Roger Marsh OBE DL comments on the West Yorkshire devolution deal

10 March 2020

Commenting on the devolution deal secured for West Yorkshire, Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the NP11 group of 11 local enterprise partnerships across the North, said:

"I very much welcome this deal, which is the result of months of negotiations between West Yorkshire’s council leaders and the Government. This is a significant milestone for our region, giving our local area more of the investment and powers we need to create extraordinary economic opportunity for our people, businesses and communities.

"This deal is also a positive step forward for the North as a whole. As the NP11 set out in our Manifesto for the North, devolution for every part of the North is critical to unleash the full economic potential of a thriving Northern Powerhouse. Today’s announcement completes a key missing piece in the North’s devolution jigsaw, and I hope other areas currently without the benefits of devolution follow swiftly in West Yorkshire’s wake.

"Even without full mayoral devolution, our region has achieved great things by working across geographies and across the public and private sectors. Through our £1bn Growth Deal we’ve created jobs, opportunities and business growth across the whole of Leeds City Region. The close integration between our LEP and our Combined Authority is a model of efficient partnership working which has been fundamental to our success. This strong partnership approach in pursuit of our shared interests will be further enhanced by the arrival of a West Yorkshire Mayor, who will also be a member of the LEP Board."