In the first of a series of interviews with candidates to be the first Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, the Stray Ferret speaks to Keith Tordoff who is standing as an independent.

Keith Tordoff is no stranger to the election scene.

The Pateley Bridge businessman stood for North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner twice and has now put his name forward again for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Initially standing for the Yorkshire Party, Mr Tordoff will once again be contesting the election on May 2 as an independent.

The Stray Ferret met him in Tordoff Gallery, his film poster venture on Pateley Bridge High Street which he operates alongside wife Gloria, to discuss his latest election campaign.

The 67-year-old is keen to stress that the mayor should be independent and that he has the credentials for the role.

Mr Tordoff spent 20 years as a police officer in Leeds, working on cases such as that of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire ripper. He later went into business and founded the Oldest Sweet Shop in the World in Pateley Bridge, which he sold in March 2021.

He boasts that he has not been on holiday abroad for 25 years as North Yorkshire is a “fantastic place to live”.

But, despite the extensive experience, Mr Tordoff is standing as an independent as opposed to joining any of the established political parties.

“I am an independent, which I think is very important because I think it is a role that should be independent.

“They [the political parties] are always going to try and get what they want for their particular area. Whereas, if I was elected, I can act to work with them but I can also act to work with all the people from both communities which is what it should be about.”

For him, the election is the last opportunity for an independent to get into power.

“This is the last ditch opportunity for people in York and North Yorkshire to have somebody elected who will deliver for them.”

‘These are not flights of fancy’

Mr Tordoff is full of ideas, though some have led to disagreements and raised eyebrows.

He points to his manifesto and priorities, where he pledges to make public transport free for under-18s to get to school and college, introduce a single ticket for frictionless travel and unlock brownfield land for 2,000 homes.

“These are not flights of fancy, these are deliverable.”

Keith Tordoff on Pateley High Street

He also feels the mayor should only have one office in York in order to save money, rather than the proposed two offices in York and Northallerton.

But perhaps his most attention grabbing policy pledge has been to give 2,000 households three free chickens.

Mr Tordoff claimed the move would help to save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.

He announced the policy in June last year, when he was standing as the Yorkshire Party’s mayoral candidate. But the controversy it generated led to him resigning from the party and becoming an independent.

Mr Tordoff told the Stray Ferret that he “100%” stood by the pledge and described it as “deliverable”.

He said:

“Some people pooh poohed it. But bear in mind, everybody was talking about and is still talking about it.

“It was nearly a year ago that I said that and it clearly resonated with people.”

Read more:

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• Lib Dem mayor candidate pledges support for Flaxby train station

Despite being up against established political parties, Mr Tordoff remains confident people will vote for something different this time:

“I am hoping the public are disillusioned and there is a realisation that if we vote for these people again then we are going to get more of the same.”

The York and North Yorkshire mayor will be chosen by residents of the region in an election on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

The deadline to register to vote is 11:59pm, Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

The full list of candidates are:

• Keith Tordoff, independent
• Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Liberal Democrats
• Keane Duncan, Conservative Party
• David Skaith, Labour Party
• Kevin Foster, Green Party
• Paul Haslam, independent

The Yorkshire Party candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor next year quit the party after a disagreement over a policy to hand out free chickens.

Keith Tordoff, who is from Pateley Bridge, pledged in an interview to give three chickens to 20,000 households in North Yorkshire.

But the policy had not been discussed in detail with the Yorkshire Party and thus Mr Tordoff will now seek election as an independent candidate.

He announced his resignation from the party this week.

Other disagreements included the Yorkshire Party’s website ‘not being up to date’ and there not being enough volunteers.

Mr Tordoff said:

 “They don’t like stories like the chicken story.

“They really tried to clamp down and said that shouldn’t have been released.

“I’ve been contacted by one of the largest egg producers in the country saying they want to offer help.

“It stimulated the imagination of people but the Yorkshire Party leadership didn’t think it was appropriate and would make the party look a bit foolish or silly.”

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge man resigns as Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate
• Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected

Mr Tordoff also said he recorded a promotional song based on the lyric in Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing ‘your chicks for free’.

He said:

“They didn’t want me to release that.

“It’s not going to diminish anything but unfortunately they couldn’t quite see through it.

“I don’t think they quite have the drive, the vision, the imagination, or my appeal to people to work on projects.”

Although he wished the Yorkshire Party the best, Mr Todoff said its leadership “went over the top” on their crackdown of his policy.

He said:

“They couldn’t grasp it.”

Yorkshire Party co-leader Bob Buxton said: 

“Keith is used to being independent.

“He came up with the chicken story and that perhaps took away the emphasis from more substantial policies.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad policy but I would have liked to have fleshed it out a bit more.

“He’s very autonomous.

“It was all very polite but he felt and we felt it was best to part ways.”

