THE leader of a West Yorkshire council has insisted the region’s new £1.8bn devolution deal would not favour Leeds at the expense of smaller districts.

Leader of Wakefield Council Denise Jeffrey claimed any deal branded ‘Leeds City Region’ would ‘not have cut it.’ with the people of Wakefield and that the name was a recognition of the importance of the region’s five local authorities.

The deal, which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, is worth an estimated £1.8bn over 30 years, and will see further powers passed from central government to an elected mayor covering Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

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On-off negotiations have lasted five years, and some earlier proposals had been dubbed a ‘Leeds City Region’ deal.

But Coun Jeffrey felt the decision to name the mayoral region after West Yorkshire was symbolic, showing extra funds and powers would be shared between local authority areas.

She said: “It’s great that it’s happened – the biggest thing for me is the name is West Yorkshire. ‘Leeds City Region’ did not cut it with Wakefield, and we are not just a suburb of Leeds.

“I am satisfied at the details of the deal, but the name mattered greatly for the people of Wakefield. Leeds is a great city but we will make sure will spread the funding out over all of the districts.”

The deal, worth £38m per year for 30 years, will see further powers over transport, education and infrastructure transfer to the region from Westminster.

Examples of some of the funding in the deal include £317m for public transport, cycling and walking; £25m to support the development of a British Library North in Leeds; control of West Yorkshire’s £63m adult education budget and extra funds for early stages of a new mass transit system and the redevelopment of Leeds Station.

A statement from West Yorkshire Combined Authority claimed the move would ‘drive up living standards through better transport, improved skills and stronger businesses, while tackling the climate emergency’.

As well as the extra funding, the deal will see the creation of a West Yorkshire mayor, to be elected for the first time in May 2021.