‘Credible’ proposal will bring powers to region
One Yorkshire leaders put case to Government
COUNCIL LEADERS in Yorkshire have told the Government they have a “credible” plan to take over powers and money from Whitehall through a new elected mayor for the region.
The 17 leaders signed up to the One Yorkshire proposal have asked Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid for a meeting to “progress talks”. Their letter is the latest sign of the growing momentum behind the One Yorkshire proposal to bring an end to the region’s devolution deadlock.
The letter to Mr Javid says the proposal is “capable of maximising growth across the region, delivering on the Government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda and achieving the support of wider stakeholders throughout Yorkshire”.
The letter says: “We understand the complexities involved but the scale, power, identity and brand attached to Yorkshire means this is the locally-led devolution solution we wish to pursue to conclusion with Government.”
The 17 signatories include Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton and Doncaster elected mayor Ros Jones. They have come under pressure to drop their interest in One Yorkshire and push ahead with the Sheffield City Region deal they have already agreed in partnership with Sheffield and Rotherham.
The fate of the Sheffield City Region deal, which continues to have the support of Rotherham and Sheffield, is to be decided at a meeting on Monday.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, Coun Houghton and Mayor Jones said that “real momentum has been created in a short space of time and it is crucial that this momentum is maintained. One Yorkshire must therefore remain our clear priority”.
They said they would consider the options for the future of the Sheffield City Region at Monday’s meeting “carefully”.
The pair insisted their support for One Yorkshire “does not mean we are intent on immediately disbanding Sheffield City Region” and they were “willing to consider interim solutions that may be viable”.
They added: “However this must not divert us from our key priority, so our next objective is clear.
“We will work with our colleagues across this great county, to secure a One Yorkshire devolution agreement with Government. Everything else should follow from that.”
The Sheffield City Region deal was negotiated with then Chancellor George Osborne in 2015 and would see the area receive new powers and £30m a year in extra funding.
However, the deal has been beset by problems including a legal challenge, the withdrawal of Chesterfield and Bassetlaw and disagreement among South Yorkshire leaders.
The election of a Sheffield City Region mayor, a key element of the agreement, was due to take place in May but was postponed.
DAVID CAMERON was uncomfortably close to the truth when, in 2015, the then Prime Minister responded to a question on devolution by remarking – in an unguarded moment – that “we just thought people in Yorkshire hated everyone else, we didn’t realise they hated each other so much”.
This whole debate has been overshadowed by a lack of unanimity for years, and to the county’s detriment, as rival regions press ahead with new decision-making and spending powers. The then Tory leader’s exasperation was understandable.
However Mr Cameron’s charge can finally be nullified by the joint letter signed by leaders representing 17 out of Yorkshire’s 20 councils. That this new ‘Coalition of the Willing’, forged to mark Yorkshire Day last month, believes it has a credible plan for a single mayor – and combined authority –to drive forward this region’s growth agenda is testament to the work that has been taking place behind-thescenes. It would be remiss not to acknowledge this.
Yet, while Sheffield and Rotherham Councils still appear to favour the separate settlement for South Yorkshire that is still in play and Wakefield is choosing to exempt itself for reasons that its veteran leader Peter Box should now explain, this must not preclude the rest of the region from finessing its blueprint.
Equally encouraging – and refreshing – is the apparent pragmatism being shown by Ministers after this region’s leaders were galvanised into action by the fallout from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s decision to tell the North to sort out its own difficulties while also expressing support for a second Crossrail scheme in London.
Having previously ruled out the now favoured One Yorkshire solution because a devolution deal on this size and scale would require new legislation, Jake Berry, the relatively new Northern Powerhouse Minister, suggested this was not the case in response to a question from Keighley MP John Grogan. Crucially, he says any proposal would require “the consent of all councils concerned” so the response of Sheffield, Rotherham and Wakefield is awaited with interest. In the meantime, an early meeting between Yorkshire councils and Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, can only help. After all, a strong Yorkshire should lead to an even stronger Great Britain.