Some of the candidates vying to be Greater Lincolnshire Mayor take part in debate

The first debate of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral election campaign has been held.

Candidates Coun Rob Waltham (Con), Jason Stockwood (Lab), Dame Andrea Jenkyns (Reform) took part in the debate held at Parkway Cinema, Cleethorpes, which was organised by not-for-profit group, E-Factor. Chris Carr, managing director of Carr & Carr (Builders) Ltd, was the fourth member of the panel.

Coun Marianne Overton, leader of Lincolnshire Independents group and on North Kesteven District and Lincolnshire County Councils, is standing as the independent group’s candidate.

More than 140 business leaders turned up to the two-hour debate when candidates answered questions on transport and digital connectivity, skills training and support for businesses.

Candidates fielded questions on the likes of , cross-Humber links, and support for businesses.

E-Factor’s Mark Webb told Ivan Morris Poxon, local democracy reporter, after the event : “I’m really pleased by the very good turnout.”

“The engagement with the candidates for the Mayor was evident. This goes to show that the local business community are engaged and interested, and want to have their say when it comes to the policy for Greater Lincolnshire, and how we’re going to go forward.”

Pre-submitted audience questions asked what measures the candidates would take to support local business, develop the skills of the local population, and engage with their North Bank of the Humber equivalent mayor.

Mr Stockwood’s (Lab) pitch emphasised his considerable experience, having grown businesses for 30 years. “I’m not really that interested in politics,” he said. “The economic opportunity in our region is the one that compels me.”

He argued the mayoral role ‘needs someone who understands how to raise capital’, using the £24million a year sum as “seed capital” to attract far greater investment.

Conservative Coun Waltham said he thought Lincolnshire businesses felt ‘a bit battered’ and ‘underappreciated’ in the current climate. He said: “The first thing we certainly could do is to make sure we build as many of those incubator spaces as we possibly can.”

He also emphasised his role in negotiating the devolution deal, and efforts to support business by the council he leads, such as wanting North Lincolnshire to be a designated AI growth zone.

Dame Jenkyns, a former Conservative MP, emphasised looking to attract international investment to the area, and her roles in government as a skills minister. “This is something I’m very passionate about, skills.”

She said businesses needed to be incentivised more to take on apprentices, and called for the UK to follow Germany in “parity of esteem between vocational, technical and academic qualifications. I think there’s this snobbery in the UK that you need to go the academic route.”

The election of the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire will take place on May 1.