Call for Yorkshire parliament

Yorkshire First argues there are too many councillors in the region

A YORKSHIRE parliament and a halving of the number of councillors in the region are among the policies included in the local election manifesto for the Yorkshire First party.

The party claims it could save £14 million over the next four years by reducing councillor numbers.

It wants planning and environment issues passed town and parish councils while a Yorkshire parliament deals with areas such as transport, policing and education.

Party leader Richard Carter said: “In Yorkshire we can only look on jealously as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and even London have elections in May to local decision making bodies to help make local decisions.

“Yorkshire won’t have those elections but we have nevertheless outlined a vision of how our region might look with a devolved parliament.

“We are clear, we’re not calling for devolution for devolution’s sake. We’re calling for devolution because our schools, infrastructure and economy deserve better.”