Huddersfield Unlimited: How birthplace of Harold Wilson and James Mason plans to reinvent itself

Over the centuries, Huddersfield people have rolled up their sleeves when faced with a challenge. In the 19th century the town became a powerhouse of the textile trade and local merchants’ tenacious lobbying led to the building of Huddersfield Railway Station, described by the late poet Sir John Betjeman as having the most splendid station facade in England, “like an enormous classical country house”.

Today, the West Yorkshire town has no more passionate an advocate than Sir John Harman, the former Chairman of the Environment Agency who served as leader of Kirklees Council, which includes Huddersfield, for 13 years.

Sir John is chairman of Huddersfield Unlimited, an organisation which highlight’s the town’s potential as a world class location for culture, business and education as well as attracting investment from further afield. It works closely with Kirklees Council and other statutory bodies to put Huddersfield on the map.  

Sir John said that, for around 25 years ,there had been a growing feeling that a group was needed to promote Huddersfield as a powerful brand and a place for investment.

He recalled: "In 2018, a group which included representatives from the public and private sectors felt that something had to be done, and there was a case for developing a business advocacy body for Huddersfield. A lot of companies based in the town regard being from Huddersfield as a key part of their identity.”

Start up capital was raised to create Huddersfield Unlimited in 2018, which is a privately funded company with six directors.

Sir John added: “What we are attempting to do is provide a bridge over which the private sector and the public sector can come together and collaborate.”

In recent months, Huddersfield Unlimited has been using its influence to promote the town to a global audience. Last month, it hosted its second mini-conference, ‘Why Huddersfield? Why Now?’, at The John Smith’s Stadium. The event brought together speakers from the University of Huddersfield, Network Rail and Kirklees Council, among others, to discuss the future of Huddersfield and shine a spotlight on the £1bn of investment underway in the town. 

Huddersfield Unlimited also staged a fringe event at UKReiiF, the UK’s real estate investment and infrastructure forum, which was held in Leeds earlier this year,to showcase Huddersfield’s potential as a place for economic growth. Huddersfield Unlimited plans to stage a similar event in 2024 when UKReIFF returns to Leeds.

Sir John believes Huddersfield University's investment plans are set to act as the “starting whistle” for investment in the town.

He added: "What we need to do is lever that into private sector investment. This could be a turning point.”

Work has started on the first building at the university's new National Health Innovation Campus, which is set to be completed in 2024. The building will be named after Daphne Steele, who arrived in London from Guyana in the 1940s and was the first black matron in the UK.

The development has the noble goal of helping people to lead healthier lives by playing a leading role in supporting innovation in healthcare.

Work is also underway to restore the George Hotel, a Victorian listed building which is probably best known as the venue for a meeting in 1895 that led to the creation of rugby league. The hotel will enjoy a new lease of life as a Radisson Red, one of the chain's boutique hotels, and is due to open in 2024.

Sir John said he was aware of two potentially big employers who might be interested in investing in Huddersfield, a further sign that investors' interest in the town is warming up.

He said the town’s strengths include its “unrivalled rail and road access to the two biggest economies in the North” and it also provides a great quality of life with access to green space.

The town’s university is multi-award winning and its graduates do well in the labour market.

He added: “Huddersfield’s post -16 provision is among the best in the country, especially in academic STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

"The town’s economy is diverse and generally rides economic shocks, with a broad manufacturing base. The fact that it is also a place from where lots of people travel to work in Leeds or Manchester indicates a resilient demand for retail, services and culture which is currently much underexploited, so there are real opportunities to be grasped.”

Huddersfield is also culturally diverse, with few of the tensions seen in some larger cities.

He added: "There is a strong community life with a wide range of cultural assets, especially in its musical heritage. It has a spirit of independence, seen historically in its politics, non-conformism in religion, self-reliance and radicalism. These are history but the spirit of the place still carries the same character."

Perhaps no act defines the town’s character more than Huddersfield Corporation’s decision in 1920 to buy the rights and land held by the Ramsden family around the town, which severed a relationship dating from the 16th century. The town was free to shape its destiny.

Sir John said: “Huddersfield was described as the ‘town that bought itself’.

"Now we want to be known as the town that reinvented itself."