A DEVOLUTION deal for West Yorkshire is likely to be informally signed off on Thursday, the leader of Wakefield Council has said.

Denise Jeffery told a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the prospective agreement had already been factored into the government’s Budget, which will be unveiled next Wednesday.

Regional leaders have been haggling for the best part of five years over a transfer of powers away from Westminster. Although a single deal for the whole county was never reached, negotiations over separate deals for individual parts of Yorkshire are now at various stages.

But in West Yorkshire talks are now very advanced.

West Yorkshire devolution deal expected to be agreed within weeks

Coun Jeffery told senior councillors: “The devolution deal is now very close. We’re down to the nuts and bolts of it now. We’ve got a conference call on Thursday with ministers and that will hopefully sign things off.”

It’s yet to be confirmed when the deal’s framework will be implemented.

Coun Jeffery said in January that she felt the deal was preferable to a One Yorkshire deal and that the Wakefield district should benefit from the agreement on the table.

She added then: “I do feel this is the only game in town.

“If we don’t go for this deal then we will be starved of funding because we won’t fit in with what the others are doing.”