Party Leadership

The Yorkshire Party's post of leader is currently shared between Bob Buxton, who has been the party leader since 2020 and Simon Biltcliffe, who was elected to the position of co-leader in 2022.

Co-leader Bob Buxton (left)  joined the Yorkshire Party in its foundation year, 2014. He became the first member of the Party to win a contested election, when elected to Rawdon Parish Council in 2015, and was re-elected in 2019. He was elected to the executive committee of the Yorkshire Party in 2018, became Deputy Chair in 2019 and was elected leader in May 2020. Bob is also the Party’s Transport Spokesman and campaigns for fair funding for Yorkshire, the reopening of closed railway lines, better public transport, greener transport and a higher quality of rolling stock. Bob is originally from Guisborough in North Yorkshire and now lives in Rawdon, Leeds with his wife and children. He works full-time in Bradford, teaching engineering apprentices.

Co-leader Simon Biltcliffe (right) Having grown up in Barnsley in the shadow of the miner's strike, Simon studied in London before returning to Yorkshire to establish a successful print & advertising business which employs over 40 people. With a keen interest in environmentalism, Simon has sponsored tree planting projects and rewilding efforts from the north of Scotland to South Yorkshire forests. Having stood in the 2022 South Yorkshire Mayoral contest Simon finished third, beating both the Greens and the Lib Dems. He also finished second across the entire borough of Barnsley, marking the first time in British politics that a non-parliamentary party had done so.

                                   

Deputy Leader Bikatshi Katenga          Chair Councillor Andy Walker          Deputy Chair David Herdson

The Yorkshire Party is run by its Executive Committee. The Executive Committee comprises the elected Leader and Chair of the party, plus twelve separately elected Executive Committee members. Members are elected for either a one or two-year term.