New initiative launched to generate inclusive growth across the Leeds City Region

West Yorkshire’s Council Leaders have launched a new initiative that will aim to drive inclusive growth across the Leeds City Region.

Job opportunities for thousands of people, improved productivity, and an improved quality of life for everyone are among the key aims of the new Inclusive Growth Programme.

Spearheaded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and working in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the county’s five Councils and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) are joining up with a number of ‘anchor institutions’ that will generate inclusive growth.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s investment committee and leader of Bradford Council, said: “Key Leeds City Region institutions such as local authorities, universities, colleges, hospitals and big businesses, collectively employ 200,000 people and control budgets worth £11bn.

“By using the principles of inclusive growth to increase these organisations’ local procurement by just 10% would boost the City Region economy by over £200m. And, adopting best practice on inclusive growth and working with vital ‘community anchor’ organisations, the overall impact will be felt throughout our communities.”

The initiative was officially launched at a national conference in Bradford on Monday (March 6th).

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe added: “We took the opportunity of yesterday’s national Inclusive Growth conference in Bradford to launch this initiative as part of a longer-term programme to embed the idea across the Leeds City Region. And today’s publication of the Inclusive Growth Commission’s final report by the RSA reinforces our message.

“The report sets out a framework and recommendations for achieving inclusive growth including proposals for putting inclusive growth at the heart of public policy and finance.

“We want the initial, trailblazing organisations to spread this message and use best practice to develop further collaboration between anchor institutions to heighten the impact of inclusive growth and identify additional opportunities to develop it.”

Another key aim of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority-led initiative will be to build connections between the large ‘anchor institutions’ and the ‘community anchors’. This will maximise the impact of inclusive growth on neighbourhoods and disadvantaged communities.

Future plans for the initiative include recruiting large businesses, sharing good practice and facilitating business to business conversations. The Inclusive Growth Programme will include work to support businesses and raise productivity..

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe commented: “West Yorkshire Combined Authority showed its commitment to Inclusive Growth as long ago as March 2015, when Leaders signed up to a low pay charter to support its members’ lower paid workers.

“By accelerating work to connect the City Region’s ‘anchor institutions’ to communities this initiative will help all the organisations and businesses involved - large and small - to meet their own goals as well as enhancing the positive impact on local people through opportunities for business growth and new, secure jobs.

“These impacts will improve the quality of life and reduce poverty for thousands of local people.”