Leeds City Region
Encyclopedia
The Leeds City Region is the area whose economic development is supported by the Leeds City Region Partnership, a sub-regional economic development partnership. This sub-region (defined by local labour markets and journey-to-work areas) covers the whole of West Yorkshire
and parts of neighbouring North
and South Yorkshire
; that is, the ten local authority districts of Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield, and York. With close to 3 million people, a resident workforce of 1.4 million, over 100,000 businesses and an economy worth £52 billion per year, the economy is larger than nine European countries economies, which makes the Leeds City Region a major economy. The region is diverse and has many centres, both geographically and culturally. It is one of eight city regions defined in the 2004 document Moving Forward: The Northern Way
, a collaboration between the three northern Regional Development Agencies
which is a part of the 20 year government strategy
to grow the economy
of Northern England
. As a partnership, the Leeds City Region is firmly established and has in operation an accountable decision making structure, which involves the Leaders of all eleven partner authorities. It has made several successful bids for government funded economic development projects.
and parts of South
and North Yorkshire
.
The geographical area included in the city region is made up of the local authority areas of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
, City of Bradford
, Calderdale metropolitan Borough
, Craven District
, Harrogate Borough
, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough
, City of Leeds
, Selby District
, City of Wakefield
and City of York along with part of North Yorkshire
. It covers a wide and varied physical region, taking in much of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
as well as Nidderdale
. Of the five cities, Leeds is the largest in geographical area, population and economy. The southern part of the region is largely urban with many former industrial centres. The northern part is mainly rural but includes significant urban centres, notably Harrogate
and York. The northern areas are generally wealthier than the southern part of the city region.
, although Manchester Airport is easily accessed by train and road from parts of the City Region, while Doncaster
, Durham Tees Valley
and Humberside
airports are also easily accessible. The Humber ports
are also within easy reach.
The north-south A1(M) and M62
motorways intersect close to Leeds, near the terminus of the M1
from London. A series of motorway spurs enable traffic to reach the centres of Leeds and Bradford quickly. There is a comprehensive secondary road network based on Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and York. The A1, A64
and A650 are important trunk routes
.
Leeds railway station is the hub of the region's extensive commuter rail network. The West Coast Main Line
(WCML) passes through the far northwest of the regional area, but the primary link to London is on the East Coast Main Line
(ECML), which principally serves Leeds railway station, Wakefield Westgate
and York railway station
. There are regional semi-fast services on the Transpennine line
that serve Huddersfield
, Dewsbury
, Leeds, Garforth
, York and Northallerton
. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
(Metro), coordinates rail services in the West Yorkshire part of this area, but not in Craven
and Harrogate which are under the auspices of North Yorkshire County Council
.
Despite this, the regional transport network is strained thanks to low levels of transport investment from Central Government. As a result there is overcrowding on the rail network and significant connectivity issues within the city region and between other city regions such as Manchester
and
Sheffield
as well as London
.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
and Aire and Calder Navigation
run through the region, though today they are only used for leisure purposes.
, is located.
Rural areas have diversified
with a mixed economy combining a range of employment opportunities alongside agriculture and a strong tourism base. Regardless of this, poor physical connectivity has hampered growth in rural areas. Agriculture
has declined and there are pockets of severe deprivation
and social exclusion
. There are problems of housing affordability and poor access to services.
Although like most of the UK manufacturing has declined, the city region retains role in the UK’s manufacturing
base which has emerged from a period of restructuring
and moved into producing higher value goods, managing off-shored elements of production and concentrating on research and development
activity. The south and west of the region have historically had industrial based economies, although they have been moving away from this in recent decades. Huddersfield
, for example, has been developing in the creative industries sector.
• Financial and business services
• Electronics and optical
• Communications
• Health and public services
Niche clusters are:
• Digital and media
• Bioscience and medical research
• Advanced niche manufacturing, including defence
• Logistics and distribution
Tourism
Yorkshire is a popular tourist destination with many tourists using Leeds
, Skipton
, Bradford
, Harrogate
and York
as bases to explore the Yorkshire Dales
National Park
.In 2007 the visitor economy contributed £6.3bn or 8.5% of the Yorkshire and the Humber
region’s total output - a high proportion compared to the national average. This output has grown by 50% in the last 10 years. The sector employs 243,500 people, of which 51% work full time, in over 20,000 businesses. There are two World Heritage Site
s; Fountains Abbey
(Ripon
) and Saltaire
(Bradford). Four national museums are based in the region; the National Media Museum (Bradford), the Royal Armouries
in Leeds, the National Railway Museum
in York, and the National Coal Mining Museum for England
(Overton
). Plus many other smaller museums depicting the industrial, agricultural and cultural history of the region, such as the Armley Mills Industrial Museum
in Leeds, the Bankfield Textile Museum
in Halifax, the Brontë Parsonage Museum
in Haworth
and the Yorkshire Museum of Farming
at Murton Park
in York.
