Public 53% in favour of directly elected mayor

If approved, there will be a Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority

A decision will be made on a devolution proposal at the end of the month following a public consultation, council leaders said.

Almost 6,000 people had their say, with 53% stating they were in favour of the move.

If agreed, a directly elected mayor would lead a Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA).

Hull City Council (HCC) leader Mike Ross said the results “underline just how much support there is for the deal”.

The consultation process lasted eight weeks and the results have been welcomed by both HCC and East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC).

Councillor Ross said: “We always said we would be guided by what local people think and now they’ve had their say we can make the decision based on their feedback.”

'Delighted with outcome'

Anne Handley, leader of ERYC, added: “Of course, I am personally delighted with the outcome and the sentiment expressed.”

Councillor Handley said the final decision will be made on 27 March, at the next meeting of the joint leaders’ board. If agreed, they will submit a final proposal to the government and agree the next steps in the process.

East Riding residents made up 2,941 of the respondents, with 1,491 from Hull.

The remainder were from other areas or did not provide a location, as well as businesses and organisations, including targeted focus groups and stakeholder submissions.

The most common reasons for supporting the proposals were bringing enhanced powers and decision making to the local area, as well as welcoming additional investment.

Local transport priority

The top priority for respondents was improving local transport at 41%.

In Hull, priorities were affordable housing (34%) and regenerating local communities (35%), while in the East Riding, people prioritised business investment and growth (33%) and flood prevention and improving local resilience (31%).

Hull Labour Group said the fact “over 99% of local residents have not been convinced” paints a clear picture.

Leader of the group, councillor Daren Hale said: “In a way, the public have made their view clear simply by ignoring the whole prospect of having a mayor.”

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].