Levelling Up White Paper: Hull and East Riding reject mayor as part of devolution deal

The Government has announced it intended to invite Hull and East Yorkshire to begin negotiations to agree a county devolution deal, with the potential to seek a mayoral deal at a later date. Details were announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, which said a county deal could potentially be in place by this autumn.

But a joint statement by the leaders of Conservative-run East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Labour-run Hull City Council, Councillor Jonathan Owen and Councillor Daren Hale, confirmed they would not be looking to establish a mayor for the region.

Coun Hale said: “Our proposal is not for a Mayoral deal, because our area is too small, but for a strong Combined Authority chaired by one of the council leaders on a rotating basis.

“Focusing on the key themes of connectivity, productivity, inclusivity and sustainability, we now look forward to progressing our discussions with government over the coming months.”

Today's announcement, which it is hoped could ultimately lead to multi-million-pound strategic investment in the region, follows the two councils confirming in March 2020 that they would work together on the creation of a regional devolution deal.

The councils have already created a business case with four key priorities - creating a low carbon transport network and ensuring the continued success of their ports; increasing workforce productivity; promoting inclusivity to create economic opportunities and deliver a sustainable future through clean energy generation and sustainable development.

Coun Owen said: "East Riding of Yorkshire Council welcome the invitation from Government to negotiate a ‘County Deal’ for Hull and the East Riding. This could enable us to realise significant benefits for our residents, our businesses and our wider economy.

“Key themes and priorities have been identified to enable growth opportunities and benefits to a larger geographic area. We look forward to working alongside the government and our neighbouring authority to support future investment opportunities in East Yorkshire."

Coun Hale added: “We are pleased that the government has today committed to working with Hull and the East Riding to start negotiations for a ‘County Deal’ for our area. We have been pressing for local devolution for a number of years and our latest proposals were submitted to government last September, laying out a compelling case for devolution to Hull and East Yorkshire.

“We want to work with government to focus on our economic growth opportunities and shared priorities. Our commitment to formally work together brings with it the benefits of a larger geographic and more diverse area and our proposals are very ambitious, so that we could punch above our weight as one of the smaller devolved regions."