MEMBERS of North Yorkshire County Council have backed proposals at a full council meeting to send the results of a public consultation to Ministers to progress plans to create a mayoral combined authority.

Residents, businesses and charity and voluntary organisations took part in the consultation in York and North Yorkshire to gather the public’s views on the proposed devolution deal, which would give more funding and far greater decision-making powers to the region.

Most respondents were generally in favour of the proposed governance of the devolution deal, with organisations including the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network recognising that it is a tried and tested model for building strong local leadership with new powers.

The plans for devolution, which is a key policy under the Government’s levelling up agenda, are set to bring wide-ranging benefits to the 615,000 residents and more than 32,000 businesses in North Yorkshire, including new jobs, more affordable housing and measures to tackle climate change.

Following support from the public for the proposed deal, it is hoped that a combined authority, which would be responsible for overseeing devolved decision-making powers and millions of pounds of funding for both York and North Yorkshire, will be established later this year. Mayoral elections would follow in 2024.

North Yorkshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “The decision by members at full council today represents the latest milestone in the journey to bringing devolution to North Yorkshire.

“The benefits of devolution are clearly evident elsewhere in Yorkshire, and we are committed to making sure that North Yorkshire is also given the chance to see the real opportunities that decision-making on a far more local level would bring.

“I would urge Ministers to progress plans following the support that devolution has received from the public. The creation of a mayoral combined authority later this year would then help pave the way for what I do believe is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring devolution to North Yorkshire which will help transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”

A total of 1,943 people completed the survey in full for the devolution element of the public consultation, expressing views on a range of topics including housing, transport, skills and employment and climate change. 

The eight-week consultation ran until December 16, and views were gathered through face-to-face engagement events, an online survey and via letters and emails.