, University of Huddersfield
, University of Leeds
, Leeds Metropolitan University
, University of York
and York St John University
, which produce more than 40,000 graduates each year. The universities of Leeds and York, along with Sheffield, form the White Rose Consortium, which accounts for 86% of research spend in the region. Science City York represents a mechanism for creating an environment in which technology, skills and business can thrive together. The city region has been at the forefront of telecoms
.
Parts of the city region experience skills shortages, particularly in key growth sectors and clusters. There are also significant problems of low basic skills levels, which are quite acute within some disadvantaged communities. In parts of the city region, educational performance remains lower than the national average. The city region’s labour market functions below its optimum. It has a higher than average level of worklessness, especially in inner urban and isolated rural areas.
Although the region’s universities’ investment in R&D equals the UK
average, this is not mirrored in Government investment nor by regional business and industry, which is lower than half the UK average. Productivity rates are generally low, and large parts of the city region have lower than average rates of business formation, business growth and self-employment.
legacy near to thriving job markets and commercial centres. Access to rural environments ranges from the ‘high end’ appeal of the Golden Triangle
area of north Leeds, Harrogate and York districts to the towns and villages east and south of Leeds. Leeds is a centre for city centre living and has helped to stimulate similar developments in other urban centres including Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield.
The current housing in the city region is inadequate to support the job growth. Current patterns of demand at the upper end of the market are likely to continue, increasing problems of division of social groups and affordability. At the other end of the market there are problems both with the shortage of social rented housing and affordability. There is a significant legacy of dense terraced housing
some of which is no longer fit for purpose. The government has identified Leeds City Region to host a number of new eco-towns to meet housing demand.
, One NorthEast
and the Northwest Development Agency, to develop an economic growth strategy to raise the North's international profile and performance and reduce the £30 billion output gap between the Northern region and the average for the rest of England. In September 2004 the development agencies published "Moving Forward: The Northern Way (First Growth Strategy Report)".
The Growth Strategy shows how eight city regions are key to the growth of the northern economy. City region
s are increasingly being recognised as powerful drivers for economic growth and between them the city regions of Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and the Humber Ports, Liverpool, Manchester, Central Lancashire, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear have 90% of the North's population and over 90% of its economic activity. Manchester and Leeds were highlighted as the two city regions that have the most potential to develop into European level competitive cities.
A £100 million Northern Way Growth Fund was established by the Government and the regional Development Agencies to deliver a Business Plan, that had been devised in June 2005, aimed at implementing aspects of the Growth Strategy. As part of this plan the eight city regions identified in the strategy were invited to compile City Region Development Programmes to contribute to the plan. These set out the key actions and investments needed to implement the strategy in each city region.
, a coalition of England's major regional cities which work in partnership to enhance their economic performances, and to secure positive identities as places to live, work, visit and do business. It is a self-selected and self-funded group.
The Core Cities Group has eight main interests, namely:
Delegates to the conference concluded that greater collaborative working would be beneficial in the areas of transportation, innovation and science, skills and labour supply, business infrastructure and housing, quality of life, culture, marketing and image. Leaders and chief executives of the eleven authorities agreed that this was an agenda to be developed and also agreed to produce a concordat to progress closer working arrangements at a city region level.
The second version of the development plan was published in November 2008. Within the context of wider submissions to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 made by the Northern Way Steering Group and Yorkshire Forward, the plan identified what the Leeds City Region is asking from government. It put forward a shortlist of evidenced strategic proposals and interventions that needed government support.
As part of the new arrangements Regional Assemblies
will be phased out from 2010 and the remit of the Regional Development Agencies will expand. In particular, the Regional Development Agencies will be given executive responsibility for developing a new Integrated Regional Strategy. The scrutiny powers of the Regional Assemblies will transfer to local authorities. The stated aim of the polices being to create economically strong cities and regions which drive forward national prosperity and provide opportunity and social justice for all.
on key issues. In November 2006 the partnership published its revised development programme.
The Leeds City Region Leaders Board was legally constituted as a Joint Committee in April 2007. It brings together the elected leaders of the eleven partner authorities to take strategic decisions on behalf of the city region. The Leaders’ Board is made up of the Leaders of each of the 10 district Authorities, as well as North Yorkshire County Council. It is governed by a set of annually agreed Procedures and Protocols, central to which is the principle of ‘one member, one vote’. The Board meets 6 times a year and meetings are hosted in turn by each member Authority.
Panels and areas of work
Leeds City Region Leaders’ Board Panels are Working Groups set up by the Board to advise the Board on specific Leeds City Region matters. They comprise members of the Board or their representatives, and other such senior representatives of other organisations as may be co-opted onto the Panels by agreement of the Board. The Panels have no executive powers.
