Bradford District Economic Recovery Plan

BRADFORD DISTRICT’SECONOMIC RECOVERYPLANFebruary 2021

Foreword 1Acknowledgments 2Executive summary 3

Our Economic Recovery Plan 4Structuring our priorities – key interventions 6

Introduction 8Bradford District’s economic ambition 8Purpose of this Economic Recovery Plan 9

How Bradford District’s opportunities and challenges are being reshaped 10Our existing Economic Strategy 10Bradford District’s changing economic environment 11The impact of Covid-19 to date 11The short-term economic outlook 15The longer-term forces shaping a “new normal” 17Implications for Bradford District 18Stress testing our existing Economic Strategy 18The new opportunities 20Upskilling and innovation for green jobs 22

Our Economic Recovery Plan 24Introduction 24Our ambition 25Our principles for recovery 26Our targets 27Enablers to achieve our ambitions 28Reinforcing the supply side: stimulating jobs 29Key interventions 29Cross-cutting interventions 35

Our priorities 37Make Bradford a Learning District 38Access to Work 39Inspire, Reskill and Upskill 40Neighbourhood retrofit 41Building Bradford’s image 42Bradford District business hub 43Culture is Our Plan’ 44Building an inclusive health and care economy 45Act Early North 46Northern Powerhouse Rail 47Sustainable food supply system 48Supply chain for hydrogen LGVs 49Circular economy demonstrator 51‘Greening the District’ 51Heritage Action Zone 52

Contents

2 // Bradford District’s economic recovery plan

Foreword

Covid-19 has had a profound, adverse impact on Bradford District: ithas led to loss of life, loss of liberty, a shrinking economy and greaterinequality. Looking to the future, it threatens the livelihoods of many ofour residents, with further challenges yet to come as the UK exits fromthe European Union.

Based on stress testing our existing EconomicStrategy, we have identified key actions we need totake over the next two years to recover our pre-Covid-19 economic progress whilst continuing tobuild a more inclusive, sustainable and resilienteconomy. We have also outlined key steps we mayneed if we are to fulfil our ambitions subsequently:‘Building a Better Future’ (Years 2-4) and ‘Thriving& Resilient’ (Year 5+).

Our aim is to be bold. We want to transform theDistrict to create the conditions in which ourbusinesses can become more competitive and wecan tackle inequality by promoting and celebratingequality, diversity and inclusion. We must helpour young talent to develop and prosper whilstrecognising the powerful, positive link betweena healthy population and a strong,sustainable economy.

We have focused on how business can besupported, how skills can be developed, how ourdiverse cultures and local assets can be leveragedso that we can take advantage of the opportunitiespresented by the growth of the digital and greeneconomies. We want to make sure that businesscan develop and apply new ideas to bring value tothe District.

Just as the development of this Plan has beena collaborative process, so its delivery will needeverybody in the District to work together. We willplay our part, but we also want to leverage supportfrom the private sector and other stakeholders. Wewill also need additional support and resourcesfrom outside the district from the West YorkshireCombined Authority and the Government if we areto achieve our ambitions.

Professor Zahir Irani, Deputy Vice-Chancellor,University of Bradford – Chair of BradfordEconomic Recovery Board

Bradford District’s economic recovery plan // 3

AcknowledgmentsBradford District Council would like to acknowledge the dedication and support provided by all members ofthe Economic Recovery Board. The Board, appointed by the Council, comprised of members representingdiverse businesses and community groups from across the district to promote a culture of equality andinclusivity for all, as we embark on the journey to transform the District to create the conditions in which ourbusinesses, communities and residents can prosper.

In particular Bradford District Council would like to extend a note of appreciation to those that led distinctiveactivities that contributed to the development of the Economic Recovery Plan:

Professor Zahir Irani, Bradford Economic Recovery Board Chair & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University ofBradford

Nav Chohan, Shipley College

Professor Shirley Congdon, Chair, Bradford Health and Social Care Economic Partnership, Bradford DistrictCouncil

Si Cunningham, Bradford 2025

Dr Stewart Davies, Chair, Sustainable Development Partnership, Bradford District Council

John Heaps, Chairman, Yorkshire Building Society (YBS)

Chris Kaushal-Bolland, University of Bradford,

Dan Styler, Barclays Bank PLC and finally

Baroness Jo Valentine, Business in the Community

Bradford District Council would also like to acknowledge the work of PwC and Business in the Community(BITC) network for their insight and expertise.


Executive summary

Bradford District is home to a young, enterprising and creativepopulation and strong and productive businesses. It can also boastto be one of the most multicultural and diverse places in the UK.

Our Economic Strategy developed in 2018 set outthe District’s ambition “to grow our economy, getmore people into work, and improve the skills ofour residents”.

Covid-19 has, however, had a severe adverseeffect on our economic performance. UK GVA isexpected to contract by approximately 11.3%in 2020 and, at 9.4%, the unemployment rate(as measured by the claimant count) in BradfordDistrict in October 2020 was 4.3 percentagepoints higher than in March 2020, making it thefourth highest in the country. The claimant rateamongst young people aged 16-24 (11.4%) isamong the highest in the country and rose fasterthan the overall claimant rate. This has worsenedyouth unemployment everywhere in the District,especially in hotspots such as Manningham, Tongand Keighley Central wards. People from Black,Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities

have been disproportionately affected by the healthimpacts of the pandemic and are also more likelyto work in jobs and sectors most affected. This hasexacerbated the economic inequalities acrossthe District.

These impacts have undermined progress towardsour ambition for the District and exposed andamplified many of our longstanding challengessuch as high youth unemployment and low socialmobility. Moreover, Covid-19 has the potential toleave long lasting ‘scars’ on our economy if thepotential of our people is lost due to increasingspells of unemployment and investments andinnovation are deferred. Our immediate prospectsdepend on controlling the pandemic, respondingeffectively and addressing the effects of the UK’sexit from the European Union (EU) and leveragingthe opportunities from devolution.


Our economic recovery plan

This Economic Recovery Plan sets out theactions we need to take now and over thenext two years to accelerate our recovery fromCovid-19, by sustaining employment and boostingproductivity whilst continuing to build a moreinclusive, sustainable and resilient economy for thesubsequent period.

Our overall aim is still for Bradford District tobecome the UK’s fastest growing economy,performing above the national average on keymetrics of economic performance. To achievethat, our Economic Recovery Plan needs torespond both to local challenges and to emerging“megatrends” that can accentuate such challengesbut also bring new opportunities.

We have reviewed and stress tested our 2018Economic Strategy in the light of these megatrendsand challenges, identifying key new areas ofopportunity for Bradford District (see Figure 1),some of which made possible by the accelerationof a ‘new economy’ based on developments in theapplication of digital technology, commitments todecarbonisation and the growth of more purpose-driven businesses, with a reduced environmentalfootprint and more concern for their social impact.

Figure 1: Revisiting Bradford District’s opportunities

Based on our current strengths as a District, we set key recovery targets, whose attainment will be initiatedin the next two years via selected priority recovery interventions (see Figure 2). Full completion of targetsneeds a long-term follow up of key areas of action.

Stress tested:2018 Economicstrategy pillars

Bradford’s keychallenges

“Megatrends”

COVID-19 (shortterm) impacts

Long-termeconomic outlook

Our youngenterprisingpopulation

Our growthpotential

Young, diverse populationEquip the District’s young anddiverse population with the skills& confidence to succeed.

TechnologyUpskill and support business touse new technologies and driveinnovation.

Culture and placeLeverage the District’s diversecultural assets and distinctiveplaces to drive economicgrowth.

Green economyTransition to a sustainable,resilient and connectedeconomy.

Health and wellbeingEnable all people to lead long,happy and productive lives.

Ourdistinctiveoffer

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Bradford’sopportunity areas


Figure 2: Capitalising on Bradford’s opportunities

To realise the Bradford district opportunities and overcome the challenges, our Recovery Plan is based onactions spread across four key enablers:

• Education and skills: will raise skill levels,including developing new skills, enabling morecitizens to enter the labour market and fillvacancies and/or transition to jobs in growthsectors requiring these new skills. In addition,strengthening the skills base can generateemployment in new, growing sectors such astechnology, the green economy, cultureand health.

• Business environment: will capitalise on thestrong culture of entrepreneurship we have inthe District by promoting and facilitating accessto support and resources for new start-ups andgrowth businesses. This will encourage newbusiness creation locally and the attractionof businesses to the area – also facilitatingregeneration across the District.

• Research and innovation: will allow us topursue our ambitions, especially those relatedto digital technology, health and the greeneconomy, particularly via strong collaborationsacross academia (notably the University ofBradford), business and the public sector.

• Infrastructure: will be the backbone ofour recovery and long-term productivity byimproving the quality and accessibility of ourdigital infrastructure (e.g. broadband coverageand 5G) and our physical infrastructure. Thelatter is key to boosting regeneration of ourtowns as well as aligning with our ambitionsfor a green recovery based on sustainabletransport and city-centre green spaces.

Recoverytargets

• Reduce youth unemployment and NEET rates• Improve qualification levels and digital skills• Foster social inclusion and mobility

• Increase technology take-up and digitaltransformation

• Increase business growth and start-up activity – innew economic sectors

• Improve visitor and citizen experience• Continue regeneration of town centres such as

Keighley and Shipley• Expand green spaces

• Comply with UK air quality limits• Reduce CO2 per capita emission levels (below UK

average)• Retrofit homes and reduce carbon impact of public

buildings• Increase value of environmental and low carbon

sectors

• Help anchor organisations work together to improvehealth and wellbeing in local communities

• Strengthen integrated health care workforce (withlatest technologies and learning infrastructure)

Priority recoveryinterventions

Make Bradford a learningDistrict

Access to work

Act early North

Northern Powerhouse Rail

Inspire, reskill and upskill

Culture is our plan

Heritage action zones

Greening the District

Neighbourhood retrofit

Sustainable food supplysystem

Supply chain for hydrogenLGVs

Circular economydemonstrator

Building an inclusive healthand care economy

Business supportsimplification

Business District BusinessHub

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Alignment toopportunity areas

Young, diversepopulation

Culture and place

Green economy

Health and wellbeing

Cross-cutting


To achieve these objectives, the interventions we propose use all the levers at our disposal and align tonational objectives such as devolution and the levelling-up agenda. Our planned interventions fall into threebroad categories:

• Those that we will undertake with the support ofour partners across Bradford District;

• Those where we want to work with partnersin the region, notably the West YorkshireCombined Authority and the Leeds City RegionLocal Enterprise Partnership; and

• Those where we want to work with theGovernment to seize the immediateopportunities to boost skills, employment andproductivity and so contribute to ‘levelling up’the national economy as well as contributing toits other priorities, for example achievement ofNet Zero.

