The Stray Ferret chaired a hustings event this week as the race to become the county’s first directly elected mayor enters its final three weeks.
Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Conservative Keane Duncan, the Green Party’s Kevin Foster and Labour’s David Skaith were quizzed in front of a live audience of business owners.
Tamsin O’Brien, the owner of the Stray Ferret, chaired the business-themed event, which was jointly organised by the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Make UK.
Each candidate outlined what they stood for and was quizzed by Ms O’Brien as well as audience members.
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister
Ms Cunliffe-Lister is a North Yorkshire councillor and former commercial property lawyer who now owns Swinton Park, near Masham
She said 20,000-acre Swinton Park had doubled in size to employ 150 people and and diversified to include activities such as camping and a cookery school.
Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:
“I am the only candidate with the leadership, the business experience and the skills that are essential for this role. I am a politician with a career — I am not a career politician.”
Keane Duncan
Former Daily Star journalist Mr Duncan, who is the executive member for highways at North Yorkshire Council, pledged a range of initiatives including free car parking for every town and city, support for dualling of the A64, £1 bus fares for under 21s, the region’s first mutual bank for businesses, and buying and restoring Scarborough’s Grand Hotel.
He said:
“I am standing in this election to shake things up, to do things in a different way, to break from the same old status quo politics that have held our region back for too long.”
Asked whether the mayor will be able to fund such schemes such as free parking, he said his plans for two hours or less of free parking currently costed the council £2.9 million and he would pledge that sum.
Kevin Foster
Mr Foster, the Green Party leader on North Yorkshire Council and a former army reservist, said not being a member of one of the large political parties meant he would be able to unite the different factions at Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council and Labour-run City of York Council.
He talked about the need for “a first class bidding system when we go for grants”, and creating “a better, cleaner, greener place for our businesses”. Mr Foster said:
“If one of the big parties get in it could be politics again as normal. i’ve never been whipped by my party, they would never tell me what to do, I’ve got freedom to make my own choices. I am focused on the task and have leadership skills.”
David Skaith
Harrogate-born Labour candidate David Skaith, who owns a shop and chairs York High Street Forum, said the first thing he would do as mayor would be to introduce a high street fund that would provide access to funding and support for businesses.
Mr Skaith said:
“Coming from having my own business, I don’t believe in having huge bold plans that are not realistic. I can’t buy into that and it’s not how business functions.
“We must build truly affordable homes for ownership and for rent, an integrated transport system with simpler harmonised ticketing system.”
The evening was a selective hustings event, run in accordance with electoral commission guidelines. This meant the Independent candidates, Keith Tordoff and Paul Haslam, were not eligible to take part.
Voters go the polls to elect the mayor on May 2.
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