MINISTERS have failed to respond to the county’s latest devolution offer – despite Nick Clegg insisting he still hopes to reach agreement “shortly”.

Frustrated council chiefs have proposed a two-stage solution, to break the stalemate created by their refusal to accept a single ‘metro mayor’ for all of West Yorkshire.

Under the plans, a simple deal covering jobs, housing and transport – along the lines of the Sheffield agreement – would be rushed through within weeks.

That would still leave West Yorkshire way short of Manchester’s devolution deal.

The issue was raised in the Commons again yesterday, when deputy prime minister Nick Clegg told MPs: “This should be a bottom-up process - there should not be a one-size-fits-all blueprint imposed from above.”

David Ward, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bradford East,, welcomed Clegg’s “unambiguous” response, adding Whitehall dictation on the matter is “unthinkable”.