Brabin and Coppard reelected as West and South Yorkshire mayors

Labour mayors Tracy Brabin and Oliver Coppard were comfortably re-elected to lead the West and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities in poll results announced on Saturday afternoon.

Both polled higher than 50% of votes cast. Conservative Arnold Craven gained 15.1% of votes in West Y0rkshire, a drop of 13/9 percentage points from 2021’s election, and fellow Conservative Nick Allen scored 16.5% in South Yorkshire.

Brabin, who has served as West Yorkshire mayor since 2021, pledged a new West Yorkshire bus service under public control as part of a plan to “revolutionise” West Yorkshire’s transport system, which will also include new footpaths and cycleways.

She paved the way for the county-wide bus service in March, when she approved creation of the new system under a franchising programme, whyich will see routes, timetables, fares and standards set by the combined authority, and services delivered by contracted operators.

She also wants to see spades in the ground on a new tram service between Leeds and Bradford by 2028.

She also plans to build on crime and safety initiatives in her first term by working with West Yorkshire Police to develop a serious violence strategy, and plans to get young people out of the criminal justice system and into training, employment and community programmes.

Coppard also plans centralised control of South Yorkshire’s bus services, promising to do so within 12 months, alongside the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and developing South Yorkshire Airport City concept as a sustainable aviation hub.

He also seeks to make South Yorkshire the glopbal leader in advanced manufacturing, and develop an innovation corridor through the county, and attract foreign investment by promoting South Yorkshire across the world.

As part of his sustainability goals, he plans to develop a county-wide clean energy strategy.