SHEFFIELD City Region mayor Dan Jarvis has said he is continuing to work to end the devolution deadlock in South Yorkshire while pushing the government on a county-wide proposal.
At a SCR combined authority meeting on Tuesday, Mr Jarvis said he was still in discussions with council leaders on how to bring devolved powers to South Yorkshire.
He said he also recognised the work of 18 council leaders across Yorkshire, including Doncaster and Barnsley, pushing for a county-wide deal.
Government officials have said powers and money can only be handed down if all four South Yorkshire council leaders agree on a proposal.
The four leaders all signed a deal with the then chancellor George Osborne for devolved powers and £900m in cash over 30 years.
But Doncaster and Barnsley announced they wanted to ditch the deal on offer and support a wider Yorkshire deal something which currently isn’t on offer by the government.
Both councils held local referendums and residents of both authorities backed the idea of a wider-Yorkshire proposal.
Sheffield resident Nigel Slack questioned Mr Jarvis on the ongoing devolution discussions.
He said: “With the government continuing to vacillate over whether or not to engage with a Yorkshire devolution process, how will this impact on the mayor’s discussions about the completion of the Sheffield City Region deal?”
Mr Jarvis responded: “I’m working with colleagues around this table and across the whole of Yorkshire to ensure we deliver the benefits of a Sheffield City Region devolution deal as well as exploring in full the will of a wide-range of council leaders from across political spectrum which can be realised to deliver ad devolution deal on wider Yorkshire geography.”
