Mayors in motion: one year of the North’s newest mayors

Their elections marked a major milestone in the journey towards completing the devolution map in the North. Together, these leaders represent 2.8 million people, across 6,216 miles and preside over an economy roughly the size of Wales. As they mark their first anniversary in office, what has the last year revealed about the difference devolved leaders can make, and the evolving role of combined authorities (now renamed strategic authorities) in the North? 

Stretching along the North’s east coast - separated by Tees Valley - these two newer strategic authorities face a mix of shared and unique strengths and challenges. Both regions boast a rich industrial heritage, world class universities, enviable environmental assets, and vibrant cultural identities. Many of the difficulties they face – like poor transport connectivity, and above average levels of so-called economic inactivity are often rooted in centralisation, underinvestment and inequality.

There is therefore natural overlap in these mayors’ ambitions. McGuinness and Skaith were elected on platforms promising integrated transport, clean energy, a more vibrant culture, more jobs, new skills, and affordable housing.  A year is not long enough to reverse decades of structural issues, but both leaders appear to be already using the tools at their disposal – formal and informal - to start shifting the dial. 

Mayor Kim McGuinness

As the former Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, McGuinness has entered the role with prior understanding of the potential impacts of poverty and inequality on children’s futures.

Building on NECA’s devolution deal, McGuinness has made child poverty her priority, pledging to make sure “everyone benefits from devolution.” This focus reflects local need, with 31 per cent of all babies, children and young people living below the poverty line, and almost 13 per cent of all children affected by the two-child limit.

To achieve her aims, McGuinness has publicly called for the two child limit to be scrapped (diverging from her party’s position), and has taken a number of early steps including keeping the £1 single bus fare for under 21's , holding the region’s first Child Poverty Summit, and launching the UK’s first Child Poverty Reduction Unit with a £500,000 investment. The unit plans to roll out baby boxes for lower income families, and provide a Mayor’s Childcare Grant to help parents access employment or training. This stems from an awareness that it’s often high rates of caregivers that give the region the highest levels of so-called economic inactivity.

Recognising that poverty eradication is a long term project, the Mayor is working closely with the local VCSE sector (home to 30,000 employees) by launching a new £1 million opportunity fund to support people in hardship.

McGuinness’ broader ambition is to make the North East a “home of opportunity” – a place where you don’t feel the need to leave to live a good life – something felt by 44 per cent of Northerners. 

The regional foundations for this ambition are strong. The North East’s vast coastline, ports, and strong industrial-heritage mean the region is well placed to power UK growth and energy security – but closing the gap between opportunity and local people requires skills support. McGuinness is working with Nissan on the MADE NE programme to improve skills and access to careers in the battery and EV manufacturing industry, and the wider green economy.

The creative economy is another pillar of McGuiness’ plan. She has played a role in securing central government investment in Crown Works Studios in Sunderland – projected to create over 8,000 jobs and generate £2 billion in GVA. She is also prioritising better regional connectivity – following her manifesto promise to bring buses back under public control under the ‘Angel Network. Her bus franchising assessment in 2024 has been approved, and consultations on her Local Transport Plan closed in January.

Challenges remain that risk dampening the Mayor’s plans. McGuiness needs government to listen on child poverty otherwise her levers to tackle it will be limited. Similarly, like all mayors, McGuiness is working in a fragmented and modest funding landscape - this needs to change for devolution to really deliver.

One year in, McGuinness’ model of ‘mayoring’ appears to be people focussed, and prevention driven, characterised by tackling regional inequality at its source. This is an evolution from the initial conception of devolution as a solely economic project. 

Mayor David Skaith

In York and North Yorkshire, businessman-turned-mayor Skaith describes his patch as ‘a rural devolution trailblazer’ – and for good reason. He is the first mayor of a strategic authority to navigate the complexities that come with representing the largest county in England, spanning a city popular with tourists, remote villages, market towns, and agricultural land. While it is early days, Skaith’s model of ‘mayoring’ is focussed on building resilience and capacity from the bottom up, leaning into the opportunities of its natural assets.

With two National Parks, three National Landscapes, a coastline of approximately 45 miles, and two of England’s major rivers, the region’s landscape plays an integral role in the local economy, regional identity and culture. But a landscape with disparate populations can also cause social isolation. Aware of the importance of community and public wellbeing in achieving long-term goals, Skaith has committed £600,000 through the North Yorkshire Village Hall and Community Buildings Programme to renovate community halls and hubs to strengthen communities. 

The region's natural assets are also relevant to Skaith’s  role as one of only three mayors with responsibility of both policing and fire and rescue. His first Fire and Rescue Plan highlighted service demands in preventing and tackling extreme weather like wildfires and flooding – with Skaith planning increased collaboration with the Environment Agency. Given that York and North Yorkshire has a history of being on the receiving end of extreme weather events, it is perhaps unsurprising Skaith has created a £10 million Carbon Negative Challenge Fund to pilot innovations in decarbonisation and renewable energy, with the aim of becoming England’s first carbon negative region by 2040. 

Farming is another area of significant consequence for York and North Yorkshire. Key to achieving growth in the region is building long-term resilience and sustainability in local farming and food supply chains – with 70 per cent of York and North Yorkshire’s geography used for agriculture. Skaith knows this – citing food and farming as his top priority in his upcoming Local Growth Plan. Building upon the existing strategic authority farming initiative Grow Yorkshire, Skaith has held a roundtable with County Land and Business Association, the National Farmers’ Union, and Yorkshire Agricultural Society; commissioned research with the local farming sector to understand business resilience, and created a £150,000 sustainability programme with NFU Energy to support farmers to embrace low-carbon technologies and natural resources. 

Drawing on his experience as a small business owner, local enterprise is also at the centre of Skaith’s strategy to build economic resilience. He has established a £10 million Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund to breathe new life into town and village centres and support local business and communities - key for maintaining and growing the region’s tourist economy. This is just one of four schemes launched under his £27 million Mayoral Challenge Fund.

Similarly to Kim McGuinness, Skaith’s journey so far has faced challenges. To succeed on decarbonisation efforts, Skaith and other rural Mayors will need to build strong relationships with central government departments that may not have previously seen devolution as relevant to them - like DESNZ and DEFRA. What’s more, financially, York and North Yorkshire’s devolution deal works out to only £590 per person over 30 years, and unlike the North East; York and North Yorkshire will not enjoy an integrated settlement next year, nor do they have a sustainable transport settlement like other Yorkshire mayors. These limitations have left mayors banding together for strategic effectiveness.

Beyond their boundaries

Beyond their boundaries, both Kim McGuinness and David Skaith are at the vanguard of shaping the cross-border geography of English devolution. McGuinness is driving a new pan-regional mayoral collaboration, The Great North (information expected soon), while Skaith is collaborating with Tees Valley on areas like bioengineering, and forging cross-Yorkshire relationships under the White Rose Agreement on transport. With mayors now playing a national role as members of the Council of Nations and Regions, power may be devolved to strategic authorities but influence is increasingly pan-regional. 

Room to mature

Today the devolution map will be further filled with the election of a Mayor in Hull and East Yorkshire. While focus is on the widening of devolution across England, we need to ensure devolution delivers differently to Westminster.

After a year in office, the North’s new leaders have been busy and are proving devolution has the potential to be transformative – but remains curtailed by the limits of the current model. The next test will be the English Devolution Bill, and whether Westminster will support the (now lucky thirteen) mayors’ ambition. The North’s newest mayors are on the move – it’s time for Westminster to keep up.

India Gerritsen is a researcher at IPPR North