North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York Council have agreed to progress with plans to create a new mayoral combined authority.
Members of both authorities have backed proposals for the devolution deal after considering the results of a public consultation, which closed on 16 December 2022. The government can now proceed with plans to create the new authority, which will be established later this year.
The devolution deal for North Yorkshire and York was proposed by government in August 2022. It is set to bring over £540m of investment to the area over the next 30 years and transfer new powers to a directly elected mayor. Mayoral elections are expected to take place in 2024.
The mayor will have powers to invest the funding from Whitehall in transport, housing and education to drive local growth and could invest upwards of £95m in York and North Yorkshire.
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Keith Aspden, City of York Council leader, said: “The approval of the plans by full council marks a critical step in the progress towards unlocking devolution, with clear cross-party support for moving forwards in the process.”
Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said: “The benefits of devolution are clearly evident elsewhere in Yorkshire, and we are committed to making sure that North Yorkshire is also given the chance to see the real opportunities that decision-making on a far more local level would bring.
“I would urge ministers to progress plans following the support that devolution has received from the public.”
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