£1.4bn added to Leeds city region economy through LEP partnerships

This partnership has also helped to create 3,200 jobs, and 4,300 businesses have benefitted from LEP finance and support, the research said.

The achievements of the LEP and its partners over the last four years have been outlined in its first impact report, which has been published today.

Roger Marsh, the chairman of the LEP, said: “Our impact report demonstrates how effective partnership working between the public and private sectors is making a real difference to the Leeds City Region economy, people’s lives and businesses.

“However, for me this is not job done but job well begun.

“We have set ourselves an ambitious goal of unlocking extraordinary sustained growth that benefits everyone who lives and works in our City Region, ultimately making the region an overall contributor to northern and national prosperity.

“Our achievements so far give us a firm foundation upon which to build a more prosperous future for our residents and businesses, but this is a 20-year job, not a 20-minute job.

“We have shown what we can deliver with relatively modest resources. Now as a result of our Growth Deal, EU funding and other public and private sector investment we’ve brought into the region, we have the resources to deliver our ambitious vision for growth at a scale unprecedented in 10 years of economic partnership working.”

Coun Peter Box, chairman of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “We are unique among combined authorities in having the LEP as a member and the successes highlighted in this report illustrate what can be achieved by this close partnership-working between the public and private sectors.”