Building on the extensive array of existing activitythat is taking place in the District, we haveorganised our priorities against each of thekey opportunities, and divided them intotwo categories:

• Immediate asks – interventions which are well-developed and can be delivered in the next twoyears; and

• Aspirational – interventions which requirefurther development and are for delivery in thelonger term.

Structuring our priorities – key interventions

Category Intervention Alignment toopportunities

Overview

Immediateasks

Make Bradforda LearningDistrict


Leverage Bradford’s Skills House to mobilise resources in everysector to promote inclusive learning, from basic to higher education

Access to Work Young, diversepopulation

Support residents find job opportunities and develop their skills tomake them more employable and the economy more resilient

Inspire, Reskilland Upskill


Use the SkillsHouse partnership to develop vocational provision,including higher level skills with a cohesive offer for employers, theself-employed and the unemployed

Neighbourhoodretrofit

Green economy Build on existing plans in the District to retrofit individual homes andpublic buildings and develop the concept and strategy for creating‘15-minute neighbourhoods’ retrofitted to enable sustainable living

BuildingBradford’simage

Cross-cutting Provide a unifying positive image for Bradford as a place to live,work and play which can be communicated to communitiesinside and outside the District as its leaders promote the manyopportunities Bradford District has to offer

BradfordDistrictbusiness hub

Cross-cutting Simplify business support provision and provide an impartial centralresource, support and guidance for entrepreneurs and new start-ups by establishing a single body of experts working under onebanner to help businesses navigate/co-ordinate business support

‘Culture is OurPlan’

Culture andplace

Build on Bradford’s City of Culture bid to implement our 10-yearcultural strategy for the District to attract investment and act as alever for multiple District-wide interventions

Building aninclusive healthand careeconomy

Health andwellbeing

Build an inclusive health and care economy through the effectivecollaboration between key partners such as the NHS, the Universityof Bradford and the Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research,based on the development of a highly effective and compassionateintegrated workforce based on a world class medical school, healthand care learning infrastructure

Act Early North Health andwellbeing

Make the case for a new research centre in Bradford Institute ofHealth Research focusing on preventative health policy and earlyyears measures to help create research jobs and attract widerinvestment to the District


Category Intervention Alignment toopportunities

Overview

Aspirational NorthernPowerhouseRail

Cross-cutting Secure commitment to a new Bradford city centre station on thenew Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) line

Sustainablefood supplysystem

Green economy Build on the District’s existing assets and activity to develop asustainable food supply system and build the District’s reputationas a sustainable food hub

Supply chainfor hydrogenlight goodsvehicles(LGVs)

Green economy Position the District’s automotive businesses to win opportunitiesin the fuel cell electric vehicles supply-chain through having a UK‘test-bed’ fleet of hydrogen light goods vehicles

Circulareconomydemonstrator

Green economy Position the District as a UK exemplar of the circular economy andencourage local businesses to invest in reprocessing of recycled orbi-product materials

Greening theDistrict

Culture andplace

Develop new green spaces, including a new green park in thecity centre

HeritageAction Zone

Culture andplace

Assess the potential for designating Little German as a HeritageAction Zone to support the needs of the cultural and creativesector by utilising vacant space and improving the visitor andcitizen experience

Build on the District’sexisting assets and activityto develop a sustainablefood supply system.


Introduction

Bradford District’s economic ambition

Bradford District is located at the centre of theNorthern Powerhouse. It is a beautiful place, witha stunning architectural heritage and countryside.It is also home to young, enterprising and creativepeople and strong and productive businesses. Itis one of the most multicultural and diverse areasin the UK, as well as being globally connected bybusinesses trading across the world and families.

In 2018, recognising that the next decade would becrucial for the economy, our Economic Strategy setout the District’s ambition “to grow our economy,get more people into work, and improve the skillsof our residents”. Specifically, our aim was to:

• Be the UK’s fastest growing economy;• Increase the value of Bradford District’s

economy by £4 billion to £14 billion;• Get 20,000 more people into work; and• Improve the skills of 48,000 residents.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we had begunto deliver on this ambition: employment hadincreased by 10,700 between 2017/18 and2019/201, median weekly earnings had increasedfrom £489 to £5372 and we were working tostrengthen the District’s position in the globaleconomy. We attracted interest and inwardinvestment from national names including PwC,NEC and Channel 4 and were ranked by Barclaysas the best place to start a business, rankinghighest on the SME Growth Factors Index in 2017and launching 32% more businesses in 2020compared to 2019 according to the Instant OfficesEntrepreneurial Index3. Bradford was also featuredin The Sunday Times as one of the top cities forgrowth4.

Like the rest of the UK, Covid-19 has had a severeadverse effect on our economic performanceand the way the economy is working. The scaleand nature of the changes have undermined ourprogress, exposed and amplified many of ourlongstanding challenges as well as bringing newopportunities and challenges. Behind the headlinestatistics are personal hardships and tragedies. Wehave seen the loss of good businesses and manymore are struggling to survive.

There has been a sharp increase in the level ofunemployment, particularly amongst youngerpeople and those in our most disadvantagedcommunities. We owe it to our businesses andcommunities as well as future generations to actand forge a great long term economic future forthe District.

Our immediate prospects are, at best, uncertain;they depend on how the pandemic is controlledand how we respond collectively to it. They arealso influenced by other factors, notably the effectof the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU). Thismakes it even more important that we find waysto mitigate the risks whilst continuing to deliver onour long-term ambitions for the District, but to doso we need to revisit our approach and priorities.The Bradford Economic Recovery Board (BERB)– a diverse and inclusive group of Council andbusiness leaders, partner organisations and keystakeholders chaired by a senior academic fromthe University of Bradford – has been establishedto produce this Economic Recovery Plan forthe District.

1Office for national Statistics, Annual Population Survey, People in employment, October 2017-September 2018 compared to July 2019-June 20202Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Median gross weekly income (resident analysis), 2018 to 20203SME Bulletin, ‘UK’s Most Entrepreneurial Cities in 2020 Revealed’, 19 November 2020, [http://smebulletin.com/uks-most-entrepreneurial-cities-in-2020-revealed/]4Sunday Times, ‘Best Places for Business 2020’, 9 February 2020

Aim was to increase the valueof Bradford District’s economy

by

£4b-£14b


Purpose of this Economic Recovery Plan

The primary purpose of our Economic RecoveryPlan is to stress test our Economic Strategy totake account of the profound changes in thepublic health and economic context and set outthe actions we need to take now and over the nexttwo years to recover our pre-Covid-19 economicprogress whilst building a more inclusive,sustainable and resilient economy. As such, itis intended to build on the steps the Councilhas already taken – in conjunction with others– to relieve some of the immediate impacts ofCovid-19.

This Economic Recovery Plan also outlines someof the actions that should be considered in themedium and longer term to fulfil our ambitions inthe next subsequent phases: ‘Building a BetterFuture’ (Years 2-4) and ‘Thriving & Resilient’ (Year5+). We expect to develop our longer-term planwhen we iterate our Economic Strategy in 2022. Bydeveloping this Economic Recovery Plan, we wantto inspire collaborative action and leverage supportfrom the private sector and other stakeholdersand establish a clear business case for furthergovernment investment.

Our Economic Recovery Plan is set out in threefurther sections:

• We summarise our assessment of theimplications of Covid-19 and other changeswe have seen and expect to see for Bradford’seconomic opportunities and challenges and,hence, for our economic priorities;

• We describe our response to theseopportunities and challenges, setting out thevision and guiding principles underlying ourapproach, describing the enabling steps wewant to take and articulating the impact wewant to achieve. In developing our response,we have been determined to align ourEconomic Recovery Plan with other existingand anticipated strategies and plans, inparticular those of the Government and theWest Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA)Economic Recovery Plan.

• We set out how we will implement and deliverour Economic Recovery Plan, focusing on the15 interventions that we see as critical to itssuccess in the next two years and beyond.


How Bradford District’sopportunities and challengesare being reshaped

Our existing Economic Strategy

Our first task in developing the Economic RecoveryPlan has been to assess how far our existingEconomic Strategy will enable us to address theactual and expected impacts of Covid-19 andthe other potentially significant developments inthe economic environment since our EconomicStrategy was developed in 2018.

In particular, we have considered the potentialimpact of the UK’s exit from the EU and theaccelerated development of both the green anddigital economies. Our aim has been to assess theopportunities we have as well as the challenges weface realising them. Our approach is summarised inFigure 3.

Our existing Economic Strategy seeks to leverageBradford District’s three key assets: our people,our businesses and our places and communities. Itfocuses on unlocking opportunities arising from:

• Our young and enterprising population,ensuring that all are equipped with the skills andconfidence to succeed;

• Our distinctive offer, leveraging the District’sunique architecture, heritage and cultural assets

to create compelling investment propositionsand provide an environment for growth;

• Our growth potential, building on our businessand sector strengths to drive innovation,increase productivity and create wealth; and

• Our globally connected District, by improvingour transport infrastructure and digitalconnectivity to strengthen our internationaltrading links and access to new markets.

Stress tested:2018 economicstrategic pillars

Long-termeconomicoutlook

Bradford’sopportunityareas

Our young andenterprisingpopulation

Our growthpotential

Young, diversepopulationEquip the District’s youngand diverse population withthe skills & confidenceto succeed.

TechnologyUpskill and support businessto use new technologies anddrive innovation.

Culture and placeLeverage the District’sdiverse cultural assets anddistinctive places to driveeconomic growth.


Health and wellbeingEnable all people tolead long, happy andproductive lives.

Our distinctiveoffer

Our globallyconnecteddistrict

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Bradford District’s changingeconomic environment

Since March 2020, Covid-19 has fundamentallyaltered the economic environment within which wewant our long-term Economic Strategy to succeed.The outlook is for further change. Indeed, werecognise that a ‘new normal’ may emerge evenif its precise shape is not yet certain. We want toanticipate the potential impacts rather than reactto them.

