said he wants more powers from Westminster to help drive the region’s economy.
Currently, the mayor has powers over areas such as bus franchising, local transport strategy, housing and adult skills. He also oversees a mayoral investment fund worth £540 million over the next three decades.
However, there have been calls for mayors to be given more powers.
Meanwhile, on October 10, the mayor revealed a £7 million fund aimed at tackling health and wellbeing, including men’s mental health.
Mr Skaith also gave an interview to the Stray Ferret about the fund, where he shared his own struggles with mental health after his father died during the covid pandemic.
On October 15, the Labour mayor committed a further £1.7 million to projects across North Yorkshire as part of the second round of his high street fund.
What decisions did he make?
Mr Skaith revealed 19 projects had received money from his high street fund. This included Chain Lane Community Hub, which was awarded £121,488 for a "strategic initiative to invest in and diversify Knaresborough’s free events programme”.
He also chaired a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Board meeting on October 24, which covered topics such as the mayor’s active travel fund.
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.
In August, 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:
My overriding priority for my time as mayor is supporting people to build healthy and thriving communities. Earlier this month we took a big step on that journey, launching my Moving Forward campaign. An investment of over £7 million to empower our towns, villages and cities across York and North Yorkshire to improve their health and wellbeing.
The government have given an unprecedented platform to mayors, as our region's first mayor we're able to push our priorities and opportunities on the national stage unlike any time before. At the first regional investment summit in Birmingham, I met with organisations seeking to invest in our region and discussed how we can support bringing more jobs and opportunities to York and North Yorkshire.
We’ve also had a boost for green energy jobs across the country, with the government backing 400,000 new roles as part of their green energy plan. Here in York and North Yorkshire we have ambitious climate targets; to meet these, we need 13,000 skilled workers by 2030. This announcement gives welcome support at a perfect time as our retrofit strategy consultation is currently open and is a chance for residents to have their say on reducing energy bills and keeping our homes warmer.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for policing.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did she do?
On October 4, Ms Coles, who oversees policing and fire in the region, attended Harrogate Hebrew Congregation on St Mary’s Walk following a terror attack in Manchester.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed it had increased its presence outside the synagogue to provide reassurance and ongoing support.
The following week at a North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting, Ms Coles said the need for a police presence outside places of worship was “deeply sad” and that she found it a sad reflection of “where we are at as a society”.
On October 13, Ms Coles attended a Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting where she revealed that Harrogate has a disproportionately high level of hate crime compared with the rest of the county.
What decisions did she make?
On October 1, Ms Coles approved a £5.7 million contract for the maintenance of police and fire buildings in North Yorkshire to Dodd Group (Midlands) Limited, which is based in Telford.
According to a decision notice published on the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website, the award was the result of a “comprehensive and collaborative procurement process”.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles also chaired an online public meeting on October 16, which covered topics such as hate crime.
What else?
On the Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning website, personal expenses for Ms Coles are published monthly.
Ms Coles submitted no expenses for August, which is the most recent data available.
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:
This month it was fantastic to join Harrogate Chamber of Commerce and Trade in a wide-ranging discussion including retail crime, cyber security and the importance of business partnerships with police and fire services. And for local community groups and organisations I'm delighted that we have an additional £400,000 to give away in our Community Fund as part of David Skaith, the mayor's, brand-new Movement, Activity and Sport Fund. This money is specifically designed to support projects engaged in prevention work for young people at risk of anti-social behaviour.
My online public meeting with North Yorkshire Police monitored police performance over the summer and focused on a discussion on the work of the economic crime unit. This followed the police's first Operation Super Tornado last week in which huge coordination behind the scenes in all three police command areas resulted in more than 35 arrests and over £4,000 in cash, weapons and drugs taken off our streets - a brilliant example of North Yorkshire Police’s commitment to our police and crime plan priority to protect the public and building trust in policing.
I also attended the annual conference of the North Yorkshire Youth Commission which engaged with over 1,000 young people across our region on police and crime priorities for the next year. I'm already working with partners to ensure they pick up these recommendations and wherever they can work with young people to make our region safer for everyone. I held 6 surgeries for local residents, was held to account by the councillors and independent members of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel and attended a two day Association of Police and Crime Commissioners general meeting discussing police efficiencies, the work of special constables and how to improve criminal justice outcomes. And finally, I took part in National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
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