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25
Jan
Mayor Watch: £45bn rail investment and precept hikes
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 January, the government revealed plans to revive Northern Powerhouse Rail as part of a £45 billion investment.
Meanwhile, Mr Skaith published his personal expenses for the first time — 20 months after being elected.
The Labour mayor also revealed plans to hike North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s share of council tax by 9%.
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?
On January 11, Mr Skaith published his personal expenses for the first time since being elected.
The move came after the Stray Ferret revealed a series of expenses claims made by the Labour mayor between May 2024 and January 2025, which were only disclosed following our investigation.
Mr Skaith published his expenses online — including claims between January 1, 2025, and July 31, 2025, which were not previously made public.
Meanwhile, on January 14, the Labour mayor welcomed the government’s plan to make rail improvements as part of the £45 billion Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme.
The project is expected to include plans to improve York Station and create better connections with Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and Bradford.
Mr Skaith said the move would help to unlock “better and more reliable services” for people in the north of England.
On January 20, Mr Skaith launched a £60,000 “Dragon’s Den” style fund designed to help businesses in the region come up with new ideas.
The Labour mayor came in for criticism on January 22, when he backed the government’s policy of targeting extra funding at deprived areas — a move which critics say has seen his own region lose out.
What decisions did he make?
On January 14, the mayor revealed plans to increase North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s precept by 9% — which equated to a £9.60 rise for a band D property.
The move came after the Labour mayor increased the fire precept by £25 last year.
Mr Skaith said the decision to propose a 9% rise for 2026/27 would help to “protect the precept decision from last year”.
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:
York and North Yorkshire is finally getting the tools that our communities and businesses need to take our future into our own hands. This month, we secured a landmark commitment for upgrades to York Station which will unlock faster, more reliable travel across the North. This is part of a £45 billion investment that sets us on a path toward a rail service people can rely on. My focus now is ensuring this opportunity reaches every corner of our region, so that everyone from Skipton to Scarborough, and Harrogate to Hawes, shares in the benefits of a better-connected North.
Last week, I launched our Great Ideas programme. As someone with a background in small business, I know that having a brilliant idea is often only half the battle. Backed by £2.5 million, Great Ideas is designed to ensure our vibrant business communities, like those in Harrogate and Ripon, have the tools they need to keep innovating and growing.
Almost four years ago, the devolution journey began in York and North Yorkshire, and we’ve seen the benefits of that. People with skin in the game, not Westminster, making decisions about how to tackle the challenges in our communities. This week we started the next step of that journey. At our combined authority meeting, members endorsed our application to become an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority. It means we can better work with government to unlock more investment, tools, and powers for us to continue making York and North Yorkshire an even better place to live, work, and visit.
Jo Coles, deputy mayor for policing.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
What did she do?
On January 16, Ms Coles said she and the mayor faced “a difficult choice” over rising the precept for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service after a funding settlement from government.
She said the settlement left them with a decision to either to cut front line fire and rescue services or to increase the precept by more than inflation.
Meanwhile, Ms Coles urged residents to use a new reporting system for fraud and cyber crime on January 19.
She said the new system would help police “better understand where and how crimes are taking place”.
On the same day, Ms Coles posted on her Facebook page that she had met with Samaritans twice in a week to “her about the incredible work they do supporting people in our region”.
What decisions did she make?
Ms Coles made no formal decisions in January, according to the Office for Policing, Fire and Crime transparency details.
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 December 2025, which are the most recent data available.
In December, Ms Coles claimed for a return bus ticket to travel to a meeting in York which cost £6.00.
She also claimed for 276 miles in mileage during December for meetings in Wakefield, Whitby, Northallerton, York 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:
There has been significant time allocated to ensuring we set the budgets for the police force and fire and rescue service following the precept consultation which closed on 5 January. Thank you to the nearly 3,000 members of the public who took part in the precept consultation – the largest response we have ever had. Final decisions on precept are being made and will be published on the CA website early February.
Since the last update the Government has published the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Several meetings have taken place to ensure we convene all relevant partners and stakeholders to ensure we fulfil our responsibilities and deliver on our police and crime plan priorities in this area. This included a meeting with York Central MP and City of York Council Leader at the York Women’s Centre.
The Government has also published their Road Safety Strategy. Off the back of this, I have met with both local authorities about how to ensure the York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership can deliver safer roads for all road users in our region.
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