The letter was published yesterday, which was Yorkshire Day. The letter – which is featured as part of a stunning four-page panoramic broadsheet cover wrap on the newspaper aims to ensure that the voice of the region, and the will of Yorkshire people, are heard as government goes about negotiating Britain's departure from the EU.
Combining the thinking of companies and individuals including Chris Pilling, CEO of Yorkshire Building Society and Leeds City Council Leader Judith Blake, the memo to May outlines six key priorities for the region, which it sees as fundamental to the future success of Yorkshire.
Continued commitment and investment to infrastructure projects in the region top the list, in order to overcome the longstanding challenge of closing the economic gap between Yorkshire and the South East. The Yorkshire Post is also asking for urgent clarity over the way the British Government will now support the farming and food production industry outside of the EU framework.
As well as highlighting the desire for Yorkshire to have more control over its own affairs, in whatever form that may take, the letter also shares concerns that ambitions to be a part of the green energy revolution are being hampered by inconsistent government policy.
James Mitchinson, editor of The Yorkshire Post, said: “Traditionally Yorkshire Day is an annual celebration of civic pride in the county's heritage. But as people come together to acknowledge and rejoice in what Yorkshire is so proud to have achieved, The Yorkshire Post is using today to appeal to the new Prime Minister to articulate her Government's vision for the five million inhabitants of the biggest of all counties.”
