County-wide solution opposed by Tory MPs

ONE OF the earliest devolution proposals to emerge as part of George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse Strategy, a Leeds City Region deal would take in West Yorkshire and some surrounding districts.

But despite initial apparent enthusiasm from government, plans to introduce a mayor for the city region with funding and powers over infrastructure, jobs and housing have yet to come to fruition.

In 2015, a deal was agreed between the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the government to give council leaders and businesses greater influence over investment decisions in certain areas.

But the agreement was described as “disappointing” by local leaders, who called for more dramatic devolution to help improve the local economy.

Amid lobbying from Conservative MPs who oppose the deal (but deny the likelihood of a Labour mayor is the main motivation), the Leeds City Region proposals never gained an official response from the Government and were considered all but dead until this week.

Despite this, the idea still has its supporters. Wakefield council leader Peter Box still maintains it is the best way of promoting economic growth in his city, despite reluctantly backing One Yorkshire.

But a city region mayor would likely prompt further claims of ‘balkanisation’ in the region and potentially split North Yorkshire, with some districts joining and others not.

North Yorkshire County Council has previously resisted any suggestion that Harrogate, Craven and Selby, part of the Leeds City Region local enterprise partnership zone, should split off to form a transport authority with West Yorkshire.