March date for devolution deal welcomed

WYCA Chair Cllr Peter Box welcomed today's announcement by George Osborne that a deal on West Yorkshire's devolution proposals will be reached by the March budget.

11 January 2018

WYCA Chair Cllr Peter Box welcomed today's announcement by George Osborne that a deal on West Yorkshire's devolution proposals will be reached by the March budget.

Cllr Box said: 2Devolution is essential to our plans to make this the most enterprising part of the UK so I welcome the fact that we do now have a confirmed timsecale for an agreement even if it is long overdue."

At a meeting last week WYCA members, frustrated at the delay over West Yorkshire's devolution proposals, agreed to write to the Prime Minister asking him to intervene and end the deadlock.

A first-stage deal for West Yorkshire would focus on jobs, housing, transport, business growth, innovation and skills and build upon the successes already being achieved by locally-managed initiatives.