Business leaders call for LEP to bridge the Humber
The much-maligned county of Humberside may be long gone, but some would say the economies of East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire remained inextricably linked - with a shared focus on shipping, petrochemicals and the prospect of thousands of new jobs supporting renewable energy projects.
Not so, say the leaders of Liberal Democrat-run Hull City Council and Conservative-controlled East Riding of Yorkshire Council. They are joining forces with Scarborough to bid for a new Local Enterprise Partnership.
LEPs are set to replace Regional Development Agencies such as Yorkshire Forward and the government has received a number of separate bids from across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Labour-run North Lincolnshire Council is pushing for a pan-Humber LEP which is being supported by a number of businesses.
More than 50 firms, including bosses from BP and Conoco Phillips, have signed a letter calling on the Coalition Government to give the go ahead to a Humber LEP.
Opponents say there have been a number of Humber-wide economic bodies in recent years, which have largely failed to deliver.
Ministers say they'll be looking at all bids over the coming weeks in an attempt to establish which LEPs would best provide economic growth.
The competitive nature of this process could prove to be taster of the battle to come, with local authorities jostling over an ever shrinking pot of cash.
I'm Tim Iredale, the BBC's Political Editor in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and presenter of the regional Politics Show. This is strictly a "no-spin" zone where the political viewpoint is more Humber Bridge than Westminster Bridge. Your comments and observations are more than welcome. 
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