The Green candidate for the first mayor of West Yorkshire has criticized the excessive salary agreed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and pledged to only take part if elected.
Andrew Cooper, Green Party candidate for Mayor of West Yorkshire has branded the figure – £105,000 a year as “excessive” and has pledge to only accept the average West Yorkshire wage of £26,000 a year if he is elected in 6th May.
Andrew said: “At a time when we know the economy is not going to be doing well and many people across our region are worried about their jobs it seems in poor taste for our Councils in to agree to such an excessive pay package for the first mayor of West Yorkshire.
“If I am elected, I would be too embarrassed to accept such a salary so I pledge to donate the remaining £79,000 to schemes that help community organizations that are suffering financial hardship and can’t find help from any other source”.
The figure agreed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is significantly more than metro mayors in other regions – The mayor Sheffield City Region is paid £79,000 a year, while Liverpool City Region’s metro mayor is paid £80,631.
Andrew added,
“I believe strongly that the Mayor’s salary ought to be linked to the fortunes of the people they seek to represent. I commit to using my position to help organisations and individuals thrive across the region and could not possibly accept such a large salary while others are struggling in the wake of the pandemic”.