City council leader Mike Ross joins race to become region’s first elected mayor

STANDING: City council leader Mike Ross

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Hull City Council leader Mike Ross is standing to become the region’s first directly elected mayor.

Announcing his candidacy to lead a new mayoral combined authority today, the Liberal Democrat councillor said: “This election is between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. For years the Conservatives have taken our area for granted and are out of the race this time. Their terrible record running the country is still remembered by residents right across our area.

“Now, this new Labour Government just isn’t listening to the concerns of residents right across Hull and the East Riding. Only the Lib Dems are standing up for our communities.

“The Liberal Democrats have a plan to get our local economy moving and will fight for our fair share of funding to tackle flooding, crumbling roads and failing transport systems.

“The Liberal Democrats are the best choice to win this election, we’ll get a fair deal for our community and we’ll send this Labour Government a message that can’t be ignored.”

Coun Ross joins what is now so far a two-horse race, with his Conservative counterpart at East Riding Council, Councillor Anne Handley, being the only other declared candidate.

The mayoral election is due to take place in May next year. The successful candidate will lead a new combined mayoral authority for Hull and the East Riding after ministers signed off on a devolution deal for the region in September.

Both council leaders have been instrumental in backing the devolution deal for Hull and the East Riding since proposals were announced by the previous Conservative government last November.

Hull’s opposition Labour group said its selection process for a mayoral candidate was ongoing and an announcement would be made in due course.

Responding to Coun Ross’s declaration, a Labour group spokesman said: “It is obvious now their desperation for this lightweight deal to go through was fuelled by their partisan political interests and not a wider concern for advancing the Hull and Humber region and the economic and political geography which would return economies of scale.”