This political column is written by John Harris CBE. John is a former Chief Executive of South Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council and has been a Harrogate resident for the past 10 years. John is a supporter of One Yorkshire which campaigns for a single Yorkshire authority. 

What is going on? Doubt and uncertainty is growing about the devolution prospects for North Yorkshire and the English counties. Is this to be yet another government U turn?

County areas were to get executive mayors with devolved funds but with unitary local councils, Two tier local government is confusing, costly, and needs to be abolished. North Yorkshire needs a more efficient, effective and economic unitary council structure, ideally with Harrogate combined with York and Selby. The major functions lie with two existing bases (North Yorkshire County Council/York City Council) so the transition disruption to effect the government proposed change in 2022 can be overestimated. An Executive Mayor would focus new energy and investment - a step towards an eventual promised land of proper devolution with a One Yorkshire outcome.

Devolution is needed. The process was in place for North Yorkshire - it is so easy to say this is not ‘the right time’, finding reasons to put things off. North Yorkshire was offered this deal independently of the White Paper; will we lose out?

So what is going on?

Nationally, uncertainty and speculation about government intentions has grown as disquiet amongst conservative supporters has increased. Publication of the autumn devolution White Paper covering all English counties is rumoured to have been shelved:

• the minister leading the initiatives recently suddenly resigned; social media suggests that party organisers were alarmed at the abolition of the shire district power base of conservative party councillors


• the Dominic Cummings agenda of shaking up local government lacks a party political supporters base


• shire district councillors, a core conservative party campaigning resource on the ground, objected to their demise.

Where is the formal government invitation to the nine North Yorkshire councils to propose, by September/early October, a new unitary structure? Although proposals have been worked up, the shire district council leaders say now is not the time for a major reorganisation – covid19 and Brexit. The County Council however argue that, as four fifths of local council expenditure is at county level, disruption would be minimised by their unitary proposal based on their existing base, achieving substantial cost savings.

It needs to happen as planned for 2022. My own guess – the hot money is on the government backing off; a North Yorkshire unitary would be a long odds each way bet.

---

Read More: 

• Lib Dems call for secret North Yorkshire devolution report to be published


• "No worse time for devolution" say District Council leaders

---

Next week Strayside Sunday with Paul Baverstock will return.