Barnsley and Doncaster voters 'overwhelmingly' in favour of One Yorkshire devolution plan

People in Barnsley and Doncaster have voted 'overwhelmingly' in favour of calls for a 'One Yorkshire' devolution deal.

In Barnsley, 40,280 residents took part in the community poll - that's 22.4% of the electorate. Of those, 34,015 (84.9%) chose 'wider Yorkshire', while 6,064 (15.1%) opted for Sheffield City Region.

Meanwhile in Doncaster, 45,470 residents voted - a turnout of 20.1%. Of those, 38,551 (84.7%) came out in favour of wider Yorkshire, with only 6,685 (14.7%) preferring Sheffield City Region.

The councils spent nearly £250,000 asking residents whether they would prefer to be part of the Sheffield City Region deal, or the 'One Yorkshire' proposal that has since been backed by fifteen councils across the region.

Supporters claim the One Yorkshire proposal could give the region control of £30bn over 30 years.

The Sheffield City Region deal is worth £1.3bn over 30 years, but has already been agreed by the government and all South Yorkshire councils.

But in recent months, authorities in Barnsley and Doncaster have backed away from the deal, claiming 'One Yorkshire' would bring greater benefits to the towns.

Yesterday, the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to local authorities in South Yorkshire, suggesting South Yorkshire councils should press ahead with the Sheffield City Region deal, but leave open the option for a One Yorkshire deal further down the line.

The Government insists the election for a Sheffield City Region mayor will go ahead in May 2018, but the leader of Barnsley Council has called for a change of plan.