Why Huddersfield is the place to invest in the North of England - Sir John Harman

Why? Huddersfield, despite its illustrious history as the world’s capital of woollen textiles and the birthplace of rugby league, is something of a hidden gem when it comes to investment in the north. But the cat is out of the bag and Huddersfield’s future looks increasingly shiny.

Sitting on the eastern edge of the Pennines and surrounded by three northern cities - Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield - access to a broad customer base and skilled workforce go hand in hand.

The biggest rail project in the north for many years, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), is well underway, set to deliver access from Huddersfield’s iconic (and soon to be renovated) station to both Leeds and Manchester in just over 20 minutes. Combining ease of movement across the north, together with first class full fibre broadband, Huddersfield offers unparalleled opportunities for the ever-increasing numbers of hybrid workers.

The north is the workshop of the world, keeping many global businesses at the cutting edge. And Huddersfield has a growing, advanced manufacturing community that the world needs. There are also access routes to highly skilled jobs - as well as having excellent post-16 academic and further education colleges, Huddersfield is a university town, with the award-winning University of Huddersfield investing in several key projects including the new National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC). The NHIC, the first building of which will open in September, sits inside the new West Yorkshire Innovation Zone and Kirklees Council Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor, both schemes targeting investment, development and growth for existing local businesses and those organisations further afield with a keen eye for opportunity.

And it’s not just us saying that, recently the Huddersfield village, Slaithwaite, was named the best place to live in the north and north east. It was also revealed recently that Huddersfield saw GDP per hour worked increase by over 25 per cent between 2004 and 2022, not far behind Manchester, at 33 per cent, and well above Leeds at 11 per cent.

Work has just begun in the town centre on Kirklees Council’s new Cultural Heart, a development aimed at supercharging the town’s cultural and entertainment offering, alongside the fantastic Town Hall, art gallery, Lawrence Batley Theatre, and the soon to reopen Kingsgate Centre, which will revive the nighttime economy.

If you need somewhere to stay, the George Hotel, which will be operated by the prestigious Radisson Red Group, will be the place to go. There are many other historic buildings in the town, such as the Byram Arcade and the stunning outdoor market, which are being restored to their former glory.

The opportunities just keep on coming.

It’s the time for local leaders, who truly understand the ambition and potential that towns like Huddersfield have, to take the reins of power and pursue growth and job creation opportunities.

With mayors given new power over transport, skills, housing, planning, and employment support, it’s time to see Huddersfield become a key hub for business in the north. Positive partnerships with local authorities are the key to unlocking the north’s power.

At Huddersfield Unlimited, we recently calculated that there’s well over £1bn of public money being invested in the town. There are several local businesses moving or expanding to take advantage of the Investment Zone and Enterprise Corridor, and interest from overseas corporate organisations looking to be part of the NHIC.

The town is a goldmine of investment opportunities for entrepreneurial individuals and organisations who understand how being in the centre of the north gives them an advantage.

Huddersfield is an incredibly innovative town, and I welcome the new Government’s plans for a modern industrial strategy. This will help local people to grasp the opportunities of new technologies, with an AI sector plan, and planning reform to build the data centres and infrastructure we need.

As well as the planned statutory requirements for local growth, plans will help mobilise local leaders, major employers, and education providers in Huddersfield to identify growth sectors, and put in place the programmes and infrastructure needed to help the town thrive.

It’s here in Huddersfield that the renaissance of the north can start; all the ingredients are here, from the skills and the workforce to an entrepreneurial spirit that continues to spawn new products and companies, and higher productivity growth than anywhere in the north other than Manchester.

Sir John Harman is chair of Huddersfield Unlimited and former leader of Kirklees Council.