The partnership has four panels which are involved in helping to develop strategies to improve:-
Areas of work not specifically allocated to a single panel are:-
that Government would be working with at least two city region partnerships across the country to pilot new freedoms and flexibilities in a range of areas. These arrangements will see the Government and its agencies delegating greater control over funding and delivery of key schemes to the city region authorities as a way of stimulating economic growth. The Partnership has proposed that with the new powers and funding, the city region authorities will be able to more effectively deliver the short and long-term actions needed to get markets working again.
In April 2009 the partnership joined the Manchester City Region
as one of the only two city regions in the country to be granted this pilot status as announced by the Chancellor Alistair Darling in his Budget speech. This will grant the partnership devolved spending powers in housing, regeneration, skills and innovation.
and concluded that it would not offer the most appropriate, sustainable way forward for meeting the city region’s housing and affordable housing needs. After a study of the city region the Stockholm Environment Unit found the best way of reducing its carbon footprint
by 80% by 2050 involved working within existing settlements and changing behaviour. The partnership considers that the city region’s housing and regeneration needs can be better served by delivering eco principles on a number of major regeneration sites within existing urban environments.
The partnership has proposed to Government four major brownfield regeneration sites as alternatives to an eco town
in the city region. The proposed sites are:
Building work is only ready to start on one site, the Aire Valley scheme to the south east of Leeds city centre. The 1,000-hectare site has the potential to provide up to 15,000 eco homes, retrofit 7,000 existing homes and create 27,000 new jobs. Phase one will concentrate on the Hunslet Riverside area next to the Royal Armouries museum, where 2,500 new homes can be built. New trolleybuses and cycle paths will make travel to and from the area environmentally sustainable and cars will be discouraged.
Housing Minister, and Wentworth MP, John Healey announced in July 2009 that Yorkshire will receive £83m through the Homes and Communities Agency
Kickstart programme, designed to fund housing schemes that had stalled in the recession, enough to build 2,088 homes.
The City Region made a successful bid for "New Growth Point" status in July 2008. The programme of New Growth Point developments supports delivery of 5000 additional new homes above regional housing targets. It is focussed within the district of Barnsley Calderdale and Wakefield across a range of tenures and including a variety of affordable homes for rent and owner occupation.The programme proposes 34,515 new homes, 5000 of which will be net additional over the period 2008 to 2016/17.
Green infrastructure is a relatively new term describing networks of linked green spaces. Work at the city region level will identify opportunities for linking the green spaces between districts, which will have direct benefits for public accessibility, biodiversity and eco-systems that have a positive benefit in terms of climate change adaptation.
The partnership is overseeing the investment of £4.5 billion in transport projects in the region. The £4.5bn is being sourced from a number of locations, notably the Department for Transport
and the regional transport board at Yorkshire Forward
. Some of the money has already been spent through projects such as the regional smartcard pilot Yorcard
, whereas other projects like NGT (New Generation Transport)
in Leeds have yet to see any money spent on them.
Significant progress has been made, in conjunction with Metro, to extend the zonal WYPTE MetroCard
system into North Yorkshire as far as Harrogate on the Harrogate Line
(Zone 6) and Skipton on the Airedale Line
(Zone 7). Future plans will extend MetroCard to Gargrave
, Knaresborough
, York and Selby. Zone 6 & 7 MetroCards do not currently cover bus travel.
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
and parts of neighbouring North
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
; that is, the ten local authority districts of Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield, and York. With close to 3 million people, a resident workforce of 1.4 million, over 100,000 businesses and an economy worth £52 billion per year, the economy is larger than nine European countries economies, which makes the Leeds City Region a major economy. The region is diverse and has many centres, both geographically and culturally. It is one of eight city regions defined in the 2004 document Moving Forward: The Northern Way
The Northern Way
The Northern Way is a 20 year British governmental strategy to transform the economy of the North of England. It aims to bridge a £30 billion output gap between the North and the average for England....
, a collaboration between the three northern Regional Development Agencies
Regional Development Agency
In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
which is a part of the 20 year government strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
to grow the economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
of Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. As a partnership, the Leeds City Region is firmly established and has in operation an accountable decision making structure, which involves the Leaders of all eleven partner authorities. It has made several successful bids for government funded economic development projects.
Geography
The region includes the whole of West YorkshireWest Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
and parts of South
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
The geographical area included in the city region is made up of the local authority areas of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is Barnsley....
, City of Bradford
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
, Calderdale metropolitan Borough
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
, Craven District
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
, Harrogate Borough
Harrogate (borough)
Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...
, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
, City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
, Selby District
Selby (district)
Selby is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The local authority, Selby District Council, is based in the town of Selby and provides services to an area which includes Tadcaster and a host of villages....
, City of Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
and City of York along with part of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. It covers a wide and varied physical region, taking in much of the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
as well as Nidderdale
Nidderdale
Nidderdale is one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south through the dale, forming several reservoirs including the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before turning east and eventually joining the River Ouse.The only town in the dale is...
