Tracy Brabin unveils £7bn growth plan which will 'bring a minimum 33,000 jobs' to West Yorkshire

Tracy Brabin has become the first mayor in England to publish a local growth plan, which states that £7 billion of funding will at least create 33,000 jobs in West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority believes that this cash boost over a 10-year period will drive a minimum of £26bn in private investment, across everything from science and technology to creative industries and financial services.

Ms Brabin says this will “lay the foundations for the renaissance of our great region, transforming the economy and society of West Yorkshire for future generations”.

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All metro mayors in England have been asked by Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to come up with long-term growth plans.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

One of the main planks of Ms Brabin’s is around transport, with buses coming fully into public control and spades in the ground in the tram system works by 2028.

She wants these two networks to be fully integrated with other modes of transport, and believes this is expected to create 12,700 new jobs.

Speaking from launch yesterday in Leeds, the mayor told The Yorkshire Post: “It couldn’t be more fitting than for us to publish our local growth plan today on the day Sir Keir Starmer unveils his plan for change.

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“Transport is my number one key that will unlock opportunities.

“That’s why it’s so important that we brought buses back into public control.

“I was delighted to see that the Chancellor reference [West Yorkshire] mass transit and the Transpennine Route Upgrade in her Budget.”

The expansion of Leeds Station and the new station in Bradford, also form part of the growth plan.

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Ms Brabin believes this improved transport will drive growth in key clusters, such as science and technology, manufacturing and healthcare.

An artists impression of light rail trams trains network public transport system for the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme.An artists impression of light rail trams trains network public transport system for the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme.
An artists impression of light rail trams trains network public transport system for the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme.

Leeds has a £6 billion financial services sector, including the Bank of England, the new National Wealth Fund and the Financial Conduct Authority, which is the second largest outside of London.

Ms Brabin said the 33,000 new jobs was the “minimum” she expects from the growth plan.

“Working with partners and business to boost those figures is definitely on the table,” she explained.

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Part of the funding will go towards helping small businesses succeed, with advice around access to finance, skills and markets.

Ms Brabin also wants to allow people to retrain and upskill throughout their lives.

She said there will be funding for the delivery of 38,000 new homes on brownfield sites, with a focus on improving energy efficiency.

The mayor told The Yorkshire Post this would not have been possible without the single funding settlement the combined authority will receive from the Government in 2026.

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“The key to the single settlement is the flexibility of it,” Ms Brabin said.

“You’re not always looking to the centre to give you the crumbs off the table from some initiative a new minister has had.

“We are reassured that long-term funding is in place, and we can build from that.”

The growth plan will be considered by the regional leaders who make up the combined authority on 12 December, and if agreed it will be adopted locally.

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