Leeds

An internationally recognised City Region

Leeds City Region places an emphasis on innovation ensuring it is an exciting place to live, study, work and invest. There is a strong asset base within the City Region, giving it a truly international reputation.

	Vision: our shared vision is to work together differently: to develop an internationally recognised City Region; to raise our economic performance; to spread prosperity across the whole of our city region, and to promote a better quality of life for all of those who live and work here.

Leeds City Region is the largest in the north of England and is located at a crossroads of physical and technological connectivity.

The north-south Edinburgh to London road and rail routes intersect with the east-west trans-Pennine and international air and sea links.

The City Region has a population of around 2.8 million people, a labour force of over 1.4 million and a GVA of £45.5bn. A mix of distinctive urban and rural communities give the City Region a unique character and a high quality of life.

Economic assets and drivers

• A diverse economy with over 195,000 manufacturing jobs
• Strategic connectivity at a crossroads of communications with strength in logistics and distribution
• Innovation, science and the knowledge economy - five universities provide 40,000 graduates every year, and York has been designated a Science City
• 235,000 employed in Financial and Business Services projected to grow to 252,207 by 2016
• A world-class health and medical centre employing more than 154,000.  Key assets include:
  
  Bioscience York
  St.James's University Hospital (the largest teaching hospital in Europe)
  Department for Health at Quarry Hill
  Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Centre of Industrial Collaboration
  University of Leeds Medical School
• Tourism attractions, cultural, sporting and environmental quality.  York attracts over four million visitors a year and other centres offer a range of complementary destinations and services, including business tourism facilities at Harrogate

Priorities and Objectives

• Improve city regional, inter-region and international connectivity
• Encourage a culture of innovation in both individuals and businesses in enterprise, science and greater knowledge transfer
• Encourage and support the development of higher and more relevant skills in the workforce
• Accelerate the development of a world-class infrastructure within which all businesses innovate and can thrive
• Enhance and promote the City Region as a place to live and work