Our vision

Our transformative vision for Leeds City Region is to be a globally recognised economy where good growth delivers high levels of prosperity, jobs and quality of life for everyone.

We’re working closely with the Combined Authority and businesses, local authorities, universities, colleges and community organisations to implement our Strategic Economic Plan that sets out how we intend to achieve this vision.

We want to help develop the skills of our workforce, create thousands of new jobs and apprenticeships, help businesses grow, see new homes built and make wholesale improvements in our transport infrastructure to create ‘good growth’, so that everyone can enjoy better opportunities and quality of life.

Our 2036 goals

  • 35,700 additional net jobs created
  • £3.7 billion additional annual economic output
  • A near £100 billion city region economy

By 2036, the City Region will:

  • Deliver upwards of 35,000 additional jobs and an additional £3.7 billion of annual economic output
  • Become a positive, above average contributor to the UK economy, on track to become a near £100 billion economy
  • Seek to exceed the national average on high level skills and to become a NEET (not in employment, education or training)-free City Region
  • Make good progress on Headline Indicators of growth and productivity, employment, earnings, skills and environmental sustainability.

Achieving our aim of good growth will mean that people are better off, the local economy is transformed and boosted, the environment is improved and government is able to spend less on welfare.

 Across the Strategic Economic Plan, we have identified a set of Headline Initiatives and action areas that sit under our four priorities. These are the vital developments we want to see delivered – or well on the way to delivery – over the next 10 years.

The headline initiatives are the large scale ‘game changers’ that will make sure we can make real progress towards achieving the City Region’s vision. They address key, evidence-based issues and opportunities, span all four priorities of this strategy and will support the principle of ‘good growth’.

These initiatives will be delivered through a wide range of partners, including and going well beyond the LEP and the Combined Authority, and utilising local, national and European funding sources.

Priority 1: Growing Business

Headline initiatives:

  • Implement coordinated and wide ranging action to radically increase innovation
  • Become a global digital centre – with specialisms in data storage, analytics, digital health and tech skills
  • Boost business growth, productivity, exports and investment by linking businesses to support and funding, including through the LEP growth service, skills service and trade and investment programme

 Action initiatives:

  1. Business Growth Hub (LEP Growth Service)
  2. Innovation
  3. Access to finance
  4. Digital
  5. Supply chain development
  6. Enterprise
  7. Trade and investment
Priority 2: Skilled People, Better Jobs

Headline initiatives:

  • Deliver a ‘more jobs, better jobs’ programme to widen employment, skills, apprenticeships and progression opportunities, linked to NEET-free goals
  • Devise and deliver a programme of action to increase high level skills and close the gap to UK average

 Action initiatives:

  1. More and better apprenticeships
  2. Great education, connected to business
  3. Employability, access to jobs and realising potential
  4. Building workforce skills and attracting talent
  5. Addressing skills gaps and shortages
Priority 3: Clean Energy and Environmental Resilience

Headline initiatives:

  • Targeted investments and innovation to make the city region a leading-edge centre for zero carbon energy
  • Make climate change adaptation and high quality green infrastructure integral to improving the city region economy and its spatial priority areas

 Action initiatives:

  1. New energy generation
  2. Resource efficient businesses
  3. Energy efficiency and empowering consumers
  4. Green infrastructure
Priority 4: Infrastructure For Growth

Headline initiatives:

  • Deliver 30+ West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund schemes and make progress towards a single ‘metro style’ public transport network, connected to major national/northern schemes such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail
  • Develop and regenerate integrated spatial priority areas, supporting employment, quality environments and the building of 10,000-13,000 new homes per year
  • Develop an integrated flood risk reduction programme, incorporating flood defences, green infrastructure and resilient development

Action initiatives:

  1. Integrated spatial priority areas:
    1. Urban Growth Centres
    2. Housing Growth Areas
    3. Employment Growth Areas
  2. Transport infrastructure and services
  3. Integrated flood risk reduction
  4. Digital infrastructure