Wolds Weighton councillors embark on tour to highlight County Deal devolution issues

For the past six years, elected members at East Riding of Yorkshire Council have been debating various devolution proposals put forward by the Government, including plans for greater collaboration with Hull City Council.

The latest proposal on the table – a County Deal – was given the green light by the East Riding Conservative Group earlier this year but only by a small majority – with almost half of the group preferring a Combined Mayoral Authority arrangement.

Now, Cllrs Mike Stathers and Leo Hammond, who both represent the Wolds Weighton Ward, have set out on a tour of their Ward, speaking to parish councils and residents eager to learn more about the future governance of the East Riding.

Cllr Stathers, who as deputy leader of ERYC in 2020 spent a great deal of time working on the CMA proposal, said: “To many, devolution is simply something Ministers have talked about for years, perhaps not really impacting us in East Yorkshire, but whether we want this or not, it’s firmly on the Government’s agenda and we need to make sure we secure the best possible deal for our residents.

“The level of funding and support we receive from Government in years to come on matters such as infrastructure, highways, skills, inward investment will be set by whichever devolution deal we accept.

“Hull and East Yorkshire, as a region, has been chosen as one of nine areas to take part in a County Deal pilot scheme, which would involve greater collaboration between our council and Hull City Council, one very much Conservative led and the other an historically strong Labour base.”

Cllr Stathers said: “Leo and myself have taken it upon ourselves to speak to any of the 28 parish councils in our ward, and residents, who want clarification on this very confused issue and over the next two months we will literally be on tour.”

Cllr Hammond added: “After years of debates in County Hall on the issue of devolution, we believe now is the time for residents to have their say, which is why we are embarking on this ward-wide exercise.

“There are two forms of devolution deal on the table for the East Riding, and whilst we have our own views on which is the better deal, we want to know what our residents think, so that we can fight our ward’s corner on this issue at County level.

“Whilst we have wanted to for some time, we have not carried out this consultation sooner, as it was not until earlier this year, that the Government, through their Levelling

“Up white paper, finally clarified the exact details of each type of devolution deal.

“We would encourage residents to read the devolution section of this paper, or contact us for further information, so that residents can make an informed choice on which deal they think will give us the best future.”