In Bradford District our rate of identified Covid-19cases has been above the national average, beingespecially pronounced in September to November2020 (see Figure 4): the rate peaked at nearly 600identified cases per 100,000 in early November,two times the national average. Very sadly ourdeath rate from Covid-19 has also been above thenational average. As a result, the District has beensubject to some of the most stringent restrictionsof any area in England (see Figure 5).

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Figure 5: Total deaths within 28 days of positivetest (per 100,000)

Source: Office for National Statistics


Bradford District’s changingeconomic environment

The economic impacts of the measures taken tocontain the public health effects of Covid-19 havebeen profound since they were introduced. Theyhave affected Bradford District’s economy in fivemain ways:

• Full and partial lockdowns have led to theclosure of many businesses in March 2020resulting in a sharp fall in economic output– UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by26% between January and April 20205. Theaccommodation and food services, otherservices6, construction and transport sectorswere hardest hit. Although the economy wasgradually reopened, significant parts have nowbeen closed down again so that, in November2020, UK GDP was still 15% lower than inJanuary 20207.

• Supply chain disruption – businesses havebeen disrupted as suppliers have temporarilypaused trading due to lockdown restrictionsor weak demand: in the most recent BusinessImpact of Covid-19 Survey (BICS) (covering19/10/2020 – 01/11/2020) 43.7% of businessesacross the UK were able to get the materials,goods or services from within the UK in thelast two weeks whilst 17.5% were able to butneeded to change suppliers and 6.3% wereunable to – the final 32.5% of businessesreplied ‘not applicable’ to the survey question8.The scale of this impact has grown with theintroduction of lockdown. In the BusinessImpact of Covid-19 Survey (BICS) runningfrom 06/04/2020 – 19/04/2020, 48.9% ofbusinesses were able to get the materials,goods or services from within the UK in the lasttwo weeks, this proportion rose to 73.9% in theBICS covering 10/08/2020 – 06/09/2020. Asreferenced above, this figure has fallen againin the most recent Business Impact ofCovid-19 survey.

• Labour supply reduction – social distancingmeasures initially saw non-essential workersworking from home for an extended period and/or workers needing to care for children or otherdependants, but the adverse impact has easedas schools reopened and businesses haveadapted workplaces to accommodate socialdistancing requirements. The latest evidenceshows that the workplace for 23% of individualswas closed and 55% were being asked to workfrom home9. In addition, working time has beenlost to sickness linked to Covid-19.

• Uncertainty – reduced levels of business andconsumer confidence have weakened demand,especially discretionary consumer spending(as some major purchases have been deferred)and lower business investment. Despite this, atthe end of October, two thirds of businesses inYorkshire & the Humber expected to survive forthe next three months (compared to the nationalaverage of 57.8%)10.

• Policy response – the Government hasmitigated some of the impact of Covid-19 onthe economy by spending over £280 billionsince March 2020, initially supporting jobs andincomes using the Coronavirus Job RetentionScheme (CJRS), the Self-Employment IncomeSupport Scheme (SEISS) and by providingloans, grants and tax deferrals to business. Ithas also provided incentives for businessesto retain staff beyond the end of the furloughscheme and new job creation and trainingschemes, such as the Kickstart Scheme. At thesame time, the Bank of England has reducedthe Bank Rate to 0.1%, made an additional£450 billion of asset purchases and increasedbanks’ incentives to lend to small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). Although support wasreduced as restrictions were eased in summerand early autumn, it has been reintroducedduring the most recent lockdown.

5Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 20206Other services include: Activities of membership organisations, repair of computers and household goods, and other personal service activities7Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 20208Office for National Statistics, Business Impact of Covid-19 Survey (BICS), 19/10/2020 – 01/11/2020 [https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/datasets/businessimpactofcovid19surveybicsresults]9Office for National Statistics, Coronavirus and the social impacts on Great Britain, 18/11/2020-22/11/2020; [https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/datasets/coronavirusandthesocialimpactsongreatbritaindata]10Office for National Statistics, Business Impact of Covid-19 Survey results, 19/10/2020 – 01/11/2020; [https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/output/datasets/businessimpactofcovid19surveybicsresults]


We have seen some substantial economic impacts:

• GVA in the UK is expected to contract by11.3% in 202011.

• Across the UK, the biggest falls in outputwere in accommodation and food services,construction and other services throughout theUK (see Figure 6)12.

• UK private consumption is expected to fall bynearly 10% in 2020 while the household savingratio peaked at a record high of 28% in Q2 2020before falling back to around 7.5%13.

• During the first lockdown, footfall in Bradfordcity centre fell to 20% of normal levels, whichhad a dramatic impact on many high-streetbusinesses, although it recovered to around60% of pre-Covid-19 levels in October 2020,before the second national lockdown. The dropin footfall in Keighley, although similar in profile,was less severe.

• Unemployment in Bradford District – asmeasured by the number of claimants – roseby 82% between March 2020, before the firstlockdown, and October 2020 so that the rate(as a % of 16-64 year old residents) was 9.4%in October 2020, 4.3 percentage points higherthan March 2020, making it the fourth highest inthe country14.

• Young people’s claimant rate in BradfordDistrict (as a % of 16-24 year old residents)is among the highest in the country and rosefaster than the overall claimant rate to 11.4%in October 2020 from 6.0% in March 202015

16. This has worsened youth unemploymenteverywhere in the District, but especially inhotspots such as in Manningham, Tong andKeighley Central wards.

11Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020 [https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2020/]12Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020 [https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2020/]13Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020 [https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2020/]14NOMIS, Claimant count by sex and age, Claimants as a proportion of residents aged 16-64, March 2020- November 202015NOMIS, Claimant count by sex and age, Claimant count, March 2020 – November 202016NOMIS, Population estimates – local authority based by single year of age, 2019

Figure 6: Change in GDP by sector (January – November 2020 compared to January to April 2020)

Source: Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020

Whole economy

Public admin and defence

Real estate

Finance and insurance

Energy and water

Agriculture

Information and communication

Professional, scientific and technical

Manufacturing

Human health

Administrative and support

Wholesale and retail

Education

Transportation

Construction

Other services

Accommodation and food services

Source: ONS, OBR

-100 -80 -60 -40

Per cent

-20 0 20

January to November change in GDP

January to April change in GDP


The economic effects of Covid-19 have affectedsome people more than others. Across the UK,certain groups of the population have beendisproportionately affected by the health impactsof the virus itself17. This includes those living inpoverty, people from Black, Asian and minorityethnic (BAME) communities, those with disabilities,women, and migrants. Many of these groups havealso been hit hardest economically because theyare more likely to work in sectors most adverselyaffected, such as hospitality and retail. Moreover,

with businesses less likely to hire in the face ofuncertainty, young people have also been badlyimpacted in terms of access to employment. Arecent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studiesshows that many minority groups have youngerpopulations and younger people are more likelyto work in sectors that have been shut down18.Furthermore, considering those on furlough, youngworkers were more likely to be out of work bySeptember 2020 than older workers (seeFigure 7)19.

17Resolution Foundation, ‘A new settlement for the low paid’, June 202018Institute for Fiscal Studies, ‘Are some ethnic groups more vulnerable to Covid-19 than others?’, May 202019Resolution Foundation, ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’, October 2020 [https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/jobs-jobs-jobs/]

Figure 7: Change in employment status of those employed pre-Covid-19 (February-September 2020)

Further details of the economic impact of Covid-19 are summarised in Appendix A.

Source: Resolution Foundation, ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’, October 2020

All

MenWomen

18-2425-3435-4445-5455-64

Insecure workNot insecure work

HospitalityNon-food retail

LeisureConstruction

Other servicesOther

1-4950-249

250+

BAMEParent

DegreeA-level/HEGCSE/none

Lowest paidQ2Q3Q4

Highest paid

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Not working

Fully furloughed

Partially furloughed

Employee, same employer

Employee, new employer

Self-employed


The short-term economicoutlook

How Bradford District’s economy recovers fromthe shock of Covid-19 in the next two years isconditioned by the unprecedented scale of itseconomic impact to date and the disruption it hascaused. Analysis of previous recessions since theSecond World War suggests that it takes around2½ years to reach pre-recession output levels. Thisrecession, however, is a lot deeper, although thereare grounds for expecting a fast recovery becauseof the unusual nature of its effects. Nonetheless,the effects on our local economy could be withus for many years to come unless we act now toaccelerate the recovery.

It also depends on how the public health impactsof Covid-19 can be and are managed and theterms on which the UK leaves the EU, in particularthe basis of the trading relationship.

Management of the public health impacts will beaffected by:

• The stringency, timing and effectiveness ofrestrictions to control spread of Covid-19;

• The effectiveness of test, trace and isolatemeasures; and

• The timing of access to vaccines andtheir effectiveness.

The basis on which the UK leaves the EU on 31December 2020 was still unclear at the time ourRecovery Plan was developed. Nonetheless,however the UK leaves the EU, our businesseswill need to adapt to new regulations and tradingrelationships in the coming years.

Recent analysis by the Office for BudgetResponsibility highlights the short-termimplications of Covid-19 for the UK economy underthree different scenarios:

• The downside scenario implies a fall in GDP of12% in 2020 with pre-virus peak (in Q4 2019)not being reached until the end of 2024;

• The central (November) forecast envisages thatGDP will fall by 11% in 2020, but will recoverquickly, growing by 5.5% in 2021 and 6.6% in2022, returning to the pre-virus peak by the endof 2022; and

• The upside scenario, where a vaccine isavailable in the first part of 2021, will see GDPfall by 10.6% in 2020 and grow at the samerate in 2021 (compared to 0.9% in thedownside scenario)20.

Figure 8 shows projections for the GVA of BradfordDistrict based on the OBR’s forecasts for the UKeconomy in its latest Economic & Fiscal Outlook inNovember 2020. Source: OBR, CBMDC analysis.

Figure 8: Actual and projected GVA for BradfordDistrict (2019 – 2026)

Covid-19 has the potential to leave long lasting‘scars’ on the economy’s capacity if:

• Investment in physical capital and innovation isdeferred due to the heightened uncertainty andincreased debt incurred during the pandemic;

• Firm specific capital and knowledge are lostdue to business failures; and

• Human capital is lost due to sustainedunemployment as the economy restructuresaway from contact-intensive sectors, peopleretire earlier, and more days are lost to sicknessas both employees and employers becomemore cautious.

