CONSERVATIVE council and group leaders from across Yorkshire have agreed negotiations with ministers about devolving powers to local government should take into account the identity of Yorkshire as a whole.

Catterick councillor Carl Les, the newly-elected leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said while ministers had described the devolution moves as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, the opportunities would be furthered if the Yorkshire region united.

He said as "greater Yorkshire", the region would be better placed to produce a bid to the Government which demonstrated it could take more local control of decision making.

Speaking on behalf of leaders meeting in Harrogate for the Local Government Conference, Cllr Les said: “We recognise fully the economic powerhouse that is West Yorkshire, but our ambition for the benefit of all our residents must go far beyond that.

“When you think about the value-added of the other parts the list is almost endless."

"If we want to succeed we must be innovative and ambitious in our proposals, which we believe we can be.”

Cllr Les said the next step was for leaders to meet with key stakeholders such as the business community and the county’s MPs to set out priorities and to meet with ministers and civil servants to discuss the devolution framework, including constraints and the opportunities.

He added: “When we have set out our plan then we need a full and open discussion with all our residents.

"We need to take them with us because after all we were elected to serve them, and they need to be equally confident that this is the right thing to do.”