. Of the five cities, Leeds is the largest in geographical area, population and economy. The southern part of the region is largely urban with many former industrial centres. The northern part is mainly rural but includes significant urban centres, notably Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
and York. The northern areas are generally wealthier than the southern part of the city region.
Transport
The city region is served directly by Leeds Bradford International AirportLeeds Bradford International Airport
Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...
, although Manchester Airport is easily accessed by train and road from parts of the City Region, while Doncaster
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
, Durham Tees Valley
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
and Humberside
Humberside Airport
-Cargo flights:Icelandair Cargo operate a weekly Sunday flight from Keflavík which then departs to Liege-Passenger statistics:-Bus service:An hourly daytime bus service runs from Grimsby and Hull to the airport from Monday to Saturday.-External links:**...
airports are also easily accessible. The Humber ports
Associated British Ports Holdings
Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade...
are also within easy reach.
The north-south A1(M) and M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
motorways intersect close to Leeds, near the terminus of the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
from London. A series of motorway spurs enable traffic to reach the centres of Leeds and Bradford quickly. There is a comprehensive secondary road network based on Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and York. The A1, A64
A64 road
The A64 is a road in North and West Yorkshire, England which links Leeds, York and Scarborough. The A64 starts as the A64 ring road motorway in Leeds and then is a dual carriageway for the rest of its route, except parts of the road from Malton to Scarborough.The road approximates a section of the...
and A650 are important trunk routes
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
.
Leeds railway station is the hub of the region's extensive commuter rail network. The West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
(WCML) passes through the far northwest of the regional area, but the primary link to London is on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
(ECML), which principally serves Leeds railway station, Wakefield Westgate
Wakefield Westgate railway station
Wakefield Westgate railway station is the mainline railway station for the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the western edge of the main city centre, on the opposite side from Wakefield's other station, Kirkgate.-Services:...
and York railway station
York railway station
York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
. There are regional semi-fast services on the Transpennine line
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
that serve Huddersfield
Huddersfield railway station
Huddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
, Dewsbury
Dewsbury railway station
Dewsbury railway station serves the town of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. The station is south west of Leeds on the Huddersfield Line.The station is managed by TransPennine Express trains and it is the stop between Leeds and Huddersfield.-History:...
, Leeds, Garforth
Garforth railway station
Garforth railway station serves the town of Garforth, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the York and Selby Lines and North TransPennine routes. Garforth is east of Leeds....
, York and Northallerton
Northallerton railway station
Northallerton railway station serves the town of Northallerton in North Yorkshire, England. The station lies on the East Coast Main Line north of York...
. The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
(Metro), coordinates rail services in the West Yorkshire part of this area, but not in Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
and Harrogate which are under the auspices of North Yorkshire County Council
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Despite this, the regional transport network is strained thanks to low levels of transport investment from Central Government. As a result there is overcrowding on the rail network and significant connectivity issues within the city region and between other city regions such as Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
as well as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
and Aire and Calder Navigation
Aire and Calder Navigation
The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Knottingley were completed in 1704 when the Aire was made navigable to Leeds and the Calder to...
run through the region, though today they are only used for leisure purposes.
Economy
The city region has a diverse economy consisting of around 100,000 businesses, generating around £52 billion a year and is becoming recognised as a national centre for financial and business services. Leeds is at the economic heart, with some 124,000 people engaged in financial services. The city is the UK's second largest financial and legal centre. There is a large conference industry in Harrogate where the UK's third largest integrated conference and exhibition centre, Harrogate International CentreHarrogate International Centre
The Harrogate International Centre is a convention and exhibition centre in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.It was first opened in 1982 and was notable as the host of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest and had expanded overtime to include a 2,000 seat conference auditorium and eight exhibition...
, is located.
Rural areas have diversified
Diversified
Diversified technique is the most commonly used adjustment technique by chiropractors. Like many chiropractic and osteopathic manipulative techniques, Diversified is characterized by a high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust...
with a mixed economy combining a range of employment opportunities alongside agriculture and a strong tourism base. Regardless of this, poor physical connectivity has hampered growth in rural areas. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
has declined and there are pockets of severe deprivation
Deprivation
Deprivation may refer to:* Poverty* Relative deprivation* Sleep deprivation* Maternal deprivation...
and social exclusion
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
. There are problems of housing affordability and poor access to services.
Although like most of the UK manufacturing has declined, the city region retains role in the UK’s manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
base which has emerged from a period of restructuring
Restructuring
Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
and moved into producing higher value goods, managing off-shored elements of production and concentrating on research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
activity. The south and west of the region have historically had industrial based economies, although they have been moving away from this in recent decades. Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, for example, has been developing in the creative industries sector.
