Deputy Lord Mayor of Sheffield rules himself out of running to become Sheffield City Region mayor

There had been speculation that councillor Magid Magid, a Green Party ward member for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale, was preparing to throw his hat into the ring.

But in a short statement he said those who thought be was running had 'got the wrong end of the stick' and added: "I’m going to become the Lord Mayor of Sheffield in May and am not running to be the metro South Yorkshire Mayor."

This comes after Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis became the latest candidate to announce they will be running. He joins former Sheffield MP and cabinet minister Richard Caborn and Sheffield councillor Ben Curran in challenging for the Labour Party nomination.

"But we also need someone who as well as being Sheffield City Region mayor could contribute to a longer process for a wider devolution deal for Yorkshire and the Humber. Because the election of a mayor in South Yorkshire is not the end of our devolution story, it is the beginning."

Mr Jarvis, a former army major, said if he becomes mayor he would remain an MP as there was no agreement yet on what powers the role would come with, and he feels he would be better placed to make the case for the region from within parliament.

He also said he wanted to fulfil the commitment he made to serve his constituents throughout the duration of this parliament, but he promised not to draw any mayoral salary.

Following recent polls in Barnsley and Doncaster where the public overwhelmingly backed a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, Mr Jarvis said he believed a compromise could be reached where the Sheffield City Region mayor was given powers and funding this year while negotiations continued to secure a 'One Yorkshire' deal by 2020.

Sheffield and Rotherham councils back the South Yorkshire devolution agreement which has been approved by the Government, but the local authorities in Barnsley and Doncaster have withdrawn their support in favour of a Yorkshire-wide deal which does not yet exist.

The South Yorkshire deal would give the region £1.3 billion to spend over the next 30 years but there are fears it could miss out on that money if all four councils fail to reach an agreement.