Chancellor meets Yorkshire mayors to talk growth

North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin meeting Chancellor Rachel Reeves (right)

New chancellor Rachel Reeves has held a meeting with Yorkshire's three elected mayors.

West Yorkshire's Tracy Brabin, North Yorkshire's David Skaith and Oliver Coppard, who represents South Yorkshire, met Ms Reeves on Thursday in Leeds.

The group of Labour mayors talked to the chancellor about devolution promoting economic growth across the region.

Ms Reeves, who is also Labour MP for Leeds West and Pudsey, said they had entrusted mayors to "deliver change for their communities, secure investment and power growth so that people here feel better off".

With the promise of new “freedoms and flexibilities” in next week’s King’s Speech, the mayors said they hoped to be helped to improve growth and job creation in their regions.

Mr Coppard, who joined the meeting virtually as he has Covid, said he and colleagues had agreed to work at pace with the new government.

At a meeting with all the UK’s elected mayors a few days ago, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed to put more power in the hands of local leaders who have “skin in the game”.