Yorkshire's divide and rule

I can't summon any enthusiasm for 'City Region Mayors.' I read on today's Labour List website that Dan Jarvis MP is throwing his hat into the ring to be Sheffield City Region Mayor - a position which apparently will come with very few powers but which will give the government's 'Northern Powerhouse' schtick a little more credibility (which it doesn't deserve). Having said which, when John Prescott offered regional devolution, it hardly turned the electorate on to learn that they may have had a tenuous say in, e.g. Regional Spatial Planning Strategy (whatever that is). If we are to have devolution in Yorkshire, can we not go the whole hog - which means for starters that Yorkshire - as a whole - (on its historic boundaries, including Middlesborough) gets some real power. 'Real power' in this case means devolving Whitehall money decisions and pretty much everything that Holyrood has. The Tories in East and North Yorkshire won't like it, but here in North Yorkshire we have a surfeit of councillors and a surfeit of councils that is almost on a par in today's context with what existed pre-1974 local government re-organisation, unfit for purpose.