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24
Aug
Mayor Watch: Yorkshire Water criticism and violence against women and girls
As part of a monthly new 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.
Labour’s Mr Skaith broke the Conservative stranglehold in North Yorkshire last year when he went from shopkeeper to the first directly elected mayor in the county. He later appointed former chief of staff to Yvette Cooper MP, Ms Coles, as his deputy.
But since then, the scrutiny on both positions has been minimal.
In this new feature, the Stray Ferret will analyse the decisions, public and online presence and use of money by both politicians.
During August, Mr Skaith weighed in on payments to Yorkshire Water’s chief executive and Ms Coles launched a new service for vulnerable women facing homelessness in York.
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?
In August, Mr Skaith joined metro mayors from across the north of England in criticising a decision not to allocate national innovation funding to northern universities.
He also criticised a decision to make additional payments totalling £1.3 million to Yorkshire Water chief executive, Nicola Shaw.
Ms Shaw received £660,000 from Jersey-based Kelda Holdings, Yorkshire Water’s parent company, in the 2023/24 and the 2024/25 financial years, which was previously undisclosed.
On August 8, Mr Skaith, along with other metro mayors, signed a letter to Vanda Murray, chair of Yorkshire Water’s board, raising “serious concerns" over the payments.
The Labour mayor also encouraged York and North Yorkshire farms to apply for sustainability funding of up to £49,950.
What decisions did he make?
During August, the combined authority board, which Mr Skaith chairs, held no meetings.
Mr Skaith is due to hold a business board meeting on September 11 and a full combined authority board meeting on September 26.
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.
We approached the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to ask why no expenses claims have been published for the mayor.
A spokesperson 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 authoirty if it had anything further it wished to add to Mr Skaith’s activity.
In a statement, Mr Skaith said:
To get the progress that York and North Yorkshire deserves, we need to work across borders. The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a fantastic example of this and this month, we marked a major milestone with a quarter of the route from York to Manchester now complete.
I joined Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander as one of the first passengers to benefit from this faster, greener and more reliable route. This approach also works beyond major infrastructure projects.
This month I also invited Mayor Andy Burnham to Scarborough for a ‘War of the Roses’ cricket match to use our friendly rivalry to champion a serious, shared cause to support healthy communities.
There’s much more we need to do and later this year I will be launching my Movement, Activity and Sport Investment Programme and my Men’s Mental Health Investment Programme with nearly £3.5 million in funding available.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for police, fire and crime.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing
What did she do?
Ms Coles issued a statement on August 5 in response to new offences being introduced to protect emergency workers from racially or religiously aggravated behaviour.
She said:
Our front-line emergency service workers should feel safe when they’re doing their job, whether they are out in the community or in a private home.
Ms Coles also announced a new service for vulnerable women facing homelessness in York.
In a post on her Bluesky account, she described the service as a “good example of partnership working”.
Ms Coles’ X account is no longer active.
Meanwhile, the deputy mayor also visited a women’s centre in Scarborough which provides “tailored support and a safe space to women”.
In a post on her Bluesky on August 11, she said the open day was part of a “wider mission” to reduce levels of violence against women and girls.
What decisions did she make?
On August 15, Ms Coles published a decision notice on the fire service’s community risk management plan 2025-2029.
The plan identifies the risks across York and North Yorkshire and outlines how they will use their people and resources (vehicles and equipment) to address them.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which Ms Coles scrutinises as part of her role, is required to publish a plan by law.
The decision by Ms Coles will now see a public consultation on the plan held until September 7.
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 June show that no expenses were claimed.
The last time Ms Coles claimed expenses were in March this year, when she claimed a total of £151.50. This included claims for tube tickets to visit the Association for Police and Fire Commissioners and National Rural Crime Network.
Expenses claims were also made for train tickets and a taxi to the venue for the Local Government Association Fire Conference and further train tickets and dinner allowance for a visit to the Association for Police and Fire Commissioners.
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.
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