Mayoral candidates urged to back culture

Candidates to be the first mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire are being urged to put culture at the heart of their plans for the region.

The multi-sector partnership HEY Creative has launched a manifesto urging candidates to embed arts, culture and heritage into policy in four key strategic areas: transport, adult education and skills, housing and regeneration, and environmental sustainability.

HEY Creative is chaired by Dominic Gibbons, managing director of property developer the Wykeland Group, with Janthi Mills-Ward, co-chief executive of Hull Truck Theatre, as vice chair.

The partnership says that through devolution, the impact of culture on the region “could be amplified, to further improve health and wellbeing, drive regeneration and tourism, and contribute to a thriving economy”.

Chief officer Max May said: “In the first Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor we need a true advocate who will embed arts, culture and heritage into their plans and understands fully that a thriving cultural sector is key to a successful and prosperous region.”