Yorkshire next in line for devolution deal says Clegg
WEST and South Yorkshire are next in line for devolution deals, the deputy prime minister has promised.
Speaking at the Northern Futures Summit in Leeds on Thursday Nick Clegg said he wants the deals done with the Leeds and Sheffield City regions by December and there won’t be an obligation to introduce a mayor in order to get them.
The calls follow the major devolution deal with the Government for the transfer of powers covering transport, housing, planning and policing – under the remit of a directly-elected city mayor – which Greater Manchester announced this week.
Clegg has been in Leeds for a one day conference which aimed to answer the question ‘how do we build on the strengths in the north to create an economic core in the heart of the region to compete with the biggest cities in the world?’
He highlighted the need for more devolution, set out plans to invest in Northern road and rail infrastructure, and announced plans for more money to be spent on tourism. His plans all work towards his initiative Northern Futures – asking people in the North what our Northern cities need in order to compete globally and to grow.
“The more of us that talk about the North in our conversations, with buoyant attitudes and smiles, the more people who want to come here. We shouldn’t present ourselves as the region with a chip on our shoulder, we are here because we’re immensely proud of what the North has to offer. The rest will follow,” Clegg said.
“The great thing about Northern Futures is the degree of consensus across parties in favour. That is a very powerful thing. This government and any future government will not be able to ignore further devolution.
“The genie is out of the bottle – it is irreversible.”
Roger Marsh, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “The Northern Futures summit confirms what we have long believed, that the North is no longer the problem, but instead the solution to sustaining the UK’s prosperity and global competitiveness.
“The scale of opportunity in the Leeds City Region is immense. We are the largest economy outside of London and have already delivered significant impact with limited resources. By working together with our northern neighbours, we can create an economic powerhouse that can compete alongside London and the South East for global business, investment and jobs.”
