West Yorkshire mayor candidate: Jonathan Tilt

Jonathan Tilt is one of six candidates campaigning to be mayor of West Yorkshire

Jonathan Tilt was born in Dewsbury, went to school in Wakefield and has lived in south Kirklees for more than a decade.

For the last 10 years he has worked as an acupuncturist covering Barnsley, Wakefield and Pontefract and prior to that he was a chartered accountant.

He became politically active in 2020 organising opposition to lockdowns during the Covid pandemic.

He will not take the full mayoral salary

The Independent candidate's first act as mayor will be a visit to the payroll department to ensure his salary is reduced to 50% of the authorised £106,000 level.

After that he wants to initiate a scheme for local community sports clubs to simply bid for grants from the other 50%.

He fears bus franchising could leave the public worse off

He thinks the bus franchising model will transfers costs and liabilities to the taxpayer and could leave the county exposed to risk.

The candidate's view is that any commissioning model needs to facilitate open competition and access to new entrants with alternative models of provisions.

New routes and smaller buses should not be excluded from operating in West Yorkshire.

He says he will ensure any investment in bus infrastructure should not be used as justification for further restricting private vehicle usage.

He wants police resources more focused on preventing and tackling crime

The candidate has concerns over how much West Yorkshire Police is spending on police pensions and wants to talk to the Chief Constable about the long-term plan for managing that.

He wants to see police resources focused on preventing and tackling crime.

He says low level societal crime such as fly-tipping, noise abuse, public transport safety and general anti-social behaviour should be prioritised.

Mr Tilt believes these are greater priorities than protecting corporations from shoplifting.

He believes corporations can fund their own security out of what he describes as their "excess profits".

He believes an 'open and honest' debate on climate is needed

The candidate would like an "open and honest debate" around climate change in which all opinions can be aired "without fear or favour".

He believes scientists who have questioned what he describes as the "enforced consensus" have, in his opinion, been "cancelled" and received negative treatment.

Mr Tilt says that the behaviour of humans, as stewards of the planet, "frequently falls short, usually due to corporate greed and negligence".

He believes river, marine and localised air pollution need addressing and that development is often squeezed into small spaces with negative consequences.

In his own words