Mayor David Skaith told to ‘step up’ on bus powers as councils continue to manage services
The mayor of York and North Yorkshire has been told to ‘step up’ on the provision of bus services by bosses by North Yorkshire Council.
York and North Yorkshire’s elected Labour mayor David Skaith has been told its time he “stepped up to the mark” on the delivery of bus services by bosses at the Conservative-led North Yorkshire Council (NYC).
Following a proposal from the Combined Authority, NYC has resolved to “manage the buses as previously”, but has deferred a decision to accept the mayor’s devolved powers relating to the provision of bus services until March 2027, “until further clarification about budget and terms and conditions of grant funding” is provided.
At a meeting of NYC’s executive committee on Tuesday, March 31, the authority’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “We had hoped that by this time this year we would not be in the position to continue with the delegation because it is very much the mayor’s initiative and he’s been very public about wanting to control bus operations in North Yorkshire.”
A report presented at the meeting set out “the requirement to continue to delegate some of the mayor’s transport powers back to North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and City of York Council (CYC) in order to discharge the mayor’s duties in relation to bus service provision in the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) area”.
It recommended that the mayor’s devolved powers relating to the provision of bus services are delegated to NYC and CYC from April 2026 until March 2027.
In April last year, Mr Skaith said that “public transport isn’t working, and we now have the opportunity to really change that and really improve it for everyone across the patch”.
The devolution deal that created the combined authority led by Mr Skaith included devolution to the mayor of considerable powers over bus services that were previously held by NYC and CYC as the predecessor local transport authorities.
“When the mayor was elected in May 2024, the Combined Authority was not in a position to deliver some of these powers immediately and they were delegated back to NYC and CYC so they could continue the day-to-day delivery of supported bus services and related functions,” the report noted.
Cllr Malcolm Taylor, executive member for transport and highways, said: “We’re in a difficult position, and it’s not something we are hoping to be in, but we do need to make sure we continue bus services for our residents.”
Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services told the meeting: “While I’m happy to support this because it’s the right thing to do for residents and bus users in North Yorkshire, the mayor has some decisions to make over the coming period of the review, as to which services is he willing to subsidise in York and North Yorkshire, and I’m keen to see how that commitment to extending the passenger experience extends to whether there a bus to get on at all.”
Also speaking at the meeting, Cllr Simon Myers, executive member for culture and housing, added: “It’s about time the mayor stepped up to the mark.
“But, for the good of our residents, it’s the right thing that we continue this delegation, and he needs to look at how he intends to fund these services that he was ambitious to take on when he was elected mayor.”
According to a council report, accepting the extension to the current delegation of transport functions will allow officers to continue to carry out public transport activities for the benefit of residents and passengers while a detailed review is undertaken by YNYCA and longer-term recommendation made.
Bus grant funding will be provided by the YNYCA to deliver the schemes and no match funding from North Yorkshire Council is required.
Deputy leader of the council, Cllr Gareth Dadd, added: “The public needs to be under no illusion that this authority, given funding cuts we have faced under his government, and given his declared intention to run buses, we can no longer be responsible for that service.
“We are happy to help him, but we are not responsible.”
Last year, the YNYCA was awarded £564,000 to explore how bus franchising could improve services in rural and coastal areas.
In December 2025, it was announced that it would also receive almost £41m in Government bus funding over the coming years as part of a multi-year settlement.
Speaking at the time, Mr Skaith said: “People deserve better, more reliable bus services, and our ambition is unchanged – making sure every person who wants to take a bus in our region has a service they can trust and a fare that’s affordable.
“We’ll keep doing what matters for our communities, delivering essential services and improved infrastructure, working with our local councils and exploring every option to create a more affordable, accessible and integrated bus network in York and North Yorkshire.”