The statutory name of the authority is the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority. Between April 2014 and May 2018 the authority was branded as the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and then as the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority between May 2018 and September 2021 when the present name was adopted.
In September 2006, the local authorities comprising the Sheffield City Region launched the Sheffield City Region Development Programme.[3] This set out how the local authorities believed that by working together as a city region they could increase the economic output of the area by 12.6% by 2016.
It also described governance structures for the city region, including a City Region Forum (consisting of the Leaders of each of the constituent authorities, including the two county councils and the Peak District National Park Authority, along with observers from the two Regional Development Agencies and Government Offices covering the city region). The City Region Forum has since been formally established,[4] and has resolved to set up four thematic Joint Issue Boards to take forward some of the propositions made in the City Region Development Programme. The four Joint Issue Boards cover transport; Residential Offer (Housing Supply and Demand); Destination Management (Tourism and Inward Investment); and Knowledge Economy and Innovation.
The region began its work properly in 2008, with a development forum created.[5] This was to be headed up by Sylvia Yates, the former director of South Yorkshire Objective One European grants programme before the European funding was lost.
Combined Authority
The Combined Authority was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 on 1 April 2014. The statutory name of the authority is the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority.
A devolution deal was agreed between the government and the Combined Authority in 2015 which committed £900 million for the region and a directly elected mayor of the Sheffield City Region from 2017 onwards.[6]
Following legal action from Derbyshire County Council regarding the inclusion of Derbyshire local authorities, and the withdrawal of Bassetlaw and Chesterfield councils mid-2017,[7] the first mayoral election was delayed until 2018.[8]
Naming
As part of the consultation process for the new authority, the UK government suggested the name South Yorkshire Combined Authority, which was rejected by the authorities who favoured the name Sheffield City Region Combined Authority. The government rejected this name as "misleading and inappropriate". The order presented to parliament to create the authority referred to it as the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield Combined Authority.[9] The authority subsequently used the corporate name Sheffield City Region Combined Authority between April 2014 and May 2018 when it adopted the name Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority. In June 2021 the authority agreed to assume the name South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).[10][11][12]
The Combined Authority consists of the four local authorities of South Yorkshire and the directly elected Mayor as constituent members, and the other authorities in the Sheffield City Region as non-constituent partners. Membership numbers are weighted to ensure a majority of South Yorkshire members, and non-constituent members may be excluded from some votes.[14]
The membership of the combined authority is as follows:[15][16][17][18]
The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership was established in 2012. The local enterprise partnership covers the nine local authority areas.[19]
The Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone includes sites spread over Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Markham Vale, Derbyshire.[20] In August 2011 the government announced the creation of the zone, which included the existing Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.[21] The zone was actually set up in 2012. In March 2014 more sites were added, increasing the zone's total area by around half. These included the addition of a site at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.[22]
Travel South Yorkshire is the public transport passenger information brand used by SYMCA. It was originally the public facing brand of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive before it was dissolved and merged into SYMCA in April 2023.
Infrastructure
Travel South Yorkshire is responsible for all the bus stops, shelters and bus interchanges in the county, along with park & ride sites. It also is responsible for the Sheffield Supertram network infrastructure.
Travel South Yorkshire's interchanges at Sheffield, Arundel Gate in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Hillsborough and Dinnington provide information and advice about public transport in South Yorkshire. From these interchanges, information can be obtained and a range of multi-modal (TravelMaster) tickets can be bought from self-serve vending machines. Other travel passes which were previously available at 'Information Centre' desks at these interchanges are now only available from the Travel South Yorkshire website or over the phone from Traveline.
Travel South Yorkshire provides timetable information for all bus and train services within South Yorkshire. This can be found at stops, in the form of timetable leaflets, information on the web and a telephone enquiry service called Traveline.
Ticketing and concessions
Travel South Yorkshire sells a range of multi-modal tickets on behalf of the public transport operators of South Yorkshire, including countywide Travelmaster tickets. These are generally in the form of smart card tickets and are commercial products which do not receive a subsidy. It also administers the concessionary travel schemes for young people and students, senior citizens and the mobility impaired.
Transport services
It is responsible for various public transport services in the county, including various subsidised bus services.
^"SCR Members". www.southyorks.gov.uk. Sheffield City Region Combined Authority. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
^"Overview". 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
^"Locations". Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
