Calderdale Lib-Dems call for Yorkshire Parliament

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Local Liberal Democrats in Calderdale are proposing that Yorkshire should take advantage of the government's offer of "devolution on demand" in England in the wake of the failed vote for Scottish independence.

"We want to see an end to the unelected quangos in Yorkshire especially City Regions and Combined Authorities," says Cllr Janet Battye, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Calderdale Council and the Liberal Democrat representative on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. "Although the Combined Authority meets in public, its members are local Councillors not directly elected by local people to represent them.

"Local people may, quite rightly, be worried about there being too many tiers of government and too many administrators but our proposals would streamline that and keep it to a minimum, while retaining and support local Parish and Town Councils, and local community groups."

"Yorkshire has a proud identity and history, and as many people and as strong an economy as Scotland," says Alisdair Calder McGregor, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Calder Valley. "The Conservatives' idea of English votes for English laws isn't good enough because those votes on matters affecting Yorkshire would still take place in Westminster. It's time for Yorkshire to run its own affairs with its own Parliament. I am proud to champion the long-standing Liberal policy of local rule"

Calderdale Liberal Democrats are taking their proposal to the Liberal democrat regional conference taking place in Leeds on 1st November. If the motion is passed, then it will become the policy of the regional party in the forthcoming elections.

Local Lib Dems claim the population and GDP of Yorkshire is roughly equivalent to that of Scotland.