This statement is made with reference to Section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking statement for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for the financial year ending 31 March 2025.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is committed to developing robust strategies and approaches to ensure that slavery and human trafficking do not occur within the Combined Authority's supply chains or in its communities.
The Combined Authority believes that through collaborative efforts, it can reduce the risk, lessen the impact, and support the survivors of modern slavery. The Combined Authority takes its responsibilities seriously by modelling the behaviours the Combined Authority expects, challenging practices where necessary, and actively raising awareness of slavery and trafficking to help others recognise signs of exploitation and take action.
The Combined Authority is deeply committed to tackling modern slavery. As part of our commitment, we will act on any instance we encounter or that is reported to us.
The Combined Authority will continue to publish its statement annually, reviewing its content regularly to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Annual Modern Slavery statement was approved by the Mayoral Office and Chief Executive on 2 March 2026.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority brings together the local authorities of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. Working in partnership, across West Yorkshire, the Combined Authority develops and delivers policies, programmes and services which directly benefit the people of West Yorkshire.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) run through everything the Combined Authority does. The Combined Authority adopted its EDI vision in 2021, with a drive to lead on and be recognised nationally for its focus and commitment to EDI. As a key priority, the Combined Authority developed its EDI Plan 2022 – 2025 to support this vision, which outlines how it will embed the Local Government Equality Framework in its work.
In addition to its corporate objectives, The West Yorkshire Plan sets out an ambitious vision and five missions for 2040 that will drive the Combined Authority's work to transform lives and communities across the region. The Plan has been developed and will be driven forward by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the five local authorities, in consultation and partnership with a range of private, public, voluntary, and community sector partners.
The Combined Authority's suppliers are chosen objectively, based on cost and quality.
The Combined Authority takes its responsibilities to influence transparency within its supply chains seriously while promoting good employment practices. The fair work charter is a tool used to assess employers in the region on five themes: opportunity, security, well-being, employee voice, and fulfilment. Once employers are certified members of the West Yorkshire Fair Work Charter, they are provided with ongoing support to further develop and embed fair work across their organisation.
The key policies regarding modern slavery and transparency within its supply chains at West Yorkshire Combined Authority are the Combined Authority's Procurement Strategy (which provides an overview approach to its procurement and buying decisions) and Contract Standing Orders (which consider individual procurement activities in more granular detail). Individual Procurement Strategy documents are developed for each major procurement activity undertaken, which identify specific risks pertaining to modern slavery and guide the Combined Authority's approach to mitigating risk and maximising opportunities.
The Human Resources and Audit functions of the Combined Authority maintain policies on Whistleblowing and safe ways of working, providing mechanisms to raise concerns and escalate or investigate issues both internally and those within its supply chains.
The Combined Authority's Recruitment, Selection and Induction Policy ensures all recruitment activities, including the vetting and onboarding of new staff, are conducted in a compliant manner and necessary steps are taken to authenticate identification.
Temporary staff recruitment is undertaken through the Combined Authority's chosen agency partner, and the process of appointing a candidate is conducted in accordance with its vetting and onboarding requirements. It is the intention of the Combined Authority to develop proactive ways of working with its suppliers to ensure they also support their employees through the adoption of similar policies, protections and mechanisms to develop a joined-up approach across the supply chain.
The Combined Authority works closely with West Yorkshire Police, ensuring the Combined Authority's policy approach to Modern Slavery works in partnership with those utilised by the police force within the region.
Following the enactment of transparency in supply chain guidance under the Modern Slavery Act, the Combined Authority (under the then Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) collaborated with regional PCCs and Chief Constables to establish a joint policy and statement on Transparency in Supply Chains across the Northeast region.
The Combined Authority is officially recognised as a Living Wage Employer. This means that all colleagues across the organisation continue to receive at least the real living wage. The commitment also means that future contracts for regularly outsourced workers for the Combined Authority also require at least the real living wage to be paid.
The Combined Authority has made significant progress since its last statement. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has strengthened its due diligence processes and increased its capacity to tackle modern slavery.
The Combined Authority hired a dedicated Due Diligence Officer within its Commercial Team. This has enhanced the Combined Authority's ability to conduct more thorough checks, specifically for modern slavery risks.
The Combined Authority is implementing the changes from the Procurement Act 2023. These changes include stronger exclusion grounds, which will help the Combined Authority prevent organisations involved in modern slavery from bidding on its tenders.
The Combined Authority uses the TOMs framework and the Social Value Portal to work with its suppliers. The Combined Authority can now focus on the specific modern slavery risks within their supply chains. This approach ensures its efforts are targeted and effective.
The Combined Authority will continue to build its internal due diligence resources. This will allow the Combined Authority to undertake more comprehensive checks.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority continues to combat modern slavery in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Combined Authority has strengthened its approach to risk assessment and management.
The Combined Authority's procurement processes include robust, auditable checks to identify modern slavery throughout the procurement and contract lifecycle. The Combined Authority's contracts with external suppliers contain legally compliant terms and conditions which help to reduce the risk of modern slavery in its supply chains.
The Combined Authority maintains a joined-up approach to tackling modern slavery. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is an active member of the Regional Strategic Procurement Group. This forum allows the Combined Authority to collaborate with local partners. The Combined Authority shares common risks and lessons learned to improve its collective efforts.
The Combined Authority will ensure Modern Slavery checks are conducted on all its high-risk contracts through Category Plans and Contract Management activities.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is committed to eliminating modern slavery in its supply chains. The Combined Authority measures its effectiveness through several key actions.
The Combined Authority reviews and updates this statement every year. The Combined Authority works with its partners and providers to raise awareness of modern slavery throughout the year. This encourages increased reporting and ensures people know about the help available for victims.
The Combined Authority assesses the risk of modern slavery in all new procurement activities through Category Planning and Procurement Strategies. The Combined Authority continuously monitors these risks through contract management supported by experienced Commercial Managers and Officers.
The Combined Authority collaborates with West Yorkshire Police and other local authorities, ensuring a joined-up approach across the region. The Combined Authority shares best practices and builds on its successes to ensure continuous improvement.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority engages with key partners through the West Yorkshire Anti-Slavery Partnership. This group includes representatives from local authorities, West Yorkshire Police, voluntary and community services, and the private sector.
The Combined Authority has a clear commitment to staff training and development. This includes building skills to combat modern slavery.
The Combined Authority rolled out a new e-learning course on modern slavery. All staff have access to it on a voluntary basis. Commercial colleagues must complete and pass the training. The Combined Authority tracks the number of staff who complete this training across the authority, which currently stands at 85% of all staff. This helps the Combined Authority ensure a strong level of awareness across the organisation.
Several members of the Combined Authority's commercial team have already or are completing Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) qualifications. These courses include a module on Ethical Procurement and Supply, which covers anti-slavery and human trafficking. This ensures the Combined Authority's staff have a professional understanding of the issue.
The Combined Authority raises awareness through its internal communications channels. This includes a dedicated intranet page and external messages for events like Anti-Slavery Day.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is committed to the ongoing fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. The Combined Authority will continue to strengthen its due diligence, enhance its risk management, and work collaboratively with all partners.
This statement represents the Combined Authority's progress to date. The Authority is committed to building on these improvements and maintaining the highest standards of transparency and ethical conduct in the year ahead.