Why has the Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire Luke Campbell been missing in action?
Hull and East Yorkshire stands at a critical juncture when it comes to its economic development. This part of the region needs a strong, energetic mayor who is going to not only challenge powerbrokers in Westminster but work with them to ensure that Hull and East Yorkshire gets a fair deal.
Reform UK’s Luke Campbell absence from the last two mayoral council meetings with senior Cabinet ministers is not acceptable.
What is even more unacceptable is the lack of explanation for said absences.
This newspaper has repeatedly asked the Mayor why he missed these meetings and if he has been absent from any other meetings. But no meaningful reason has been proffered.
It is worth reminding Mr Campbell that he is being paid £72,000 a year to represent 600,000 people across the region.
His job is to put the region before any political wrangling. That is what successful metro mayors do.
It is simply not good enough to just say that “the mayor is fully committed to championing the interests of Hull and East Yorkshire” and offer no further explanation for the meetings that he has missed. It reeks of an absence of accountability.
The optics are particularly bad when you consider that it wasn’t that long ago that East Yorkshire was snubbed by the Government in its Northern Growth Strategy. The people of Hull and East Yorkshire deserve a mayor that is going to fight for them.
Mr Campbell’s lack of engagement does not reflect well on Nigel Farage’s Reform either. People will be rightly asking if this is a sign of things to come should Reform be trusted with the levers of power.