Local Government Minister Stephen Clarke will NOT intervene in the appointment of an interim chair of Humber LEP, despite fierce objections.
Former East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby OBE succeeded Lord Haskins in a temporary role at the start of the month, just weeks after a recruitment process for a new permanent chair had been scrapped at interview stage.
Overlooked candidates voiced their disgust at the move, with one being Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce vice president Mike Whitehead, and another a senior city professional.
The latter walked away, claiming the process wouldn鈥檛 hold up to scrutiny, but Mr Whitehead sought Westminster advice, urging an inquiry.
Now Mr Clarke has responded, confirming arrangements will continue until an elected mayor can be appointed - potentially in 2022.
It follows the break-up of a devolution bid for the wider Humber - something the minister had been overseeing - with North and North East Lincolnshire councils now looking to Lincolnshire after December鈥檚 general election changed the political make-up.
Mr Whitehead, a property developer and former councillor and parliamentary candidate, said: 鈥淚t is evident to me, as I feared once the two South Bank councils refused to have any part of a pan-Humber deal, that the Government has become wearisome of the bickering of our local political leaders.
鈥淚t is very sad that the South Bank will not be linked with its close North Bank neighbours in a powerful devolved authority and this is a major failure of the Humber LEP鈥檚 track record.
鈥淓ffectively the LEP is going to limp along for the next three years under the leadership of a controversial interim leader as a Hull & East Riding LEP only.鈥
Turning his attention back north, and to the city, he labelled Mr Parnaby 鈥渄e facto Mayor of Hull & East Riding鈥 and warned of a 鈥渉ollowing out of Hull鈥 as key services and business cross into his former patch.
Recent years have seen East Riding benefit from huge investment as the city region has become an attraction, with Hessle and the A63/M62 corridor enjoying proximity to Hull while also space to grow.
鈥淭his will not be good for the city of Hull, surrounded by much larger, more established, resource-hungry devolved authorities,鈥 he said.
鈥淗ull has suffered greatly in recent years with the 鈥榟ollowing out鈥 of its City Centre and with the movement of key services and businesses to the East Riding. Many have moved out of Hull often only yards from the city boundary, together with university departments and police. This looks likely to continue at a pace further exacerbating the decline of the city centre in particular, as this has been a further failure of LEP policy.鈥
He expressed surprise at Hull City Council leader Steve Brady 鈥済oing along with such a lengthy interim appointment and an agenda that is not only counterproductive to the city I know he loves, but also the interests of a Labour Group and everything he must hold dear鈥.
Cllr Brady and his East Riding counterpart Richard Burton announced in March they would 鈥渂e working very closely together to progress a strong and ambitious regional devolution deal between our two councils,鈥 expressing disappointment at a failure to hold together a pan-Humber economic and political entity.
Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce chief executive labelled the move "a grubby fix" having publicly opposed a political leader, and been keen on South Bank representation, with government preference also for a business chair. Since stepping down from his Beverley role Mr Parnaby has become a director at Wren Kitchens.
Piling on the political pressure, Mr Whitehead added: 鈥淲ith the effective departure of the South Bank councils, Mr Brady is the only person who can stop this from happening, or be seen as the man who dismantled another brick from Labour鈥檚 Red Wall.鈥
Cllr Brady, via Hull City Council, declined to comment.
