Standing up for Yorkshire

DAVID Cameron's instincts were correct when he signalled his intention to scale back the vast regional bureaucracy that had become a growth industry under New Labour.

Many of these quangos were not cost-effective and proved to be a hindrance to economic growth. Yet, while some will not be missed, the Government is also culling those bodies, like Yorkshire Forward, that were forces for good.

Aware of the possibility of the North-South gap widening even further, Mr Cameron's solution is the creation of Local Economic Partnerships, a concept that is still evolving, and the allocation of Ministers to champion individual cities.

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Yet, while LEPs are still a work in progress, it is disconcerting that the concept of city ministers has apparently slipped off Mr Cameron's radar – even though he said the relevant people could be put in place "within weeks" when he outlined the policy, in Shipley, at the end of May. More than three months later, and still no announcement appears to be imminent.

Of course, Mr Cameron may be waiting for the new economic partnerships to be advanced – it would be pointless, in some regards, to appoint Ministers to, say, Leeds and Sheffield when their LEP will encompass a much larger geographical area.

Equally, it could be argued that the Government is wrong to disband the network of regional ministers that was set up by Gordon Brown, and that Mr Cameron should reconsider the value of such an approach in those areas, like Yorkshire, which have a clear and distinct identity.

Like so many policies inspired by Mr Brown, the regional ministers quickly became bogged down by bureaucracy – a familiar failing.

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However, no-one could accuse the Doncaster Central MP, Rosie Winterton, the last postholder, of not speaking up for Yorkshire. She was a passionate advocate for this region.

And this is what this region needs, ahead of next month's spending review that will, inevitably, see the regions suffer a disproportionate level of cuts in comparison to London and the Home Counties.

For, while each major city in this region inevitably has its own set of priorities, Yorkshire's economy is so inter-dependent that there needs to be decision-makers in place who can look at the region's challenges as a whole – whether it be transport, education and training

improvements or job-creation strategies – and the PM needs to recognise this.