Yorkshire devolution: Detailed proposal sent to Government as 18 councils seek 'historic' agreement

It follows a request for a formal submission made by Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid when he attended a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire last week.

social benefits for all their communities and the country.

Only Rotherham and Sheffield have refused to sign up to the One Yorkshire model, preferring instead to press on with a Sheffield City Region deal for which mayoral elections will be held in May.

Today’s letter to Mr Javid said the 18 participating councils welcomed his assurances that the Government would not stand in the way of any One Yorkshire proposal with widespread backing.

It continued: “We believe that with your Government’s support we can seal a historic devolution agreement with the potential to double the size of our economy to the benefit of the people of Yorkshire and the wider country.”

Meanwhile, work towards regional devolution has not stopped local authorities focusing on their own economic development.

Doncaster Council today signed off a £349m capital budget aimed at stimulating economic growth and job creation over the next four years.

And an official launch will be held tomorrow night (Tuesday) for the Bradford District Economic Strategy, which details the city’s ambition to be the UK’s fastest-growing economy over the coming decade.