A strong collective voice for Yorkshire is needed
On Yorkshire Day, with the support of the Yorkshire Leaders Board and Archbishop of York, a new initiative is launched to pursue this agenda – Together Yorkshire.
IN 2018, the leaders of Yorkshire’s 22 councils started meeting together and formed the Yorkshire Leaders Board.
The idea was to provide cross party political leadership across the county, develop a strong regional voice and build up relationships with MPs and Government to gain more powers. They were joined by South Yorkshire’s first elected mayor Dan Jarvis.
The original ‘One Yorkshire’ plan was to ask the Government to devolve powers with an elected mayor for the whole county. After the 2019 election, it became clear that this was not going to happen in this Parliament, with up to four sub-regional agreements possible.
It is anticipated that, following the consultation which has just closed, West Yorkshire will elect a mayor in 2021. In both North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire/ Hull, discussions continue between council leaders and the Government.
Like many, we retain a belief that Yorkshire, with a population bigger than Scotland, has the strong identity and diverse economy which makes it the best fit for the level of government below Westminster.
What will happen in future Parliaments remains unknown. For now though, the task is to make the very best of what currently is on offer whilst also exploring what extra benefits more collaboration across the county can bring. If all the many different organisations which organise on a Yorkshire level could agree on some common priorities, the prize could be much greater influence in the corridors of power. To name but a few of these – Yorkshire Universities, Yorkshire and Humber CBI, Yorkshire and Humber TUC, Screen Yorkshire, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, Policy Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Food and Farming and Rural Network and the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
However the Yorkshire Leaders Board has the potential to be the fulcrum around which a whole range of partnerships could develop.
Importantly, the Government recognised this for the first time in
March, commending the Board as ‘a practical step for facilitating greater collaboration on a Yorkshire-wide basis’. Moreover, ministers put their money where their mouth was, allocating £200,000 to develop its role.
Tomorrow on Yorkshire Day, with the support of the Yorkshire Leaders Board and the new Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, a new initiative will launch to pursue this agenda – Together Yorkshire.
A major online seminar will be organised in September. This will examine how the Board can, in association with other partners, best pursue their remit in the following three crucial areas of policy: post-Covid and post-Brexit economic development; transitioning towards net zero emissions; then the Yorkshire visitor economy and cultural industries.
The aim is to increase awareness of the Board’s work and to provide an opportunity for all those involved in relevant Yorkshire organisations to consider what more can be effectively done at a county level.
There needs to be a strong collective voice for Yorkshire within the formal and informal institutions of the Northern Powerhouse to balance the influence of Greater Manchester which has tended to set the pace to date.
There will be plenty to talk about. How can Yorkshire more effectively lobby on issues like flooding and priorities in the forthcoming public spending round? Could the Leaders Board working with others convene a number of annual events that highlight and develop the case for Yorkshire? For example, a Yorkshire Business Summit and a Yorkshire Parliamentary Day in Westminster involving a briefing for Parliamentarians which would be of such quality and prestige that it would demand the attention of the Prime Minster and Leader of the Opposition.
How about launching ad hoc initiatives such as a Yorkshire Net Zero Commission, a Yorkshire Energy Taskforce, or a Fair Work Charter for Yorkshire? Is it possible to reach a concordat amongst the mayors and council leaders to collaborate on bidding for big inward investments to avoid duplication of effort?
How can we capitalise on the Yorkshire brand more? Could the Department of Trade and Industry regional office based in Barnsley and the four Local Economic Partnerships do more joint promotion in association with the Leaders Board? How can the increased prominence of God’s Own Country on film and TV screens be used to drive tourism? On Yorkshire Day, we have to believe that the world can be our oyster.