Local elections 2024: Mayor of West Yorkshire
Who are the candidates for the May 2024 West Yorkshire mayoral election?
The incumbent mayor of West Yorkshire is Tracy Brabin, who is standing for re-election in 2024. She represents the Labour Party and was first elected in May 2021, the first woman to be elected as a metro mayor in England. 30 BBC ‘Election results 2021: Tracy Brabin elected West Yorkshire mayor’, BBC, 9 May 2021, retrieved 7 January 2022, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-57048269
The election used the supplementary vote system, which has been replaced by first-past-the-post for the 2024 vote. Brabin was elected with 60% of the vote in the second round, after second preferences were redistributed from candidates eliminated in the first round.
The Conservative party candidate is Leeds-born Arnold Craven, head of external affairs at Cadent Gas Limited. 31 Natasha Meek, ‘Who is Arnold Craven, Conservative West Yorkshire mayor candidate?’ 26 February 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024, www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/24144288.arnold-carter-conservative-west-yorkshire-mayor-candidate/ Other candidates include Andrew Cooper, a Green party councillor in Kirklees, Stewart Golton, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Leeds City Council, Bob Buxton of the Yorkshire Party and independent candidate Jonathan Tilt.
What are the powers of the West Yorkshire mayor and combined authority?
WYCA and the mayor of West Yorkshire hold functions and control budgets in areas including transport, adult education and skills, housing, economic development and policing.
The devolution deal allocated an investment fund worth up to £1.14bn over 30 years to WYCA. This is delivered through annual payments of £38m, subject to five-yearly reviews by the Treasury. The payments are not inflation-linked, and so their real value will decline over time. The fund is used to invest in projects to increase regional productivity and growth: 25% of the funding is for capital expenditure and 75% for operations/revenue.
The combined authority controls a devolved transport budget and, in March 2024, Brabin signed off on a decision to begin the process of taking local bus services under public control. 32 Tracy Brabin, Tweet, 13 March 2024, www.x.com/MayorOfWY/status/1768240138910322781?s=20 A longer-term objective is to raise the funding to build a mass transit system for the region, with central government offering £830m ‘long-term sustainable transport funding.’ 33 Michael Gove, ‘Secretary of State letter to Mayor Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Combined Authority’, GOV.UK, 1 March 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/update-on-level-4-devolution-confirmation-of-eligibility-for-west-yorkshire-south-yorkshire-liverpool-city-region-…
In August 2021, WYCA took responsibility for the region’s 19+ adult education budget, which the authority intends to use to benefit the 380,000 people in the region who have low or no qualifications. The authority also works with the Leeds City Region local enterprise partnership, whose functions are being integrated into the combined authority, to deliver other skills and business support programmes.
The mayor can exercise strategic planning powers, including undertaking compulsory purchase orders. However, the consent of the constituent authority where the site is situated is required. The mayor also has the power to create mayoral development areas to support economic regeneration, and to pay grants for exercising highway functions and to bus operators.
The mayor has few executive powers that they can exercise unilaterally. Most decisions must be approved by the constituent authorities; some must receive unanimous support.
In May 2021, the powers of the West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner were transferred to the mayor. These powers include the ability to appoint the chief constable, set the budget and determine local policing priorities.
Further powers are due to be devolved to WYCA under a new ‘level 4’ devolution deal, which was announced in February 2024. 34 DLUHC, ‘Technical paper on Level 4 devolution framework’, GOV.UK, 22 November 2023, retrieved 14 March 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-paper-on-level-4-devolution-framework/technical-paper-on-level-4-devolution-framework
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