Mayoral candidates make final pitches to voters

Candidates in tomorrow’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election have been out and about making their final attempts to woo voters.

Polling stations will open at 7am tomorrow (May 2) and close at 10pm.

Counting won’t start until Friday so whoever is elected to the £81,300 role is unlikely to be known until Friday afternoon.

The six contenders have been using a variety of methods to win votes as the campaign draws to a close — from TikTok videos to meeting people in the street.

Conservative candidate Keane Duncan posted on social media that his 100-day-campervan trip across the county was coming to an end. He published more photos of him meeting residents and pledged ‘bold, ambitious action for York and North Yorkshire’, adding:

“I’ve campaigned everywhere. Not just in the major settlements, but in the remotest outposts too.”

Keane Duncan

Labour’s David Skaith posted a photo of himself on the campaign trail with West Yorkshire’s Labour mayor Tracy Brabin. He said:

“We’ve been knocking on thousands of doors right across York and North Yorkshire and it’s very clear that people are desperate for change.”

David Skaith and supporters

Liberal Democrat Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who has been in Knaresborough today, said on social media:

“Lots to talk about and lots of hope and optimism that this election will bring about the change that we need – voters choosing me for my skills and business experience, a hard working candidate with common sense who will get the very best for all of us.”

Pateley Bridge-based Independent Keith Tordoff has taken to TikTok as part of his campaign.

A few days ago he posted a video of him hitting the heavy bag in boxing gloves to Rocky music, before pausing to say:

“It’s time we knocked the Tories, Labour, the main parties, out of York and North Yorkshire.”

Bilton’s Paul Haslam stood in Harrogate town centre with recyclable home-made banners talking to people.

He told the Stray Ferret he had loved the chance to get out and meet people and, as an independent with strong business background, felt he was well placed to push forward ideas such as an integrated transport policy.

Paul Haslam

Green candidate Kevin Foster posted a video of himself by a river, saying:

“As your mayor I will fight for North Yorkshire to get our fair share from the government. People tell me they want change from the same old parties letting them down.”

The Stray Ferret will bring live election coverage of Friday’s count followed by reaction and analysis over the weekend.

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‘Worried’ Tories dig up old Facebook posts of Harrogate Lib Dem

The Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have said an article on a local Conservative Party website that digs up old Facebook posts from a prospective Lib Dem candidate “shows they are worried” about the upcoming council elections.

The article on Community News, which is run by Andrew Jones MP’s office, posted screenshots from the Facebook page of Michael Schofield, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harlow Hill & St Georges.

Mr Schofield is the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Otley Road.

The article included one of his Facebook posts in 2019, which the Conservatives called an ‘expletive-laden, bizarre online rant’ that referred to Brexit, Donald Trump and Guy Fawkes.

The post from March 2019 was written at the height of the wrangling in Parliament over Brexit. It said:

“This country needs one person to stand up! A Trump, a Thatcher, a Guy Fawkes. Politicians have shown their colours and let our country down. Nail your colours to either side but be Brexit or Remain not one of these self wanting a****** deserve a vote. GUY FAWKES WE NEED YOU”.

The article also posted a screenshot of Mr Schofield reposting a satirical article from December 2019, which said then-Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson should be in Bagpuss’s window with “all the other lost and broken things nobody wants anymore”.

Voters go to the polls on May 5 to elect councillors to sit on North Yorkshire County Council and its successor authority, North Yorkshire Council, which comes into existence in April 2023.

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Responding, Mr Schofield said:

“My response is quite clear. I apologise if language was offensive however at that time no party had a leader of credibility and I do believe it was the vote of a lifetime to make a difference.”

David Goode, chair of Harrogate & Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, criticised the campaign tactics used by the Conservatives.

He said:

“It’s no more than we’ve come to expect. It’s very standard practice for them to try and besmirch the opposition. It shows they are worried about the election.

“This election is so important for a whole raft of different reasons and they will try every trick in the book. I’d like to think we’ll keep more to the issues. We’ll have a go at them on their record, not at individuals.”

Mr Goode defended the comments of the publican Mr Schofield, which he said makes him a “far stronger candidate” due to his “passion”.

“At the time there was a lot of emotion flying about Brexit.  From Michael’s perspective, he probably used some language he shouldn’t have used. It reflects his passion and truly that’s what what we need. We need people with passion who care.

“With any political party people fall in and out out of love at certain times. We can’t always be 100% enthusiastic. In a way it makes him a far stronger candidate, he’s gone through bad times with the party and come back.”

What is Community News?

Community News launched in September 2020.

The home page makes no reference to the fact that it’s set up by the office of Andrew Jones.

This only becomes clear when you click on the “About” page, which also says the aim of the website is to provide news stories about Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge in a “positive” and “non-political way”.

Mr Jones’ office manager is current council leader Richard Cooper. The office also employs current Conservative councillors Matt Scott and Ed Darling.

Following the 2019 general election, Mr Jones commented on negative campaigning. He said: “politics needs to grow up” and “I don’t use these tactics”.

Mr Jones wrote on his website:

“I don’t like it when candidates spend much of their time demonising their opponents.

“I don’t use these tactics.  I simply say what I do in the local area and describe how I represent local people and our communities.  My literature and my team were positive about our achievements and our ambitions.  We didn’t pull down opponents or manipulate people to vote differently to their beliefs to ‘stop someone else winning’.

“Politics needs to grow up and step away from this old-fashioned and frankly US-style attack ad approach.  I hope over the next few years – at least locally – there will be agreement to adopt a more positive approach.”

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones, Richard Cooper and the Conservative candidate for Harlow Hill & St Georges, Steven Jackson, to respond to Mr Goode’s comments but we did not receive any responses.