YP Comment: Council of the North is needed

The idea of a Council of the North is nothing new, it can be traced back to the Yorkist king Edward VI at the end of the 15th Century. It was established in large part to improve economic prosperity for the whole of Northern England '“ an idea that is at the heart of new proposals being launched in Hull today by IPPR North.

The think tank’s report Taking Back Control of the North argues, with good reason, that in a post-Brexit world, the North of England needs a voice and powers to match London and Scotland. It says that while London and Scotland have benefited enormously from devolution, the North has missed out. The report also points out that regional institutions don’t have the clout to make big decisions and the North of England as a whole lacks strategic leadership.

The answer, it believes, lies in the creation of a Council of the North – made up of 19 combined authorities and counties – that would enable the whole of the North to speak with a single voice, giving it more powers to invest in major infrastructure schemes and to compete on the global stage. The idea is that a Northern Citizens Assembly would oversee this, allowing people to ‘take back control.’

In January, shadow cabinet minister Jon Trickett unveiled an alternative plan to George Osborne’s vision for a Northern Powerhouse, calling for a “single elected voice for Yorkshire” alongside a new Council of the North and a Bank of the North.

The problem is will any of these ideas come to pass? Publishing reports and plans is all very well, but what the people of Yorkshire really need is someone, or something, to implement them.