The Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, has welcomed Hull’s Labour MPs’ commitment to cross-party cooperation. The MPs sent Mr Campbell a letter following a recent meeting between the four regional leaders.
The Labour Party MPs, Dame Diana Johnson (Hull North and Cottingham), Emma Hardy (Hull West and Haltemprice), and Karl Turner (Hull East) sent a letter to the Mayor following the meeting which the MPs said, “builds on the work Labour and Conservative MPs around the Humber have done together over many years.”
In their letter, the MPs sought assurance of Mr Campbell’s commitment to the region’s green industrial sector, which they said “has by far the greatest growth potential for our sub-region,” and told the Mayor that “it needs nurturing.” The trio also stated that potential private sector investment into Net Zero projects “has the potential to transform our regional economy.”
The MPs also mentioned the White Rose Agreement that was made between the Mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and York & North Yorkshire. The agreement seeks to allow Yorkshire’s Mayors to “work together towards collective goals for the whole of Yorkshire.”
Mr Campbell declined the chance to join the agreement after initially indicating he would sign up. In the letter, the MPs told Mr Campbell of their “concern that you had decided not to do so on behalf of our area”.
At the time of the letter being published, the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority confirmed that Mr Campbell would be responding to the MPs in the form of his own letter. The Mayor’s letter has now been sent to the MPs, in which he responds to a number of the points raised in their letter.
Mr Campbell thanked the MPs for their letter and for the “constructive discussion” the four had during their recent meeting. The Mayor added: “I welcome your commitment to work together across party lines to improve Hull and East Yorkshire for the people who live, work and do business here.”
The Mayor also addressed the issue of the region’s green industry, stating: “Green energy is a key part of the Local Growth Plan, and I want to reiterate my support for it, particularly where it enables high-skilled job creation. For too long, too many of our young people have not had the opportunities they deserve, and we still face higher than average numbers of 16-18 years olds not in education, employment or training.
“That is why I want to make sure that major projects in energy, manufacturing and port-related activity translate into real opportunity for our young people. I am committed to supporting these investments and enabling Hull and East Yorkshire to become an energy powerhouse.” He added that he is focusing on “backing the industries we already know deliver for Hull and East Yorkshire – offshore wind, hydrogen, and the supply chain that supports them.”
Also in response to the MPs’ letter, the Mayor wrote: “Unfortunately, I was unable to reach a consensus on the wording of the White Rose Agreement. It is also important to be clear that the agreement has no legal status.”
Despite this Mr Campbell did state: “My commitment to working across the regional boundaries has not changed – I will always engage with partners where that delivers real benefits for our region, and Hull and East Yorkshire remains fully at the table in those discussions. I work with other Mayors regularly, both in Yorkshire and beyond, and this should not be a matter of concern. My first duty is to put Hull and East Yorkshire first.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
