What is the West Yorkshire Mayoral Election?
West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is a local governmental authority which has been created to focus on transport, economic development, and regeneration. The Mayor Chairs and leads the Combined Authority.
What are the responsibilities of the mayor?
The mayor will have power over transport, housing, and land. This includes powers to create a spatial development strategy, which allows the mayor to plan for the development and use of the land, for example to improve regeneration and build industry.
Originally the Mayor was due to absorb the Police & Crime Commissioner role by 2024, however legislation has now updated this to 2021 (source).
To fund this, there will be a £38 million yearly investment from central government for 30 years, and the mayor has the power to add extra payment on top of regular council tax.
Who can vote in the WYCA election?
The next election is scheduled for the 6th May, 2021, and the mayor is expected to sit for 3 years. Anyone who is over the age of 18, registered to vote, and living in the City of Leeds, the City of Wakefield, Kirklees, Calderdale or the City of Bradford is eligible to vote.
Why is voting important?
Voting for the mayor is incredibly important, as their policies can affect all sorts of day to day life. For example, land use can affect the industries you can work in, in the future. Regeneration can provide new jobs in various sectors, and different mayors will have different stances on subjects such as the environment, housing availability, and education. All of these will affect young people’s futures, and the lives of people living in the region today.
Why is voting important?
The mayor is elected by supplementary vote. Supplementary vote is a system where voters can rank their favourite candidates to determine the winner. You can read more about supplementary vote here.
Featured Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash
