How Yorkshire must take charge of its own future – Matthew Howarth

As the region’s economy and community battles against the impact of Covid-19, the measures outlined take on a new urgency. A common theme running through the articles is the need for Yorkshire to take control of its own destiny.

Many of the contributors refer to the talent, capability, ingenuity and creativity of the workforce in Yorkshire and the potential that this gives it to prosper over the next 10 years, but go on to assert that this potential is not being realised.

In what is a change from the common mantra of seeking support from central government, there is a common view that the solution lies with us. “Yorkshire people in charge of Yorkshire affairs”, as one contributor writes.

In fact, it is said that it is top-down devolution that is part of what has held Yorkshire back and instead it needs to be bottom-up.

Involvement with decision-making needs to be devolved right down to the local level so that people feel they are involved with the businesses and institutions for which they work and the communities in which they live.

We need to show that as a region we are stepping up to the plate, devising home-grown solutions to meet the aspirations of all those who live and work in Yorkshire.

As the region seeks to recover from coronavirus, this presents a real opportunity for localised decision-making.

Given that there is no blueprint for how we get the region back on its feet, it will be 
a test for each individual business, educational institution and local authority on how best they can adapt to the new environment and get working again.

It will also be a test of how much people can work together within the region to maximise co-operation and collaboration and enable Yorkshire to pull out of this faster and more effectively than anyone might have expected.

One of the key elements of the region meeting its potential is its workforce being equipped with the right skills.

By 2030, the region needs to have addressed the problem of lagging behind in educational attainment, the proportion of people going on to higher education and the gap between what employers are looking for and the skills that young people are leaving school and college with.

There are calls for more direct contact and closer collaboration between business and schools and an increased emphasis on work readiness skills.

With Yorkshire having more digital health companies than Oxford and Cambridge combined, it is no surprise that 85 per cent of local employers say that there will be a greater demand for digital skills over the next five years.

Not surprisingly, there is a great deal of emphasis on the need by 2030 to have much improved and adequate infrastructure in place if Yorkshire is to maximise its potential.

This is essential not just for business to be able to function more effectively but for social mobility, enabling fresh opportunities for skills and employment progression.

Quality of life also improves as a result of less stressful commuting, easier access to leisure and cultural facilities, and to rural areas helping support communities there. Greatly enhanced public transport also will assist the region to achieve its net zero ambitions as local authorities set targets more challenging than the national one of 2050.

Again, the emphasis is on decisions on infrastructure being made within the region.

The start of the third decade of the 21st century provides an important opportunity for us to look forward to what the next 10 years will bring for our region.

It comes at an opportune time with a government pledged to ‘level up’ the North and devolution deals in place for South and West Yorkshire and planned for North and East Yorkshire.

This requires a vision to which this collection of essays seeks to contribute. As we transition to a period of recovery and renewal from the impact of Covid-19, a positive vision for the region is needed now more than ever.

* Matthew Howarth is Chair of Policy Yorkshire. The role of Policy Yorkshire is to develop practical, evidenced-based policy proposals to inform decision making locally and at Westminster.

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