7 October 2023

Hull and East Riding Green Party

Media Release

Contact: Julia Brown, Local Green Party Coordinator, 07905 232970

6th October 2023

‘Involve the people on devolution’

The Hull and East Riding Green Party has written to local council leaders asking for answers to residents’ many questions about the proposed devolution deal to the sub-region. (Full letter attached).

The party is also calling for people to be involved in charting the devolution process via the setting up of a citizen’s assembly.

It was announced recently that the leaders of Hull and East Riding Councils have met and agreed to enter discussions jointly with the Government on the creation of a combined authority (plus mayor) for the sub-region.

In light of this announcement, the local Green Party has written a letter to both leaders asking for clarification on several questions.

Local Green Party Co-coordinator, Julia Brown, said:

“Although combined authorities are not the Green Party’s preferred option when it comes to a greater decentralisation of powers to the region, we are pleased to see that the devolution process for our communities is finally underway. However, it is unclear what precisely this means. There are several questions on powers, responsibilities and accountability that need answering. For example:

What powers and responsibilities will the new combined authority have?
How will it be funded? Are there any circumstances in which the new mayor can set a precept on the Council Tax bills of residents of ERYC and Hull?
How will the mayor be accountable to the wider public? Will the meetings of the combined authority with the Mayor be open to the public, for instance?

“Clearly, devolution will have a huge impact on our communities. The trouble is that the conversation is only ever between council leaders and government ministers. The people it affects have not been involved at all. We want the people involved.

“The local Green Party wants a Citizens Assembly of people drawn, broadly representatively, from both Hull and the East Riding local authority areas, to deliberate and to make an informed recommendation on how this devolution should happen.

“Such Citizens Assemblies are increasingly commonplace when it comes to deliberating on the big issues of the day, for example, in South Yorkshire, the Mayor is planning to set one up to consider Climate Change.

“We could make devolution to the proposed East Yorkshire combined authority something special.”

END

Notes

Copy of letter sent to Councillor Anne Handley (Leader ERYC) and Mike Ross (Leader Hull CC) 2/10/2023:

Although not the Green Party’s preferred option when it comes to a greater decentralisation of powers to the region, we are pleased to see that devolution to a Hull and East Riding Combined Authority is coming finally. But it is unclear what precisely this means. There are several questions that need answering:

What powers and responsibilities will the CA have? Which of these will be carried out autonomously and which will be in conjunction with the relevant Government department?

How will it be funded? Are there any circumstances in which the mayor can set a precept on the Council Tax bills of residents of ERYC and Hull?

How will the mayor be accountable to the wider public? Will the meetings of the CA with the Mayor be open to the public? Will the public be able to ask questions at the meetings and/or present petitions? Will the minutes of such meetings be published?

What happens to the Humberside Police and Crime commissioner? Will a PCC still need to be elected?

Will the mayor have any responsibility for the Humber Freeport or at least sit on the board?

Can the new authority scrap the bridge tolls?

What happens to the Green Belt between Hull and the East Riding?

What will the name of the new CA be? Where with the Mayor’s offices be based? Will staffing costs come from the mayor’s agreed budget?

What are the timescales for its implementation and for the election of a new Mayor? How much will the deposit be for Mayoral candidates?

We would kindly ask that a series of public meetings be held to answer to these questions and the many others the public will have. We would go further. Given the huge impact on our communities, we would strongly suggest setting up a Citizens Assembly of people drawn, broadly representatively, from both Hull and the East Riding local authority areas, to deliberate and to make an informed recommendation on how this devolution should happen. Such Citizens Assemblies are increasingly commonplace when it comes to deliberating on the big issues of the day, for example, in South Yorkshire, the Mayor is planning to set one up to consider Climate Change.