Voting cards have been issued in York so people can vote for a mayor, this has taken many people by surprise and on questioning random people on the high street, either people thought they may be voting for a Lord Mayor, or people were unaware of the devolution and combined authority requiring a mayor.
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been created by the City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council and is a legally recognised, single body. Our role is to use some of the money and powers, that up to now have been held by central government, and work with local leaders and communities to invest in ways that will help to make York and North Yorkshire a better place for you to live, work and do business.
The combined authority was launched on Thursday, 1st February 2024 at York’s 15th century Guildhall.
This York and North Yorkshire deal (which many residents are unaware of), is a vehicle for devolved power from Westminster. (*1)
The new body will be headed by a mayor following an election on 2nd May 2024. This Mayor will take over takes over certain powers which currently belong to central government or separate local councils. The voting appears to be conducted like regular voting, i.e. Labour, Conservative, Independent etc.
Devolved powers will be transferred to the elected York Mayor who will have authority over the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) to oversee the Police and Fire services in North Yorkshire. (*2)
It is noteworthy to mention that York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority have a strong 'transition to carbon negative' goals, a 'Routemap to Carbon Negative; can be viewed. here
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority state on their website 'The objective: position York and North Yorkshire at the forefront of national climate action and provide a platform to influence Government policy and funding'.
I'm personally concerned that there is 'climate action' policy, because it is unclear what the costs are to reach a net-zero target, also it is unclear how success will be measured, and what meaningful impact and benefit will this 'climate action' have on us York residents. There are more questions than I have answers to at the moment, the average York resident is more concerned about cost of living and energy prices than some far out plan to change the weather. Furthermore the assertion that there is indeed a 'climate emergency' and that there is a clear and present danger needs challenging, where is the emergency?
Cambridge Dictionary definition of 'emergency'
something dangerous or serious, such as an accident, that happens suddenly or unexpectedly and needs fast action in order to avoid harmful results
This new power structure is sure to take decision making away from York, and make accountability less transparent, furthermore I don't remember being asked about altering the power structure of local governance. Do we need a referendum on this?
Let's see whet the impact is on York, my biggest fear is the York 'Smart City' agenda will be accelerated.
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