Tech entrepreneur to run for North Yorkshire Mayor

Matthew Freckelton, a prominent North Yorkshire Conservative, said that he would prioritise creating good-quality and well-paid jobs for local people and help businesses grow with investment from across the world.

Announcing his candidacy for the region’s first directly-elected mayor, Mr Freckelton promised that every community will have access to an affordable and reliable bus service, after many of the region’s towns and villages have seen the quality of transport decline in recent years.

In addition to a pledge to deliver affordable housing across the region, he said that he will support farmers and agricultural businesses in the move to net-zero.

“The election of the first Mayor of North Yorkshire has the potential to unleash huge opportunities for our region,” he said.

To take full advantage of this we need new thinking and new ways of doing things, the same old ways of doing things simply won’t cut it anymore.

“From Settle to Scarborough there is a huge amount of untapped talent across North Yorkshire, as Mayor I will drive investment into housing, transport, and education so that no matter what a person’s background they can thrive.

“As a region we’re not just competing with the rest of the UK, we're competing with the rest of the world. North Yorkshire needs a leader that can not only work with the government to bring investments here, but has the background in business to work with global companies directly to secure the investments that will deliver thousands of good-quality well paid jobs.”