Deadlocked Yorkshire devolution: Who will blink first?

With no end in sight to the deadlock blocking the government's ambitions for sealing devolution deals for Yorkshire it could be a case of who blinks first.

Can neighbouring local council leaders across West, North and East Yorkshire bury their party political differences and voluntarily agree to form mayor-led devolved regions?

Can South Yorkshire agree on exactly how much power will be put in the hands of its directly-elected executive mayor?

Or will the Chancellor, George Osborne, ignore his public promises that any change can only happen if agreement comes from the "bottom up" and take steps to impose the "devolution revolution" he trumpeted in his 2015 budget?

The stakes are high for all sides.

George Osborne is pinning his political ambitions on creating a patchwork of devolved regions across Yorkshire, Lancashire and the North East whose mutual co-operation will transform his concept of a Northern Powerhouse into reality.

Yorkshire's deadlock on devolution stands in the way of George Osborne's stated ambition of creating an integrated Northern Powerhouse

Local council leaders and powerful business lobby groups see a unique opportunity to take over budgets and powers in the North of England that have been controlled by London-based departments throughout modern history.

Yorkshire appears to be the only stumbling block with most of the rest of the north already well on the way to setting up devolution deals.

So far only the four powerful unitary authorities of South Yorkshire, together with a handful of smaller district councils across the border in northern Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, have come to a provisional agreement to set up a Sheffield City Region.

Even that much-trumpeted agreement is in danger of unravelling as the council leaders see the small print of the deal emerge.

One of them admitted that they had already made serious compromises by accepting the government's stipulation that the budget and powers of the new region would be in the hands of a directly-elected mayor.

The trade-off for them was giving the council leaders powers to veto "bonkers" policies should a "bonkers mayor" be elected when the public goes to the polls in 2017.

After all, it is not that long ago that a disillusioned electorate in Hartlepool elected a man in a monkey suit as executive city mayor with a policy of free bananas for schools.

Now some council leaders have woken up to the fact that the enabling legislation for setting up the new devolved regions also has a provision for the mayor to veto what he or she might consider as "bonkers" policies put forward by the council leaders.

Even more hard talking is expected before the Sheffield City Region signed "proposal" becomes a binding deal.

South Yorkshire councils are still working hard to forge an alliance with partners in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire t create a Sheffield City Region

Meanwhile, the Labour-controlled councils of West Yorkshire are no closer to clinching a deal with the Conservative-dominated authorities of North and East Yorkshire.

The political mathematics are the problem.

If voters living in all of those council areas come together in 2017 to vote for an executive mayor to lead what would become the "Greater Yorkshire" devolved region then it is odds-on that someone wearing a blue rosette will be making the winner's acceptance speech.

No surprise that West Yorkshire authorities are sticking to their demand for their own devolved region. It would also include the City of York where Labour councillors form the largest group.

Time is running out. The Chancellor has let it be known he wants this sorted out by the Budget.

At the rate of progress so far many are asking which Budget he has in mind.