Analysis: Fate of Sheffield City Region deal is the only certainty

The obvious hostility between key figures in South Yorkshire’s councils demonstrated at today meeting showed why the deal has been doomed for months.

However, in the short term they will have to find a way to continue to work together as members of the existing Sheffield City Region Combined Authority which has a vital role in the local economy with or without devolution.

They will also have to negotiate with the government to scrap the now meaningless mayoral election scheduled for May.

More broadly, attention will now switch to the wider implications for Yorkshire’s devolution ambitions.

Supporters of the One Yorkshire proposal for a single devolution deal for the whole region will hope the Government’s resistance to the idea was a tactic to try and preserve Sheffield City Region agreement and now that it is dead ministers will wipe the slate clean.

But recent days have shown all is not completely well in the One Yorkshire camp either.

Having previously thought they were part of a united group of 17 councils determined to pursue One Yorkshire, Barnsley and Doncaster will have been disturbed to see some of their colleagues voicing doubts over the idea last weekend.

The two South Yorkshire authorities will want reassurances that the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ behind One Yorkshire remains intact.

And Sheffield and Rotherham must consider whether they will now try and go it alone.