Yorkshire devolution must stay on the table after Brexit and Covid - Yorkshire Post Letters

We should all welcome the report from the North Yorkshire Rural Commission (The Yorkshire Post, July 3).

Post Brexit and after Covid, the recovery in Yorkshire must be clearly at the forefront of government policy.

The Commission highlights the needs of the economy in areas of transport and education but particularly in connectivity.

The report is detailed on the ‘What’ but not on the ‘How?’

Hitting second home owners and establishing a new quango won’t deliver what Yorkshire needs.

Twenty years ago, I wrote in The Yorkshire Post as a member of the Campaign for Yorkshire.

At the time devolved decision making was being championed by John Prescott. Tony Blair wasn’t so keen. It didn’t happen. The time has now come.

Yorkshire needs the means to make real decisions about the future of the county. That will only happen with real devolution. Westminster block grant under the supervision of an elected assembly is the way forward in my opinion.

Subsidiarity should be the guiding principle with decisions being made at the most appropriate level.

Covid and Brexit have shown that the one size fits all approach simply doesn’t work.