I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Tell the minister: Be a builder not a blocker!. Write one here: actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

Regional power, regional culture – why both matter yorkshirebylines.co.uk/region/regio...

Yorkshire Water: it’s time to end the rip-off Handing the company back to local people would return both control and value to those who need it most By John Hall @yorkshirebylines.co.uk @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Tom Gordon's amendment: what real devolution could mean for Yorkshire This week, an amendment to the England devolution bill could be transformative for the region’s ability to decide its future By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

If Yorkshire had the power to shape its own future, thanks to the devolution bill amendment. What should a regional government tackle first? Transport, jobs, housing, or something else? Your voice matters. Tell us what should top the list. #YorkshireDevolution #HaveYourSay

Jeffrey Matsu is right — devolution without fiscal power is just window dressing. Regions like Yorkshire need real control over funding, not more bids to Whitehall. Until we can raise and spend our own money, devolution in England remains unfinished business. www.lgcplus.com/politics/dev...

✍️ Bridget Phillipson for Labour deputy leader Labour needs a deputy who can steady the ship and widen its reach, an independent-minded northern voice with a record of delivery By John Grogan

Ripon City Council in chaos! Public vote of no confidence in new Mayor Who benefits from political turmoil? #Reform #Ripon #Yorkshire @yorkshirebylines.co.uk yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/rip...

Breaking the cycle – but not without the regions Britain’s recovery depends not just on Westminster, but on empowering all regions – without true devolution, growth will remain out of reach By John Hall @yorkshirebylines.co.uk

Dicky Bird has died – Yorkshire’s own, cherished for his warmth, humour and legendary cricketing spirit. From Barnsley to Test match stardom, he inspired generations with honesty, fair play and fierce pride in his roots. RIP.

✍️ How Reform UK Ltd’s policy proposals would deepen divides Reform UK’s rise may seem like change – but its policies will gut the same communities as austerity and make the richest richer still By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

✍️ Why can’t Yorkshire scrap peak fares, like Scotland’s doing? Yorkshire rail users face fewer trains, higher fares and less investment – our region is stuck on the slow track By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

✍️ Industrial strategy zones and freeports – here’s a better idea Yorkshire’s future growth is best steered by those who know the county best – those who live, work or do business here By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Regional autonomy works, Scotland, Wales & NI lead on climate & energy while Westminster drags its feet. Imagine Yorkshire with those powers – cleaner air, green jobs, thriving communities. It’s time for a Yorkshire Regional Government. www.isepglobal.org/articles/ind...

✍️ An unhealthy alliance One in four UK MPs have taken pro-Israel lobby funding, raising urgent questions about foreign influence and trust in British democracy By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Yorkshire Leaders Board – Working Together for Our Region's Future open.substack.com/pub/johnphil...

✍️ The Halls of West Yorkshire A centuries-spanning journey through the Hall family reveals iron moulders, cricketers, comics, and a bowman at the Battle of Flodden By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Hollywood actor Sean Bean blasts plans to build thousands of houses on green belt near his hometown The actor wrote: 'I would like to register my objection for the proposed mass building in the Handsworth area of Sheffield, where I grew up and spent some of the best years of my life.'

✍️ The battle for Handsworth Why local voices must lead Yorkshire’s planning future By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Another report that calls for bigger & better devolution. This is too big a job for an individual Mayor. This type of devolution needs a regional government, as seen in most successful economies throughout the world. Britain is far too centralised. www.countycouncilsnetwork.org.uk/new-report-c...

This excellent article in @yorkshirebylines.co.uk explores Sam Freedman's Failed State: Why Britain Doesn’t Work and How We Fix It. Why England must empower its regions. Our centralised system is failing, and we need governance that’s effective and accountable yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/the...

@yorkshirebylines.co.uk Excellent article! Strongly agree—Yorkshire deserves real autonomy. Local control will unlock our region's potential, generating far more than invested. yorkshirebylines.co.uk/region/from-...

Surviving Gaza: a personal account of life under siege "Gaza is not just a news headline. It is my home. It is full of people who want to live -not just survive, but live in dignity, in safety, in freedom." @northeastbylines.co.uk northeastbylines.co.uk/news/world-n...

✍️ When banks forget history, the public pays. From Farrow’s to 2008, prudence – and ring-fencing – must guard the people’s money By John Hall

✍️ A challenge to Britain’s elite Fairer distribution of national wealth for the north of England: throwing down the moral gauntlet to the country’s financial elites By John Hall

Bilbao in Spain is one example, it turned its fortunes around with bold regional governance. Investing in infrastructure, innovation, and partnerships to boost jobs and the economy. The UK should follow this example for growth in our own deprived regions. www.cityam.com/unemployment...

