York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority leadership team
James Farrar – Interim Head of Paid Service
James is the founding Chief Operating Officer of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP has now been integrated into the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA). During his time as LEP Chief Operating Officer, James built the team and oversaw an investment portfolio of over £200 million into the region.
Previous to his role in the LEP, James was at Yorkshire Forward, where he led its response to the recession with a focus on business support and access to finance. Committed to collaborative working, James recognises the importance of a strong public private partnership and is committed to ensuring stakeholders across the region work together to deliver for our communities.
James has been appointed Interim Head of Paid Services. His substantive post in the YNYCA is as Director of Economy.
Barry Khan – Interim Monitoring Officer
Barry has over 25 years of experience working for local authorities’ legal departments and over 20 years of being a Monitoring Officer - having done the role for a District Council, a County Council, a Fire and Rescue Authority, two Unitary Councils and now is honoured to do this role in the interim for the Combined Authority. The role is statutorily responsible for reporting to the Combined Authority on any illegality or maladministration.
His substantive post is as the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) North Yorkshire Council. He values the importance of strong governance to ensure the Combined Authority will operate in a safe and legal manner upon its creation. The role and the position will be reviewed after the Mayoral Election to ensure that there is an appropriate structure for the future.
He has appointed Rachel Antonelli as an Interim Deputy Monitoring Officer to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Combined Authority.
Debbie Mitchell – Interim Director of Resources
Debbie’s substantive post is as Chief Finance Officer for City of York Council. For the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Debbie is appointed Interim Director of Resources, responsible for providing leadership to develop the Combined Authority, with specific statutory responsibility for financial management and reporting.
Rachel Antonelli – Interim Deputy Monitoring Officer
Rachel has over 25 years public sector experience, working within a variety of roles including Senior Solicitor and Deputy Monitoring Officer within a local government legal department, Force Solicitor for 2 police forces and Head of Function for the democratic governance service of a local authority. Barry Khan, the Interim Monitoring Officer for the Combined Authority has appointed Rachel as his Interim Deputy Monitoring Officer to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Combined Authority.
Prior to joining the Combined Authority, Rachel worked as a Specialist Legal Consultant for the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, working with the Transition Team in readiness for their move into the Combined Authority in May 2024.
The Monitoring Officer is statutorily responsible for reporting to the Combined Authority on any illegality or maladministration, and the role of the Deputy is key to ensuring that the Combined Authority can operate in a safe and legal manner upon its creation.
Read the current frequently asked questions about the Combined Authority.