The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire visited Downing Street to meet with the newly elected Government.

Following the result of the General Election, on July 5, the newly elected Labour Government invited the country's regional mayors to Downing Street.

Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said he would strive to build a “real partnership” with the English leaders.

The Prime Minister and his deputy Angela Rayner held the meeting with 11 regional leaders, including York and North Yorkshire's David Skaith, Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham, and the only Conservative mayor: Lord Ben Houchen.

 

 

At Tuesday morning’s (July 8) meeting, the regional mayors were told the new Government wanted to build on their local growth plans and to explore further devolved powers.

Sir Keir told the regional leaders: "I know many of you already have growth plans in place – some of you have shared them and that is fantastic.

"What we want to do is build on that with a real partnership where you feel that the Government is up alongside you, supporting what you’re doing."

The Prime Minister added: "I think it’s the first meeting like this in Downing Street.

"I don’t think all the metro mayors have come together in Downing Street like this – so this is a first and that’s good."

Sir Keir also said the Government will "set up a council for regions and nations" during the meeting with the mayors.

The Prime Minister said: “We will set up a council for regions and nations.

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"Now I don’t want to overly formalise it, but I do want a degree of formality so that it’s a meeting that everybody knows is a meeting where business is done, where decisions are properly recorded and actioned.

"And where people know that we will all be there and we won’t be sending substitutes, or missing the meeting."

Sir Keir added that the forum would be used to discuss "shared challenges" and "opportunities".

The mayors then boarded a London bus together after the meeting at Downing Street.

Labour mayors including Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram were driven in a red TfL electric bus from Downing Street to the Palestra building in Southwark for a follow-up meeting.

All those who attended Tuesday morning’s meeting at No 10 were present on the bus, with the exception of Conservative Tees Valley mayor Lord Houchen.