York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith has hit back after a senior North Yorkshire councillor compared the growing powers of elected mayors to those of a dictator.
The Labour mayor said he found the comments “offensive” and “disrespectful” during a tense exchange at a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon area committee today (Thursday).
Independent councillor Robert Heseltine, who chairs the committee, claimed North Yorkshire councillors, residents and officers were increasingly being “sidelined” as more powers were devolved to regional mayors.
He told Mr Skaith:
“Just speaking on behalf of North Yorkshire members, residents and officers, on many issues now, Mr Mayor, North Yorkshire is sidelined and we don’t seem to have much left to do, and yet mayors are having more and more responsibility placed on them.
“It’s like it’s not a mayoral role, it’s virtually a dictator role from the Government. Is it not?”
Mr Skaith strongly rejected the comparison, pointing out that the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority includes representatives of both North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.
The Combined Authority’s governance arrangements also give the constituent councils voting rights over decisions, with its constitution setting out specific voting requirements for some budgetary matters. Yorkshire Combined Authority
Mr Skaith said:
“I would strongly disagree. We cannot make any decision without the two local authorities involved.
“In fact, technically, on a budgetary decision, the leader of North Yorkshire Council would have to vote in favour for it to pass.
“So to say I’m a dictator is quite offensive, if I’m being honest with you, chair.
“I understand that this is your meeting, you are the chair and you are entitled to your views, but I don’t appreciate being accused of being some sort of dictator.”
The mayor went on to defend how investment was being distributed across the region.
He added:
“To talk like that, chair, if I may, I find quite disrespectful. If I was truly doing everything politically, I wouldn’t spend the money outside of York, would I?
“But look at the amount of money that we’ve invested right across the county.”
The Combined Authority covers both York and North Yorkshire and is responsible for devolved areas including transport, economic development, housing and regeneration. Yorkshire Combined Authority
Liberal Democrat councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister distanced herself from Cllr Heseltine’s remarks:
“I appreciate the chair has his views on your role, but I would like to say I don’t think that reflects the view of the group here today on his part.
“I suspect there’s a bit of buyer’s remorse because this is what I guess he voted for in terms of establishing the unitary authority, this is what you get.
“I don’t think those comments were helpful and I think they were disrespectful, and I apologise for those.”
However, Conservative councillor David Staveley then stressed that neither Cllr Heseltine nor Cllr Cunliffe-Lister was speaking on behalf of the committee.
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