Economic drivers and innovation
City region growth sectors include:• Financial and business services
• Electronics and optical
• Communications
• Health and public services
Niche clusters are:
• Digital and media
• Bioscience and medical research
• Advanced niche manufacturing, including defence
• Logistics and distribution
Tourism
Yorkshire is a popular tourist destination with many tourists using Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
as bases to explore the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
.In 2007 the visitor economy contributed £6.3bn or 8.5% of the Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
region’s total output - a high proportion compared to the national average. This output has grown by 50% in the last 10 years. The sector employs 243,500 people, of which 51% work full time, in over 20,000 businesses. There are two World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s; Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is near to Aldfield, approximately two miles southwest of Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is a Grade I listed building and owned by the...
(Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
) and Saltaire
Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
(Bradford). Four national museums are based in the region; the National Media Museum (Bradford), the Royal Armouries
Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's National Museum of Arms and Armour. It is the United Kingdom's oldest museum, and one of the oldest museums in the world. It is also one of the largest collections of arms and armour in the world, comprising the UK's National Collection of Arms and...
in Leeds, the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in York, and the National Coal Mining Museum for England
National Coal Mining Museum for England
The National Coal Mining Museum for England is based at the site of Caphouse Colliery in Overton, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1988 as the Yorkshire Mining Museum and was granted national status in 1995.-History:...
(Overton
Overton, Wakefield
Overton is a small village in West Yorkshire, England, between Wakefield and Huddersfield. It lies about south west of Wakefield, south of Ossett, west of Netherton and south west of Horbury....
). Plus many other smaller museums depicting the industrial, agricultural and cultural history of the region, such as the Armley Mills Industrial Museum
Armley Mills Industrial Museum
The Armley Mills Leeds Industrial Museum is a museum of industrial heritage located in Armley, west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It includes collections of textile machinery, railway equipment and heavy engineering amongst others....
in Leeds, the Bankfield Textile Museum
Bankfield Museum
Bankfield Museum is a grade II listed historic house museum, incorporating a regimental museum and textiles gallery in Boothtown, Halifax, England...
in Halifax, the Brontë Parsonage Museum
Brontë Parsonage Museum
The Brontë Parsonage Museum is maintained by the Brontë Society in honour of the famed Brontë sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë – in their old home located in Haworth, West Yorkshire, an area of England covered in much open, expansive moorland...
in Haworth
Haworth
Haworth is a rural village in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is located amongst the Pennines, southwest of Keighley and west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope...
and the Yorkshire Museum of Farming
Yorkshire Museum of Farming
The Yorkshire Museum of Farming is located in Murton Park near York in England. It is housed on a grass field site of approximately , and is the only museum in the district specifically dedicated to the subject of farming. In the autumn of 2010, the museum was awarded full accreditation status by...
at Murton Park
Murton, York
Murton is a small village and a civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England that is located on the outskirts of York...
in York.
Skills and labour
There is a large and diverse workforce of around 1.4 million and a younger than average profile in some parts of the city region, for example Bradford. The city region is home to six universities, University of BradfordUniversity of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
, University of Huddersfield
University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
, University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
, University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and York St John University
York St John University
York St John University York St John University York St John University (formerly known variously as York St John University College (2004), York St John College (2001), Ripon and York St John: a College of the University of Leeds (c. 1996), University College of Ripon and York St John...
, which produce more than 40,000 graduates each year. The universities of Leeds and York, along with Sheffield, form the White Rose Consortium, which accounts for 86% of research spend in the region. Science City York represents a mechanism for creating an environment in which technology, skills and business can thrive together. The city region has been at the forefront of telecoms
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
.
Parts of the city region experience skills shortages, particularly in key growth sectors and clusters. There are also significant problems of low basic skills levels, which are quite acute within some disadvantaged communities. In parts of the city region, educational performance remains lower than the national average. The city region’s labour market functions below its optimum. It has a higher than average level of worklessness, especially in inner urban and isolated rural areas.
Although the region’s universities’ investment in R&D equals the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
average, this is not mirrored in Government investment nor by regional business and industry, which is lower than half the UK average. Productivity rates are generally low, and large parts of the city region have lower than average rates of business formation, business growth and self-employment.
Business infrastructure
There is a range of available employment space with a significant amount of new office space in Leeds, however whilst there is a large supply of land available the sites are not necessarily suitable in both nature and location for key sectors and growth clusters. Some rural areas face shortages in employment land as a result of pressures for housing. The office market does not operate smoothly across the city region, with areas of extreme high and low demand.Housing
There is variety of distinctive urban and rural communities. Many towns and villages are characterised by distinctive buildings based on an extensive VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
legacy near to thriving job markets and commercial centres. Access to rural environments ranges from the ‘high end’ appeal of the Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle (Yorkshire)
The Golden Triangle is a term commonly used by estate agents for the area of West and North Yorkshire lying between Harrogate, York and North Leeds...
area of north Leeds, Harrogate and York districts to the towns and villages east and south of Leeds. Leeds is a centre for city centre living and has helped to stimulate similar developments in other urban centres including Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield.
