So what exactly is the Leeds City Region?
Just over a week ago we asked that very same question on this blog after a straw poll showed that 49 people out of 50 asked did not know what the city region was or what it did.
We gave readers the chance to put their questions to someone from the Leeds City Region (LCR). Yesterday afternoon I went along to Leeds Civic Hall to meet Rob Norreys, the head of the LCR Secretariat, who had agreed to answer readers' questions.
Norreys said that, put very simply, the LCR is the partnership of 11 local authorities in West and North Yorkshire which are working together on a number of themes like housing.
It covers the whole of West Yorkshire and parts of neighbouring North and South Yorkshire - the 11 local authority districts of Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York along with North Yorkshire County Council.
Your questions answered...
M. WAUGH ASKS:
Q. Exactly what is it that you do?
A. "Our primary role is to ensure a joined up strategy between 11 local authorities. We focus on transport, innovation, housing and skills and ensure the area's got a lower-carbon green infrastructure. We make sure there's one strategic plan for the area rather than a plethora of plans across local authorities which have sometimes contradicted each other.
"We don't deal in actual service provision, that's the role of local authorities like Leeds City Council. We do influence mainstream government funding to deliver those plans.
"We also work with other similar bodies across the country. An example of this would be the high speed rail link. We worked with Manchester and Sheffield City Regions to put the case that the line should be continued further North than Birmingham, the result was that the East Coast spur will now certainly come to Leeds and we are working on a city region level to ensure that it comes to York. That's a perfect exapmple of how we operate.
"We're an efficient and cost-effective way of the region's authorities working together.
"The Leeds City Region has the economy of a small European country. We believe that the devolution of policy and funding powers is a good thing. If you look at London's Mayor Boris Johnson, he has a fund for transport devolved down to him. I am not saying we're the same as London but we have a population of three million people and 120,000 businesses in Leeds City Region. It is a big economy and we feel we can make certain decisions better than those in central government."
ANDY BOULD ASKS:
Q. I live in Harehills. Why should I care about Leeds City Region?
A. "It's right that people identify with their local environment and have concerns about what happens locally.
"The fact that the Leeds City Region is working quietly between local authorities I hope will improve people's skills levels, public transport and housing across the region. I hope that this is something that you, as a Harehills resident, will benefit from through delivery of services from Leeds City Council.
"There may not be flashing lights on the bus stop saying that it is delivered by Leeds City Region, but we may have had an influence. We don't deliver the actual services ultimately - that's down to the council.
"If you wanted to lobby Leeds City Region on a Harehills issue, you could go through your elected ward members, who can then take it to the leader of the council and he can bring it to the Leeds City Region Board. If you have ideas or issues you want to raise directly, then we'd be more than pleased to hear from you. You can find our details on the LCR website."
KELLY B OF MOORTOWN ASKS:
Q. What are you going to do to open yourself up to the public more?
A. "In terms of decision-making all the meetings are held in public and all the details are published on our website in advance of the meetings.
"From what we're heard today, we probably need to do more to raise our profile and public awareness of the issues we deal with. We will listen to any ideas people may have, whether it means us having social media pages on things like Facebook, or more events.
"I would stress that nothing is hidden, it's up there on the website. Minutes of meetings, our finances - it's all there. We're not a secret organisation, but we have to be realistic as to how we market ourselves, we're only a team of eight and we're a small and lean operation. We will do what we can."
MIKE CHITTY ASKS:
Q. With the imminent demise of Yorkshire Forward and the development of local economic partnerships, what is left for the city region to focus on?
A. "I don't think that they're two different things. The city region has written to the government expressing the view that we will establish a local enterprise partnership at city region level.
"In a sense city region is making a bid to government for greater devolved powers and responsibilities and build up what we acquired from the last government."
NAME WITHELD BY AGREEMENT ASKS:
Q. Which, if any, of the current functions of the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber (GOYH) will the city region be taking over following the proposed closure of GOYH in the autumn?
A. My honest answer is that I don't think anyone really knows at this stage. We have got some rapid thinking to do on this issue.
Useful links to more about Leeds City Region
For more information on Leeds City Region, and agenda papers and minutes, go to www.leedscityregion.gov.uk. There's also further reading here and here.
What do you think? Are you any wiser? Have your say in the comments section below.
