West Yorkshire mayor candidate: Andrew Cooper

The Green Party candidate for West Yorkshire mayor is Andrew Cooper

Andrew Cooper was first elected as a Green Party councillor in Huddersfield in 1997.

He has worked in the energy efficiency and renewables industry for nearly 20 years and had worked in the public sector in housing management.

The candidate has attended United Nations Climate Change conferences as a European Union delegate and has called for local government to have more of a say on action to reduce carbon emissions.

He is a member of the West Yorkshire Climate, Energy and Environment Committee and has been a member of the West Yorkshire Policing and Crime Panel.

He will not take the full mayoral salary, he says

Mr Cooper has committed to only taking £37,000 in salary if he were to be elected on 2 May.

He said that figure is the average yearly income in West Yorkshire and said the remainder of the mayor's £106,000 wage will be distributed to good causes.

He said it seemed right that the mayor's salary "should be linked to that of the average West Yorkshire worker".

He wants public transport to be cheaper and quicker

Mr Cooper said he welcomed public control of the bus network in West Yorkshire and would ask the government for more funding.

He said he also wants to develop partnerships with parish councils to help fund rural services.

The candidate said councils in West Yorkshire will need to ensure that buses take priority in road schemes.

He said, if elected, he would work to make public transport "not just the cheaper option but also the quicker option".

Mr Cooper said he would prioritise moving West Yorkshire transport capital funding away from road schemes and support community rail projects and investment in a safe cycle route network.

Tackling the causes of crime are key, he says

The candidate said he wants to address the causes of crime such as poverty, inequality, alcohol abuse and addiction to illegal drugs as a way to reduce crime,

He added the police needed the support of politicians to invest in services which reduce poverty and address drug and alcohol misuse.

Through his nominated Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime, Mothin Ali, he said he wanted to seek to support strong, trusted partnerships between communities and West Yorkshire Police to build trust and co-operation.

Insulation, jobs and alternative energy pledges on the table

Building an industry to effectively insulate homes across West Yorkshire is one of Mr Cooper's aims.

He said he was committed to building new homes to the highest energy efficiency standards.

The candidate said "dreaming up" a figure for a green jobs target was "pretty meaningless" if was not part of a strategic plan developed in partnership with educational institutions and industry.

Mr Cooper would also promote schemes to draw in funding from regional, local and community sources to invest in new solar and wind generation, while providing a significant return on investment.

In his own words