Questions remain for Government despite major step forward on devolution

Questions remain for Government despite major step forward on devolution - The Yorkshire Post says

Securing devolution for Yorkshire is proving a long and tortuous process but another important step forward has undoubtedly been taken with the agreement of Communities Secretary James Brokenshire to allow the previously-deadlocked £30m-a-year Sheffield City Region deal to go ahead in a way that keeps a future One Yorkshire agreement on the table.

Dan Jarvis was elected mayor of Sheffield City Region a year ago.

The Government has agreed the devolution deal for South Yorkshire can proceed, with an option for those councils involved to join a wider agreement after 2022. The Sheffield City Region deal was originally signed in 2015 but was left in limbo in 2017 after Doncaster and Barnsley councils – supported by community polls voted in by more than 75,000 people – opted to pursue the One Yorkshire devolution ambition that has widespread regional support.

Now a pragmatic way forward supported by all parties, including Sheffield and Rotherham councils who prefer the ‘city region’ approach, has been agreed. It keeps a wider devolution agreement alive while delivering much-needed transformational investment to South Yorkshire, in the way that is already occurring in places such as Manchester and the West Midlands.

However, large question marks remain. The Government is currently opposed to the One Yorkshire plan on the grounds that the region is too diverse and is pushing instead for smaller city region deals to be struck. However, given the febrile state of national politics – and the persuasive case for a wider Yorkshire deal – this may well change sooner rather than later.