The impact of the UK’s exit from the EU also hasthe potential to drive long-term impacts on theeconomy. A ‘no deal’ exit would mean that theUK would default to World Trade Organisation(WTO) terms. Recent analysis suggests that thesectoral effects would be quite different to thoseof Covid-19 as Figure 9 illustrates. The mostimpacted sectors include manufacturing, financialservices and mining and quarrying services– as outlined by the following figure. Short-term disruption would be driven by changes toadministrative, policy and customs requirements.However, long-term economic impacts would bedriven by increased tariffs and wider trade barriersmeaning that the UK and EU would beunable to benefit from fully leveraging theircomparative advantages.

20Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020 [https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2020/]

11

10

9

8

7



2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

GVA

(£bn

)

600

400

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0

Bradford UK


01-0

3

01-0

5

01-0

7

01-0

9

01-1

1

150

100

50

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08/0

320

/03

01/0

413

/04

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407

/05

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531

/05

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624

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718

/07

30/0

711

/08

23/0

804

/09

16/0

928

/09

10/1

022

/10

03/1

115

/11

27/1

109

/12


In practice, the nature and pace of BradfordDistrict’s economic recovery will be influenced byhow far local and national policy:

• Helps to prevent business failure fromadversely affecting productive capacity andsupports business to respond to new marketopportunities: this will depend, in part, onthe generosity (i.e. duration and coverage) ofexisting and planned support schemesfor business;

• Mitigates the effects of potential sustaineddisruption to supply chains;

• Maintains real wages and prevents workersfrom leaving the labour market (e.g. potentiallybecause of a long-lasting crisis); and

• Creates financial stability, for example ifcorporate and household insolvencies spill overinto the financial sector leading to a slow downin bank lending and an adverse impacton growth.

Figure 9: Relative intensity of sectoral output hits: virus versus WTO scenario

Source: Office for Budget Responsibility, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2020

Further details of the forecasts we have reviewed are summarised in Appendix B.

Accommodation and food services

Other services

Administrative and support

Human health

Transportation

Education

Professional, scientific and technical

Manufacturing

Information and communication

Construction

Finance and insurance

Real estate

Agriculture

Wholesale and retail

Mining, energy and water

Public admin and defence

-300 -200

Ratio of percentage change in sectoral output to percentage change in GDP (per cent)

-100 0 100 200 300

Coronavirus

Central WTO scenario


The longer-term forcesshaping a “new normal”

Both our Economic Recovery Plan and our refreshof the Economic Strategy also need to considerthe potential longer term implications for BradfordDistrict of Covid-19 and the UK’s exit from the EUas well as the other forces for change that seemlikely to continue to affect our economy.

Even before the impact of Covid-19, a “neweconomy” was emerging in many developedcountries led by developments in the applicationof digital technology, commitments todecarbonisation and the growth of more purpose-driven businesses, with a reduced environmentalfootprint and more concern for their social impact.Covid-19 has accelerated this transformation,offering the prospect of a healthier, more equitable,and more sustainable future. In Bradford District,we need to be alert to what these changes couldmean for us.

Our analysis suggests that our Economic RecoveryPlan needs to respond to six key “megatrends”(see Figure 10):

• The effects of the sustained economic falloutfrom Covid-19;

• The rise in inequalities that Covid-19has provoked;

• The increased pressure on the public financesas future governments seek to reconcile thecosts of continuing to mitigate the impacts ofCovid-19, demand for extra spending on healthand social care and the need to restore balancebetween spending and revenue21;

• The UK’s exit from the EU will also require theeconomy to adjust, affecting different sectors toCovid-19 and with a larger, adverse impact onlong-term economic performance;

• The acceleration of the structural adjustmentassociated with the growth of the digitaleconomy; and

• The acceleration of the structural adjustmentassociated with the growth of thegreen economy.

21Pressure on the public finances will affect local government in Bradford District in two ways: directly, if the local authority is expected to fund more of its spending, and indirectly,as the level of government spending which benefits Bradford District is lower than might otherwise be expected

Further details of the supporting evidence are summarised in Appendix B.

Figure 10: Megatrends affecting Bradford District’s economy

“Megatrends”(key factors shaping the economy)

• Speed of recovery depends on ability to manage pandemic globally• Potential long-term scarring effect on economic capacity

• Covid-19’s disproportionate impacts on the disadvantaged perpetuates and accentuates inequality• Young people are especially at risk in terms of access to employment

• Demand for greater spending on health and social care and dealing with consequences of Covid-19which may constrain public spending in other areas and result in need to raise taxation

• Society’s desire for clean, sustainable growth has grown since Covid-19• It provides an opportunity to reset economic priorities with new growth sectors and new

policy responses

• Covid-19 is accelerating the growth of the digital economy bringing changes in working patterns andskill requirements and highlighting new sector vulnerabilities

• The impact of the UK’s exit from the EU depends in its terms, but the potential long term effect of a ‘nodeal’ could exceed that of Covid-19 and compound is because it affects different sectors

Covid-19 inducedrecession

Covid-19 ledinequalities

Covid-19originatingpressure on publicfinances

Clean growth andsustainability

Digitisation(e.g. rise of AI and bigdata)

EU exit(e.g. future tradingrelationship between EUand UK)


Implications forBradford District

Stress testing ourexisting EconomicStrategy

Covid-19 has shone a light on fundamentalstructural problems that have blighted the UK forgenerations. As the Prime Minister has recognised:‘too many parts’ of the country have been ‘leftbehind, neglected, unloved’22. The prospect of EUexit and other transformative forces are reshapingand, in some cases, accentuating the challengeswe face in Bradford District, but they are alsorevealing new opportunities for us to pursue.

We have tested how Bradford District’s existingEconomic Strategy, in particular the opportunitiesand challenges it seeks to address, is likely tobe affected by the trends we have identified. Werecognise that Covid-19 has accelerated importanteconomic transformations: we will not simply goback to ‘normal’ once we are able to manageCovid-19. We have assessed how the opportunitiestargeted by our current Economic Strategy havebeen and are likely to be impacted – see Table 1.

22Prime Minister, ‘Economy speech’, June 202023Social Mobility Commission, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-long-shadow-of-deprivation (15.9.2020)24The number of jobseekers leaving occupation fields blank when searching for jobs has risen 5 percentage points to 28% since March 202025https://www.hiringlab.org/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/08/IndeedUK-Lockdown-Report-1.pdf

Table 1: Impact of “new normal” on Bradford District’s Economic Strategy

Bradford DistrictEconomicStrategyopportunities

Bradford District’schallenges pre Covid-19

Implications for Bradford District

Our young andenterprisingpopulation

• Relatively high birth ratesand international inwardmigration mean that thepopulation is growing

• Employment rates havelagged the UK averageover the past decade

• BAME women makeup three quarters ofemployment gap

• Vulnerable ‘hard-to-reach’communities lack accessto training, workor education

• Skills gaps persist at thetop and bottom of thelabour market: 14% of theworking age populationhave no qualifications (vs.8.3% at UK level); 25% arequalified to degree level(vs. 37% UK level)

• Large gaps in lifeexperiences andopportunity remainbetween the richest andpoorest; for example,a recent report rankedBradford second in thecountry for areas with theleast social mobility23

• Need to focus more on unemployment amongst those aged16-24 which has doubled during the pandemic: young peopleleaving education will face the toughest job market in decades

• Need to reduce the number of talented people leaving theDistrict by providing strong economic, social and culturalreasons for staying

• Need to focus more on inclusion since job losses are morelikely to affect those who are already disadvantaged in thelabour market

• Need to protect against the risk to jobs requiring these mid-level skills from globalisation, technological changeand automation

• Need to facilitate job transition as a wave of horizontalmoves is expected with laid off workers seeking work indifferent sectors

• Need to reinforce support for skill-job matching efforts sincepeople are now more likely to consider jobs for which they donot necessarily have the right skills or qualifications24 25

• Need to rethink the skills considered relevant for upskillingprogrammes in addition to those skills specific to key sectorsthat are likely to grow (e.g. healthcare), transversal skills thatcan be used across occupations and sectors will likely increasein importance

• Need to understand and counteract the impacts of automation,which is likely to accelerate as businesses seek to becomemore resilient increasing the risk of more jobs being displaced– adding pressure on young people

• Need to pay more attention to the mental and physical healthof people and business owners to boost productivity


26Centre for Cities, Cities Outlook 2018 report27Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours & Earnings, 2020

Bradford DistrictEconomicStrategyopportunities

Bradford District’s challenges preCovid-19

Implications for Bradford District

Our growthpotential

• The job density is low: 690 jobs perthousand work age population (vs.840 nationally)

• Productivity (measured as output perworker) is higher than other cities inthe Northern Powerhouse

• The low job density means that thebusiness base needs to expand to beas productive as UK peers per headof population

• A quarter of current jobs in Bradfordare in occupations that are likely toshrink by 2030 and only 10% are inoccupations that are likely to grow26

• Median weekly workplace earningsare less than the national average(£465 vs. £479)27

• Business creation in high-growth,high productivity sectors is slow

• Awareness and use of businesssupport are poor, in part deliveryis fragmented

• Need to focus support on hardest hit sectors such asretail and hospitality

• Greater need to ensure that businesses across theDistrict can operate safely and adapt and thrive in thenew conditions with more uncertainty

• Need to prepare businesses for new ways of workingaccelerated by experience of lockdown and workingfrom home

• Need to identify new skills requirements as sectoralshifts accelerate

• Greater need to support businesses withdigital transformation

• Needs to consider implications of morelocal spending

• Need to understand which sectors offer the mostgrowth potential for the District

• Need to position Bradford District to benefit from a‘Green Industrial Revolution”

Our distinctiveoffer

• Many areas, including high streets,have suffered years of decline

• Many homes are either empty and/or unfit

• Land and building are unused andunder-utilised

• Underdeveloped visitor experience

• Potential investment sites are notwell defined

• Poor connectivity holds backeconomic growth: Bradford is thelargest place in the UK not on themainline rail network

• Need to get the visitor economy back on track

• More pressing need to adapt our offering totechnological innovation, globalisation andenvironmental pressures that are changing the waywe live and work

• Need to identify new business opportunitiesemerging for locally produced goods and services(as substitutes for ones supplied elsewhere) – EU Exitmay exacerbate this

• Need to promote value of our local cultural assets

• Need to prepare people for the creative industry

• Need to adapt the role of town centres and highstreets in light of more teleworking and lesscommuting – especially if they offer local communityfacilities, as people interact closer to home

Our globallyconnected District

• Poor connectivity holds backeconomic growth: Bradford is thelargest place in the UK not on themainline rail network

• Digital inequalities persist: only69% of properties in the 20% mostdeprived areas have access tosuperfast broadband

• Greater need to plan our public spaces andinfrastructure (for example, due to the shift online/home working).

