YP Comment: Minister moves over devolution

He’s right – there is no consensus at present, but the current impasse does need to be resolved and he is personally supportive of ongoing efforts to do so.

The Cabinet minister’s intervention is also helpful because he provides some much-needed clarity on the Government’s own intentions as rival regions prepare to go to the polls next month to elect their first metro-mayors to spearhead growth strategies and the like.

Though Mr Javid is correct to say that “devolution has to be locally led”, he is also within his rights to express serious reservations about any overtly bureaucratic proposals that dilute accountability. For the record, the so-called One Yorkshire model proposes a single mayor taking responsibility for the West, North and East Ridings with three separate combined authorities looking after the day-to-day interests of each region.

Mr Javid’s point – and it is a reasonable one in a county where there is no appetite for unnecesarry tiers of officialdom– is that the Government believes any devolved area should have one mayor answering directly to one authority. Rightly or wrongly, he clearly believes that this latter model has the potential to deliver the greatest benefits.

Though the Minister is being mindful not to impose his wishes, Yorkshire’s leaders should, at the very least, be meeting – and sooner rather than later – to determine the powers that they would like a mayor to have, and whether a leadership structure can be put in place which reflects the diversity of this region’s economy and geography as well as competing political interests. If they do so, they might just have a chance of reaching the consensus which remains so elusive 
– and the source of so much exasperation.

Rubbish ideas?

TWO salient words appear to be missing from the Government’s new strategy to combat litter – personal responsibility. It’s not the fault of local councils that parks, beauty spots and beaches were left resembling rubbish tips following the weekend heatwave because families were too lazy to clean up after themselves.

Yet, given the problem appears more pronounced than 30 years ago when Margaret Thatcher and Richard Branson launched a campaign to rid the nation’s streets of litter, Ministers are duty-bound to look again at the issue.

There is a case to be made for councils not charging residents to dump bulky waste at local authority rubbish tips – this will mean there’s no excuse for flytipping, though a consequence will be less money for the provision of additional bins and so on.

There’s also merit to challenging take-away and fast food outlets to do more to clear up litter-strewn streets near their premises – it is, after all, their clientele that is contributing to the problem. A business rate discount for the cleanest districts could be an incentive.

And while Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom’s desire to fine offenders up to £150 signals a determination on her part, she negates to mention the small matter of enforcement. That’s why the best solution remains the cheapest and closest to home – civic pride where responsible householders are asked to spend a small amount of time picking up litter each week. If they did so in sufficient numbers, the collective effort would be considerable and might shame offenders into changing their behaviour as a consequence.

A rural lifeline

THE struggle of small businesses to get hold of much-needed finance has been well documented, which is why news that CYBG plc, owner of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, is making £6bn available to help fuel the growth of small and medium-sized businesses is most timely.

However, with new research showing that 35 per cent of SMEs still find it difficult accessing bank loans, this money cannot come quickly enough. Since the financial crisis, the appetite for lending among banks has been subdued and with financial uncertainty surrounding Brexit and many SMEs warning that revenues could stagnate this year, it is paramount that new and fast-growing businesses are able to expand. After all investment equates to jobs.

The real litmus test will be whether the rural economy, which is driven by SMEs, benefits from this new finance commitment. It it does it will go a long way to showing that rural businesses really do matter.