Both councils provisionally approved the creation of the YNYCA in February 2023. The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Order 2023 to establish the YNYCA was laid in parliament on 7 November 2023, and became law on 19 December 2023. The combined authority launched on 1 February 2024.

Who are the candidates for York and North Yorkshire mayor?

The Conservative candidate will be Keane Duncan, a councillor and executive member for highways and transportation on North Yorkshire Council. ⁵³ Connell D, ‘Keane Duncan Conservative candidate for Mayor of York’ The York Press, 15 July 2023, retrieved 12 October 2023, www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23657713.keane-duncan-conservative-candidate-mayor-york/.  Labour’s candidate will be David Skaith, a York businessman. ⁵⁴ David Skaith, Tweet, 13 December 2024, x.com/DSkaith/status/1734992567329001675?s=20.

Other candidates include the Green Party’s Kevin Foster ⁵⁵ Barrett T, ‘Green Party pick ex-soldier for North Yorkshire mayoral vote’, Darlington and Stockton Times, 1 November 2023, retrieved 8 November 2023, www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/23895879.green-party-pick-ex-soldier-north-yorkshire-mayoral-vote/.  and the Liberal Democrats’ Felicity Cunliffe-Lister ⁵⁶ Booth H, ‘Lib Dems back Felicity Cunliffe-Lister for new mayor role’, Darlington and Stockton Times, 5 February 2024, retrieved 4 March 2024, www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/24098308.lib-dems-back-felicity-cunliffe-lister-new-mayor-role/ , both of whom are North Yorkshire councillors. Keith Tordoff is standing as an independent, having initially been selected to represent the Yorkshire Party. ⁵⁷ Harrogate Informer, ‘Keith Tordoff: from Yorkshire Party to Independent for Mayoral campaign’ Harrogate Informer, 12 June 2023, retrieved 12 October 2023, www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2023/06/13/keith-tordoff-from-yorkshire-party-to-independent-for-mayoral-campaign/.  Counsellor Paul Haslam is also standing as an independent candidate. ⁵⁸ Harrogate Informer, ‘Paul Haslm announced he will be running for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire’, Harrogate Informer, 18 March 2024, retrieved 3 April 2024, www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2024/03/18/paul-haslam-announces-he-will-be-running-for-mayor-of-york-and-north-yorkshire/

What powers will the mayor and combined authority hold?

The new mayor and combined authority will hold powers over transport, skills, planning and regeneration, and policing and fire services.

YNYCA will have control of a long-term investment fund, with £18m per year of funding promised by the government over 30 years. It will be responsible for the adult education budget, and will have input into new local skills improvement plans.

Land assembly and compulsory purchase powers, the ability to designate mayoral development areas and establish mayoral development corporations, and the power to call in planning decisions will also be devolved. Up to £2.65m will be given to YNYCA as a one-off investment towards delivering low-carbon homes, to pilot new energy efficiency or shared ownership schemes. ⁵⁹ Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, ‘York and North Yorkshire devolution deal’ Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, 1 August 2022, retrieved 12 October 2023, www.gov.uk/government/publications/york-and-north-yorkshire-devolution-deal/york-and-north-yorkshire-devolution-deal.

YNYCA will control a devolved transport budget, and will have bus franchising powers and power to draw up a local transport plan. It will also have control of a Key Route Network of major roads. 

The powers of the police, fire and crime commissioner will be transferred to the mayor, with a deputy mayor appointed to carry out the everyday functions of the role.

The devolution deal recognises York and North Yorkshire’s ambition to become England’s first carbon-negative region, and commits to provide a £7m investment towards this. The devolution deal also includes a role in culture and tourism. YNYCA will work in partnership with the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s arm’s-length bodies to develop the region’s cultural potential.   

The mayor will have the power to impose a council tax precept, with the agreement of the authority as a whole. The power to charge a business rates supplement is also being devolved.

How does York and North Yorkshire compare to the UK in terms of social and economic outcomes?

The YNYCA region as a whole lags the UK average in terms of labour productivity and income. It is above average in other economic indicators such as skills and employment rates, although at least one of the former district council areas falls below the UK average on both of these metrics. The region has a higher male healthy life expectancy (67 years) than the UK average (63 years).  

Most of the region falls below the national average for the share of workers commuting by public transport, 25% in comparison to 28%. Only York is above average on this measure at 36%. York is also the only local authority with a higher than UK average gigabit availability, which is as low as 8.4 in Scarborough.  

Both York and North Yorkshire have a lower proportion of private rented accommodation that meet the decent homes standard than England as a whole.  

How does YNYCA overlap with other administrative boundaries?

YNYCA will cover the same geography as the York and North Yorkshire local enterprise partnership, which is being integrated into the combined authority.

The North Yorkshire police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also coterminous with YNYCA, enabling the mayor to take on responsibility for these services.

North Yorkshire and York are both constituent authorities in Transport for the North, a sub-national transport body. ⁶⁰ Transport for the North, ‘Local Authorities’ Transport for the North, (no date) retrieved 12 October 2023, www.transportforthenorth.com/our-north/local-authorities/.

The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership includes and extends beyond YNYCA boundaries.

York council will retain its status as a non-constituent member of neighbouring West Yorkshire Combined Authority.