Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the Yorkshire Devolution Agreement Submission in March 2018.

My Rt Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State, responded on 9 July to the outline proposals for devolution to authorities within Yorkshire which 18 council leaders submitted on 5 March 2018. His response makes clear that whilst we are prepared to consider any proposals, until the Sheffield City Region devolution deal is fully implemented, the Government is not prepared to enter into any discussion about wider devolution arrangements in Yorkshire that would include some or all of the Sheffield City Region authorities. I am in informal discussions with the newly elected mayor for that City Region who is looking to work closely with us to unlock the benefits of devolution – first to implement the 2015 Sheffield City Region devolution agreement.