Tory mayoral candidate Anne Handley pledges to stop Hull and East Yorkshire being 'left behind'
Hull and East Yorkshire’s new mayor will be able to make a difference and stop the region being “left behind”, the Conservative candidate has said.
Coun Anne Handley, the current Tory leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, formally launched her campaign at Beverley Racecourse alongside Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake.
Voters will go to the polls on 1 May in an election which will see the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber covered by elected metro mayors.
It is expected to be a rare four-way race between Coun Handley, Labour’s Margaret Pinder, Lib Dem Coun Mike Ross and Reform UK’s Luke Campbell.
The East Riding leader told The Yorkshire Post that she believed the region would stop being “left behind … as we’ve got that seat at the table”.
Coun Handley was one of the architects of the devolution deal, and worked with both Conservative and Labour governments to get it agreed.
“For me, it’s not about the politics - it’s about somebody who will get things done for the right reasons,” she said.
“I've proved I’m not scared to knock doors down to get where we need to get to be.
“People need to feel that there’s somebody there batting for them, instead of feeling that nobody cares.
“We have been forgotten and we deserve better than that.”
Speaking after her campaign launch last week, Coun Handley said her main priority is ensuring that youngsters are getting proper skills training that fit into local jobs.
She explained: “A lot of businesses are saying to me on a regular basis: ‘We’ve got the jobs but we haven’t got the skills.’
- Mike Ross (Liberal Democrats)
- Margaret Pinder (Labour)
- Kerry Harrison (Green Party)
- Anne Handley (Conservative Party)
- Rowan Halstead (Yorkshire Party)
- Luke Campbell (Reform UK)
“If we can get the skills matching the businesses, you’re starting on the journey to make people’s lives better.”
The Tory candidate said she wanted to drive more investment into the region, and work with firms already investing into Hull and East Yorkshire.
“We should never take for granted the amazing investment that we’ve already got, and the businesses based in our area,” she explained.
Coun Handley said she wants to create an “integrated transport plan that suits both the city, the rural, the urban and the coastal”.
She pledged to work with the police and crime commissioner to crack down on anti-social behaviour, and one of her main ambitions is to improve broadband speed.
“We should not be like that in the 21st century with huge areas of no connectivity,” she added.