York and North Yorkshire go to polls to elect metro-style mayor

The winning candidate will be in office for at least the next four years, working alongside local councillors and council leaders in a bid to champion the region.

Based between York and Northallerton, the elected mayor will chair the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority alongside two councillors from City of York Council and two from North Yorkshire Council. 

They will take the lead on more than £500 million of funding to be spent over the next 30 years, have full control over the adult education budget for the region, powers over housing and transport, and have responsibility for community and public safety.

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It will also be the job of the mayor to appoint a deputy, who will take on board many of the duties currently held by the police, fire, and crime commissioner.

In order to register a vote for their chosen candidate, all voters will be required to bring a valid and original (not photocopied) form of ID with them to the polling station to prove their identity.

York and North Yorkshire goes to the polls to elect a metro-style mayor (Image: PA)

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm.

The six candidates are:

• Keane Duncan (Conservative): former leader at Ryedale District Council

His key pledges include free car parking, dualling the A64 and outer ring road, and a plan to buy Scarborough’s famous Grand Hotel to bring it back into local ownership.

• David Skaith (Labour): former chair of York High Street Forum

If elected, he says he plans to start work on a new integrated transport system, deliver affordable homes, and use new powers over the adult education budget to better train local workers.

• Felicity Cunliffe-Lister (Liberal Democrat): local hotelier and councillor

Her promises include a single ticket system that will link up with rail timetables; she supports the dualling of the A64 and wants to make homes more energy efficient.

• Kevin Foster (Green): ex solider and North Yorkshire councillor

He hopes to secure sustainable jobs for the region, introduce a mayor’s innovation fund to support local start-ups, and improve housing and public transport whilst ‘fast tracking the region’ for a sustainable economy

• Paul Halsam (Independent): former councillor and business consultants

His focuses are on fair, inclusive, and lasting economic growth, addressing housing and public transport, putting women and girls’ safety at the heart of policing, and tackling the climate crisis.

• Kevin Tordoff (Independent): ex police officer turned businessman

He plans to ‘take the politics out of public service’, eradicate homelessness, provide training and job opportunities, and fix potholes.

Unlike general elections, the mayoral election count is not scheduled to take place overnight. With a total of 640,006 people will be eligible to vote across a combined 668 polling stations, counting will begin tomorrow morning (Friday, May 3) at Harrogate Conference Centre with a final declaration expected at around 3pm on Friday.

With almost 500 staff working between five different count locations, the cost of the election is expected to be around £2.2 million.

The mayor will take office on Tuesday, May 7, with the winning candidate expecting to take home a paycheque of £81,300 a year throughout their time as mayor.