The current housing in the city region is inadequate to support the job growth. Current patterns of demand at the upper end of the market are likely to continue, increasing problems of division of social groups and affordability. At the other end of the market there are problems both with the shortage of social rented housing and affordability. There is a significant legacy of dense terraced housing
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
some of which is no longer fit for purpose. The government has identified Leeds City Region to host a number of new eco-towns to meet housing demand.
Quality of life
Although the city region offers a unique set of attractions, and serves as a destination for millions of visitors a year, there is no distinct Leeds City Region popular identity, and there is no certainty as to whether such an identity would be desirable, whether for marketing or for other purposes.Political context
The invitation to the northern Regional Development Agencies to devise a development plan to tackle the regional disparities coincided with the peak of New Labour's regional devolution agenda. It is underpinned by the government's target to "Make sustainable improvements to the economic performance of all English regions by 2008 and over the long term reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions, demonstrating progress by 2006."The Northern Way
In February 2004 the UK government invited the three Regional Development Agencies in the North of England, Yorkshire ForwardYorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...
, One NorthEast
One NorthEast
One North East is the regional development agency for the North East England region.-History:It was established in April 1999. The North East receives a lot of government aid for regeneration....
and the Northwest Development Agency, to develop an economic growth strategy to raise the North's international profile and performance and reduce the £30 billion output gap between the Northern region and the average for the rest of England. In September 2004 the development agencies published "Moving Forward: The Northern Way (First Growth Strategy Report)".
The Growth Strategy shows how eight city regions are key to the growth of the northern economy. City region
City region
The term city region has been in use since about 1950 by urbanists, economists and urban planners to mean a metropolitan area and hinterland which has a shared and formal administrative government...
s are increasingly being recognised as powerful drivers for economic growth and between them the city regions of Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and the Humber Ports, Liverpool, Manchester, Central Lancashire, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear have 90% of the North's population and over 90% of its economic activity. Manchester and Leeds were highlighted as the two city regions that have the most potential to develop into European level competitive cities.
A £100 million Northern Way Growth Fund was established by the Government and the regional Development Agencies to deliver a Business Plan, that had been devised in June 2005, aimed at implementing aspects of the Growth Strategy. As part of this plan the eight city regions identified in the strategy were invited to compile City Region Development Programmes to contribute to the plan. These set out the key actions and investments needed to implement the strategy in each city region.
Core cities
For more than ten years Leeds has been a member of the English Core Cities GroupEnglish Core Cities Group
The Core Cities Group is a coalition of some of England's major regional cities:*Birmingham - West Midlands*Bristol - South West England*Leeds - Yorkshire and the Humber*Liverpool - North West England*Manchester - North West England...
, a coalition of England's major regional cities which work in partnership to enhance their economic performances, and to secure positive identities as places to live, work, visit and do business. It is a self-selected and self-funded group.
The Core Cities Group has eight main interests, namely:
- Transport and connectivity
- Innovation and business support
- Skills and employment
- Sustainable communities
- Culture and creative industries
- Climate change
- Finance and industry
- Governance
Collaboration
The first economic summit, with the aim of discussing opportunities for greater collaboration within the Leeds city region, was in November 2004. Political leaders from Leeds, Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Selby, Wakefield and York along with North Yorkshire, as well as representatives from other regional organisations took part. Delegates heard from speakers who presented the latest research on city regions as economic drivers. The need to engage in closer partnership and work at the city region level was recognised because it was emphasised that neither the city, or the larger region, is an appropriate spatial planning level at which to tackle issues of economic competitiveness.Delegates to the conference concluded that greater collaborative working would be beneficial in the areas of transportation, innovation and science, skills and labour supply, business infrastructure and housing, quality of life, culture, marketing and image. Leaders and chief executives of the eleven authorities agreed that this was an agenda to be developed and also agreed to produce a concordat to progress closer working arrangements at a city region level.
Development plans
The working arrangements negotiated at the economic summit held in November 2004 were used to develop an interim Leeds City Region Development Plan to be submitted as part of "The Northern Way" Business Plan in May 2005.The second version of the development plan was published in November 2008. Within the context of wider submissions to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 made by the Northern Way Steering Group and Yorkshire Forward, the plan identified what the Leeds City Region is asking from government. It put forward a shortlist of evidenced strategic proposals and interventions that needed government support.
