Region must push for a deal

Action on devolution is needcd

THE REGION’S devolution saga has been rumbling on for so long that readers of The Yorkshire Post could be forgiven for questioning whether there is any real substance to this latest push for a county-wide agreement.

It’s three years since George Osborne set out his vision for the Northern Powerhouse, a North of England with towns and cities so well connected their collective strength could take on the major urban economies of the world.

Since then, while others like Greater Manchester and Tees Valley have raced towards greater devolved power with open arms, Yorkshire has been dawdling in their wake amid disagreements over what any deal ought to entail and exactly who should be involved.

It has become this county’s equivalent of Brexit which is why the news that civic leaders are meeting today to discuss forming a ‘coalition of the willing’ to champion a devolution deal that harnesses Yorkshire’s powerful brand has to be welcomed.

Council leaders are expected to call for the creation of a Yorkshire cabinet in any new partnership, which crucially includes Hull for the first time. Too often in the past Hull has been viewed as the county’s poor relation, but its strategic importance as an economic gateway, not only to Europe but also China, is finally being recognised.

Rotherham and Sheffield’s preference continues to be to press ahead with the Sheffield City Region agreement, though this has stalled in recent months. Nevertheless, this is an opportunity that must be grasped. There have been too many false starts already and with rival regions now making the most of devolved powers, and the Government intent on doing business with those areas that do get their acts together, Yorkshire can’t afford to prevaricate any longer.