Arguably one of the great public policy successes of the last decade has been increasing devolution of investment and powers from Whitehall to local places. So, it was encouraging to see new and enhanced devolution deals for many places confirmed by chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the final Budget of the current Parliament.

In February, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber, the NHS Confederation and Yorkshire Universities published a White Paper – Empowering Local Places for Health and Prosperity. It set out recommendations for national, regional and business leaders to narrow the health and wealth gap.