Leeds City Region to grasp opportunities of Assisted Areas Status

11.02.2014

Areas in the Leeds City Region are in line to get new powers to help businesses grow as the government consults on which areas of the UK will get “Assisted Area” status for 2014-20.

At present, the local authorities within the Leeds City Region that contain wards with Assisted Area status are Wakefield, Barnsley and Selby. However, if the government’s proposals for 2014-20 are implemented as they stand, Assisted Area coverage within Leeds City Region would be significantly expanded to include areas of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Leeds.

Places that are designated Assisted Areas are able to offer greater levels of support to businesses who are either already located there or who move into the area.

Traditionally, Assisted Areas status has been granted to economically disadvantaged localities, both to encourage businesses to locate there and also to support existing businesses to grow. However, in revised plans, the UK government is keen to ensure that Assisted Area coverage is closely aligned to areas of economic opportunity to ensure that the impact of the benefits on offer is maximised. If plans go ahead as they stand, the Leeds City Region would see a huge increase in its proposed coverage - up 75% on the existing coverage, compared to an increase of 13% for the UK overall.

The revised coverage would include some the city region’s key development sites, including the Aire Valley enterprise zone, Bradford city centre growth zone and Leeds’ city centre and south bank areas. It would also cover crucial industrial areas south of Bradford, and parts of Dewsbury, Batley and Brighouse which are home to many of the city region’s manufacturing businesses and have huge potential to expand.

The LEP has now responded to the government’s consultation, expressing its full support for the revised proposals. The consultation closed on 7 February, after which the government will submit its proposals to the EU for a final decision.