Rachel Reeves’ pension megafund plans sound big, but most UK investment will flow to the Oxford-Cambridge Arc—not places like Yorkshire. The Arc’s life sciences and tech sectors keep attracting the lion’s share of funding. Regional balance further eroded. www.cityam.com/rachel-reeve...

Yorkshire Future: time for real change yorkshirebylines.co.uk/region/yorks...

✍️ Yorkshire Future: time for real change At a meeting in Leeds on 7 June, campaigners will take the next step toward true Yorkshire devolution – real power, shaped by and for its people By John Hall @johnfromyorkshire.bsky.social

Don’t hold your breath—Leeds rail projects get big announcements, then get scaled back or cancelled, while London’s HS2 and Elizabeth line keep moving. Oxford-Cambridge Arc is underway too. Seen it all before! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Central governments cling to power. Yorkshire's 2018 One Yorkshire proposal offered a prime opportunity for change. A missed opportunity. The mayors, through their newly formed White Rose group, acknowledge this issue and push for reform. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...

Brian McDaid article on rebuilding politics resonates deeply. The Yorkshire Party embodies his vision of community empowerment, youth engagement, and grassroots action. Together, we can counter division and build a fairer society. yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/reb...

If you are voting on May 1st, in the Hull & East Yorkshire Mayoral elections. This is what the Yorkshire Party is proposing for Yorkshire. A Regional Parliament. Local people know what's best for their region. Westminster is failing us. Scotland is making progress. @discoverhulley.bsky.social

Imagine watching children grow up in unsuitable housing for 20 YEARs, promises are broken. That’s the reality for some Yorkshire families. It’s heartbreaking. A DISGRACE. Yorkshire families trapped in unsuitable housing for 20 YEARS. The Yorkshire Party has the solution. From examinerlive.co.uk

RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch reveals declining bird numbers in Yorkshire What happens when the dawn chorus finally falls silent? The starling murmuration in this piece gives the wrong impression @yorkshirebylines.co.uk @rspb.bsky.social yorkshirebylines.co.uk/region/rspbs...

👏 Celebrating Yorkshire’s heritage guardians Volunteers are the unsung heroes of Yorkshire’s countryside – restoring, protecting, and celebrating its natural and cultural heritage By Colin Speakman

If you want someone to represent the best interest of Hull & East Yorkshire, not their political masters in Westminster London, then vote for local guy Rowan Halstead. @uniteneyh.bsky.social @tucneyh.bsky.social @gouldie7.bsky.social @discoverhulley.bsky.social whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/11204...

Agree with @campaignjane.bsky.social — until regions get fair funding and real powers to regenerate, decline will continue and London & the South East will keep widening the prosperity gap. Devolution is key to a fairer, stronger UK.

Congratulations Yorkshire Bylines and well done. You’ve given a voice to Yorkshire — an’ bye gum, it needs one! Tha’s done reight well, and it’s grand to see Yorkshire’s words, news and issues and ways celebrated so reet proper. Keep up the champion work!

I can feel @andyburnham.bsky.social. frustration.A quote from the article. "Devolution needs to go much deeper and faster if we are to get the growth we need" Only Regional Parliaments as proposed by the Yorkshire Party will suffice. Not half baked Mayoral fudge. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

There needs to be proper parliamentary devolution. Yorkshire as a whole has abt same pop size as Scotland. There is no good reason for it to have less autonomy (bar the fetish some ppl have over the 'nation' label). Devolution shd be pased on equal powers for areas of equal pop size.

While the agreement does not replace the need for a fully devolved regional government, it demonstrates the potential for greater regional autonomy, fairness in funding, and local control over policies that affect Yorkshire’s future. yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/the...

Just on the (absultely fully packed) train home from Selby where the three Yorkshire mayors have signed the "White Rose Agreement". As my plan to have a seat on the train fell apart, the story will be written up and published a little bit later today.

We welcome the signing of the White Rose Agreement by the Mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire. Hear more from our Executive Director, Dr Peter O'Brien (@obee72.bsky.social), commenting on today's news: bit.ly/3R3bz9y

According to @IPPRNorth 1} Between 2012/13 and 2022/23, total public spending: ➡️ Increased by 18 per cent in the North of England 📷 Increased by 25 per cent in the South East of England. This has been happening for a long time and still is. Currently it is HS2 and the Oxford Cambridge Arc.

All UK governments do this, resulting in the regions being denied stability. Centralisation is holding back the regional economies and the country's economy. yorkshirebylines.co.uk/region/elimi...