2015 YORKSHIRE MANIFESTO

That this House welcomes the Yorkshire Post's manifesto; acknowledges Yorkshire's impressive and wide-ranging economic and cultural achievements; believes Government can and must do more to fully unlock Yorkshire's potential if it is to truly achieve a northern powerhouse economy; therefore supports the Yorkshire manifesto's calls for devolving greater powers and allowing local people to decide on key transport and infrastructure projects, particularly those needed in rural areas; also supports calls to further support Yorkshire's cultural offerings, given the success of the 2014 Tour de France, Hull set to be the 2017 UK City of Culture, the beautiful Yorkshire countryside including the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Part of the Peak District national parks, and Arts Council England figures showing for every £41 per head spent in London £13 was spent in Yorkshire; further believes in Yorkshire's untapped economic potential, with the fastest-growing digital sector inside the UK and a manufacturing base 50 per cent above the UK average; also supports the manifesto's calls to provide stronger support for local greenbelt, get building on brownfield sites, get more affordable housing built in the right places and put cycling at the heart of planning decisions; further commends the manifesto as a welcome contribution to the general election campaign; and calls on all political parties and the next Government to give the manifesto serious consideration for formulating policies affecting Yorkshire and its people.