No turning back on devolution – Sentamu
THE ARCHBISHOP of York believes the One Yorkshire campaign for regionwide devolution has reached the “moment of no return”.
Dr John Sentamu spoke to
The Yorkshire Post after hosting a hundred political, business and civic leaders at his official residence in York.
The Yorkshire Day gathering at Bishopthorpe Palace also saw the launch of a renewed push to persuade the Government to agree to a groundbreaking deal.
“Today marks a moment of no return,” the Archbishop told this newspaper after welcoming representatives from the 18 local councils, plus Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis, who are backing One Yorkshire.
“The road ahead maybe bumpy but we are going to be One Yorkshire. This talk of One Yorkshire is a conversation that needs to happen – for the benefit of all the people of God’s own county!”
Earlier the Archbishop told guests about the discussions that he had convened on devolution – and how this was the best way for the county’s five million plus residents to come together for “the common good” in an age of “populism and identity politics”.
“The reality is that many decisions are best made locally. Devolving power means people are better served by faster, more contextually relevant decisions, with real local accountability,” he said. “We had a supper here to discuss this with some Yorkshire leaders from politics, industry and other
businesses a few months ago.” The Archbishop also said neighbouring parts of the same county should not be competing against each other, adding: “There have been issues to work through and there still are. For instance, the two deals – the South Yorkshire one and the all Yorkshire one have seemed to be in competition. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“In this railway county they could be two trains departing from the same station heading for the same destination – one the fast train, the other the slow train, but they both get there in the end. South Yorkshire may have started but a bigger train is coming.”
There were speakers from all four regions of Yorkshire, including Doncaster’s mayor Ros Jones who said more decisions had to be taken locally. “We all do lots of good things locally. But too many decisions that affect us are made in Westminster and Whitehall,” she added. “We can make those decisions better in Yorkshire, for the good of Yorkshire.”
Craven Council leader Richard Foster who said the idea of a ‘Leeds City Region mayor’ would sit uneasily with residents while regional CBI boss Beckie Hart said that a “treasure trove opportunities” do exist.
But there was a warning from Lord Chris Haskins, the chairman of the Humber LEP, about the importance of public support. “Our job must be to get the Yorkshire public behind it. If we can do it, we can do wonders.”