• Greater need to understand the use of housing andcommercial property as concentrations of thosesectors where occupations are better able to workfrom home may see long term shifts in commutingpatterns and housing and commercialproperty demand

• Need to consider implications of reduced car usageand more active travel

• Greater need to reduce digital inequalities sincethese have exacerbated access to the opportunitiesemerging after Covid-19

• Need to prepare businesses for a potential furtherrapid contraction of retail and commercial use inour District


The newopportunities

Our recent review of the Economic Strategyexplored the intersection of megatrends with ourlocal context, resulting in a more comprehensiveset of areas of opportunity:

Equipping our young, diverse population with theskills and confidence they will need to succeedin our evolving economic environment in sectorswhere Bradford District has the bestgrowth potential;

Supporting businesses to adapt to and exploitdevelopments in technology by upskilling andsupporting businesses to use new technologiesand drive innovation;

Leveraging Bradford District’s diverse culturalassets and distinctive places to driveeconomic growth;

Accelerating the development of Bradford District’sgreen economy by transitioning to a sustainable,resilient and connected economy; and

Promoting and enabling better health andwellbeing by enabling all people to lead long,happy & productive lives.

Young, diverse population: With more than25% of the population under 18, and over330,000 people of working age, governments andbusinesses (working together) need to prioritiseupskilling as a critical tool in navigating out ofthe crisis and into a world of stronger economicstability enabled through a high-skilled andintellectually mobile workforce. Though there is arelatively high number of new entrants to highereducation28, currently only 25% of our adultpopulation is qualified to degree level (vs. 37%UK level). There is a big opportunity to improveour human capital to support a more productiveeconomy. There is a large potential for ourdiverse population to contribute to the economy,particularly BAME women, who made up threequarters of our employment gap.

Technology: Covid-19 has highlighted thesignificant digital divide, with digital povertyand poor digital skills. It has also increasedunemployment – with further increases to beexpected, in part due to structural economic

changes and new ways of working which it hasaccelerated. A quarter of current jobs in BradfordDistrict are in mid-skill occupations that are likelyto shrink by 2030; only 10% are in occupationsthat are likely to grow29. But these changes alsopresent an opportunity to make the District’seconomy more resilient: if we create the rightbusiness conditions, more jobs can be created.There is a large potential for digitally upskillingworkers to be redeployed in high-growth sectors.To do this, we need to prepare our workforce sothat job creation happens in Bradford District.This means better education and more effectiveupskilling. It is also about supporting businessesto realise the opportunities, especially in the digitaleconomy from artificial intelligence and big data,by being agile, creative and innovative. Althoughour Economic Strategy identified the opportunity todo more to make Bradford District more distinctivein its offering to business and skilled individuals,we need to do more, building on existing sectoralstrengths such as manufacturing, health and socialcare, through the topical lenses of green and digitalactivities, will help drive economic recovery.

Green economy: Despite the Covid-19 pandemic,the importance of transitioning to a moresustainable low-carbon economy has continuedto gain momentum and move up the agenda forpolicymakers, businesses and investors. Unlike inprevious recessions, where support has waned,the green economy is now widely seen as integralto global and national economic recovery – 48% ofthe UK public agree that the Government shouldrespond “with the same urgency to climate changeas it has with Covid-19” (compared with 28% whosay not)30. The Prime Minister announced plans tostimulate a green industrial revolution, seeing itas the basis for ‘building a better future’ tostimulate employment31.

The District already has around 10,000environmental sector jobs. Clean growth couldadd £11 billion to the Leeds City Region economyand create 100,000 extra skilled jobs for localpeople in sectors ranging from energy and utilitiesto innovative design to food to construction32.Bradford District is expected to require around7,800 new jobs in the low carbon and renewablealone by 203033.

28Leeds City Region Labour Market Information Report 2019/202029Centre for Cities30The Independent, ‘Public want radical response to climate change with same urgencyas coronavirus, poll finds’, 16 April 2020

31Prime Minister, ‘The ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution’, November 202032Research undertaken by Leeds City Region33Local Government Association, ‘Accelerating a sustainable economic recovery’, 2020


The District is also home to some unique social,business and physical assets which, if fully andeffectively harnessed, can position us well to takeadvantage of the opportunities available fromclean and inclusive economic growth that createsnew jobs, increases employment and incomes,and in turn supports improvements in health andwell-being. In addition, the District’s physicalgeography offers significant potential for thegeneration of renewable energy, flood alleviationand carbon sequestration measures. Furthermore,opportunities exist to develop local artisaneconomies, such as local food producers, farmshops and markets.

Culture & place: Bradford attracted 9.2 millionvisitors, bringing significant visitor spend34. Wewere proud to be named Europe’s ‘Emergingdestination of the year’ in 2018 by the Luxury TravelGuide, which called us a modern cosmopolitan citywith a thousand stories to tell. But our hospitalitysector has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19.Looking forward, we still believe that our cultural,heritage and natural assets will be a valuablebasis from which to drive economic growth byattracting visitors, residents and businesses. Weare supporting Bradford’s bid to be the UK Cityof Culture in 2025. The District has a range of fineVictorian architecture and a wealth of heritagebuildings that present opportunities for highlydesirable living and working spaces. Encouragingand enabling the imaginative reuse of these assetswill be an important focus of our recovery.

One effect of Covid-19 has been to demonstratethat home working can be effective and toencourage more people to think about movingfrom urban areas – which have tended to be whereCovid-19 case have been concentrated – to lessurban areas, often bringing with them valuablespending power35.

In addition, Bradford District is strategically locatedbetween Leeds and Manchester but currentlylacks the transport infrastructure to realise fully the

opportunities this presents. Northern PowerhouseRail and other rail/infrastructure investment wouldenable better connectivity36.

Health & wellbeing: Covid-19 means that thevalue of good health and social care is betterrecognised. The pandemic has also added topressures elsewhere in the health and social caresystems. It is an economically significant sectorwhich is expected to grow. Bradford District willgain by being well positioned to take advantage ofinitiatives aimed at ensuring a healthy workforceand society and by developing and attractingworkers to support the development of its healthand social care sectors. There is in particular a bigpotential in promoting universities coming togetherwith employers to assess and plan for skillsneeded (especially health care).

34https://www.bradford.gov.uk/business/bradford-economy/about-bradfords-economy/35PwC, ‘UK Economic Update’, 202036https://www.nextstopbradford.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NPR_Bradford_Growth_Strategy.pdf


Upskilling and innovation for green jobs

Successful economic recovery depends ondeveloping a suitably skilled workforce able tomeet the needs of growth sectors. This is key tojob creation. The emergence of the green economyis a vital source of growth for Bradford District. Weneed to support it in both the short- and long-termbeyond this recovery plan.

The 10-point plan proposed by the Governmentin November 2020 will mobilise £12 billion ofgovernment investment, and potentially three timesas much from the private sector. The launch of theGreen Jobs Taskforce seeks to support the creationof 2 million skilled jobs to build back greener andreach net zero emissions by 2050.

Bradford District can set a new direction for thejob market as we transition to a high-skill, lowcarbon economy

What support is needed for people intransitioning industries?

• Ensuring we have the immediate skills neededfor building back greener, such as in-homeretrofitting and the circular economy

• Developing a long-term plan that figures outthe skills needed to help deliver a netzero economy

• Supporting workers in high carbon transitioningsectors, like oil and gas, to retrain in newgreen technologies

• Stimulate demand for high value-added greeninfrastructure products and services. Improve theeconomics of delivery throughscale effects38

• Whilst there is no shortfall of solutions that targetdecarbonisation and unemployment, deliveringintegrated policy solutions at speed and scaleremains challenging. Currently, the relevantplayers across the value chain required to delivertechnical solutions, operate largely independently.There is no common demand signal visible to allplayers. In time, the open market would respondwith waterfall demand along the value chain butto accelerate this, a well orchestrated solutionis required that takes an end-to-end value chainapproach and encourages effective collaborationacross the public and private sectors.

“Now is the timeto plan for a greenrecovery with high-skilled jobs thatgive people thesatisfaction ofknowing they arehelping to makethe country cleaner,greener and morebeautiful.”Boris Johnson, Prime Minister37

The first step for Bradford District is toconvene a consortium of private sectorcompanies across multiple industriesin the end to end value chain such ashousebuilding, wholesale distribution,field services, equipment, projectmanagement and utilities. Bringingtogether leading businesses fromacross the delivery chain will highlight arange of opportunities to accelerate theimplementation of the 10-point plan andgenerate new jobs.

37Prime Minister, Financial Times, 17 November 202038See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-launches-taskforce-to-support-drive-for-2-million-green-jobs-by-2030


We believe that the current economic crisis can beturned to our advantage. By supporting changein the economy and encouraging new ways ofworking, we have a narrow, but real, opportunityto position Bradford better and deliver greaterwellbeing for all.

Our ability to do this is helped by the big changein political attitudes we have seen since Covid-19.Bolder economic and social strategies are gainingforce in policy debates around the world. Thepandemic is the chance to reset our economyto create a healthier, more equitable, and moresustainable future.

We need to use all the levers at our disposal,including taking advantage of devolution andthe levelling-up agenda. Further devolution offunding and powers will mean that we can takefurther steps to make our economy fairer, in partby creating a better sense of local connectionand ownership among citizens. We want to workin partnership with Whitehall to develop andimplement an ambitious Economic Recovery Plan.


Our Economic RecoveryPlan

We have built our Economic Recovery Plan around a set of ambitions, principles and enablers which wesee as our response to the key challenges and opportunities we expect to arise from the “megatrends” weexpect to shape the District’s economy (see Figure 11).

IntroductionOur Economic Recovery Plan for Bradford District must respond tothe changing economic context and opportunities. It must enableus to realise the new opportunities we anticipate beyond Covid-19whilst addressing the key challenges we face. We need to be bold,ambitious and innovative in the actions we take. We must also buildon our existing strengths. In short, we must continue to transform oureconomy to fulfil our ambitions.

