1 Tell us a little bit about yourself
I’m Oliver. I was born and raised here and I’m proud to still call South Yorkshire my home.
I know we’re a region with endless potential, which is why I’ve spent most my life working to make South Yorkshire stronger, fairer and greener.
I’ve worked with young people in Barnsley and led low carbon regeneration projects in the Dearne Valley. Most recently, I worked for a national children’s reading charity and then ran my own business.
I’m asking for your support to be our next Mayor because I want to restore the pride, purpose and prosperity of our region.
2 What do you think makes a good City Region Mayor?
The next Mayor of South Yorkshire needs to believe in the potential of South Yorkshire. But belief isn’t enough; they need a plan for bringing people together behind a shared plan for realising that potential and overcoming the significant challenges we face as a region. More than anything, the next Mayor will need to understand the scale of that challenge; it won’t be quick and it won’t be easy, so they’ll need to commit time, effort and energy to make change happen across the communities of South Yorkshire.
3 Tell us four things you’re aiming to focus on or achieve for the City Region during your term as Mayor
Doing politics differently. I will be the most transparent and accountable Mayor in the country, holding a Mayor’s public question time every quarter, an annual public audit of office spending and income, and supporting new approaches to political engagement.
We don’t just need a bigger economy we need a bigger economy, so I will set up a Better Business Challenge, and a Community Wealth Building Strategy that invests in and supports our local assets.
I will take personal responsibility for driving our strategy for achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the region by 2040, convening a South Yorkshire Citizens’ Assembly so that everyone has an opportunity to shape how we respond to the climate emergency.
Last but not least, I will fight for a funding package from government that allows us to have an affordable, reliable and accessible bus network; and work every day to bring the buses back into public control, where they belong.
4 Climate
Supporting green & sustainable planning & development must be part of the Region’s economic planning
- Strongly Agree
- Agree
- Neutral/Other
- Disagree
- Strongly Disagree
If you’d like to add details on your position, please do so here
I will take personal responsibility for coordinating a strategy to achieve net zero by 2040.
I will lead a South Yorkshire citizens’ assembly to help us find a path to net-zero, so our communities can help decide how we both develop our economy and hit our net-zero goals. The climate emergency is the biggest challenge we face, but we can’t simply impose solutions on people, we need to put the voices of our communities at the heart of that plan for change.
We’ll also develop a clean energy strategy, a better public transport and active travel network and an ambitious nature recovery strategy.
And I will work with the Environment Agency to secure the investment South Yorkshire needs to make our communities more flood resilient and protected. We know the schemes that need funding if we are to protect our region from the changes to our climate, but we need the government to step forward and fund them.
5 Economy
Regional economic planning should foster co-operation & collaboration with other regions rather than competition
- Strongly Agree
- Agree
- Neutral/Other
- Disagree
- Strongly Disagree
If you’d like to add details on your position, please do so here
If we’re going to address the deep rooted inequalities in our region, create wealth, and allow every part of South Yorkshire to share in the opportunity in front of us, we need more jobs, investment and growth.
But economic growth is not a zero-sum game. Another region’s failure does not make our success more likely. Rather, the success of our communities is dependent on the success of others, and our future economic growth is inextricably linked to supply chains and investment decisions that happen outside of our region.
The turbine blades designed in South Yorkshire need a national and global market, the digital companies starting up across our region will need both clients and partners in other parts of our country. That’s why I will champion South Yorkshire’s economic strengths to a global audience – our innovative businesses, our cutting-edge research, the talent of our communities – so we can attract the inward investment we need to grow our economy and restore pride to our communities.
6 Transport
The Region must explore all means possible to upgrade and improve public & publicly owned transport networks rather than new roads
- Strongly Agree
- Agree
- Neutral/Other
- Disagree
- Strongly Disagree
If you’d like to add details on your position, please do so here
Improving public transport across South Yorkshire is a priority, not just for me but the thousands of people let down every day by a network that is not fit for purpose. Greater integrated connectivity is one of the foundations of economic development and community sustainability.
But we cannot have a better public transport network and active travel network without investment in the road network that sustains them both.
That’s why as Mayor I will work to continue the progress we’ve seen in creating an active travel network across South Yorkshire, and appoint a new Active Travel Commissioner. And why I’ll also work every day to bring our buses back under public control, where they belong.
As well as fixing our buses, we need to make sure we have a long-term plan for the future of the tram network. I will examine the ownership, funding and future of our region’s tram network, so we can develop a long-term approach that integrates the future of the tram network into our wider plans for public transport across South Yorkshire.
7 Arts & Culture
Arts, Culture & Heritage have suffered badly from the Pandemic. As an important part of the Regions economy they deserve more consideration and support
- Strongly Agree
- Agree
- Neutral/Other
- Disagree
- Strongly Disagree
If you’d like to add details on your position, please do so here
South Yorkshire’s cultural and creative industries are among the most valuable assets we have as a region. They not only make our communities happier, healthier, and more cohesive, but also attract visitors from far and wide and help grow our economy too. The cultural, arts and heritage sector alone generates £100 million each year for South Yorkshire.
I want to harness the creative potential and ambitions of our whole region. I will lead a new creative, cultural, and digital strategy for South Yorkshire, to grow our economy, create good quality jobs and offer a real future for the next generation of home-grown talent.
At the heart of that plan will be a South Yorkshire Culture Forum which will bring together our creative and cultural sectors, the creative workforce, and the public to co-create a vision for our region’s creative and cultural life.