Calls for Yorkshire-wide devolution have noticeably quietened in recent years after the Government rejected the 'One Yorkshire' proposal supported by the vast majority of this region's councils back in 2019.

Grassroots campaigners are set to mark the 50th anniversary of the abolition of the historic Ridings of Yorkshire by calling for the establishment of a regional assembly with budgetary control and tax-raising powers.

TOP DOWN government just doesn't work and continuing to pursue this approach is severely hampering the country's economy.

Party looks to local leaders to power up their economies

The success of English devolution requires a coherent and long-term framework that addresses the challenges with the Government’s current approach, write Jack Shaw and Jack Newman.

The UK government’s approach to funding for levelling up has been widely criticised – including by the influential Public Accounts Committee – for being competitive and opaque.

But this Yorkshire Day, the leading think tank for the north of England has calculated what investment in Yorkshire might look like if funding to level up the country was devolved to local leaders and allocated not by competition, but by a transparent framework.

As the IPPR North put it ‘The UK continues to stand out internationally for the wrong reason: because it is the most regionally unbalanced large, advanced economy’. With growth at the centre of the national political agenda what is to be done in God’s own country?

Yorkshire Day is a celebration of all the amazing things that this great region has to offer. But it has long been acknowledged that this proud region has been deprived of the tools it needs to realise its true potential.

The centralised economy is simply not working for the majority of the people in this country. It has resulted in communities being left behind and regions like Yorkshire failing to realise their true potential.

The need to kickstart the economy is growing more urgent by the day. A recession is looming, as latest GDP figures show, and therefore there is no reason for the Government to not start taking action now.

Gordon Brown’s report on changing our country’s governance is an analysis long overdue. It is worth deep consideration. I’m sure there are many elements that will have broad support up and down the country. When it comes to local government there are several proposals that seem so common sense it is disappointing that they must be stated and highlight the failures of the current government.

In a speech to the Scottish Labour Party conference in 1994, the then leader of the UK Labour Party John Smith, referred to the creation of a Scottish Parliament as “the settled will of the Scottish people”.

On the one hand, Yorkshiremen and women tend to be immensely proud of the county, its physical attributes and the character of its people. They tend to be scornful of ‘the south’ and they certainly believe it’s God’s Own Country.

Research for King’s College London has indicated that British voters are more concerned about economic differences between places and regions than any other form of inequality.

Labour will devolve power to Yorkshire and level up its businesses and highstreets, Sir Keir Starmer has pledged, as he suggests that he will lead Labour into more than one election to make it happen.

It's the latest business battle cry of home grown Hollywood actor Sean Bean in a new Yorkshire Day film which aims to sell the county as the greatest place on the planet to live, study, work, invest and do business.

Lasting 45 minutes, the film is an insightful and entertaining look at what makes Yorkshire tick, in the opinion of some of Yorkshire’s accomplished daughters and sons who agreed to share their personal view and opinions on what makes Yorkshire, Yorkshire.

‘IF SOMEHOW the tradition of thrift and caution of the past can be married to the tradition and enterprise of youth, Bradford could have a great future.’

For the first time in four years, I will not be declaring an interest as the Mayor of South Yorkshire.

DEVOLUTION: Tracy Brabin has suggested a One Yorkshire devolution deal could still be on the table in future.