Leeds, the largest city in West Yorkshire, has a broad-based economy and doesn’t rely on one sector for growth, attracting talent from all areas. The city has a culturally rich and diverse population with over 100 nationalities and is one of the most collaborative cities in Europe, a place where people come to try things out. Leeds has built over £4bn worth of large-scale development projects over the last ten years.
But like many cities, not everyone is benefiting from or contributing to economic growth to their full potential. Some neighbourhoods have high levels of deprivation with poor housing stock, financial exclusion and poor health outcomes.
Leeds City Council has recently updated their Inclusive Growth Strategy 2023-2030 for the city to develop a healthier, greener and more inclusive economy that works for everyone. This was published in September 2023. Read more in our guest blog by Tom Riordan, Chief Executive at Leeds City Council.
Here are some of the ways that Leeds is delivering inclusive growth in practice:
Social Progress Index
This tool helps to measure and monitor inclusive growth in the city. It has three main parts: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.
Leeds Anchor Network
A group of the 14 largest employers who collectively employ over 55,000 people in the city, focusing on where they can make a difference to local employment, business growth, skills, incomes, health and wellbeing.
100% Digital Leeds
The city’s flagship digital inclusion programme which adopts a ‘furthest first’ approach to support the most excluded people and communities in Leeds. The team works with over 200 organisations and has brought over £2m of external funding into the city.