Figure 11: Framework for developing the Economic Recovery Plan for Bradford District


Bradford’spotentialopportunities

Ambitions Economicrecovery planprinciples

Increasingthe valueof theeconomy

Productiveworkforce

Resilientbusinesses

Inclusion

Sustainableeconomy

Gettingmore peopleinto work

Young, diversepopulationEquip the District’s youngand diverse population withthe skills & confidenceto succeed.

TechnologyUpskill and supportbusinesses to use newtechnologies anddrive innovation.

Culture and placeLeverage the District’sdiverse cultural assets anddistinctive places to driveeconomic growth.


Health and wellbeingEnable all people to leadlong, happy andproductive lives.

Improvingthe skillsof ourresidents

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Covid-19 inducedrecession

Covid-19 ledinequalities

Covid-19originatingpressure onpublic finances

Clean growth andsustainability

Digitisation(e.g. rise of AI andbig data)

EU exit(e.g. future tradingrelationship between EUand UK)

“Megatrends”(key factors shapingthe economy)

Keyenablers

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Our ambition

Despite the unforeseen impact of Covid-19, ourlong-term ambition for the District’s economy in2030 remains unchanged. Our aim is still to growskills, jobs, productivity and earnings so thatBradford District is performing above the nationalaverage (see Figure 12). This means:

• Increasing the value of Bradford’s economyfaster than the UK average;

• Getting more people into work to bringemployment rates closer to UK rates; and

• Improving the skills of residents to close thegap to UK levels.

The purpose of our Economic Recovery Plan isto reset our economy so that we can accelerateour progress towards this long-term ambition bycapitalising on the five distinct opportunities wehave identified, namely:

• Equipping our young, diverse populationwith the skills and confidence they will need tosucceed in our evolving economic environmentin sectors where Bradford District has the bestgrowth potential;

• Supporting businesses to adapt to and exploitdevelopments in technology by upskilling andsupporting businesses to use new technologiesand drive innovation;

• Leveraging Bradford District’s diverse culturalassets and distinctive places to driveeconomic growth;

• Accelerating the development of BradfordDistrict’s green economy by transitioning toa sustainable, resilient and connectedeconomy; and

• Promoting and enabling better health andwellbeing by enabling all people to lead long,happy & productive lives.

It is also designed to enable us to address the keychallenges that could slow our progress or evenprevent us from achieving our ambition.This means:

• Reducing unemployment, especially amongyoung people;

• Improving skill levels;• Enhancing connectivity – both physical and

digital; and• Building our image and reputation, especially

outside the District.

Figure 12: Bradford District performanceagainst UK average in key metrics

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Employment 16-64

Bradford performance% of UK average

Employment 16-24

GVA per filled jobNVQ4+

Job density

Source:


Our principles for recovery

We want our Economic Recovery Plan to set us ona course to restore our economy in a way that is:

• Productive so that workers and businesseshave the right tools to create more, higher valuejobs which offers the foundation for risingliving standards;

• Inclusive so that everyone can contribute toand benefit from it, building a fairer and morecohesive District: this means continuing toaddress underlying historical labourmarket disparities;

• Sustainable so that growth protects andenhances the natural environment, both locallyand globally, and meets this generation’sneeds without compromising those of futuregenerations; and

• Resilient so that growth can be sustained intothe long term by unlocking new opportunitiesfrom the low-carbon, digital economy that willmake the District stronger and more resilient tofuture economic shocks.

We need to be agile in our approach so thatwe can respond quickly and effectively to anyfurther changes in either public health or theeconomic context so that we can address the newopportunities and challenges. To do this we will becommitted to tracking our progress and learningany lessons as we move forwards. We also needto make sure that our goals for productivityand inclusion are compatible with those forsustainability and resilience.

We want to build on our strong track recordof working with our partners to create a betterBradford District for all.


Our targets

For each opportunity area, we have outlined indicative targets for the Economic Recovery Plan. Oncethey have been confirmed – as the proposed interventions are confirmed – we will use them to track ourprogress and adjust our approach if we need to.

Opportunity Recovery targets

Young, diverse population

Equip the District’s young &diverse population with the skills &confidence needed to succeed.

• Reduce unemployment, especially among people aged 16-24

• Reduce proportion of young people who are not in education,employment or training (NEET)

• Reduce proportion of working age population with no qualifications

• Increase levels of digital literacy

• Increase support for adult learners accessing further andhigher education.

Technology

Support businesses to use newtechnologies and drive innovation.

• Increase take up of business support

• Increase satisfaction with business support

• Increase number of business start-ups

• Increase business growth rates

Culture & place

Leverage the District’s diverse culturalassets and distinctive places to driveeconomic growth.

• Improve the visitor and citizen experience

• Increase visitor numbers and spend

• Increase the value of cultural and creative sectors and the number of jobsin these sectors

• Create new spaces for living, work and leisure and enhance existing ones

Green economy

Accelerate the transition to asustainable, resilient and connectedeconomy.

• Improve the quality and energy efficiency of homes and public buildings

• Reduce levels of fuel poverty

• Comply with UK air quality limits by 2022

• Reduce CO2 per capita emission levels and keep them below UK average

• Develop local expertise and capabilities in retrofitting, sustainable foodproduction, hydrogen LGVs and the circular economy

• Increase the value of environmental and low carbon sectors and thenumber of jobs in these sectors

Health & wellbeing

Enable all people to lead long, happy& productive lives.

• Support the development of a healthy workforce to generate economicand social value

• Adopt and integrate digital solutions into health and care delivery modelsand interventions

• Begin development of a unique Bradford medical education and trainingundergraduate programme


Enablers to achieve ourambitions

We will only achieve our ambitions for both the Economic RecoveryPlan and the longer-term if we take enabling actions in four broad, butinterconnected, areasEducation and skillsEducation and skills development are key enablersif we are to capitalise on the opportunity presentedby our population. Developing the human capitalof the District’s population will encourage andenable more citizens to enter the labour marketby accessing well paid, skilled employment and/or transitioning to jobs in different sectors requiringnew skills. By targeting existing and expected skillsgaps in the District, we can help to fill vacancies,improve matching efficiency and create the skillsbase so that businesses in the new and growingsectors (such as technology, the green economy,culture and health) have access to the skillsthey need and can help us to reduce the rate ofunemployment rate, especially the proportion ofthe population who are NEET. It will also help us toretain skilled employees and local talent which isespecially important for our young people.

Business environmentWe want a thriving business community in BradfordDistrict to create good employment opportunitiesfor local people and serve the needs of theDistrict’s consumers. To achieve this, we mustmake sure we encourage start-ups, small andmicro business expansion. We must help themto adopt new ideas, processes and technologiesso that they can develop products, services andemployment in new and emerging sectors. Wemust also attract new businesses to the area bymarketing Bradford District to prospective inwardinvestors. This means making appropriate supportavailable and accessible so that we can capitaliseon the strong culture of entrepreneurship we havein the District. This will be vital in enabling Bradfordbusinesses to capitalise on the opportunitieswe have identified so that they can provide thejobs our economy will need. It will also facilitateregeneration across the District.

Research and innovationInvesting in research and innovation will play animportant role in enabling Bradford District toachieve its ambitions, particularly those relatingto technology, health and the green economy. Wewant to encourage collaboration across academia,industry and government to foster economic andsocial development, building on the knowledgeinstitutions in the District, notably the Universityof Bradford. We want to enhance our reputationfor adopting new technologies, such as digitalhealth, and developing distinct capabilities such assustainable food production and the production ofgreen hydrogen vehicles.

Infrastructure: physical and digitalFinally, we need to make sure that our physicaland digital infrastructure enables us to capitaliseon our opportunities. This means ensuring thatour transport network gives us the physicalconnectivity we need to boost our productivity. Atthe same time, we want it to boost regeneration ofour towns as well as aligning with our ambitions fora green recovery based on sustainable transportwith a more efficient, extensive and greener publictransport network.

Similarly, improvements to our digital infrastructuresuch as broadband and mobile coverage andthe roll-out of full-fibre and, subsequently, 5G willenable both our businesses and citizens to bemore digitally connected. This will drive innovationbut reinforce the need for upskilling if we are tocapitalise on the opportunity to boost productivityand create more jobs. Mobile coverage, particularlyin less urban areas, can also bring benefits viaconnected healthcare. 5G could also supportinformation sharing by a mobile health andsocial care workforce and will be importantin Industry 4.0.


Reinforcing the supply side: stimulatingjobsIf investments in education and skills are to delivervalue as a response to Covid-19, they need toalign with the current and expected demandfrom employers. Creation of new skilled jobs willonly be made possible if we can attract business(by strengthening the business environmentand selling Bradford to prospective investors),support business start-up and growth and boostcompetitiveness by encouraging collaborationbetween our local businesses and academia todrive innovation. Although this is a long-termendeavour – beyond the scope of this EconomicRecovery Plan, it can play a valuable role instimulating job creation.

Digital infrastructure will also enable innovationin new sectors of the economy, in particular inaspects of the green economy through efficientmanagement of smart buildings, monitoring ofthe environment and connected transport. Closelinks exist, for example, between digitisation ofmanufacturing/Industry 4.0 – to reduce waste andgenerate more efficient production and processes– and the circular economy. We have strengths inmanufacturing – can production lines be pivoted tonew products and supply chains?

Key interventionsOur Plan sets out how we intend to respond overthe next two years to drive economic recoveryacross the District as well as the issues we need toconsider when we refresh our Economic Strategyin 2022. Our planned interventions fall into threebroad categories:

• Those that we will undertake with the support ofour partners across Bradford District: in somecases, this will involve building on our existinginitiatives but in others it will involvenew interventions;

• Those where we want to work with partnersin the region, notably the West YorkshireCombined Authority and the Leeds City RegionLocal Enterprise Partnership to pursue ourmutual goals: together, this partnership workingcan bring new investment to the District andgreater local influence on how and whereresources are spent; and

• Those where we want to work with theGovernment to seize the immediateopportunities to boost skills, employment andproductivity and so contribute to ‘levelling up’the national economy as well as contributing toits other priorities, for example achievement ofNet Zero.

We have some clear asks of our partners from theprivate, public and third sectors to help us deliver asuccessful recovery.

Below, we identify the priority actions we haveidentified for each opportunity area. We alsodescribe three key cross-cutting interventionswhich are relevant to several opportunity areas:these relate to skills, business support andinfrastructure. We distinguish those actions that wehave already taken in the relief phase, our prioritiesfor the recovery period and the key considerationsfor our long-term strategy.


