Analysis: Three months for Yorkshire to agree way forward

The Sheffield City Region group of councils have publicly admitted what privately most had acknowledged for weeks - that the election of a new mayor was not going to go ahead as originally planned.

The legal judgment before Christmas over the Sheffield City Region devolution consultation, tensions between South Yorkshire councils and the desire by some to explore devolution options beyond the deal agreed with George Osborne in 2015 all contributed to the decision to delay the election for up to a year.

The week has also seen the emergence of an alternative proposal to move power from London to Yorkshire involving the creation of an elected mayor for the whole region.

And West Yorkshire council leaders have declared they are ready to discuss the new proposal and other options for ending the devolution deadlock.

The discussions around Yorkshire devolution had become more fraught in recent months as supporters of the existing Sheffield City Region deal tried to push ahead with the May election, a move which would have torpedoed the hopes of those wanting a “whole Yorkshire” solution.

The postponement of the election siginficantly diffuses that tension.

The concern must be that the absence of a hard deadline leads to much talking and no decisions.

However, a deadline of a different sort is approaching.

In May, voters will go to the polls to elect mayors in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and other regions which have agreed devolution deals with the Government.

By that time it is vital that, even if the detail has not been thrashed out, Yorkshire council leaders and MPs have agreed a clear direction of travel.

As the new wave of regional mayors are announcing their plans this Spring, Yorkshire needs to be able to show it will be following suit soon.

Yorkshire might just get away with being in the slow lane but it will suffer if it is seen to be at a standstill.