Yorkshire's promise needs seismic power of rail projects - The Yorkshire Post says

First come the words of praise from one of the country’s leading tech bosses Conor Grant, the UK CEO of Flutter, the largest online gambling company in the world.

He believes Leeds has the potential to surpass Manchester as the North’s leading digital economy ahead of the firm’s official opening of its new £15m HQ in the West Yorkshire city.

“Leeds is underexploited. It has huge potential,” he says.

Meanwhile, Heba Bevan, founder of smart sensor technology company UtterBerry, has won Vodafone Woman of the Year award for Innovation.

Her company, which produces tiny sensors that monitor loads on structures and bridges and can be used in disaster scenarios, is about to relocate to Leeds. And she wants to use the award to encourage more young women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

While of course it is gratifying to see Yorkshire’s largest city lauded as one of the North’s most promising in the digital sector and attracting major innovative ventures, any temptation to point-score over our friends across the Pennines would be counterproductive.

Much better to aim for an interdependent working relationship – one various Metro Mayors in the North, including South Yorkshire’s Dan Jarvis and West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin, showed this week by writing to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps about their deep concern over Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) uncertainty – for the benefit of all its citizens.

The examples described above show how the region’s potential, and the life chances that can result from it, is gradually being unlocked.

But to be fully realised, the region must be able to thrive on the seismic powers of projects such as NPR – a point The Yorkshire Post makes no apologies for repeating.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.