‘Vital One Yorkshire deal can fuel UK’s economy’
Leaders make case for devolution at key summit
POLITICAL LEADERS will today make the case to a key Government Minister that Yorkshire has a vital role to play in fuelling the UK’s future prosperity as they unite behind the £30bn-a-year proposals for region-wide devolution.
Council leaders and metro mayor Dan Jarvis will use an historic summit at Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, to persuade Communities Secretary James Brokenshire of the strength of commitment that remains behind the One Yorkshire proposals.
Mr Brokenshire recently said the plans for a single mayoral authority representing the region of 5.2 million people, with resources and a host of powers transferred from central government, did not fit the Whitehall criteria for devolution.
And Yorkshire leaders representing both major parties will use today’s meeting to better understand the Government’s reasons for rejecting the submission and show that the deal will help deliver national priorities such as building much-needed homes.
Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry warned during a conference speech in Leeds this week of the risk of creating a second ‘North-South divide’ between rural and urban areas if too much focus was put in cities.
And regional leaders will highlight how the One Yorkshire deal, which officials say could boost the economy by £30bn a year, will make the most of post-Brexit opportunities in urban, rural and coastal areas to boost skills, transport links and trade performance.
Carl Les, the Tory leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said 17 of the region’s 20 council leaders remained united behind the project despite Hambleton pulling out. He said: “There will be changes in this country post-Brexit, there will be changes in Yorkshire and we can seize the opportunity better if we speak as one region rather than 17 or 18 parts of the region.”
Beckie Hart, CBI Regional Director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said One Yorkshire would have “significantly benefited the county’s economy” and called for urgent clarity from the Government.
Sir Steve Houghton, Labour leader of Barnsley council, said: “The Yorkshire leaders met on Monday and reiterated their desire for a Yorkshire devolution deal and to recognise that we have 17 councils, business support and trade union support.
“That is still right and we want the Government to take step back and have another look.”
From: Ron Firth, Campsall.
IT would appear from Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton’s proposal that Remain voters (The Yorkshire Post, February 25) are dreaming up any idiotic scheme to delay, with a view to reversing, the democratic vote at the referendum which was in favour of leaving the EU.
MPs from all sides were committed to honouring that result. At this point, it was incumbent on all MPs from Leave constituencies to forget party allegiances and come together as a group to work with the Government to formulate a withdrawal deal which was acceptable to the UK.
Sir Steve’s suggestion is that we accept this poor deal which will leave us far from free of EU dominance for five years before we could vote to crawl back into the EU. On what terms?
We need to keep the ‘no-deal’ option to help the chances of a better deal being offered.
From: Ken Cooke, Ilkley.
DOES JA King (The Yorkshire Post, February 26) not realise that we already have free trade with the EU? It is an excellent deal which comes with our membership of the EU. It makes transport from here to all parts of Europe as easy as between Sheffield and Darlington.
It is only the Brexiteers who want to tear up that deal and start again. At the same time they want a free hand in dealing with other countries which would lead, in effect, to using the UK as a back door for smuggling into Europe.
This is why there is such a commotion over the Irish backstop, if JA King had not noticed.
Typically, a large trade deal takes six years or more to arrange – as did the new Japan/ EU deal. Are Brexiteers ready for the long haul? There is no better deal than the one we already have as a member of the EU. Stop Brexit!