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 Dear colleagues,
Thank you for reading my first formal update since the election in May. Although we are still in the ‘forming’ stage of building the new organisation, we have, nonetheless, been progressing rapidly on various fronts.
The long-standing collaboration between the two councils that led to the Devolution Deal and agreement to set up the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA) has continued, reflecting this commitment for the benefit of our communities and businesses.
I am hugely grateful for this ongoing effective partnership working. It is how I want to work as I believe that we will get the very best for the region through collaboration - and not just locally, but also with Government.
In the past month, we have together agreed significant decisions to start unlocking £millions of devolved funding and powers, make the case for investment to the private sector and central government, and respond jointly to opportunities and challenges affecting business and potentially jobs.
Please see some key updates below. For more information, or with queries, please get in touch: mayor@heyca.gov.uk
Thank you again for your support.
Best wishes,
Luke Campbell MBE
Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire
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I am privileged to chair the Board which comprises the two Council Leaders and Deputy Leaders as full voting members; Jonathan Evison, Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside; Jason Speedy, Chief Operating Officer of Groupe Atlantic UK, ROI & North America, who is Chair of our Business Advisory Board; and Jayne Adamson, Executive Director of People at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, and Chair of our Skills Advisory Board.
At my first meeting, the Board agreed to the devolution of £20.1 million capital funding for local transport improvements - a combination of one-off and recurring investment.
Plans to take on the £16m+ local Adult Skills Fund budget (for learners aged 19 and above) were also agreed and the Board was committed to pressing Government for control of the full post-16 training and skills budget. This would enable local control and even better join-up between what local industry needs and the training provision the Combined Authority will commission from 2026.
The Board also signed off a bid to support new energy projects which could save the councils £3.8m over the next 25 years. We have since been successful! We secured £700,000 - the joint most in the country - to fund both councils to install solar panels on buildings' roofs - an efficient way to cut energy bills.
We have since also held the first HEYCA Annual General Meeting. You can read all Executive Board papers and minutes here.
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I have called on the Government to do much more to support Hull and East Yorkshire, following the disappointing initial details announced in the Spending Review. We will be pressing the government to match our ambitions with significantly increased funding in future. As a new Combined Authority, we are developing exciting plans at pace across a range of areas including transport, housing, skills and overall economic prosperity. The Government needs to do ensure we receive the same support as awarded to other Combined Authorities in the Midlands and North. You can read my full statement here.
I also responded to the Industrial Strategy, identifying areas where we can be at the forefront of the Government's push for economic growth.
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Within two weeks of taking office, I had met key national politicians including the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Local Government Minister, as well as joining the Council of Nation and Regions (CoNaR), chaired by the Prime Minister, and the English Mayoral Council, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Read my comments here.
CoNaR is a national group and brings together the Government, English Mayors and leaders of the Devolved Governments to tackle the big and cross-cutting challenges facing the country as a whole. The Mayoral Council comprises the fourteen elected regional Mayors across England and looks at issues relating to devolved powers and budgets to combined authorities such as HEYCA.
I also attended UKREiiF (the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum), making the case for our region, meeting businesses, national and international developers and investors, and speaking on industry panels.
This representative role is key to raising the profile of the region with Government and will be a vital driver to unlocking more devolution of funding and decision-making powers. Not only will this give the region a voice at the top table nationally, but it will also bring us to the attention of UK and international investors.
I am anticipating the English Devolution Bill to be published soon, based substantially on the government White Paper Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, published in December 2024. We expect it will set us on the course to becoming not just a Strategic Authority (the Bill’s name for a Combined Authority), but in due course an Established Strategic Authority. This means we could get an Integrated Settlement from Government, giving us much greater discretion about the best ways to use the funding available for regional investment.
The English Devolution Bill has been published, based substantially on the government White Paper 'Power and partnership: Foundations for growth'. This will give us new powers to make decisions locally - and give more powers to local people, such as the right to take on community assets themselves more easily. The Devolution Bill sets us on the course to become not just a Strategic Authority (the Bill’s name for a Combined Authority), but in due course an Established Strategic Authority. This means we could get an Integrated Settlement from Government, giving us much greater discretion about the best ways to use the funding available for regional investment. Read my comments here.
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I have written to the Prime Minister requesting his urgent intervention to protect local jobs, farms and the UK’s bioethanol industry. The sector is set to be hit hard by the UK-US trade deal, which includes a late clause to remove the import tariff on US ethanol products.
This threatens the future of the UK-leading Vivergo Fuels plant in Hull and local workers there. Bioethanol production provides a vital income stream for more than 12,500 farms across the UK, many in East Yorkshire. Vivergo Fuels is the major buyer of wheat which can’t be used for milling.
I have written to the Prime Minister asking for an urgent meeting, and also teamed up with Ben Houchen, Mayor for the Tees Valley region, which also has a major bioethanol producer, to call for urgent action from the government. Closure of the Vivergo plant risks losing an entire British industry, thousands of jobs and part of our national resilience and energy security.
Some better news emerged at the end of last week, as the government entered more detailed talks with Vivergo, and we will keep the pressure on.
I also met with the National Farmers Union (NFU) recently - underlining my support as thousands of farms, including many across East Yorkshire are a vital part of the supply chain to Vivergo.
Some better news has emerged, as the government entered more detailed talks with Vivergo, and we working hard to keep the pressure on.
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I joined counterparts from major regions with a Combined Authority in place at the launch of The Great North partnership on the eve of the launch of UKREiiF. This brings our assets and strengths together to work on large-scale priorities such as transport and other major infrastructure. I have also been working with the other Yorkshire Mayors and will be signing the White Rose Agreement as featured on the front page of the Yorkshire Post (paywall) recently, to help bring more investment, jobs and opportunities to Hull and East Yorkshire and the wider region.
I have also signed a pledge with other northern Mayors to help create an Active Travel network.Some 3,500 miles of safe walking, wheeling and cycling routes will help people get to work, school and other places - and be an important part of making us a fitter and healthier region.
Alongside our close working with both Councils, our regional role means we can collaborate to support and help scale the work of businesses, representative bodies and sector-support organisations.
I spoke at length on various platforms during Humber Business Week, and have already visited transport operators, further education providers, businesses and potential investors working alongside Future Humber, Invest in East Yorkshire, Invest in Hull and others.
I also recently met with senior leadership from Metsa Group to discuss the multi-national business's planned investment in the UK's biggest paper mill, part of an 88-hectare tissue manufacturing plant development on the Humber Freeport Goole Tax Site. We discussed how HEYCA could support Metsa over the coming period to ensure that this nationally significant development could create hundreds of new jobs and benefits across construction, supply chains and more.
On the international stage, I was proud to speak at a special event for a delegation from Fengtai, the powerhouse financial and business district of Bejing, and Hull's twinning partner. Creating future investment and development opportunities with the world's leading economies are vital to growing prosperity for our region.
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