David Parkin finds himself at a fringe event

I PARTICULARLY like this photo above.

Not because it shows me in action hosting a political question time event for candidates bidding to be the next mayor of a major English region.

No, I’m very partial to it because a trick of the light makes it look like I’ve got a fringe…for the first time since about 2005.

That was me on stage this week compering a hustings event for all of the six candidates bidding to be mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.

This vast region stretches from Goole and Howden on the M62 motorway in the west to Spurn Point National Nature Reserve - Yorkshire’s own Land’s End - on the edge of the North Sea in the east and right up to the seaside resort of Bridlington in the north.

In between you’ve got the major city of Hull, rolling countryside and farmlands and attractive market towns such as Beverley, Market Weighton and Driffield.

And of course some superbly named villages punctuate this region with names such as Fangfoss, Thorngumbald, Wetwang, Fridaythorpe, Burton Agnes, Meaux and Spittal.

The area has a population of 622,000 people and an economic value of more than £13bn.

So it is a substantial player in not just the regional economy, but the national one too.

There are six candidates vying to be the new mayor of this region.

The winner in the vote on May 1st will head the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority, taking control of devolved powers focused on economic development, skills, transport, and housing and planning.

My job at the hustings on Wednesday was to narrow the focus of the candidates at an event specifically focused on arts, culture and tourism.

The event was co-organised by HEY Creative, which supports arts and culture across the region and the advisory board of Visit Hull & East Yorkshire.

Dominic Gibbons, the managing director of major developer and property group Wykeland is chair of HEY Creative and invited me to take part in the event.

Alongside his counterpart at Visit Hull & East Yorkshire, Chris Blacksell and Max May, chief officer at HEY Creative, they outlined to me how culture and the visitor economy play a significant role in the regional economy - and in the lives of those who live, work and visit the region.

The visitor economy supports more than 21,000 jobs across Hull and East Yorkshire and is aiming to contribute over £1bn a year to the economy by 2028.

Arts culture and heritage bring people together in more than 250 venues across the region and is estimated to improve residents’ health and wellbeing to the value of at least £30m annually.

Before a capacity audience at the East Riding Theatre in a former church in the centre of historic and picturesque Beverley, the six candidates were given an opportunity to outline their thoughts and approach to arts, culture and tourism.

As we stood in the wings of the stage waiting to go on I was struck by the camaraderie among all the would-be mayors.

Clearly they have been to plenty of hustings events while on the stump together over the last few weeks but politics today often appears so divided that it is reassuring to simply see people with different views getting on and being reasonable.

And what I also noticed was the passion that all six have for Hull and East Yorkshire.

No politicians from outside the area parachuted in here.

All of them live and work in the region.

The leaders of the two constituent councils of the new combined authority are both candidates to become mayor.

The Conservative candidate is Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council since 2023.

Mike Ross, who has led Hull City Council since 2022, is standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Labour’s candidate is Margaret Pinder, a consultant, former solicitor and parliamentary candidate.

The Green Party is represented by Kerry Harrison, who stood in the Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham constituency in the July 2024 general election.

While the Reform UK candidate is Luke Campbell, who is a former boxer who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and as a professional fought twice for for the world lightweight title.

Rowan Halstead, a former member of the armed forces, is standing for the Yorkshire Party, where he is co-leader.

With lots of submitted questions and an opportunity for the audience to ask live questions, two hours positively flew by.

The combination of candidates who answered the questions they were asked and an audience who respectfully listened to what they were saying made my job so much easier.

Questions covered how the candidates would champion an inclusive approach and the visitor economy that can provide opportunity and investment across the coast and countryside and the city centre.

They were also asked how they would collaborate with other regional mayors in Yorkshire to best utilise the Yorkshire brand.

Anne Handley finished her answer to this question with the message that the region is the lobster capital of Europe.

“If you are in France or Italy eating lobster then it almost certainly came from Bridlington!” she told the audience.

A lone man in the front row applauded.

“Well, we know we’ve got one lobster fan here tonight,” I commented.

To the question whether they were committed to the Hull & East Yorkshire Arts, Culture & Heritage Devolution Manifesto, all the candidates answered ‘yes’.

I said to the audience, that’s six yes’s, even more than Britain’s Got Talent.

I’m no political pundit, but I get the feeling that whoever becomes mayor after the vote on May 1st, Hull and East Yorkshire will have a champion that does their best for this region that has so much to offer.

:::

THIS time last week I was recovering from a day in jail.

My stint behind bars for the Maggie’s Yorkshire Jail or Bail charity fundraising day was fun and more importantly raised a lot of money for this incredible charity which is a beacon of hope for many people living with cancer in Yorkshire.

The stunning centre at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, offers a unique programme of practical and psychological support, available free of charge to people with cancer and everyone they love.

With a group of other ‘jail birds’ from the Yorkshire business community, we did our best to raise as much money as possible.

Thanks to some very generous donations - including one from Andreas Evans, who flew back from his holiday in Barbados to his home in Monaco this week and immediately donated - the total we have all raised is £16,602.

And my total raised is now £4,780 just £4.16 behind leading fundraiser, Harrogate property personality Richard Smailes.

I’m not in the least bit competitive.

If you would like to donate to my fundraising for Maggie’s Yorkshire, please click this link:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-parkin-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

And let me put Smailesy back in his box. For once.

This blog will be taking a break for Easter on Good Friday. See you in a couple of weeks.

Have a great weekend and a super Easter.