YP Letters: Devolve honours to regions and local heroes

Tory donor, Remain supporter and Sheffield industrialist Andrew Cook, who received a knighthood in David Cameron's controversial resignation honours list which has sparked accusations of cronyism.

THE combination of the dubious resignation honours list, the celebrations of Yorkshire Day and the continuing debate on devolution and the Northern Powerhouse prompts me to suggest that it would be useful to devolve part of the Honours List.

At the moment, in the national awards, it is something of a lottery which crossing patrol lady, swimming coach or Scout leader gets an MBE.

The suggestion is that each county or region (to be agreed locally) could have an honour. Yorkshire would undoubtedlly have the Order of the White Rose, while East Anglia might opt for the Order of St Edmund. A local group, headed by the Lord Lieutenant(s) could then yearly issue a local honours list, which could be presented by a suitable VIP. The awards would be for service to the local community in a wide range of ways,and more recipients could receive them than at present.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland might work on a national, regional or county level. Some national guidelines and standards would need to be agreed, but in general the awards could reflect the nature and pre occupations of the area. I feel this would restore some prestige to the honours system and would acknowledge the work of many hidden heroes.