26 June 2023
Hull and East Riding Green Party have welcomed reports that local council leaders are to speak to the Government on a devolution deal for the subregion.
Discussions on a devolution deal between Hull and East Riding councils have been slow to be agreed even though such deals have already been implemented in other parts of the county.
Local Green Party coordinator, Julia Brown, said:
“We are pleased to see it reported that council leaders in Hull and the East Riding are starting work on securing a devolution deal for the area. This is something we’ve been calling on for some time.
“To date, there has been no urgency from council leaders in getting a devo deal done. These discussions have dragged on for several years and it;s good they are getting on with securing a deal.
“Deals have been signed in other parts of the region (the one in South Yorkshire has been in place since 2018) but squabbling between the main parties has left Hull and the East Riding way behind. The deal will be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
“The deal - a combined authority headed by a Mayor - is not our preferred option. Having a single person in charge with a range of powers and a big pot of money and with very limited accountability can be a recipe for disaster as we see in Teesside with the fiasco going on there.
“As a preference, we’d like to see a One Yorkshire devolution deal for the whole of Yorkshire. With a population of over 5 million people, it would be a powerful economic area.”
Julia concluded:
“So, although it’s good the council leaders are finally getting on with securing a deal, there are a lot of questions. One of those that loom large is, will the Mayor have the authority of the proposed Humber freeport?
“We hope the two council leaders can meet with the people of Hull and East Riding to explain what devolution will look like and answer their questions.”
End
Notes:
The recently agreed devolution deal for North Yorkshire (an area with a similarly sized population to Hull and East Riding) will see £540million granted by government over the next 30 years.
Why a truly independent inquiry is needed into the Teesside Freeport project - Andy Brown | Yorkshire Post
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