Young, diverse populationOur vision is to leverage our young, diversepopulation as an asset. To do this, we needto provide them with the skills and confidencethey will need to succeed in Bradford District’seconomy. In particular, we want them to contributeto those sectors of the economy which offerBradford District the best growth potential.

We already have initiatives in place which arehelping young people in the District:

• Our Opportunity Area Programme usesfunding from the Department for Educationto improve education standards and promotesocial mobility for young people, helpingdisadvantaged people to develop criticallife skills;

• The Industrial Centres of Excellence areeducation-industry partnerships which equipyoung people with experiences and skillsrequired for work by connecting education andbusiness partners;

• SkillsHouse provides unemployed people withthe skills and opportunities to find employmentwithin Bradford District;

• Reach Higher enables 4,000 disadvantagedpeople to access high level education andtraining through graduate placements, mentorsupport and subsidies for employers; and

• Bradford Pathways is an employer-led modelof careers and technical educational supportdesigned to give young people the skills thatemployers need.

We are already working with West YorkshireCombined Authority on two programmes tosupport recovery:

• [Re]boot which provides support over twoyears for people who are unemployed/at risk ofredundancy to help them retrain with a line ofsight to employment opportunities across WestYorkshire, delivered through the five districts,colleges and other providers; and

• Employment Hubs, another two-yearprogramme, designed to facilitate access toadvice and support, across West Yorkshireto enable individuals to access training,retraining and/or employment, particularly tonew opportunities being created to support theCovid-19 recovery efforts.

Our priorities are targeted at the disproportionatechallenges being experienced by young people,especially those in BAME communities. Evidenceindicates that those from ethnic minoritycommunities are, on average, younger than whiteBritish people and younger people are more likelyto work in a sector vulnerable to shut down39. Thissuggests that young, ethnic minority individuals aremore likely to be adversely impacted by Covid-19.Bradford District has a young and ethnicallydiverse population indicating this is a criticalissue that needs to be addressed. Our EconomicRecovery Plan aims to support those who are mostimpacted by providing them with the opportunity toupskill and/or engage in work.

Building on this existing activity, our priorities forthe recovery period are as follows:

• Making Bradford a learning District –Providing our residents with opportunitiesthrough SkillsHouse, providing a District wideprospectus and careers portal

• Providing access to work – Offeringopportunities to young people by makingthem more employable and the economymore resilient

• Inspire, Reskill and Upskill – Informing thedevelopment of vocational provision, includinghigher level skills – with a cohesive offer foremployers, the self-employed andthe unemployed.

Furthermore, the Council recognises that asuccessful future for the District depends onsecuring a successful future for our children. Wewant to make sure every child can reach their fullpotential regardless of where they live, culturalbackground or financial circumstance. This meansoffering the right help at the right time to ensurethey are happy, healthy and achieving throughouttheir lives. A good education is central to this, andmore is needed. We have been actively supportingschools to deal with Covid-19, including withinfection control and provision of IT equipment andsupport to enable them to learn remotely.

Looking forward, as we refresh our EconomicStrategy, we will need to make sure that our skillssystem in Bradford District is responding efficientlyand effectively in delivering the skills needed ingrowth areas such as the green economy and thecreative sector.

39The Institute for Fiscal Studies, Are some ethnic groups more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others? May 2020 [https://www.ifs.org.uk/inequality/chapter/are-some-ethnic-groups-more-vulnerable-to-covid-19-than-others/]


TechnologyWe want to help existing businesses in theDistrict adapt to take full advantage of recentdevelopments in technology. We also wantBradford District to be an attractive location formobile business investment. To do this, we need tomake sure that businesses have the support theyneed to use new technologies and drive innovation.We also want them to have (better) access to theworkforce skills they’ll need. At the same time,we want to support increased access to digitalresources to tackle the risk of digital poverty. Thismeans linking our skills policy and programmeswith other efforts to support innovation and growthacross the District so that we have the skillsneeded to drive workplace innovation and makejobs more productive.

Through our Economic Recovery Plan, we want todrive a technology led recovery in two ways:

• Digitally upskilling Bradford: severalinterventions already address the challengesand opportunities associated with theaccelerated digital trends caused by Covid-19which primarily include upskilling opportunitiesfor generic, basic digital skills and moreadvanced, sector-specific tools. We want todevelop a targeted programme to addressdigital poverty amongst vulnerable groups.

• Providing digital infrastructure and capital:In order to facilitate technological advancement,suitable equipment is required. This will includea wide variety of products such as full-fibreinternet, laptops, software etc. This strand ofwork aims to support vulnerable individualsby providing important equipment to them,removing digital poverty barriers.

We also investigate the development of an Instituteof Technology in Bradford that would bringtogether the University, further education collegesand employers to support the development ofspecialist skills that support local students with aroute to technically skilled employment.

We already have the Digital Health Enterprise Zone(DHZE) which helps incubate and grow digitalhealth businesses.

Looking forward, we see digital connectivity asa core part of making Bradford District globallyconnected with strong international trading linksand access to new markets. We will continue tomonitor what we do to stimulate concentrations ofhigh-value production businesses, including in thedigital technology sector, and facilitate the growthof small and medium sized enterprises.


Culture & placeBradford District has a diverse, multiculturalpopulation as well as several distinctive cultural,heritage and natural assets which provideopportunities to stimulate growth and generateskilled employment based on attracting visitorsand developing new living and working spaces.Covid-19 has meant that people spend more timenear where they live. It has accelerated changes inthe way the city centre, towns and public spacesare occupied. It has shifted patterns of use awayfrom consumerism and retail to more experientialand cultural uses. As such, we want to use therecovery period to start to reimagine how we canuse the District’s assets and spaces for home,work and leisure so that we can regenerate theDistrict: we want to explore the principle of ‘reuse,don’t rebuild’ as a means of regenerating theDistrict’s existing cultural assets to create newspaces for living, work and leisure.

Our vision for culture and place in the context ofeconomic recovery is based on leveraging ourambition to be the UK City of Culture in 2025 andusing it to raise Bradford’s profile globally. We wantto make Bradford a compelling location for culturaland creative businesses to thrive by creating abusiness environment which supports and nurturesstart-ups. We also want to create places thatcitizens are proud of.

We have already acted to leverage our culturalassets and distinctive places, for example:

• We formed a Cultural Place Partnership and aCultural Recovery Board;

• We launched Bradford’s bid for UK City ofCulture 2025;

• We have commissioned a Night-time andEvening Economy Study, a City of Film ScreenStrategy, and an economic impact study toassess economic impact of a successful Cityof Culture designation and a 10-year culturalstrategy for the Bradford District;

• We are developing a 10-year cultural strategy,Culture is Our Plan, in recognition of the culturalsector’s rich contribution to economic andsocial wellbeing;

• Arts Council England is funding BradfordProducing Hub as a pilot project to developlocal talent and boost the District’s ability toproduce new work;

• The LEAP – a new Creative People andPlaces programme – is working to create artsexperiences for, by and with local communitieswhere people tend to engage less with artsand culture;

• We are supporting the conversion of the formerOdeon cinema into a premier live music venue;

• We are creating a strong city centre businessdestination through investment in the OneCity Park office scheme and otherdevelopments; and

• We are working with the Towns Fund boards toimprove the prosperity of Keighley, Shipley andother places in the District.

Building on this existing activity, our priorities forthe recovery period are as follows:

• Culture is Our Plan – implementation of our10-year cultural strategy for the District toattract investment and act as a lever for multipleDistrict-wide interventions;

• Greening the District – a new crowd-sourcedgreen space and a new green park in the citycentre; and

• Designate Little Germany as a HeritageAction Zone – to support business needs ofCCI workforce and improve the visitor andcitizen experience.

Looking out to 2030, as we refresh our EconomicStrategy, we will need to consider:

• How we can capitalise fully on the opportunityif we become the UK City of Culture 2025 byensuring we deliver successfully and maintainour momentum through further investment inthe cultural and creative industries beyond2025; and

How we continue to improve our infrastructurethrough the City Centre Action Plan and theNorthern Powerhouse Rail Growth Strategy.


Green economyOur vision for the District is to transition to becomea sustainable, resilient and connected low-carboneconomy through infrastructure investment,business innovation and collective action.

The Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019and published its Sustainable Development ActionPlan in early 2020. A Sustainable DevelopmentPartnership has now been established to driveforward our commitment to be carbon ‘net zero’ by2038 and help create a more sustainable District.The development of Bradford District’s greeneconomy and green jobs is central to this ambition.It will provide an important economic opportunitythat will become increasingly significant over time.We want to invest in more sustainable homes andbusinesses, adapting to the impacts of climatechange and building the skills that will be neededwill help to ensure the District is ready to captureopportunities in a new green economy.

We already have many initiatives underway aimedat accelerating this transition. These includeflagship projects identified by the Council fortackling the Climate Emergency which will:

• Reduce the energy used for street lighting;

• Deliver a district heat network, with the potentialfor saving on Council and partner heatingcosts as well as significantly reducing carbonemissions associated with the provision of heatand electricity in the city centre;

• Expand the network of electric vehicle (EV)charging points and transitioning the Council’sfleet to electric vehicles;

• Increase renewable energy and electricitygeneration on the Council estate; and

• Improve air quality through our Breathe BetterBradford clean air plan;

• Buy Fair Trade goods and produce, encourageour partners and businesses to do the sameand look for ways to support Fair Trade furtheracross the District.

In addition, the Council’s budget, agreed inFebruary 2020, allocated £25 million to climateaction including:

• ‘Tree for Every Child’ – an ambitious programmeto plant more than 55,000 new trees, onefor each primary school pupil in theBradford District;

• Community projects – biodiversity,environmental management andrenewables; and

• Introduction of new 20mph zones to promotewalking and cycling and cleaner air.

We are also working with the West YorkshireCombined Authority to deliver a portfolio of majortransport schemes worth in the region of £250million over the next three years which includeCity Centre Transforming Cities Fund and capitalprogrammes within the Local Growth Deal andWest Yorkshire Transport Fund. In addition, theLeeds City Region is leading on transport andenergy infrastructure related to the green economysuch as Northern Powerhouse Rail and Leeds CityRegion Mass Transit. Critical within this is securinga city centre station for Bradford on NorthernPowerhouse Rail.

