Zoë Metcalfe has confirmed she wants to stand as the Conservative candidate in next year’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election.
Ms Metcalfe, who lives near Boroughbridge, is the current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The Stray Ferret reported on Saturday that she was believed to be planning a bid for election.
Ms Metcalfe is the first person to formally declare an intention to stand for the role of mayor, which is being created as part of the North Yorkshire devolution process. The election will be held in 14 months’ time.
The mayor will oversee a significant budget for York and North Yorkshire covering areas such as transport, education and housing.
He or she will also swallow up the commissioner’s role currently occupied by Ms Metcalfe, who was born in Ripon, educated in Harrogate and lives in Aldborough.
Speaking to the media
In a statement issued last night, she said she was “uniquely qualified” for the role and had the “necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth”,
Ms Metcalfe is a former Harrogate borough councillor who was elected to the commissioner’s role in 2021 following the resignation of fellow Conservative Philip Allott.
Since taking up the role on a salary of £74,000, she has overseen the introduction of a Risk and Resource Model for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which sets out how resources will be deployed from 2022 to 2025.
The changes included reducing Harrogate Fire Station’s nighttime cover from two fire engines to one.
‘Close links to Westminster’
Ms Metcalfe’s statement in full said:
“This is a really exciting role that I am uniquely qualified to do.
“The mayor will have responsibility for economic growth, transport, housing and regeneration, but will also see the integration of the responsibilities and decision making of my current role as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner within it too.
“There is a rich synergy between creating safer streets and economic growth, two areas that I am passionate about.
“I have the necessary business experience and close links to Westminster to promote economic growth. I will also continue the great work I have started in turning around community safety in York and North Yorkshire and I will see through the transformation of both the police force and fire and rescue service.
“I have always been a supporter of devolution as it will bring many exciting opportunities for York and North Yorkshire, it will be a great platform to enable and enrich the lives of our residents and businesses bringing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment into our region”.
Read more:
- Is crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe aiming to be North Yorkshire’s first mayor?
- Crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe resigns from Harrogate Borough Council
