Yorkshire needs to fight “Devolution deadlock”

A further call for a Yorkshire devolution deal to be struck has been made today, two years on from the Government’s deadline for local areas to submit devolution deals.

Despite six Metro Mayors being elected this summer, deals across the country – including in Yorkshire – have stalled. The Local Government Association says opportunities for billions of pounds worth of economic growth and hundreds of thousands of jobs and homes are being put at risk.

Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, urged the region to fight the “devolution deadlock.”

Hinchcliffe said: “We agree with the Local Government Association and share the deep frustrations of local residents and business leaders who want a meaningful devolution deal to benefit Yorkshire, the Northern Powerhouse and the rest of the country.

“Boosting businesses and improving the lives of the most disadvantaged in our communities through real, inclusive growth can only be done with decisions made locally through devolution rather than by officials hundreds of miles away in Westminster.

Hinchcliffe added that the councils are seeking devolution by 2018.