Yorkshire cities win partnerships race

The green light means they are now free to be running well before Yorkshire Forward is officially abolished by April 2012.

Both partnerships will now begin recruiting members so the board – to be split between councillors and business leaders – could be in place in time to bid for money from the first round of the 1.4bn Regional Growth Fund in January.

The Leeds partnership involves the 11 councils forming the City Region, which stretches from Barnsley to Harrogate and Calderdale to York.

Chairman of the Leeds City Region Leaders Board Coun Steve Houghton said: "We have been working hard with partners for the past six years to support economic growth and prosperity across the city region.

"Becoming a local enterprise partnership will take our working to a different level and will allow us to achieve better coordination and greater efficiencies."

Leeds City Region will become the biggest local enterprise partnership outside the South-East, and Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said the partnership was seeking a "passionate and proven" business leader to chair the board.

"With strong democratic legitimacy and energetic business leadership, the litmus test of the success of this partnership will be the investment and jobs it attracts to benefit our three million people," he said. "That will be our singular focus."

The Sheffield City Region partnership includes the four South Yorkshire local authorities of Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster plus Bassetlaw, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.

Acting chief executive of Sheffield Chamber Richard Wright said: "We are now at the start of a very important process for this region because business wants to be engaged, and accepts its responsibility to help grow the economy regionally and nationally."