Core Cities business plan
At the end of 2005, as part of the "New Deal for City Regions" initiative the Minister of Communities and Local Government asked each of the Core Cities to produce a business plan of a small number of key priorities that would help cities improve. A delegation from Leeds and the region presented the "Leeds Business Case" to the minister in summer 2006. The submission argued that the city would benefit from greater freedom to make decisions locally and should have a greater voice in how national and regional budgets are allocated.In particular, transport and skills development were presented as critical issues for the economy of the city.Sub national review
In the summer of 2007 the government published the "Review of Sub-national Economic Development and Regeneration". This sets out the governments strategy for reducing the gap in economic performance between Northern cities and their counterparts in the South, as well as the wealth gap within cities.The recognition by government that local and sub-regional authorities are in the strongest position to nurture and develop economic prosperity signalled the beginning of a new economic role for both the city and the Leeds City Region Partnership.As part of the new arrangements Regional Assemblies
Regional assemblies
Regional assembly can refer to:*ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines, see Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao#Politics...
will be phased out from 2010 and the remit of the Regional Development Agencies will expand. In particular, the Regional Development Agencies will be given executive responsibility for developing a new Integrated Regional Strategy. The scrutiny powers of the Regional Assemblies will transfer to local authorities. The stated aim of the polices being to create economically strong cities and regions which drive forward national prosperity and provide opportunity and social justice for all.
Partnership
The partnership has no direct political control of the cities and boroughs included in its area, but it does exert considerable influence over their local plans thanks to the Multi Area Agreement signed in July 2008. The partnership deals with issues that are important for the whole city region, yet which cannot be fully covered by one local government area alone, for example transport infrastructure and marketing the north of England to the world. The strategy provides the region with a single voice with which to address Central GovernmentCentral government
A central government also known as a national government, union government and in federal states, the federal government, is the government at the level of the nation-state. The structure of central governments varies from institution to institution...
on key issues. In November 2006 the partnership published its revised development programme.
Constitution
Leaders BoardThe Leeds City Region Leaders Board was legally constituted as a Joint Committee in April 2007. It brings together the elected leaders of the eleven partner authorities to take strategic decisions on behalf of the city region. The Leaders’ Board is made up of the Leaders of each of the 10 district Authorities, as well as North Yorkshire County Council. It is governed by a set of annually agreed Procedures and Protocols, central to which is the principle of ‘one member, one vote’. The Board meets 6 times a year and meetings are hosted in turn by each member Authority.
Panels and areas of work
Leeds City Region Leaders’ Board Panels are Working Groups set up by the Board to advise the Board on specific Leeds City Region matters. They comprise members of the Board or their representatives, and other such senior representatives of other organisations as may be co-opted onto the Panels by agreement of the Board. The Panels have no executive powers.
The partnership has four panels which are involved in helping to develop strategies to improve:-
- Housing and Spatial Planning
- Skills
- Transport
- Economic Drivers and Innovation
Areas of work not specifically allocated to a single panel are:-
- Communications
- Sustainable Development
Multi area agreement
In October 2007 the Leeds City Region Leaders Board decided to seek to develop a Multi Area Agreement which is a voluntary agreement between groups of local authorities and government which focuses on cross boundary working and devolution as a means of promoting an increase in local economic prosperity. The Leeds City region was in the first wave of pilot areas for a Multi Area Agreement and the partners used the opportunity to implement areas of the City Region Development Programme.Forerunner plan
In March 2009 Leeds City Region Partnership submitted a formal bid for more powers and funding from Government through a pilot programme on offer. The Partnership put forward a "Forerunner Plan" with proposals for greater responsibilities in housing and regeneration, higher level skills and innovation. The bid was the Partnership’s formal response to the announcement by HM Treasury in the November 2008 Pre-Budget ReportPre-Budget Report
In the United Kingdom, the Autumn Statement, at times the Summer Statement and the Pre-Budget Report , is one of the two statements HM Treasury makes each year to Parliament upon publication of economic forecasts, the other being the annual Budget...
that Government would be working with at least two city region partnerships across the country to pilot new freedoms and flexibilities in a range of areas. These arrangements will see the Government and its agencies delegating greater control over funding and delivery of key schemes to the city region authorities as a way of stimulating economic growth. The Partnership has proposed that with the new powers and funding, the city region authorities will be able to more effectively deliver the short and long-term actions needed to get markets working again.
In April 2009 the partnership joined the Manchester City Region
Manchester City Region
The Greater Manchester Statutory City Region is a pilot administrative division of England, coterminous with the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester...
as one of the only two city regions in the country to be granted this pilot status as announced by the Chancellor Alistair Darling in his Budget speech. This will grant the partnership devolved spending powers in housing, regeneration, skills and innovation.
Eco towns and new growth points
The Leeds City Region was invited by the government to submit proposals for new eco-towns. However, the City Region Partnership has considered the case for a free-standing eco townEco-towns (UK)
Eco-towns are a government-sponsored programme of new towns to be built in England, which are intended to achieve exemplary standards of sustainability.In 2007, the...
and concluded that it would not offer the most appropriate, sustainable way forward for meeting the city region’s housing and affordable housing needs. After a study of the city region the Stockholm Environment Unit found the best way of reducing its carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
by 80% by 2050 involved working within existing settlements and changing behaviour. The partnership considers that the city region’s housing and regeneration needs can be better served by delivering eco principles on a number of major regeneration sites within existing urban environments.
