Yorkshire devolution report from University of Leeds finds leaders willing to make it work, with questions on local authority role still to resolve

A new Yorkshire devolution report from the University of Leeds has found political and policy leaders across the region are pragmatically committed to making devolution work, while also raising questions about how local authorities fit into the evolving picture. The study, published by the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN), is based on interviews with council leaders, chief executives, and senior officers conducted during 2024 and 2025. It arrives as the English Devolution Bill progresses through Parliament and the region’s four strategic authorities — West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire — take on a growing set of powers, though all four are at different stages of maturity.

Collaboration and Caution in the Yorkshire Devolution Report

The dominant finding is what the researchers call ‘devo-pragmatism’: a broadly shared willingness to get on with delivery, built on trust developed through years of collaborative deal-making. Interviewees across the region expressed a collective desire to make the current structures work for their communities. The report also found strong support for deeper regional collaboration, with leaders keen to develop a more effective collective voice to lobby Westminster for powers and funding.

Alongside that pragmatism, the report identifies what it terms ‘devo-anxiety’ among some local authority leaders — a concern that powers and influence are drifting upwards to strategic authorities, and that councils risk being sidelined in future discussions despite being the primary deliverers of public services. Frustrations about the pace of policy change, the need for a collective regional voice to effectively lobby for increased powers and funding were expressed and interviewees urged the Government to provide greater strategic clarity regarding devolution to support its future development across the region. The researchers present both attitudes as coexisting: leaders want devolution to succeed, but want to ensure local councils remain at the heart of it.

All four of the report’s recommendations focus on strengthening collaboration: building regional networks, developing a collective voice for Yorkshire, creating shared frameworks for policy evaluation, and working more closely with universities on evidence-based approaches.

““The research provides unique insights into the growing pains and positive impacts of devolution across Yorkshire and the Humber. As the English Devolution Bill progresses through Parliament, both ‘devo-pragmatism’ and ‘devo-anxiety’ are strongly shaping attitudes to future devolution across the region.”

— Dr Andy Mycock, Y-PERN Chief Policy Fellow, University of Leeds

What This Means for Leeds Businesses

For the Leeds business community, the practical picture is one of change still taking shape. West Yorkshire’s Combined Authority, led by Mayor Tracy Brabin, is expected to be among the first designated as an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority once the Bill becomes law, gaining a broader range of devolved powers over planning, adult education, and the ability to request further functions from government. That means the strategic authority will have growing influence over transport, skills, and economic development priorities that directly affect businesses in the city.

Why this matters for Leeds

The Y-PERN report finding that leaders are willing to collaborate is positive for businesses that need a stable policy environment. But the report also surfaces real questions about local authorities’ future role that are not yet resolved. For anyone running a business in Leeds, understanding how power settles between the Combined Authority and the council is not abstract: it will affect who makes decisions on planning, skills, funding, and investment strategy.