The Yorkshire Post Says: Yorkshire finally pulls together on devolution - on Yorkshire Day

The news that Yorkshire’s council leaders are seeking a single deal for Yorkshire based around the creation of an elected mayor is, on the face of it, welcome news. This ‘coalition of the willing’ now includes Hull for the first time, as well as Barnsley and Doncaster after they pulled out of the separate Sheffield City Region agreement.

The power of the Yorkshire brand is greater than the sum of its individual parts and the challenge facing council leaders is how to harness this for the benefit of all our town’s and cities. It will not be without its difficulties. Critics point out that devolution is primarily about growing the economy faster and that different parts of the region have strikingly different economic needs.

Rural affairs, for instance, are just one of the many quandaries that will need to be settled as part of any agreement.

The reasons why Yorkshire has so far failed to progress with devolution in the same way as areas like Manchester, Tees Valley and the West Midlands are many and manifold.

The fact remains, though, that while our region has failed to agree deals with the Government to take over responsibilities in key areas such as skills and transport, other parts of the country have pressed ahead and elected new metro-mayors that now wield those powers.

The situation has hardly been helped by the mixed messages emanating from the Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry who last month effectively ruled out a single region-wide deal.

However, Mr Berry was right about one thing when he said that if Yorkshire failed to grasp the opportunity that devolution offers it risked being left behind. Like it or not, we are now playing catch-up.