Exclusive:Government backs Humber growth zone bringing together mayors on north and south banks of estuary

In a letter shared exclusively with The Yorkshire Post, more than a dozen senior business figures have called for whoever is successfully elected to work together to ensure both banks of the estuary stay united.

It says: “If successful, you will take on a significant and vital role - one that, unlike other combined authority areas, carries an added responsibility.

“You will need to champion what is best for our estuary, a shared opportunity that demands true collaboration with a counterpart who may be familiar or entirely new to you, and whose identity you cannot predict in advance.

“We stand ready to support you and ask that you commit to backing the Humber Estuary, ensuring it gets the coordinated focus it needs.

“This, in turn, will give you more time and equivalent resources to invest in places like Beverley or Lincoln - equally important but distinct, requiring separate, tailored plans to deliver effectively as mayor.”

The signatories, from the Humber Energy Board’s Richard Gwilliam to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s Henri Murison, have also urged the candidates to create a Humber Estuary Growth Zone.

They believe this will help the mayors deal with huge projects on the horizon, be it carbon capture, utilisation and storage proposals for the Humber freeport or the transition to electric arc furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant.

The proposed growth zone could start over the site of the freeport and over time be increased to incorporate the steelworks.

The letter says it could be administered by a public-private partnership between the mayors, local authorities and business leaders called Invest Humber Estuary.

It explains: “The Energy Estuary needs a Humber Estuary Growth Zone, maximising the potential of the freeport and aligning with other development sites from both sides of this Estuary.

“We need one front door when investors from around the world come knocking.

“We need the port and land infrastructure planned and delivered, so ambitious local businesses can join with inward investors and get on with the job at hand.

“We need to have the right skills when we need them, and innovation to support the growth here, everything from advanced manufacturing railway rolling stock, to offshore wind turbine installation and servicing.”

This has been backed by the Government, and key signatories, including Mr Gwilliam and Mr Murison, are set to meet Local Government Minister Jim McMahon to discuss the proposal in greater detail.

He described it as an “exciting option” to unite both banks of the Humber and drive growth.

In a response to the letter, Mr McMahon said: “It is imperative that the right governance and delivery arrangements are in place from the outset if the Humber is to maximise this once in a generation opportunity to transform its economy, secure vital investment, and deliver better opportunities and outcomes for its communities.

“I agree that the objective should be to simplify and not add to pan-Humber arrangements.”

He said there were already plans in place for the two mayors to work together on a Humber economic and investment strategy, alongside the Humber Energy and Freeport boards.

Coun Mike Ross, Hull City Council leader and Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, said if elected he “would want to work alongside the business community and others in our area to help boost it to where it needs to be”.

He explained: “Devolution offers the opportunity to do things in a new and different way, and I am determined to make sure we benefit from it."

"The challenges facing our region do not stop at council or combined authority area boundaries.

“That is why it is important that there is the right spirit of collaboration across the Humber as we seek to address both the challenges and opportunities in issues like net zero and so much more."

While East Riding of Yorkshire leader Coun Anne Handley, the Conservative candidate for the mayoralty, said close collaboration across the estuary was “vital”.

“There’s a bridge that parts us and we have to stand united together to show what we can do on the Humber.

“We’re not the end of the line, we’re the gateway to Europe - with the Humber Energy Board and the Freeport Board - we have to work together as one.”

Labour mayoral candidate Margaret Pinder commented: “I have always been fully committed to the Humber as central to the regeneration of the region and to the national economy. I am happy to affirm my intention, if elected, to work constructively and proactively with both my counterpart in the Greater Lincolnshire devolved authority and the Labour government to support industry on both north and south banks.

“With the private sector poised and willing to make significant investment around the estuary, I pledge to match my vision as mayor to the scale of the opportunities that lie before us.”

Reform UK mayoral candidates Andrea Jenkyns, for Greater Lincolnshire, and Luke Campbell, Hull and East Yorkhire, said: “Driving investment, creating jobs, and supporting businesses on both banks of the Humber is at the heart of our campaigns.

“We will work relentlessly to deliver the infrastructure, transport links, and quality housing that our communities need to grow and prosper.

“Reform mayors will put common sense first—ensuring that every penny of public money delivers real results. We will work with anyone necessary to bring the change and opportunities that people across Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire are crying out for.”