Minutes:
The Chair welcomed the SY Leaders and Cllr Iqbal on behalf of Cllr Dore to the meeting to provide an update on their respective districts position with the signing of the SCR Devolution Deal.
Cllr Houghton informed the meeting that his i.e. Barnsley’s position is to see the creation of a One Yorkshire deal and he is happy to support an interim SCR deal if there is agreement this is a step towards the Yorkshire deal.
Mayor Jones noted this was also Doncaster’s position, as supported by 85% of the town’s residents in the recent referendum on the matter.
Cllr Read suggested his immediate priority was to conclude the signing of the current SCR deal ahead of considering the potential for future, wider deals
Cllr Iqbal commented on recent correspondence with Ministers and suggested matters may be moving in the right direction.
Cllr Ennis commented on his time serving as the Deputy Regional Minister for the Yorkshire and Humber during the time of the Regional Development Agencies and suggested that if the region “is going to punch above its weight and benefit from potential economies of scale, it needs to do so as part of a greater Yorkshire area”.
Cllr Ross observed that the SCR deal ‘is on the table’ whilst the One Yorkshire deal isn’t and questioned whether, by not working together, the Leaders are letting the public down in not accessing the £30m per year which is currently not being claimed. Cllr Houghton challenged this point and cited examples where the districts’ Leaders do continue to work together outside of the devolution agenda.
Cllr Ross questioned whether the referendums in Barnsley and Doncaster appropriately informed people that a One Yorkshire deal is not recognised by government, and again suggested people were being let down by not benefiting from access to a guaranteed £30m a year. Cllr Houghton asserted the referendum question was checked and the position with respect to the options was made clear to voters. Cllr Houghton further questioned the merits of tying ourselves in to a 30-year SCR deal when the evidence suggests Barnsley would be better served by a One Yorkshire deal.
Cllr Read acknowledged the districts had taken different positions on the matter of the SCR deal but asserted all districts want to move collectively towards a resolution on this matter as soon as possible.
Cllr Ennis asked whether the referendum evidence would be given further weight should the exercise be repeated in Rotherham and Sheffield.
Mayor Jones suggested she saw the SCR deal as an interim stepping stone towards a One Yorkshire deal, and had been mandated by the people of Doncaster to deliver that outcome
Cllr Iqbal also asserted his district works well with the Leaders of the other Authorities and suggested that like Rotherham, Sheffield recognises the merit in taking the deal that is currently available ahead of further consideration of a One Yorkshire deal.
All Leaders commented on the relative significance of £30m a year of the SCR deal, against a backdrop of £1bn of austerity driven cuts that the SY districts have experienced over recent years.
Cllr Houghton noted the position with the deal had continued to evolve, emphasising this originally concerned nine districts, then six and now four and suggested there may well be further future changes to the shape of the current SCR deal. It was also noted that when the SCR deal was first envisaged there wasn’t a prospect of a One Yorkshire deal.
Cllr Ross asked whether there was any genuine prospect of all 20 Yorkshire districts working together to shape a single deal when 4 South Yorkshire districts had failed to do so. However, Cllr Houghton suggested “there was a remarkable sense of coalition across Yorkshire on this matter, with a desire to see this succeed that had surprised the government”.
Leaders proposed the One Yorkshire deal would present a once in a lifetime opportunity to achieve something on a scale capable of affecting the economic future of the North. It was suggested people ‘get’ the Yorkshire brand, and identify with its capability to be sold around the world in a way South Yorkshire never would be.
Cllr Ross asked if bigger would truly be better or would risk a disproportionate amount of funding going to major cities outside South Yorkshire. Cllr Houghton stated there would be assurances that all Yorkshire districts would benefit from a Yorkshire deal and countered the claims that there is any form of Leeds-centric hidden agenda at play, suggesting Sheffield would be a major player in a One Yorkshire deal.
The Chair asked what the next steps might be and when the Leaders would become signatories to the SCR deal.
Cllr Houghton indicated he would be happy to sign up to an interim deal providing there were assurances in respect of the development of a One Yorkshire deal. It was suggested that the end of the current mayoral term of office in 2022 would be logical timeframe for an interim deal. Leaders noted that consultations and negotiations were ongoing between the four districts to resolve matters and identify any future dates for when matters may be concluded.
Members questioned whether government uncertainty and predications over Brexit would affect the likelihood of an early resolution on the matter of the SCR deal.
The Chair thanked the Leaders for taking the time to attend the meeting, acknowledging they weren’t obliged to do so.