Keane Charles Duncan (born 1 January 1995) is an English

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who was the Conservative Party's 2024 candidate to be Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. He served as Leader of

Ryedale District Council Ryedale was a non-metropolitan district in North Yorkshire, England. It was in the Vale of Pickering, a low-lying flat area of land drained by the River Derwent. The Vale's landscape is rural with scattered villages and towns. It has been ...

from May 2019 to February 2021, taking the role at the age of 24, making him the youngest council leader in the country. He lives in Malton, is openly LGBT+ and previously worked as a deputy news editor for the '' Daily Star''.

Political career

Duncan studied at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

and was Chairman of the University of York Conservative and Unionist Association for 2014–2015. He was elected in the 2015 Ryedale District Council election, aged 20. In the 2017 North Yorkshire County Council election he became the youngest member of

North Yorkshire County Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the ...

. Duncan stood for re-election in the

2019 Ryedale District Council election The 2019 Ryedale District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of the Ryedale District Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections. Results summary Ward results Amotherby ...

. He retained his

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and was appointed

Leader of the Council Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

. During his term, Conservative councillors stated their opposition to

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

and called for a moratorium in Ryedale. He supported proposals to create two new

unitary authorities A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

for

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

but stood down as Leader in protest at proposals to increase Council Tax. In 2022, he was elected for the

Norton-on-Derwent Norton-on-Derwent, commonly referred to as simply Norton, is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Norton borders the market town of Malton, North Yorkshire, Malton, and is separated from it by the River Derwent, Yorkshire, Rive ...

division of the new, unitary

North Yorkshire Council North Yorkshire Council, known between 1974 and 2023 as North Yorkshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 2023 the council has been a unitary authority, being a county coun ...

. He was subsequently appointed to North Yorkshire County Council's

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

with responsibility for highways and transportation, a role he continued to hold at North Yorkshire Council. Duncan was selected by the Conservative Party as its candidate in the May 2024 election for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire. Duncan took a novel approach to campaigning, carrying out a tour of North Yorkshire, aiming to visit 1,000 communities in 100 days. His policy of nationalising the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

raised concerns over its feasibility, and how conservative the threat of compulsory purchase was. In response, Duncan claimed that a new Mayoral Development Corporation would be established with the legal powers to seize the hotel from

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

, then to deliver the necessary private sector investment for the plan to work. His campaign was highlighted in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' for its policies designed as “ click bait” to attract attention on social media, and he was criticised in the same article by a local journalist for failing to answer questions about the feasibility of his policies.

Election result

By local authority

York

North Yorkshire

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Keane Living people 1995 births Place of birth missing (living people) People from Malton, North Yorkshire Alumni of the University of York Conservative Party (UK) councillors Leaders of local authorities of England 21st-century English politicians English journalists Daily Star (United Kingdom) people Councillors in North Yorkshire English gay politicians