Candidates for the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral election have been urged to put culture at the heart of their plans for the region.
HEY Creative, a multi-sector group which seeks to help culture in the region flourish, has published an Arts, Culture & Heritage Manifesto which says that, through devolution, “arts, culture and heritage in Hull and East Yorkshire can be turbocharged for the region”.
On Thursday, May 1, voters will head to the polls to elect the first Mayor of the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority. HEY Creative is hoping that whoever becomes the new Mayor will “embrace and extend the impact that arts, culture, and heritage already has in communities across the region”.
The Hull & East Yorkshire Arts, Culture & Heritage Devolution Manifesto urges the incoming Mayor to commit support across five key areas:
- Transport – embedding arts, culture and heritage into the Local Transport Plan.
- Adult Education and Skills – investing in arts, culture and heritage sector skills through the Local Skills Investment Plan.
- Housing and Regeneration – putting arts, culture and heritage at the heart of placemaking and regeneration projects.
- Environmental Sustainability – enabling arts, culture and heritage to contribute to, and benefit from, the Local Area Energy Plan.
- Arts, Culture and Heritage Commitments – including a pledge to focus a specific percentage of available funding on culture and involve the sector in Combined Authority Boards and initiatives.
HEY Creative and the Advisory Board of Visit Hull & East Yorkshire (VHEY) have come together to co-host a Mayoral hustings at East Riding Theatre in Beverley on Wednesday, April 9, when candidates will share their vision and ambitions for the region’s cultural sector and visitor economy. All the Mayoral candidates have confirmed they will be taking part in the event.
HEY Creative Chief Officer Max May said:
“We have so much culture to celebrate in our region and we’ve seen – particularly over the past decade – the positive impact it has across the region.
“Our manifesto sets out how arts, culture and heritage can be leveraged by our new Mayor to enhance connectivity, increase productivity, promote inclusivity and deliver a sustainable future.
“In the first Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor we need a true advocate who will embed arts, culture and heritage into their plans and understands fully that a thriving cultural sector is key to a successful and prosperous region.”
A full list of candidates is as follows:
- Reform UK: Luke Campbell
- Yorkshire Party : Rowan Halstead
- Conservative Party : Anne Handley
- Green Party: Kerry Harrison
- Labour Party : Margaret Pinder
- Liberal Democrats : Mike Ross
