One Yorkshire devolution deal is backed by Labour

LABOUR HAS handed a boost to local leaders calling for a One Yorkshire devolution deal by explicitly backing the scheme in its election manifesto.

Unveiling his blueprint for government in Birmingham yesterday ahead of the General Election on December 12, the opposition party reiterated its commitment to a region-wide mayoral authority with a host of powers and funding transferred from Whitehall.

The Conservative government has refused to back such a deal, saying Yorkshire is too big and diverse to have just one mayoral authority. Minister Jake Berry started talks with local leaders about a more limited city region deal for West Yorkshire.

THERE IS simply no justification for Yorkshire, with a population of more than five million people, to have been denied control over both its own transport and devolution for so long.

Despite the clearly-expressed will of local authorities for a One Yorkshire deal on devolved powers, Ministers have dragged their feet, raised obstacles and wriggled out of the commitment to giving our county the ability to set its own destiny.

The people of Yorkshire know better than any London-based Minister or Whitehall mandarin what our county needs to thrive and how to achieve it.

We have the know-how, an unrivalled depth of understanding of the issues and the willingness to make far-sighted decisions for the future.

And alongside a firm commitment to working with Yorkshire leaders to deliver devolution, there needs to be a promise to address the glaring and disgraceful north-south funding divide which has hampered our region for so long.

On transport alone, the north has missed out on £63bn of funding compared to London over the past decade. There can be no excuse for this and no party can claim to govern in the interests of the entire country while allowing such a grossly distorted state of affairs to continue.