South Yorkshire mayor candidate: David Bettney

The Social Democratic Party's South Yorkshire mayor candidate David Bettney

After joining the Army in 1987, Mr Bettney went on to serve 23 years with combat operations in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, finishing at the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major.

Born in Mexborough, he was a keen sportsman, playing football, rugby and boxing, heavily influenced by his grandfather who had been a champion boxer.

Tackling homelessness is his top priority

Although he wants to focus on building prosperity in South Yorkshire, he says his first 100 days in office would concentrate on tackling rough sleeping.

He is concerned that the UK imports too many products and wants to boost the region’s economy by making South Yorkshire a leading manufacturing hub again with well paid, future-proof jobs which will create stable communities.

He would also promote British values in schools and says people need to be “Yorkshire” before identifying as anything else.

Reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport is vital

He says reopening the airport would create much needed jobs and help the region attract investment.

Public transport is a concern for him. He says communities such as Wath upon Dearne are forgotten because there is no train station and inadequate buses.

He says pensioners in these communities should be able get local taxis to the stations, and be partially reimbursed to help cover costs.

Tackling crime starts with teenagers

As a boxing and rugby coach, he would recruit helpers to work with teenagers as he believes “kids in sport, stay out of court”.

He would push for after-school clubs and says in his career he helped disadvantaged teenagers from council estates to become very effective team members in the Army.

He says it is a climate challenge rather than crisis

Mr Bettney says the climate is a "challenge" rather than an emergency or crisis.

He says building new nuclear power stations would give people “very cheap and clean energy” and says solar and wind power can be explored in more detail once the country is self-sufficient using nuclear.

He is a member of the Woodland Trust and a keen supporter of Forest Schools and would lobby for these to be part of all junior schools.

In his own words