The party will field a different candidate following the by-election in Selby and Ainsty triggered by Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams.

A Pateley Bridge man who was selected to stand for the Yorkshire Party for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has resigned from the party.

Keith Tordoff announced his candidacy for the role just over a week ago.

However, in a statement, he said he had decided to resign from the Yorkshire Party “with immediate effect” in order to stand as an independent.

Mr Tordoff, a former police officer, detective and specialist fraud investigator who owns Tordoff Gallery in Pateley Bridge, said the move would allow for “freedom and flexibility” in his campaign.

His statement said:

“The freedom and flexibility of being an independent candidate allows for Keith to appeal to all sections of society and members of all political parties as well as deliver on all relevant issues affecting the people who live, work or visit North Yorkshire.”

The move comes after Mr Tordoff, 67, released a list of pledges last week, which included giving 2,000 households three chickens each.

He said this would save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.

Mr Tordoff also said his priorities would be to make North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse; improve transport links and connectivity, especially for rural communities; making North Yorkshire a safer place to live, work and visit and to make North Yorkshire a world leader in sustainability.

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge man to stand for Yorkshire Party in mayoral election
• Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected

The 67-year-old, who was born and raised in Leeds, was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to business and the community.

Mr Tordoff has also previously stood as an independent candidate in both 2021 North Yorkshire Police, Fire Crime Commissioner elections, finishing in third place.

Zoe Metcalfe, the current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives in Aldborough, has announced she hopes to be selected by the Conservatives in the mayoral election.

The Conservatives have lost their majority on North Yorkshire Council following the defection of a councillor.

Mike Jordan resigned today from the Conservatives to become an independent.

He added he would support Pateley Bridge man Keith Tordoff, the Yorkshire Party candidate, in next year’s mayoral election for York and North Yorkshire and he also “might join the Yorkshire Party”.

It means the Tories now have 45 of the 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council — precisely half. However, if a vote is tied, the Tory chair David Ireton would get the casting vote.

Cllr Jordan said:

“I have listened to my constituents and I recognise their frustration with the Conservative Party and how their policies nationally and locally are affecting their health and wealth whilst destroying their communities.”

Yorkshire-born Cllr Jordan, who represents Camblesforth and Carlton, said his disillusionment with the Conservatives was more national than local, with the exception of the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign, which wants 20mph speed limits to be the norm on residential streets and in town and village centres.

He said he supported the initiative whereas “most of the Conservatives on north Yorkshire Council think it’s a waste of time”.

Cllr Jordan said the North Yorkshire Conservatives had not backed his bid to become the county’s first mayor next year and he would therefore support Mr Tordoff:

“I strongly believe Keith Tordoff, if elected mayor would make York and North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse, improve transport, whilst also through sustainability initiatives enrich the quality of the lives of people in the county.”

Read more:

• Pateley Bridge man to stand for Yorkshire Party in mayoral election
• FoI reveals Harrogate council spent nearly £3,000 on booze for staff party

The Yorkshire Party’s candidate for the North Yorkshire mayoral election in 2024 has promised 2,000 households three chickens each.

Keith Tordoff, who lives in Pateley Bridge, has announced he will be the Yorkshire Party candidate to lead the North Yorkshire joint authority and has already made a list of ambitious pledges.

Mr Tordoff, 67, a former police officer who worked on the Yorkshire Ripper murders, has also been a specialist fraud investigator for banks.

Born and raised in Leeds, he is proud of his Yorkshire heritage and even brags that he ‘never goes abroad’ due to his fondness for his home county.

Having previously stood in elections to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, coming third in 2021, he feels he is the best candidate to lead North Yorkshire.

He said:

“Ultimately, Yorkshire ought to be brought together under one mayoral authority and if I were elected I would work with other mayors in the region to achieve that so it ends up with the best in charge of Yorkshire.”

Mr Tordoff criticised the government’s record on ‘levelling up’, adding:

“They haven’t delivered on it.

“They’ve had ample time to do it now, so it needs somebody with a bit of drive, passion and who is able to negotiate to get a better deal for Yorkshire.

“There needs to be someone, such as myself, with some honesty, integrity, and who will deliver.

“Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens aren’t going to do that.”

Nutrients from eggs

One of his policies involves poultry. Mr Tordoff explained:

“2,000 households, where suitable – we’ll provide you with three chickens; that’s 6,000 chickens.

“Those households, in a short space of time, would have eggs with all the nutrients they need.”

Read more:

• Zoë Metcalfe confirms bid to become North Yorkshire’s first mayor
• Pateley Bridge man to stand for Yorkshire Party in mayoral election

Mr Tordoff claims it would save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.

His four main pledges are ‘to make North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse’, ‘improve transport links’, ‘make North Yorkshire a safer place’ and ‘make North Yorkshire a world leader in sustainability’.

