Cautious welcome for devolution
LIB DEMS SEEK CLARITY OVER POWERS WHICH MIGHT SHIFT TO NEW MAYOR
LIBERAL Democrats in Kirklees have cautiously welcomed the prospect of devolution as people across West Yorkshire are consulted on the issue.
They want to know more about powers that might shift from Kirklees Council to the West Yorkshire Mayor when he or she is elected next year.
And they warned that those backing the deal should be “really careful that this is not a recentralisation of powers.”
“We’re told we’re getting powers from Westminster coming to West Yorkshire,” said Clr Andrew Marchington, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader.
“All of us can appreciate that. But what about the powers that are going from Kirklees up to the new elected mayor?”
He urged colleagues from across the political divide to look at how much money will be left over to be spent in Kirklees following the creation of the mayor’s office.
The leader of Kirklees Council, Clr Shabir Pandor, was among those present with Chancellor Rishi Sunak when the devolution deal was signed in Leeds on March 12.
He said powers would transfer from a national level to a local level.
And he praised what he called “a renewed focus” from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that ensured Leeds was no longer the only key city in England without a devolved administration.
The £1.8bn deal includes £38m per year for 30 years to go into a West Yorkshire Investment Fund with significant freedoms to spend on local priorities.
The Transforming Cities Fund will offer a further £317m and there will be £63m annually geared towards adult education.
Clr Pandor described “selling the idea” to the people of the county as “the key acid test”.
He added: “Devolution is a huge opportunity for us in West Yorkshire.
“This is just the beginning of an exciting and significant journey, which will see more investment come to places like Kirklees.
“Importantly, we will have more power to decide where that investment goes.”
The consultation period began last week and will end on July 19.
Legal officers within Kirklees Council said they hope to engage with communities virtually but also by mail.
They hope to have “full input” from members of the public by August or September.
The leader of the Conservative group on Kirklees Council, Clr David Hall, said the West Yorkshire arrangement was “one of the best mayoral devolution deals that have been proposed in the country.
But he warned: “Devolution is a word that doesn’t mean much to a lot of people. It’s not the sexiest of issues for the man on the Batley bus.
“People are worried about their health and livelihoods and I would have thought that the expectation is that we’ll probably get a very low response to any consultation at the moment, let alone something that doesn’t really excite people.
“But we have to push the boat out and make sure we do it really well.
“People need to know what the benefit will be to their families from having a mayor. They need to know that things will be better otherwise there’ll be no public support for it.”
Clr Marchington called on those at the heart of the devolution deal to recognise the size and scope of the county.
“Sometimes people in London forget that West Yorkshire stretches right up to the Pennines.
“It’s really important that we have a deal that as far as possible is for the benefit of everybody from the centre of Leeds right out to the Yorkshire Dales and down to the Peak District.
“It’s very important that we have a voice at the table and that we do our best to make sure that our residents get the best out of it.”
Responses to the public consultation will be considered by West Yorkshire councils and West Yorkshire Combined Authority in August before they are submitted to the Government as part of the parliamentary process to create the new mayoral combined authority.