Leaders analysing One Yorkshire benefits

Eighteen of the region’s 20 council leaders and Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis are working on the economic case for a One Yorkshire settlement in the face of opposition from central Government.

Earlier this month, Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire said the Government would only enter into discussions about a wider devolution deal once the more limited Sheffield City Region deal, first agreed in 2015, was implemented in full.

The Yorkshire leaders said they were “disappointed” by the way their document setting out plans for a settlement had been dismissed by the Minister and added that they were working on the detail of an economic case.

The Yorkshire Post understands that issues being examined include key issues such as industrial structures and supply chains in a devolved Yorkshire, as well as labour market data, travel connections, trade flows and Yorkshire identity.

A wide-ranging consultation is underway with business groups over the next four weeks, accompanied by data analysis and other detailed work, with the early messages indicating that businesses want to see “pragmatism and action”.

It is understood that the main focus of the work is on demonstrating how together Yorkshire is more than the sum of its parts.

Yorkshire campaign: Page 4