Economic and Transport Recovery

A more inclusive, resilient sustainable economy with more productive businesses, better levels of skills and entrepreneurialism, less inequality, and environmental sustainability.

Aim

To grow a more inclusive, resilient sustainable economy with a more productive businesses, better levels of skills and entrepreneurialism, less inequality, and environmental sustainability.

What success will look like

A recovery that produces resilient and thriving businesses, boosted innovation, high skills and entrepreneurialism.

A clean growth recovery that grasps the opportunity to deliver sustainability across all our places.

A recovery that delivers inclusive growth and a decent standard of living, where good work and wellbeing allow as many as possible to contribute to, and benefit from the region’s economy.

A bus network that forms a vital part of a fully functioning and thriving transport network.

A transport network that is safe and supports COVID control measures and which positively impacts on the health and wellbeing of residents through environmental and social inclusion.

Strengths

  • UK’s largest regional finance centre, with strengths in professional and digital services.
  • More manufacturing jobs than anywhere in the north, with speciality in textiles, furniture, chemicals and machinery.
  • The fastest growing digital sector in the country, with areas of professional services seeing strong growth along with retail, hospitality and transport.
  • Recent positive changes in travel behaviour brought-on by the Covid-19 lockdown provide an opportunity to reimagine our neighbourhoods, towns and cities.

Challenges

  • Although increasing in absolute terms, productivity is persistently below national levels at around 86% of the UK average, with implications for earnings and prosperity.
  • Labour market - Strong recent improvement but employment rates remain below UK levels, with disadvantaged groups most at risk of being out of work.
  • Jobs and wages - Higher level occupations have been the main source of job growth in recent years, but 21% of jobs pay less than the Living Wage Foundation’s Living Wage rate and 29% of employees are not in good quality work.
  • Deprivation - More than 1 in 5 people (517,000 people) live in areas defined as being amongst the most deprived 10% in England. Relative levels of deprivation in West Yorkshire have got worse between 2015 & 2019.

Policies and strategies

Who’s helping make this happen

The West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Board brings together civic and business leaders from across the region to lead West Yorkshire out of the pandemic. This includes:

  • West Yorkshire’s five Council leaders
  • The LEP
  • The region’s Chambers of Commerce
  • Confederation of British Industry
  • Federation of Small Businesses
  • Integrated Healthcare Partnership
  • Trade Unions
  • Universities
  • Community sector