A cross-party, cross-sector, cross-regional committee seeking greater powers for Yorkshire.
One Yorkshire was launched on Yorkshire Day 2018 by the then Archbishop of York. The Committee comprises council, business, trade union, academic and political leaders with the goal of supporting the Yorkshire Leaders Board in their work on devolution.
As well as organising events, the Committee meets regularly to facilitate discussions on the future of Yorkshire governance featuring a broad range of voices. In this Parliament, a particular focus is encouraging collaboration across the region between public and private institutions.
Latest
2019 General Election
Before the General Election in December 2019, the Archbishop led a delegation of Yorkshire council, political, business and trade union leaders to Parliament. As a result, the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and the Green Party all committed themselves to One Yorkshire Devolution in their election manifestos.
Labour Party:
“Britain is one of the most centralised countries in Europe. Labour will decentralise decision-making and strengthen local democracy. We reiterate our commitment to One Yorkshire, and will make directly elected mayors more accountable to local councillors and elected representatives.”
Liberal Democrats:
“In some areas of England there is a greater appetite for powers, but not every part of the country wants to move at the same speed and there cannot be a one-size fits-all approach. All areas should however have access to the same opportunities and mayoral authorities should not be ranked higher in terms of the powers with which they can be granted. We will enact permissive legislation to empower groups of authorities to come together to establish devolved governance – for example to a Cornish Assembly or a Yorkshire Parliament, building on the One Yorkshire campaign. We will proceed by consensus as far as possible but will not allow one local authority to veto a coherent proposal.”
Green Party:
Give fuller voice to regional and national identities.
The Conservative Party did not offer support for One Yorkshire and after the result of the General Election, it became clear that four sub regional devolution agreements was most likely. The Sheffield City Region already have an elected mayor and a West Yorkshire Mayor will be elected in 2021. In both North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire/Hull, discussions continue with the Government.
The Future
What will happen in future parliaments remains unknown and the One Yorkshire Committee will work to maximise support for a One Yorkshire Solution with significant power and resources devolved from Whitehall. Discussions will continue with all political parties between now and the next General Elections to try and influence their future policies. Events will be organised to keep the issue before the Yorkshire public and to hear their views. For now, the task is to make devolution work and explore what extra benefits collaboration across the county can bring.
Yorkshire Leaders Board
Meanwhile the Government has for the first time recognised the role of the Yorkshire Leaders Board as part of the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal:
“In addition to the funding provided in this deal, and in recognition of the ambitions for closer collaboration across Yorkshire reflecting the Yorkshire brand and its cultural heritage, Government will provide £200,000 in 2020/21 to support the establishment of a Yorkshire Leaders’ Board, as a practical step for facilitating greater collaboration on a Yorkshirewide basis. This is in the context of the Government continuing to work with areas to achieve its ambitions to secure devolution deals for the whole of Yorkshire, and exploring future opportunities with the Leaders Board.”
Together Yorkshire
In September 2020 ‘Together Yorkshire’ an online conference on the future of Yorkshire Governance and Collaboration was organised by the One Yorkshire Committee. The resulting report emphasised that the Yorkshire Leaders Board could become a fulcrum for county wide policy initiatives. It could also play a crucial role in bringing elected mayors and council leaders together to discuss common priorities and avoid the county becoming balkanised into four competing areas duplicating resources. The creation of the Yorkshire Climate Change Commission is a good example of what is possible.
Funding
In December 2018, the Campaign was awarded a grant of £32,500 by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd.
The Committee was also recently given a grant of £10,000 by the Yorkshire Leaders Board ‘to facilitate partnership engagement that could help progress the work of the Board’.
.
The One Yorkshire Committee includes:
The Archbishop of York.
Representatives of all major political parties (Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Yorkshire Party).
Yorkshire Council leaders from across the County and political spectrum.
The Mayor of Sheffield City Region.
Representatives of the Confederation of British Industry and the Institute Of Directors.
Representatives of the Trades Union Congress, the GMB and Unison.
Representative of Welcome to Yorkshire.
Representative of Yorkshire Universities.
Representatives of the voluntary and environmental sectors.
Why One Yorkshire?
Economic Strength
Yorkshire has a population of 5.3 million – larger than that of Scotland – and accounts for over 10% of the output of the United Kingdom. With a manufacturing sector that still employs one in ten of the population, it exports more goods than any region outside London. Yorkshire’s 12 universities contribute £2.9bn each year to the region’s economy and play a critical role in generating jobs and innovation.
Cultural Significance
Renowned for its food and drink, national parks, coastline, heritage and stunning portrayal on film and tv screens, the county has in recent years witnessed a rapid growth in tourism. As regards sport if Yorkshire had been treated as a country in the London 2012 Olympics it would have come twelfth in the overall medal table, whilst seven of the 2018 England football world cup squad came from the broad acres.
Shared Identity
One Yorkshire devolution has strong local support from residents, businesses, 17 local councils and the Sheffield City Region Mayor. The strength of the region’s identity is well known and according to the independent economic study, 75% of people in the region identify with Yorkshire – more than any other region in the country. This is also backed by business, who overwhelmingly see brand Yorkshire as an important benefit – especially when trading internationally.