Gary resigned his Labour Party membership in June 2024 in protest at the party’s general election policy on the two-child benefit cap and has sat as an independent ever since. He now leads the 3 strong Independent Group on Hull City Council.

Gary said in his announcement:

“I’m delighted to be endorsing Kerry Harrison of the Green Party to become the first Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire. There are important reasons why I’ve made that decision.

“We’re now looking at a further period of austerity when communities in Hull are barely recovering from the original round of cuts in the Cameron-Clegg years.

“This is aside from ongoing welfare cuts such as the child benefit cap, the demonising of migrants and the rowing back on social and climate justice policies. The Green Party’s policy of asking the very wealthy to pay more in tax has to be a better way forward than more austerity.

“It’s clear that people in Hull are desperate for a fresh start in the way we do our politics, and I firmly believe Kerry can provide that opportunity.”

Gary Wareing is the leader of the 3 member Independent group on Hull City Council which is the Council’s third largest group. (State of the parties: Lib Dems 29, Labour 25 and Green/Independents 3)

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Kerry Harrison, the local Green Party’s Mayoral candidate for Hull and East Yorkshire, met supporters at the old chalk mill saying:

“This election gives us a fresh start in our communities. We don’t need recycled politicians or the reheated policies of failure. A Green Mayor will do things differently. Once elected, I promise to listen to people across all communities in building a better future. A fresh start is possible.”

Kerry added

“The choice of the old chalk mill as a launch site is appropriate as it connects us to a time when much of the local economy was driven by renewables. The Humber has a key role in developing a green economy. We should be doing more. Further investment in green transport and housing will provide a massive increase in job opportunities.”

Hessle Mill is part of the Chalk Walk heritage trail established to inform about the natural, industrial and social history of the Humber Bridge Country Park.

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Adrian Ramsay, Co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said:

‘I met Kerry in Beverley last year and I was impressed by her sense of public duty and her ambition for local communities. She will make an excellent Mayor. 

‘This is the first mayoral election in this area and it’s an opportunity for a fresh look at the way politics is done here. We want to offer a positive, progressive plan that gives a fresh start for local communities. This is not the time for recycled politicians and the reheated policies of failure.

“Following the record breaking success of the Green Party in the General Election last year we are ambitious across all parts of the country and Hull and East Yorkshire is part of that ambition.”

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About Kerry:

Kerry moved to the area in 2016 after attending university in Leeds and has lived
here ever since – she now lives in Hessle with her family. Kerry runs her own social
media consultancy, is a life coach and does work at a special needs school in
Anlaby. Kerry is also a trustee for a local cat rescue charity (Jenny’s Cat House) and
is on the committee for the Balfour Community Centre on Holderness Road. She’s
hosted a pop-up café and has run women’s circles. Her two sons are members of
local grassroots football and rugby clubs.

After her successful selection, Kerry said:

“To make this so-called devolution work, it has to be about all the people in Hull and
the East Riding, not just about big corporations. What do they want from their new
Mayor?

“I run my own business, work in special needs education, am a certified coach and
training towards a counselling qualification, and one important skill that binds all of
these roles together is ‘to listen’.

“Listen to your customers, your suppliers, your employees, your colleagues and so
on. That way success comes that benefits everyone. 

“And this is also why I am going to spend the next few months listening to people
across our communities. Of course, l have my own views on climate change and
social justice, for example, but I also want to engage with people and to understand
their priorities.

“A new Mayor has the opportunity to provide a fresh start for our communities by
rethinking the way we do things. It shouldn’t be about reheating old policies and
recycling second hand politicians.”

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