South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard sets out four-year vision promising a ‘better connected’ region

Following a two-year stint, Oliver Coppard was retained as South Yorkshire’s mayor with more than 50 per cent of the votes in this year’s local elections.

In a press conference at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) training centre yesterday (May 8), Oliver Coppard set out his vision for the next four years.

He said: “Today, on day one back as South Yorkshire’s mayor, I’m setting out my vision to connect people and opportunity across South Yorkshire, through an integrated public transport network that puts people at its heart.

“That includes a commitment to begin the rollout of an integrated public transport system across South Yorkshire that connects our buses, our South Yorkshire Supertram network and our active travel network, by 2028.”

He said this would ensure that everyone who lives in the county can access work, see a doctor, see friends and family “and – crucially – access opportunity”.

Mr Coppard added analysis found that fewer than one per cent of people across the county live within 30 minutes of the Advanced Manufacturing Park “if they’re using public transport”.

“That’s not OK,” he said.

Mr Coppard said they will decide on bus franchising in the next 12 months and he was clear he wanted it to happen.

He added people have told him the current system was “broken” and he agreed.

Mr Coppard talked about the possibility of expanding the light rail network by using tram-trains to operate between Sheffield and Stocksbridge and along the Barrow Hill which runs between Chesterfield and Sheffield.

Part of his vision was to make South Yorkshire the “best place in the UK for kids to walk, wheel or cycle” and he wanted to give people the freedom of choice about how they travel and move across the county.

He said: “I refuse to accept a situation where people across South Yorkshire aren’t able to access opportunities in South Yorkshire.”

Following the press conference, Mr Coppard told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that South Yorkshire had a lot of talent but unless people can access opportunity they are not going to be able to make the most of their talent – and transport is key to that.

Mr Coppard was first elected as mayor in 2022 – so he has had two years in the job. What has changed or improved in this regard? Is he going to build on those two years?

He said: “I think we’ve made huge progress already but I’m determined to do more. We’ve brought the Supertram network back under public control for the first time in 27 years, we’ve now seen revenue up, we’ve seen fare evasion down, we’ve seen 10,000 people who downloaded the new app… We’re making huge progress there.

“We’re going into the bus franchising process quicker than anyone else in the country. We’re going to take the decision about whether or not to bring the buses back under public control within 12 months.”

What does he think South Yorkshire will look like in four years?

Well, Mr Coppard said he thought it would “look better connected”.

“I think we’ll get a bigger and better economy in four years and people will have more opportunities to access across the whole of the region”, he added.

Mr Coppard was not only re-elected on Saturday but he got more than 50 per cent of the votes.

When asked about it, he said in the last two years there have been a lot of things said about what they have been doing – especially Tory MPs in the region criticising their approach in issues such as reopening the Doncaster Sheffield Airport or the state of the buses in the South Yorkshire – but he said people were largely supportive.

He said: “A 50 per cent mandate is a significant mandate for a mayor across South Yorkshire and I’m determined now to use that mandate and deliver for our communities.

“I only hope those Tory MPs in the region who have been so critical of some of the things we have done will now recognise actually, most people are supportive of what we’re doing and want to see more of it.”

The expectation is – regardless of what the prime minister thinks as in the general election is not a foregone conclusion – that in the next few months, Keir Starmer will get into power.

Is Mr Coppard, Sir Keir’s party colleague, going to hold him to account?

Mr Coppard said he would like to work in partnership with “any government” but “absolutely”, he said.

“If a government is not delivering for South Yorkshire… South Yorkshire is my priority and I will always make that clear”, he added.

When asked about the new police and crime commissioner role that is now transferred to him, Mr Coppard said it shows the “deepening of devolution” in South Yorkshire and it was – he thought – a recognition from the government that they were doing the right things.

He said: “The maturity of the system in South Yorkshire is now getting to a point where we’re taking on more powers, more control.

“I want to see more, I want to go further, I want to go faster.

“Because that allows us to take back control of our own future here in South Yorkshire.”

He was told some local democracy campaigners questioned this transition of powers prior to the election.

Mr Coppard said a “small number of people” seemed to want to criticise them for a decision that was taken in London.

Mr Coppard said he has been talking to the government for months saying he thought they haven’t been doing it in the right way.

He said: “I wanted them to be more transparent, more upfront. I wanted them to talk to our communities more about what was going on.

“They didn’t listen to me. I think what you say in the letter that I wrote to James Cleverly (the home secretary) was my frustration in the way which they have led that process.

“Ultimately, we’re where we are. I’m pleased that we have got those powers here in South Yorkshire.”

He confirmed that a deputy will be brought in to lead the PCC’s office on a day-to-day basis.

When he was asked whether that person needed to be from the Labour Party, Mr Coppard said they would hire the best person for the job and it had “nothing to do with party politics”.