Other initiatives he outlined included free public transport for those under 18-years-old, as well as free membership at boxing clubs, drama clubs, art groups and gaming rooms.

To fund these ambitions, Mr Tordoff is relying on his negotiating skills to get more money for North Yorkshire.

He has also pledged to set up a York and North Yorkshire venture fund lobbying the government for an additional investment of £25 million.

Yorkshire Party co-leader, Dr Bob Buxton, said: 

“Keith is the clear alternative to the Tories in North Yorkshire.

“His experience, skills and passion make him ideally equipped to take on the complex challenges that come with being the first Mayor of North Yorkshire.

“He is a man who sees the big picture but also has the critical skills to understand the details and ensure that the solutions are the right ones.”

Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives in Aldborough, has announced she hopes to be selected by the Conservatives in the mayoral election.

The guardians of Nidderdale’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be handed greater powers to determine the future shape of the landscape, it has been claimed.

Community leaders in both the Nidderdale AONB and the Howardian Hills AONB said while the areas were almost indistinguishable from their neighbouring national parks, they did not have the same protections.

National parks can make their own planning decisions, but decisions about AONBs are made remotely, often by people lacking local knowledge or expertise, they said.

Nidderdale AONB board member Keith Tordoff said the area had its own environmental and economic ecosystem to consider, but key decisions were being made by Harrogate Borough Council. He said:

“Harrogate is too remote from what is going on in Nidderdale. I would say it’s more important for the AONB to have input in planning decisions than planning officers who are based in Harrogate.

“Planning is something that should have been part and parcel of AONBs when they were established, like national parks, and there’s an argument that Nidderdale should have been included in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

“For planning issues it’s very important that it should be people who are already working in the AONB area and understand the issues.”

However, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, whose Masham division includes part of Nidderdale AONB, which covers 233 square miles, said she hoped the views the AONB’s executive provided about planning applications were already taken into account.

She added she was confident the formation of a unitary authority and ‘double devolution’, where extra powers will be offered to local areas, would see greater local expertise in dealing with rural issues.

Equivalent recognition

The comments come as the government considers proposals to strengthen AONBs planning powers to recognise AONBs are just as important for people and nature, but lack equivalent recognition in law or support in resources.

The government consultation follows the Glover Landscapes Review finding AONBs do not always have the resources to meaningfully engage with the planning system, and that their advice is sometimes given limited weight in planning decisions.

A government spokesman said it recognised weighing up planning decisions needed to be carried out differently in protected landscapes, to ensure their statutory purposes and special qualities are meaningfully protected.

One suggestion includes granting AONBs statutory consultee status, alongside bodies such as highways authorities and water firms, for planning applications to ensure greater weight is given to their special qualities in
planning policies, procedures, and decisions.

Councillors representing the Howardian Hills AONB said elevating its status in the planning process would help with specific issues, such as significantly higher house prices to the surrounding area and poor access to services.

A North York Moors National Park spokesman said it supported strengthening the AONB team’s planning powers as it was likely to be beneficial to delivering objectives in the national park.

Read more:

• Nidderdale landowner sets up curlew conservation project
• Nidderdale’s stunning scenery captured on camera
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In the fifth of a series of articles on crime issues in the Harrogate district, candidates standing to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are questioned on how they will restore confidence. 

When former North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott sparked outrage over his comments on the murder of Sarah Everard, he did not only damage public trust, but also the trust of his own staff.

In a letter, colleagues said their work was “undermined” by Mr Allott’s remarks that women needed to be “streetwise” about arrest powers which were falsely used by the police officer who murdered Ms Everard.

Now, the five candidates competing to replace Mr Allott at Thursday’s election have set out what they would do to try restore that confidence.

Hannah Barham-Brown, Women’s Equality Party

Hannah Barham-Brown said:

“Like many I was shocked and outraged by Phillip Allott’s comments and I’m glad he recognised that his position was untenable.

“Restoring trust and confidence in the commissioner’s office, and ensuring that ending violence against women and girls is a political and policing priority in North Yorkshire, is exactly why I am contesting the post.

“I am unapologetic in my commitment to tackling violence and intend to transform policing priorities to ensure the needs and concerns of everyone – but especially the most marginalised – are at the centre of my work.”

Zoe Metcalfe, Conservative

Harrogate councillor Zoe Metcalfe is the third Conservative hoping to take on the £74,00-a-year commissioner role which was created in 2012.

She said she would restore confidence by “being visible, transparent and open, working alongside our excellent police officers and firefighters”.

Councillor Metcalfe, who is also a project manager for a property company, also made a pledge to “make sure resident’s priorities are put in place to make our streets safer for everyone”.

