On 3 May, it was announced that David Skaith of the Labour Party had won the first ever mayoral election for the region of York and North Yorkshire. The role will entail him building and developing close links with the government as well as having control over decisioning such as those regarding transport, policing and regeneration of the local area.
Speaking on his new role, Skaith commented: “I’m honoured to take on the role of Mayor for York and North Yorkshire. I’m looking to bring York and North Yorkshire together as one.”
This opens the potential for the new Mayor to economically expand the region in whatever way they may choose. Speaking to The Stray Ferret, Dr Richard Hayton, Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds, explained the impact and limitations of mayoral power in regards to the economy of York and North Yorkshire. He said that while on the surface, Skaith will “only have a limited capacity to directly boost the economy”, when looking at the bigger picture and liaising with parliament, he will “hopefully [play] a key role…as a champion for the region who can attract investment…”
Skaith is the owner of a small business here in York and he has taken many opportunities to highlight this. Winstons of York, an independent men’s clothing shop on Swinegate was opened back in 2015 and pride themselves on designing their own t-shirts, sweatshirts, jumpers and accessories.
Speaking with The York Press on the day of the election, a sales assistant at the shop, Frankie Hayes, said “I’ve been following the count on the radio and social media and I’m over the moon that David has won. I think he’ll do a really good job, he’s levelheaded and hard working and has always championed small businesses.”
On his website, Skaith portrays himself as a “value for money Mayor”. He is not, he says, a “career politician”. Rather, he “run[s] a small business and [is] Chair of the York High Street Forum.” Throughout his campaign, he has highlighted how his business has allowed him to connect with the people of the city of York but also understand what is needed to improve the wider region.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Skaith’s business was affected by the lockdowns.
In an online video, he said: “I knew that Covid was going to affect the business […] we were probably going to close, being a clothing shop and not exactly essential.”
“York is heavily reliant on tourism, especially overseas […] that was going to have a big effect on how the shop was going to run.”
Emphasising the importance of stability, he commented:“As a small business owner, you need to know when you’re going to be opening.”
“There were times when I didn’t think Winstons was going to survive. [...] The fact that I did think we weren’t going to open - there wasn’t anything to say that we were going to be open in April, May, June time, and what would we be opening up to?”
Skaith promises that he has a “credible plan” for York and North Yorkshire and his experience with his business will aid him in getting the “best deal for our region.”
