BRADFORD residents have been urged to have their say on a proposed West Yorkshire Devolution deal.

Leaders of the five local Councils in West Yorkshire agreed to begin the consultation, which runs until July 19, last month to gauge public opinion of the plans.

The deal will see an elected mayor for the region, more local decision making powers and a huge pot of investment for schemes including the pedestrianisation of Hall Ings, a South Bradford park and ride, a proposed mass transit system linking key towns and cities and a plan to make Bradford Interchange a stop on the proposed Northern Powerhouse high speed rail line.

Responses to the public consultation will be considered by West Yorkshire councils and the Combined Authority in the summer before they are submitted to the Government as part of the parliamentary process to change the existing combined authority into a mayoral combined authority.

Mention of devolution makes people 'glaze over'

Bradford Council is keen to hear the views of everyone, so people from right across the district can help shape the progress of the deal, from Bradford, Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley and everywhere in-between.

The West Yorkshire devolution deal, announced in the March 2020 Budget, and the biggest ever of its kind, brings more than £1.8 billion of investment for West Yorkshire into local control. This includes £38 million per year for 30 years with freedoms to spend on local priorities.

The directly-elected Mayor for West Yorkshire will be elected in May 2021.

Specific projects identified so far, include:

• £500,000 of Government funding to support master planning in Bradford City Centre to maximise regeneration opportunities from Northern Powerhouse Rail – a city centre high speed stop would add up to £15bn to the Northern economy

• A package of measures to transform Bradford City Centre through pedestrianisation, new cycle infrastructure and better access to Bradford Interchange

• A new park-and-ride for South Bradford providing alternative access to the city centre and key employment sites

• The Government has also committed to working with Bradford Council on developing the district’s Act Early research hub which focuses on early interventions in childhood health to improve lives and opportunities for children and their families, building on the world-renowned work of Born in Bradford

Leader of Bradford Council and chair of WYCA, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe: “We were delighted to finally secure this deal with government which will bring much needed new investment and powers from Whitehall to West Yorkshire, benefiting people from Keighley to Kippax and all points in between. We are pleased to move this forward to the next formal stage which leads to consultation, new governance arrangements and then completion.

“As well as placing more power in the hands of local people it heralds the start of decades of extra investment in infrastructure, skills and communities that will ensure that the region and its cities and towns can compete on the global stage, attract investment and grow their economies in ways that are clean, green and to the benefit everyone.

“In these exceptionally challenging times, more than ever it is vital that we lay the firm foundations that our district will need to be resilient and equipped to succeed in the future. Leading organisations across the region have already committed to working closely as part of the West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Board as we start on the long-road to getting the economy back on its feet and thriving.

“Bradford has been at the heart of negotiations and will continue to play a leading role under devolution, making sure that the deal unlocks potential, opportunities and growth for people and places right across the district.”

You can find out more and have your say on the West Yorkshire Devolution deal, by visiting here