
Mayor celebrates National Apprenticeship Week
Mayor celebrates National Apprenticeship Week with visit to Leeds business as she hails success of multimillion pound support scheme.
Following an announcement from the government’s Cities and Local Growth Unit that funding for Local Growth Hubs is to be cut by 50% in the coming financial year, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, has given her reaction.
1 April 2022
“This halving of funding for local Growth Hubs is a bitter blow for businesses in West Yorkshire and will have damaging consequences. The fact this announcement was made one day prior to the start of the new financial year adds to the great difficulties this cut causes. It is no way to run a country or to support an economy recovering from a global pandemic.
“The Growth Hub is an important element of our Business Support Service and the vital work to drive inclusive growth and opportunities for people in West Yorkshire, and to help the region’s economy recover.
“The practical implications of the cut are very concerning. Reduced funding would mean less money to support West Yorkshire’s small and medium-sized businesses, at a time when they need it most; as well as an overall reduction in the support and services we can offer to business of all sizes in the region.
“This is yet another example of Government departments not properly committing to ‘levelling up’ and delivering on the big promises made by senior Ministers.
“We will now consider our next steps and will continue to argue the case for more funding for West Yorkshire businesses and the power to invest funding where it is most needed."
This halving of funding for local Growth Hubs is a bitter blow for businesses in West Yorkshire and will have damaging consequences.
Mayor of West Yorkshire
“This cut in funding for the Growth Hub is bad news for business in West Yorkshire.
“And especially so, given there can be no doubt about the effectiveness and importance of the West Yorkshire Growth Hub. Since it launched in 2015, it has supported more than 20,000 SME’s to grow and develop.
“Last year, it supported more than eight thousand businesses through the pandemic and with the adjustments required by Brexit.
“A 50% reduction in funding and revealing this cut so very late in the day, will seem to many people like very poor recognition for this vitally important work”.
Mayor celebrates National Apprenticeship Week with visit to Leeds business as she hails success of multimillion pound support scheme.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin introduced the scheme to help make travel around the region easier in the face of huge increases.
In a major boost to West Yorkshire’s creative sector, the Chief Executive of The Piece Hall Trust, Nicky Chance-Thompson DL has been appointed as the new Deputy Chair of the region’s Culture Committee.