Yorkshire devolution deal: Neil Bowker, sales director of Microform Imaging Ltd

As devolution has once again become the current hot topic in Yorkshire, Bdaily is now going to put a spotlight on the progress of the proposed ‘One Yorkshire’ devolution deal.

Ever since the agreed £900m devolution deal for the Sheffield City Region (SCR) was postponed, there has been a question mark as to when, or if ever, a deal will be struck to see our region’s local authorities gain powers devolved from the government.

Throughout Autumn, Bdaily is setting out to give the business people of Yorkshire the opportunity to voice their opinions on the prospect of a ‘One Yorkshire’ devolution deal.

This week I spoke with Neil Bowker, the sales director of Microform Imaging Ltd which is a documents management specialist based in East Ardsley, West Yorkshire.

Hi Neil, so do believe that devolving powers from the Government to regions across the UK is a good idea?

I’m all for devolving powers from the government and passing this down to regions, the connection between higher end government and local business, in my opinion, has been lost, certainly, if you’re in the north of the country.

A region like Yorkshire where it is important to all within it to better themselves and grow in the areas required needs to have a handle on what’s changed and where expenditure happens without being dictated to by people who don’t fully understand what we as a region are trying to achieve.

Could you give a brief explanation as to why you support or don’t support a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal?

It can’t be something that happens overnight; we need to as a region be confident that our local areas have sufficient people in place to help facilitate the right deals and implement without issue. Having local power allows issues to be resolved much quicker and development to happen at a faster pace.

The government, in my opinion, isn’t structured correctly, if we can get the structure right on a local level I believe it will work very well. Small businesses like ours would have a better overall chance of growing at a good rate, and the local areas would benefit from better roads, better infrastructure, more housing etc..

Sheffield City Region previously agreed to a £900m devolution deal before it was postponed. Do you think having devolution deals for different parts of the region is beneficial or detrimental towards Yorkshire’s economy?

Again, It can’t be something that’s implemented overnight; it should start much higher up the chain and be cascaded down over time to ensure the spine of the infrastructure is consistent throughout.

If it’s done too quickly, too soon we could end up like the infrastructure set into the NHS where every department seems to fend for itself. If proper planning is put together and it’s evolved over time, people will buy into it and slowly change over time.

What issues do you think will greatly benefit from a devolution deal?

Transport has to be a big one; cars are becoming more and more popular as each year goes by. Where families used to have one or two cars on the drive, it’s becoming more apparent that three or four per drive is the thing.

Creating wider and better roads with sufficient parking or investment into bringing back local train stations would have a great impact on how we move around day to day.

Do you see the devolving of powers help you/your business? If so, how?

If powers were devolved on a more local level, I believe with the correct management local enterprises could form networking opportunities with local business and encourage more local spending to help sustain business growth for SME’s. It feels like only monopoly businesses are heard by the government and SME’s don’t get the chance.

Some regions have an infrastructure already to help businesses like ours but as said, its some regions/areas and not all. One framework that fits each region that can be cascaded down on a local level would benefit everyone within that area and make people feel like they had a voice.

Many believe that a Yorkshire devolution deal would be a major step towards realising a Northern Powerhouse. Do you agree?

Wholeheartedly agree, People in the south are disconnected to the way we live in the north, what better way can we have than a northern powerhouse that is dedicated only to the north and the norths issues.

I feel this would allow us to be more dynamic and flexible in our thinking in an ever moving fast-paced society. Places like London appear from the outside to have huge amounts of investment across the board into travel, hotel, business infrastructure, local development etc.. when we have our own arguments for development.

What would mark a successful devolution deal for you?

Releasing power from the high-end government, cascading down onto a per region lever with sub management teams providing a voice for local areas in and around the regions. This would take time to put in place but feel once it’s done and the framework is agreed collectively money can be distributed far quicker and problems resolved much better. The local people would feel that they had a voice that’s was listened to.

Do you believe Yorkshire is better off with a region-wide devolution deal? Why not get in touch to share your views. Please contact Editor Nick Hill.