The partnership has proposed to Government four major brownfield regeneration sites as alternatives to an eco town
Eco-towns (UK)
Eco-towns are a government-sponsored programme of new towns to be built in England, which are intended to achieve exemplary standards of sustainability.In 2007, the...
in the city region. The proposed sites are:
- AireRiver AireThe River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
Valley Leeds. A 1000-hectare site to the south east of the city centre. Up to 15,000 new homes, 7,000 refurbishments and 27,000 jobs.
- Bradford-Shipley Canal Corridor. Area of 118-hectares along five-mile stretch. Up to 5,000 new homes, 1,500 refurbishments and 5,900 jobs.
- York Northwest. On brown-fieldBrown FieldBrown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....
to the north and west of the station. Will deliver 4,300 new homes on 75-hectares of land and 5,000 jobs.
- North Kirklees / South Dewsbury Up to 4,000 new homes, 2,000 refurbishments and 5,000 jobs spread over four sites, Thornhill Lees, Savile Town, Ravensthorpe and Scout Hill.
Building work is only ready to start on one site, the Aire Valley scheme to the south east of Leeds city centre. The 1,000-hectare site has the potential to provide up to 15,000 eco homes, retrofit 7,000 existing homes and create 27,000 new jobs. Phase one will concentrate on the Hunslet Riverside area next to the Royal Armouries museum, where 2,500 new homes can be built. New trolleybuses and cycle paths will make travel to and from the area environmentally sustainable and cars will be discouraged.
Housing Minister, and Wentworth MP, John Healey announced in July 2009 that Yorkshire will receive £83m through the Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
Kickstart programme, designed to fund housing schemes that had stalled in the recession, enough to build 2,088 homes.
The City Region made a successful bid for "New Growth Point" status in July 2008. The programme of New Growth Point developments supports delivery of 5000 additional new homes above regional housing targets. It is focussed within the district of Barnsley Calderdale and Wakefield across a range of tenures and including a variety of affordable homes for rent and owner occupation.The programme proposes 34,515 new homes, 5000 of which will be net additional over the period 2008 to 2016/17.
Integrated infrastructure
As a step towards developing an evidence base to support the co-production of the Integrated Regional Strategy (IRS) promulgated by the "Sub National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration", the city region has commenced a study to investigate whether current infrastructure arrangements will support the economic aspirations of the city region. The study aims identify the types of infrastructure improvements that will be needed to support growth. It will look at critical infrastructure and green infrastructure. For critical infrastructure, planners need to be confident that new developments have access to water, energy, waste treatment and broadband technology as well as ensuring that this infrastructure will be adaptable to climate change.Green infrastructure is a relatively new term describing networks of linked green spaces. Work at the city region level will identify opportunities for linking the green spaces between districts, which will have direct benefits for public accessibility, biodiversity and eco-systems that have a positive benefit in terms of climate change adaptation.
Integrated Transport Authority
After the publication of the draft Local Transport Bill in May 2007 the Partnership commissioned a review of transport governance arrangements in the region. Leeds City Region has stated that it is an aspiration for the City Region to become an Integrated Transport Authority, but with opposition to this from North Yorkshire County Council and the City of York council, these proposals cannot go ahead at this stage.Local transport plan
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
and the regional transport board at Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...
. Some of the money has already been spent through projects such as the regional smartcard pilot Yorcard
Yorcard
Yorcard is the name of a pilot electronic smartcard ticketing for use in South / West Yorkshire. The pilot was commissioned by the Department for Transport and is being carried out by Yorcard Ltd on behalf of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. The pilot's aim is to gather...
, whereas other projects like NGT (New Generation Transport)
Leeds Trolleybus
A Leeds trolleybus system served the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England between 1911 and 1928, and a very different new system for Leeds, known as the New Generation Transport - NGT project, is currently proposed....
in Leeds have yet to see any money spent on them.
Significant progress has been made, in conjunction with Metro, to extend the zonal WYPTE MetroCard
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
system into North Yorkshire as far as Harrogate on the Harrogate Line
Harrogate Line
The Harrogate Line is the name given to a passenger rail service through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The service is operated by Northern Rail, with a few additional workings by East...
(Zone 6) and Skipton on the Airedale Line
Airedale Line
The Airedale Line is the name given to one of the rail services in the Metro area of northern England. The service is operated by Northern Rail, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton in the North of England. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle...
(Zone 7). Future plans will extend MetroCard to Gargrave
Gargrave railway station
Gargrave railway station serves the village of Gargrave in North Yorkshire, England. It is north west of Leeds on the Leeds to Morecambe Line operated by Northern Rail who also manage the station....
, Knaresborough
Knaresborough railway station
Knaresborough railway station serves the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line west of York and is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.-Background:...
, York and Selby. Zone 6 & 7 MetroCards do not currently cover bus travel.