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22
Nov
Mayor Watch: Missing expenses, active travel and meeting Rachel Reeves
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 feature, we will analyse the decisions, public and online presence and use of money by both politicians.
During November, Mr Skaith joined calls for the government to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
He also appointed an active travel commissioner for York and North Yorkshire as part of a £4 million fund to improve walking and cycling across the region.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles held an online meeting over North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s performance.
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?
On November 7, Mr Skaith launched the third round of funding from his High Street fund which aims to revitalise town centres.
The Labour mayor also welcomed a further £7.3 million in government funding on the same day, which will be used to construct 300 affordable homes.
Mr Skaith laid a wreath at the Harrogate War Memorial as part of a Remembrance Sunday memorial.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget, Mr Skaith joined other metro mayor’s across the north to call for the two-child benefit cap to be lifted. He met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Downing Street to discuss the policy.
He also joined other northern leaders including Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire mayor, Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire mayor, Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester mayor and Luke Campbell, Hull and East Yorkshire mayor, in lobbying the government on the issue.
On November 18, Mr Skaith attended the launch of a newly established Policy Lab in York and North Yorkshire.
The venture is part of a partnership between York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority and York St John University.
What decisions did he make?
On November 18, Mr Skaith appointed the region’s first active travel commissioner. Rhiannon Letman-Wade was appointed to the position which will oversee the delivery of the mayor’s £4 million Active Travel Fund.
However, the combined authority did not reveal the commissioner’s salary when asked by the Stray Ferret.
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.
However, the combined authority has yet to publish the mayor’s expenses.
A list of gifts and hospitality that Mr Skaith has received was published in October. The mayor was offered 18 gifts from organisations and private individuals between April and September this year — though not all of them were accepted.
However, Keith Tordoff, who ran against Mr Skaith during the 2024 mayoral election, called on the combined authority to start publishing the mayor's expenses.
He described the lack of publication as a "dereliction of duty".
He said:
In relation to the elected Mayor of York and North through the combined authority not publishing his expenses on a regular basis this is not acceptable and a dereliction of duty on someone's part.
The people of York and North Yorkshire voted for leadership and transparency.
The Stray Ferret asked the combined authority if it had anything further it wished to add to Mr Skaith’s activity.
In a statement, Mr Skaith said:
Too many men are dying too young. That’s why this month I launched my Shift Your Focus campaign, backed by my Men’s Mental Health Fund.
Next week all eyes will turn to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she stands up in Parliament to set out her budget. One phrase I will be listening out for will be a mayoral visitor levy. It would be a real game changer for York and North Yorkshire. We have been working closely with York St John University on our Policy Lab in recent months and some of our early findings show that a £2 charge per night would generate more than £52 million every year. That money could be used to attract even more visitors, boost our businesses and make the investment in our transport network to create a system that our communities deserve.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for police, fire and crime.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did she do?
On November 17, Ms Coles launched a consultation on the precept for both North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Ms Coles attended a remembrance event on November 11 alongside Mr Skaith.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles supported a winter road safety campaign on November 18, which aims to raise awareness about accidents and casualties on York and North Yorkshire’s roads.
What decisions did she make?
The Labour deputy mayor chaired an online public meeting on November 20, which covered the performance of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Ms Coles has made no formal decisions since October 1, according to the combined authority decision notices.
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. We did not receive a response.
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