Conservatives announce Anne Handley as Hull and East Yorkshire mayoral candidate

She told the Yorkshire Post: “He had to listen to what I had to say and by the time he got to the bottom of that escalator he said: ‘I’ll help you to get the deal.’”

That was the start of a journey that led to the new combined authority eventually being confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner earlier this year.

The Mayoral election will take place in May 2025, and Coun Handley has been selected as the Conservative Party’s candidate.

She said she was “delighted” to be selected, and would be releasing a questionnaire to get views from voters in the coming weeks.

Coun Handley came to politics later in life, being elected as a ward councillor in Goole for the first time in 2019 after retiring from work in further education at Hull College.

She rose to become deputy leader and then leader of the council in 2023, and in the back of her mind the whole time was how East Yorkshire was falling behind other parts of the North that had mayors.

“I could see that they appeared to be doing far better than we were,” she said, referencing Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.  

“I thought that’s not really fair - if ever I become leader of the council I’ll do whatever I can to become one combined authority.”

Coun Handley fought off the government’s requests to join Lincolnshire with Hull and East Yorkshire, saying she wanted the new mayor to “complete the puzzle” of the county’s devolution.

She believes the new combined authority will give the area “more investment, more income, better skills, better-paid jobs and add to the economy”.

Coun Handley said: “I see the mayor as someone that works in partnership with the leaders of councils and the chief executive.

"You make the decisions together for your area – it’s a cohesive, collegiate working relationship which the region will benefit from.”

She explained she hopes the mayor will be able to emulate Ben Houchen’s “successes” in the Tees Valley, particularly with opportunities with the Humber freeport. 

The election is likely to be a rare three-way race between Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems - with Reform UK likely to have an impact as well.

The Tories are the largest party in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, while the Liberal Democrats lead Hull City Council - and Labour has representation on both.

Earlier in the year, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey told the Yorkshire Post that his party was “going to take it incredibly seriously” in its bid to win its first metro mayor.

The party’s candidate is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Applications to be the Labour Party’s candidate closed at the end of last week, and a shortlist is expected later this month.