Yorkshire has a brand of excellence that we can work together to expand

Julian Smith: The view from Yorkshire

YORKSHIRE is a name known throughout the world – be it for cricket, our countryside or coal mines. Without doubt, Yorkshire has a definitive brand and it is that brand that gives the region a major competitive advantage over most other areas of the United Kingdom.

Some debate the need to organise things regionally. They say doing so is artificial, a construct that does not work. But defining Yorkshire and working out ways of working together as an area does not – and should not – result in another layer of government and red tape.

The question is how we use this great brand with all of its positive associations, underpinned by a robust successful economy to ensure the best possible quality of life for people who live here.

The Government’s decision to scrap Yorkshire Forward has led to accusations by some that it is not committed to the region.

Yorkshire Forward did a number of good things – it was better than many of the other regional development agencies. But it cost a lot of money and it lacked accountability.

The coalition’s localism agenda turns the idea that we should define how to govern our country from Westminster on its head. The Yorkshire and the Humber region has 22 local authorities, four Local Enterprise Partnerships and 54 MPs. It is up to them and the people and businesses they serve to make the case and build a new way of working for the benefits of the region.

It is vitally important that our Yorkshire leaders take this responsibility seriously. As an MP, for example, a fair amount of my time is spent on broader Yorkshire issues because that will benefit the economy of Skipton and Ripon. We need everyone in the region to think Yorkshire as well as local. We can do more together than we can on our own.

Working together will lead to rich rewards. Despite our tough current financial situation there is money up for grabs from the Regional Growth Fund and from the European Regional Development Fund which has more than £175m to spend locally before 2015.

Details of the Green Investment Bank will be announced soon and be another source of funds for our region –- Yorkshire is one of the leaders in developing renewable energy solutions and will be able to benefit from this.

In technology, all North Yorkshire MPs campaigned for and won £16.4m in Government money for broadband. Other Government initiatives can be used to our benefit too. For example, UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign Office are growing their footprint in China and the high growth economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Yorkshire companies and business representatives should be fighting for their slice of what is available.

I have been campaigning to ensure that the Government retains some Yorkshire Forward assets in Yorkshire. Their answer is to put them in a stewardship structure, to be directed by local authorities, LEPs and business to ensure that they benefit the region. Some will say that this will lead to the unelected Home and Communities Agency, another quango, taking control. Let’s prove them wrong – let’s ensure that the commitment that the Government has made to have these assets overseen by a local committee is taken up and we are strong and loud about how we want them to be used.

The role of Yorkshire MPs at a national level must be to ensure that our region gets its fair share of funding. We must campaign relentlessly to ensure that those funds and initiatives that do offer Yorkshire funding are fairly distributed. How to ensure that huge pot of European Regional Development money flows down to Yorkshire, quickly and effectively is a key priority. We also need to be a strong voice putting the case for high speed rail. This coalition commitment will massively reduce the North-South divide. It is not right that it can be quicker to get from London to Paris than London to Leeds.

It is not all about money though. Politicians need to lobby to ensure that Yorkshire values are injected into Government thinking at every level. It is vital that Yorkshire’s common sense is instilled in the Government’s thinking and sensible changes are made to improve general conditions for business in Yorkshire. If we make it easier to employ staff, that will encourage those Yorkshire business owners currently fearful of taking on new employees to take the plunge.

I am excited about the opportunities available to our region under this Government. I like the competitive, challenge-based approach to distributing funds. I like the fact that it is up to local representatives to decide the shape and size of future pan-Yorkshire structures.If we seize the opportunity and force all of those involved in Yorkshire to think Yorkshire, organise for Yorkshire and win for Yorkshire, I believe that the opportunities are endless.

* Julian Smith is the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon.

John Redwood: The view from the south

ONE of the biggest disappointments of the last 14 years has been the growing divide between the North and the South of the UK. Labour in office promised their policies would reduce inequalities, and start to put right the big gap between living standards and economic success in London and the South East of England compared to the rest of the UK.

They set up or expanded regional and devolved quangos and governments, gave them large budgets, and attempted to balance the country through government-led programmes. The more they did this, the larger the gap got, with London especially powering itself to ever higher levels of growth, wealth and income. The North-South divide existed when Labour came to power, but grew much worse while they were in power.

Labour attempted to cover this over by extending benefits to more and more people to augment their incomes from the state, and by creating more public sector jobs in its heartland northern areas. While some individuals and families benefited from this state intervention, the inequalities got bigger. Today the coalition Government, like the Labour government before it, says these inequalities are too big and something should be done about them. Last week we were told that a new high speed train to Birmingham and Leeds would be central to this vision.

When you look at the small print you discover that the new train will not be running this decade. We can’t afford to wait that long to make inroads into the northern unemployment problem. I was sent a document recently showing deprivation and unemployment by area. The highlighted areas of low incomes and high joblessness fit well with a political map showing Labour’s seats.

Our politics is not healthy where one party represents most of the low income areas, and the other two parties represent the more successful areas. It encourages a Labour mentality that spending more in the public sector is the only answer.

I have written often before of the policies that are needed to foster a faster and wider private sector recovery that spreads to the northern cities. We do need to spend enough on good quality schools and colleges, and take what action we can to enable children who cannot go to independent schools to compete successfully with those who can. We need to cut taxes and control the costs of regulation, so business has a better chance of taking root.

We need a pro-business approach to planning and transport. The slow growing areas need to be more business friendly.

That means making smaller improvements in roads and railways so the flows are easier and the costs of travel lower.

Make local planning friendly to successful communities, so there are sites for executive housing and new commercial premises. Councils need to get their taxes down, to cut the costs of government on each job created and each factory brought into use.

The journey needed is a long one, but it can begin with small steps. The national government needs to be more radical to be new jobs friendly.

Counties and unitary authorities also need to take as many actions so services provided are provided in Britain at a price that competes with China and India. That is the way ahead.

* John redwood is the Conservative MP for Wokingham and a former Cabinet Minister.