Yorkshire devolutionists discuss Scots independence

James Alexander, leader of the Labour-run City of York Council, will be among those addressing a meeting this Saturday on the implications of Scottish independence and the greater north-south debate. Convened in York by the all- and non-party Yorkshire Devolution Movement, the meeting will attempt to ask how independence for Scotland could affect Yorkshire and its future.

“Whether the Scots vote to stay in the UK or not next year, the problems with the UK remain the same,” said a spokesperson for the devolutionist campaign. “We have a UK economy which is now totally out of kilter as London and the south emerge from recession as the north still faces huge economic challenges. There is very little scope for communities like Yorkshire to make the changes needed to correct this imbalance.”

“The case for Yorkshire having the powers to determine its own future has never been more relevant. Hardly a day goes by without reports showing that Yorkshire is missing out of investment or funding of one kind or another as a result of the dead hand of Westminster and Whitehall.”

“The Yorkshire Devolution Movement has campaigned tirelessly over the past few months to expose these attempts to hold back Yorkshire’s progress, attracting a great deal of support from those seeking a solution to the imbalance of power which exists in the UK and to help unleash Yorkshire’s undoubted potential.”

The meeting on Saturday, which will also be addressed by businesspeople and academics from the Hull and Sheffield Hallam Universities, is part of a greater campaign to make Yorkshire devolution “the most talked about political topic in this region for the next few years”.

More details about the meeting and the campaign can be found on the Yorkshire Devolution Movement’s official blog.