Next month, West Yorkshire residents will have the chance to head to the polls once again, this time, to elect the first West Yorkshire Mayor to the new West Yorkshire Combined Authority. This will give parts of Yorkshire increased autonomy and devolved powers over issues such as transport and policing. One of the candidates running for this new position is Bob Buxton from the Yorkshire Party.
“his main priority would be to develop a mass transit system”
Having a PhD in engineering and a background in transport, Mr. Buxton believes that his professional experience makes him an ideal candidate to deliver on the needs of West Yorkshire residents, pledging to provide green homes and improve solar panel infrastructure.
If Buxton became Mayor, his main priority would be to develop a mass transit system for the whole of West Yorkshire.
“With my experience in engineering and traffic flow modelling, I will design an ambitious mass transit system, taking cars off the road, helping us meet demanding environmental target and increasing productivity – which is 9% lower in Yorkshire than the UK average, partly due to poor transport.”
To expand this mass transit system and ensure it is sustainable in the long term, he would also devise adult education courses to train up a workforce to manage these new modes of transport.
As well as his pledge to introduce a mass transit system, Buxton would seek to improve existing transport, ensuring that customers can pay more easily and improving road conditions to benefit drivers.
“Buxton recognises that there will be huge funding constraints”
I've just taken @friends_earth's #ClimateActionPledge to put the climate first & deliver an ambitious Climate Action Plan as Mayor. We're in a #ClimateEmergency and must rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions for a greener and fairer society. pic.twitter.com/dv3XvWXzP8
— Bob Buxton (@BobBuxtonYorksP) April 26, 2021
Mr. Buxton has already committed to not increasing taxes if he were elected as Mayor, arguing that this would be detrimental to already struggling families: “We are already set to pay more and we can’t afford to take any extra money out of the economy.”
Buxton recognises that there will be huge funding constraints, with the mayor’s budget set at only £16 per person each year. He does hope, however, that if he is elected, he can set an excellent example of what can be achieved with limited resources. By setting a positive example as Mayor, Buxton believes devolution could become a more popular concept, forcing parties to promise more powers in their election campaigns.
Mr. Buxton also views the student voice as fundamental to ensuring the success of local elections: “Students have been ripped-off.
“Time and time again, politicians ignore students and young people because they don’t vote in sufficient numbers. Teach them a lesson and vote for the Yorkshire Party.”
“If you vote for a politician, you’ll get politics. If you vote for an engineer, you’ll get results,” he concluded.
More information about Bob Buxton’s campaign can be found here.
Lauren McGaun
Featured image courtesy of Steve Houghton-Burnett on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.