Devolution deal will go out for discussion by public
COUNCIL PRESSES AHEAD WITH £1.8BN ‘BUSINESS-CRITICAL’ PLAN
KIRKLEES Council has agreed to put West Yorkshire’s £1.8bn devolution deal out to the public for consultation.
Members of the authority’s decisionmaking Cabinet met informally via Skype to agree on the consultation and for the plans to be put to a future meeting of full council.
All committee meetings scheduled for the remainder of March – including yesterday’s Cabinet – have been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and in light of Government guidance on social distancing and staying at home.
However, the devolution deal, which was on the agenda for yesterday’s meeting, was deemed “business critical.”
Thus Cabinet gave the goahead for chief executive Jacqui Gedman to take the emergency decision to undertake public consultation on the arrangements for the deal.
In addition to significant funding, the deal gives West Yorkshire far greater decision-making powers, allowing the region to set its own priorities including ensuring a vibrant future for towns and rural areas while securing the economic success of cities.
The deal is set to drive up living standards through better transport, improved skills and stronger businesses, while also tackling the climate emergency.
It comes as a result of extensive negotiations between the leaders of West
Yorkshire’s councils and Communities Minister Simon Clarke, supported by officers from West Yorkshire authorities and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The deal will see the creation of a West Yorkshire Mayor, to be elected for the first time in May 2021, working with the Combined Authority.
The West Yorkshire Mayor will also exercise governance and community safety functions currently held by the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, similar to models in London and Greater Manchester.
The planned Police and Crime Commissioner election in May is still scheduled to go ahead as planned.
Clr Shabir Pandor, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “This gives us the funding and the power to take more of the decisions which affect our communities within the region.
“Every place is unique and what works in one area might not be right for another.
“It is only right that the decisions made for West Yorkshire are done here with local people’s interests at heart.”
Speaking to the Examiner during a visit to the University of Huddersfield, Mr Clarke said local authority consultation on the devolution deal – signed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in Leeds on March 11 – was the next step.
“There’s the consultation, there’s the authorities’ own handling of this and crucially we will need to legislate in Parliament as well.
“There’s a lot to do but there’s no question that with goodwill we will get through all those hurdles.”