Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce

HULL'S three Labour MPs have made public their strong response to the devolution consultation in a letter to the Leaders of East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council.

Dame Diana Johnson, Emma Hardy and Karl Turner say the region "should not meekly accept this made-in-Whitehall, top-down, ‘one-size-fits-all’ deal offered in the final months of this failing Government.

"Some who should know better locally appear to be content with this grossly inadequate Deal. We, however, cannot support doing Hull and the East Riding long-term economic damage for the sake of short-term party political expediency.

"We want to see the Hull and Humber area have a real fresh start and not let the politics behind this ‘Devolution Deal’ get in the way.

The MPs' full response can be read here.

The Chamber asked the Leaders of Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a response to the MPs' letter.

In a joint statement, Cllr Mike Ross and Cllr Anne Handley, said:

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who have taken part in the devolution consultation that has been held over the last couple of months. This was a major undertaking, that saw over 60 events held across both Hull and the East Riding, for local residents, businesses and voluntary and community sector organisations alike.

The consultation was a crucial part of the process. We wanted to hear what the community thought of the proposals on the table and to allow all views to be put forward, whether for or against. Whatever people thought of the deal, we wanted to hear what they had to say. We are delighted that there has been such a huge response – one of the biggest in the country on this issue.

Whatever the consultation ultimately shows, it is important to remember that Hull and the East Riding are the last part of Yorkshire to get a devolution deal in place. Why does this matter? As we have seen elsewhere, devolution can help unlock millions of pounds in investment, support for transport and flooding issues and jobs and growth for the area. Surely, this is something we want to see for our area too?

When so much of the rest of the country has the head start on us, given the devolution deals already in place elsewhere, it is time that this region also got the fair share it deserves. We believe this deal from the government helps do that.

The deal offers more investment than South and West Yorkshire did in their first devolution deals, and vital pots of funding to tackle the big issues that matter to local people like housing and flooding.

So what is it that the deal offers?

The deal, should it proceed, will see over £400 million in funding over 30 years. In addition to this we have secured a commitment of over £4million to help deliver new homes in the area and £15million to invest in transport and flood resilience. This amount of funding is not only vital for the region but at the levels we have not seen in years.

On top of this there is a commitment in black and white from the Government, in the very proposed deal text, to electrify the railway line between Hull, Leeds and Sheffield. This has been a huge campaign from residents for a long time and now we can see movement to make it happen.

This deal has been welcomed as a fresh start by many local people, businesses and other organisations across the city and the wider region and I do truly believe this is a game changer.

This deal sees an explicit commitment to help support the expansion of the Siemens Gamesa site, which has already given so much to the city in terms of jobs and prestige. We have also secured more support to help with skills for local people to get more and better jobs across the city.

As leaders for the region, our job is to work in what we believe is in the best interests of this region. We would only look to proceed with a deal for Hull and East Yorkshire if we felt it was going to be the best possible deal for the area and one that could benefit local people. We want to put the politics aside and focus on what is best for the people who live and work here.

Finally, this proposal represents the first step on the journey to getting a better deal for our region. If this proposal is supported, Hull and East Yorkshire will work towards further devolution giving greater benefits for the area.

Find out more about the proposed devolution deal at www.heydevolution.com.