Region needs own assembly
From: Peter Judge, Rastrick, Brighouse.
IN May of next year, the people of West Yorkshire will have the opportunity to vote for their first ever directly- elected mayor.
A “devolution” deal has been agreed, which will see some powers and funds returned to West Yorkshire from central government, on condition that these are managed by a directly elected mayor.
I say, “returned” because there was a democratically- elected West Yorkshire County Council until March 31, 1986.
However, this was abolished by the then Tory government under Margaret Thatcher, along with neighbouring South Yorkshire County Council and other metropolitan authorities. And why? For purely political envy. Whilst some responsibilities were devolved to the district councils, others were starved of cash, and some, buses and trains in particular, were privatised.
This new devolution deal stops short of creating a truly democratic council for West Yorkshire, but is, of course , a foundation for future progress.
And in the deal is limited funding for “collaboration at a Yorkshire- level”.
What is clear is that Yorkshire with a population of around five million – roughly the same as Scotland – needs its own democratically- elected assembly or even parliament.
Whilst the new mayor will have much other work to do, not least putting right our broken public transport system, it is essential that they also have a commitment to the ultimate abolition of their own role of mayor, and its replacement by a democratically- elected Yorkshire assembly.