Emma Scott-Spivey, Labour

Emma Scott-Spivey said a “fresh approach” to overseeing police and fire services is needed following Mr Allott’s resignation last month.

She also said she would volunteer herself to be open to recall powers which exist for MPs, but not for commissioners.

She said:

“I will be guided by what victims say, what the public says and what professionals on the frontline say. I won’t dodge tough conversations or hide from difficult issues or decisions.

“I will be open, accessible and transparent. And I will make sure our police and fire services take the same approach.

“That fresh approach includes donating 20% of the salary to local causes.”

Read more:

• Commissioner candidates questioned: Tackling inequality
• Commissioner candidates questioned: Women’s safety
• Commissioner candidates questioned: how to stop speeding

Keith Tordoff, Independent

Keith Tordoff stood in the previous election in May when Mr Allott won by a margin of more than 31,000 votes.

Mr Tordoff, who finished in third place and previously served for 20 years at West Yorkshire Police, said a key part of his election campaign and a way of restoring confidence is to “keep politics out of the police and fire services”.

He said:

“This is what I stand for. “I’m not in thrall to the vested interests of a political party and people know this. The Tory party gave you their best candidate just six months ago, look how that turned out. ”

James Barker, Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat James Barker also stood in the last election, finishing in fourth place. He said there is “much work to do to rebuild trust” in the commissioner’s office.

He said:

“If elected, my priority on day one would be starting the long process of making sure everyone can have faith that the PFCC listens to and supports victims of crime.

“When determining priorities for police and fire services in North Yorkshire, I would seek input from residents and staff to ensure that the police and crime plan for North Yorkshire is genuinely reflective of the needs and concerns of our communities.”

Voters will go to the polls on Thursday, November 25 with the results set to be announced the following day.

In the third of a series of articles on crime issues in the Harrogate district, candidates standing to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are questioned on equality.

Candidates hoping to succeed controversy-hit Philip Allott as North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner have pledged to increase efforts to tackle equality issues facing North Yorkshire’s police and fire services, with one hopeful insisting a community-wide effort is needed to effect lasting change.

However, ahead of York and North Yorkshire residents going to the polls on Thursday, there are differences in the way candidates for the £74,000-a-year role believe equality concerns, both inside and outside the services, should be addressed.

The latest published workforce profile for the fire service from 2018 shows 95% of operational officers are male, and 84% described themselves as white British.

While the service says it supports staff to respect individual values and differences and takes an active part in diversity events, such as Pride, just one per cent of staff said they were homosexual in the profile.

Among the many equality issues North Yorkshire Police is trying to tackle includes a gender gap that is significantly above the national average, despite its chief officer team comprising more women than men.

Read More:

• Police commissioner: Who is standing to succeed Philip Allott in North Yorkshire?
• Acting police commissioner confirmed after Philip Allott resignation
• Commissioner candidates questioned: Women’s safety

The force has said it is committed to setting challenging equality objectives, but the five challengers following Mr Allott resigning over women’s safety comments all insist more could be being done by both services.

Hannah Barham-Brown, Women’s Equality Party

Hannah Barham-Brown, of the Women’s Equality Party said ending gender-based violence would be her top priority, and would work to identify issues that most affect women in North Yorkshire.

She said: 

“Equality is not something that can take place just inside or out of the services – it’s a collective, communal movement that requires the participation and contribution of every member of the community.”

Keith Tordoff, Independent

Independent Keith Tordoff said he would ensure hate crime and hate incidents were being dealt with properly to protect marginalised groups. 

He said: 

“With confidence in the police, recruiting from diverse and ethnic backgrounds will be more likely for the police and fire service of North Yorkshire.”

Emma Scott-Spivey, Labour

Labour candidate Emma Scott-Spivey said equality would be at the heart of all the work she does, adding it would be “hardwired into my police, fire and crime plan and it will be something that I will expect the services I oversee to reflect”.

She said: 

“As will a zero tolerance approach to crime, including hate crime, that targets protected groups. I will be the voice for all people but most of all for those whose views are not being heard.”

James Barker, Liberal Democrat

Making the services “genuinely inclusive places to work where diversity is championed” is vital, said Liberal Democrat James Barker, before adding North Yorkshire “is ahead of the game in some respects in that it was one of the first forces in the country to record misogyny as a hate crime”.

He said: 

“We need to protect and support all of North Yorkshire’s diverse communities, and I will ensure that guidance and training is introduced to make services trans inclusive and implement a strategy to provide specialist BAME and LGBT+ services.”

Zoe Metcalfe, Conservative

Conservative candidate Zoe Metcalfe said she would work with the services to ensure the correct recruitment strategies are in place. 

Mrs Metcalfe said: 

“There can be no room for inequalities in North Yorkshire and I will ensure the commissioner’s office leads the way on equality issues and will work with senior figures within the services so they do likewise.”