‘The North needs a greater focus for levelling up’
Businessman backs single authority
ONE OF the most prominent business figures in Yorkshire has warned that the Government’s levelling up agenda needs to have a greater focus on the North of England to tackle glaring disparities within urban and rural economies.
Plans for a massive reorganisation of local government in North Yorkshire are currently being considered by Ministers to pave the way for a multi-billion pound devolution deal.
Two rival bids have been submitted to Westminster for the massive overhaul of North Yorkshire’s local government structure, with a decision expected from Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick this summer.
David Kerfoot, the former chairman of the North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), has now backed the proposals for a single unitary authority, which he claims will provide the strongest voice for the county to petition the Government.
Mr Kerfoot, who stood down from the role with LEP at the end of last month, told The Yorkshire
Post that there now needs to be a renewed focus on eradicating economic divides between countryside communities and urban areas, as well as tackling regional disparities across the nation.
He said: “For too long, the rural economy has suffered as successive governments have focused investment on towns and cities.
“If we are going to reap the benefits of the reorganisation of local government in North Yorkshire, then we need a single, strong voice to ensure the interests of the county are heard loud and clear in Westminster.”
A consultation which has been launched on the two rival bids is due to come to an end on Monday, before a decision on the way forward is expected as early as July.
North Yorkshire County Council is spearheading a campaign to create a “super authority” spanning the whole of England’s largest county to allow a devolution deal to be agreed. A bid sets out requests to the Government totalling £2.4bn which would be spent over a 30-year period on issues including infrastructure, rural transport and education.
District council leaders are behind the rival bid to create two unitary authorities either side of the A1.
Selby District Council’s leader, Coun Mark Crane, said: “The benefits of the east-west split with two unitary authorities would mean that local democracy will be tailored far more to the communities it should be serving.”