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18
May 2024
Labour’s David Skaith makes first major decision with deputy mayor choice
David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, made his first major decision this week.
As is the custom with most metro mayors across England, Mr Skaith opted to propose a deputy to take on his police and crime brief.
He put forward Jo Coles, a City of York Labour councillor who sits on the council’s ruling executive.
But who is Ms Coles and what will her role be? In this article, the Stray Ferret analyses what we should expect from the newly proposed deputy mayor.
'Dedicated public servant'
Ms Coles was elected as councillor for the Westfield ward in York in May 2023. Born near Malton, she grew up in York before starting a political career.
Over 20 years, her roles have included posts in Westminster and the north of England such as chief of staff for Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and adviser to then MP Ed Balls.
Her experience puts her firmly in Labour Party circles and her proposal as deputy mayor chimes with the party’s agenda to have a firm grip on northern mayoral posts.
Mr Skaith described her as a "dedicated public servant" and someone who would be ideal to lead the policing and crime brief.
Ms Coles, who represents Westfield on City of York Council, will effectively take over the role of overseeing the performance of the police and fire service from the Conservative Zoë Metcalfe.
Shortly after the announcement, Ms Coles took to X to pledge to “serve all residents of York and North Yorkshire”.
https://twitter.com/jocoles1/status/1790832700661641726
The York councillor will be put before North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime panel for approval to the post on June 12.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Skaith described the role of deputy mayor as “crucial”.
When the Labour mayor spoke to the Stray Ferret prior to his election, he made no secret of his desire to tackle crime by lobbying for more police officers.
He also spoke of the need to tackle anti-social behaviour, an issue which this week Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also included in his general election pledges.
Mr Skaith said this week:
Read more:
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But, while the mayor may want to tackle some of the issues that have been picked up by Labour nationally - some are much closer to home.
Ms Coles will be tasked with handling the fallout from the fire service's controversial risk and resource model, which was introduced by former commissioner Zoe Metcalfe.
The model, which proposed cutting Harrogate’s overnight fire engines from two to one, proved unpopular with unions.
While Mr Skaith did not raise the issue in his pledges, it was leapt upon by other mayoral candidates - such as independent Keith Tordoff.
However, despite the model already being introduced, it is difficult to see the issue going away quietly and may be one which Ms Coles has to deal with.
'York-centric'
The move to appoint a York councillor to the position of deputy mayor was not lost on some councillors in North Yorkshire.
Far from raising questions over the party colours of the appointment, some appear more concerned over the location of the deputy.
The fear over the mayor and devolution as a whole being “York-centric” stretches back to February 2023, when the original devolution deal was criticised for focussing too heavily on the city.
This was extended to the mayoral race, when the prospect of a Labour mayor from York prioritising the city over elsewhere in North Yorkshire was pushed by Conservative candidate, Keane Duncan.
David Skaith, newly elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
This was denied by Mr Skaith, who pledged to be a spokesperson for the entire region.
However, his first major decision may raise eyebrows among those who shared the concern over the mayoral office being focussed on York.
Cllr Bryn Griffiths, leader of the Liberal Democrats on North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret that he hoped both Mr Skaith and Ms Coles would focus their efforts on the wider region.
He said:
Meanwhile, others felt that Ms Coles would be suitable for the role.
Cllr Kevin Foster, North Yorkshire councillor and Green Party mayoral candidate, said he may have appointed someone with better policing experience but felt the appointment should be supported.
He said:
The Stray Ferret also approached Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council and member of the combined authority board, for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Mr Skaith’s first major appointment appears to have gone down the predictable route - choosing a party faithful with vast political experience.
But, despite his pledge to be a spokesperson for the entirety of North Yorkshire, his first appointment may need to convince some that that really is the case.
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