Building on this extensive array of existing activitythat is taking place in the District, the EconomicRecovery Board has suggested that our prioritiesfor the recovery period should be to developbusiness cases for action in four key areas:

• Implementation of a neighbourhood-basedenergy efficiency retrofit programme – buildingon existing plans in the District to retrofitindividual homes and public buildings, anddeveloping the concept of creating ‘15-minuteneighbourhoods’, to extend retrofitting topromote more sustainable living;

• Creation of a sustainable food supply system– building on the District’s existing assets andactivity to develop a sustainable food supplysystem and building the District’s reputation asa regional/national sustainable food hub;


• Development of the supply chain for hydrogenlight goods vehicles – positioning the District’sautomotive businesses to win opportunitiesin the fuel cell electric vehicles supply-chainthrough having a UK ‘test-bed’ fleet of hydrogenlight goods vehicles; and

• Construction of a circular economydemonstrator – encouraging local businesses toinvest in reprocessing of recycled or by-productmaterials and positioning the District as anexemplar of the circular economy in the UK.

Furthermore, a number of complementaryinitiatives are envisaged by local partners:

• Yorkshire Water plans to transform redundantland surrounding the Esholt wastewatertreatment works to create a model developmentof sustainable housing and industry; and

• Bradford Community Energy Ltd is aCommunity Benefit Society set up to bring thebenefits of community-owned renewablesto Bradford.

Looking to 2030, we will need to consider:

• What, if anything, we will need to do to remainon track to achieve net-zero carbon by 2038;

• What more we should be doing to improve ourtransport and energy infrastructure; and

• How we build on our positioning as a national/regional exemplar for the circular economy, inthe production and use of hydrogen vehiclesand sustainable food supply.

Health & wellbeingPromotion of health and wellbeing in BradfordDistrict is important for several reasons:

• It enables a step change in the health,wellbeing and economic prosperity of ourlocal communities;

• It provides the opportunity to create more,valued jobs in the District.

Achieving an inclusive health and care economydepends on collaboration between key institutionssuch as the NHS, the University of Bradford andthe Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Researchto revitalise and transform the District. Thisinvolves the development of a highly effective andcompassionate integrated workforce based ona world class medical, health and care learninginfrastructure which can translate the latesttechnologies and research quickly into practice.

health and care learning centre with strongcollaboration will accelerate:

• Transformation to integrated place-based healthand care delivery;

• Adoption and integration of digital solutionsinto health and care delivery modelsand interventions;

• Development of an agile workforce;

• Creation of a health and care workforce thatharnesses and liberates the talents of thediverse population of Bradford District;

• Creation of a unique Bradford medicaleducation and training undergraduateprogramme centred on prevention andcommunity based integrated care; and

• Alignment of anchor organisations’ investmentin the District to improve social andeconomic outcomes.

Our work in this area is being led by our Health andSocial Care Economic Partnership, but the natureof its impacts means that the ambition alignsclosely to that of the Bradford Economic RecoveryPlan. It builds on previous and complementaryinitiatives such as:

• Born in Bradford;

• The desire to open a Medical School inBradford; and

• Establishment of the One Workforce Centre tosupport health and care employment.

Act Early North is a key priority. It will build on thework of Bradford Institute of Health Research, Bornin Bradford and Act Early research programmesto understand the impact of preventative policy inthe context of health. The prevention of ill healthhas the potential to be more cost effective thanattempts to cure or manage disease. Act EarlyNorth aims to create a strong cost-benefit evidencebase that supports early interventions and thelevelling up agenda. In addition, it will provide jobsand training to boost the local economy. Digitalliteracy is a focal point of the initiative and willhelp to create a higher skilled workforce as well asacting as a ‘catalyst for much needed additionalresearch and prevention investment in the North’.It is hoped that the preventative health policy andearly years interventions in young people will haveknock-on impacts improving population health,reducing the cost of non-communicable diseaseson public finances, and creating a healthierworkforce.


Cross-cutting interventionsSkills: Besides addressing the specific challengesfaced by young people, we must recognise theneed for a broader set of skills-related interventionsto support all the working population of BradfordDistrict. Our proposed investments as part of ourRecovery Plan are geared to enabling us to closethe skills gap with the national average.

Our approach to addressing the challenges linkedto skills within Bradford District is based on thefollowing priority interventions:

• Basic skills: we plan to provide basic skillsto everyone that wishes to participate whichencompass core skills, including basic digitalliteracy, to equip people with the ability tosucceed in the dynamically changing economy;

• Advanced, sector specific skills: we alsoplan to develop several, more focusedinterventions designed to help the Districtbetter match supply and demand of those skillsneeded in specific, key growth sectors whereBradford has both strengths and opportunities.Examples of our planned activities includeusing the Leeds City Region Local EnterprisePartnership’s [re]boot programme to developsector specific training courses and supportingthe development of Future Technology Centres,for industries such as advanced engineering,computing and green technology. As part ofthis, we’d like to provide digital platforms andinfrastructure to support employment growthand retraining via remote learning, access topeers and wider networks;

• Language skills: One of the challenges facedby our diverse inhabitants is that they do notspeak English with sufficient fluency, and thisinhibits them from realising their potential: wewill facilitate access to/provide basic languageprogrammes to support these people as part ofour Economic Recovery Plan.

• Support people furthest from the labourmarket into work: including those with learningdisabilities: we will create new employmentopportunities, particularly in sectors withworkforce shortages such as health andsocial care.

We will maximise the opportunity to leveragefunding for the two Towns Fund areas (Keighleyand Shipley) to secure resources for skills anda transformational programme of activity andinvestment in town and high street regeneration;promoting the distinctive offer of each place,improving the resilience and sustainability ofthose places and communities and contributing toeconomic growth.

Business support: Businesses across the District,in particular SMEs, will need to adapt to the neweconomic environment if they are to survive andthen thrive. This means refining their strategies andoperations to respond to the potential disruptiveimpacts of the trends that will impact them,including the UK’s exit from the EU. We aim tomake Bradford District a diverse business hubwith a robust support framework for all businesses– with a focus on start-ups, small and microbusinesses. By fostering their growth potential, weaim to foster the potential of local businesses. Tosupport them, we need to make sure that they canaccess high quality business support.

Currently, support is provided through manychannels with multiple providers across the Districtbut it is underutilised due, in part, to businesses’lack of awareness and trust in its value. As partof our Economic Recovery Plan, we want tomake sure that the available resources are fullyleveraged. This will help our economy becomemore diverse and resilient. Consequently, ourpriority is to unite existing business supportofferings across the District under a single banner,the ‘Bradford District business hub’ – this will offera single point of contact to direct businesses andprospective entrepreneurs to business supportofferings, including advice on funding. Under thisbanner, we are looking to provide:

• Community enterprise support for peopleconsidering starting a new business by offeringaccess to coaching, finance, office space andbusiness services and training, with key targetsbeing specific gaps and priority areas to helpremove barriers to employment;


• Support to social enterprises and socialentrepreneurs through the Local Access Fundand Impact Hub investments in the District;

• Help to businesses to increase exports andgrow global trade links; and

• Businesses with the information and supportthey’ll need thrive following the UK’s exit fromthe European Union.

We will also investigate how we can work with theFederation of Small Businesses and Chamber ofCommerce to develop and extend a subsidisedmembership package for small and mediumsized businesses (with less than 50 employees)in Bradford District. This will provide them withaccess to legal, tax and employment law supportalong with many other resources that will help theirrecovery and sustainability post Covid-19 crisis.

Finally, we want to explore what more the Counciland other major public sector organisations can doto make the most of the ‘Bradford District Pound’.

Specifically, we will look at how we can increasethe proportion of our spending so that it drivessocial value for local businesses and communityorganisations: the Council alone spends £475million with third parties.

Infrastructure: We have long recognised thatwe need better infrastructure to facilitate strongeconomic growth which benefits all our population.We will continue to work with the West YorkshireCombined Authority on this agenda as it remainscritical to our economic recovery.

Our overriding priority is to make the case forsustainable transport development, in particularfor Northern Powerhouse Rail. It is imperative thatBradford has a city centre station on the line.

Other transport infrastructure investments are alsoimportant to our long-term economic performance,notably Northern Connect, the City Centre and RailStation Master Plans, the Calder Valley Rail LineUpgrade and the Skipton-Colne rail link.

Our digital infrastructure is also key to amore inclusive economic recovery: improvedconnectivity and better mobile coverage forrural and urban businesses can help to addressdigital exclusion in communities. Improved digitalconnectivity can speed up business growth andconnect more people to opportunities in the digitaleconomy. We must ensure that our businesses areable to access high-speed broadband wherever

they are in the District. Longer term activities arealso needed to ensure that we recover with a morerobust, resilient economy.

There are plans for significant investment bycommercial fibre providers over the next five yearsstarting in February 2021 with Cityfibre rollout offull fibre, followed by other providers. This willbe complemented by the final Superfast WestYorkshire Broadband contract 3 in remainingrural areas.

In addition, the fully funded DCMS Rural GigabitConnectivity “outside in” programme will connectour hardest to reach rural areas with gigabitcapable broadband.

The Council has several work streams underway toleverage government and commercial investment:we aim to use our assets and connectivity toincentivise investment by commercial providersin less commercially viable areas to extendconnectivity more widely. Without our intervention,we’d have gaps in our rural and deprived areas.There are also opportunities to leverage socialvalue from providers to support digital skills,devices and cheap connectivity.

Our other priorities for economic recovery alsoalign with those of West Yorkshire in both theshort and longer term. Shovel ready initiativesinclude improvements to broadband access, greeninfrastructure (e.g. cycle lanes and walking paths),retrofitting houses with energy efficiency can haveimmediate benefits for struggling communities.

Reputation: We need to continue to strengthenBradford District’s image as a great place to live,work and play. We will improve our narrative forthe District so that it resonates with communitieswithin the District and beyond to promote themany opportunities Bradford District offers. Overtime, this will help to build the District’s brandand attract business from emerging sectors.Bradford District has lots to offer businesses andprospective workers, it was named the best placeto start a business in December 2017 by Barclays.A complementary, yet separate, intervention willunite our voice under a single narrative. We willwork together to identify local leaders and build acomms campaign to provide a clear narrative tothe rest of the country and world on everything thatmakes us distinct and the fantastic offeringwe provide.


Our prioritiesOur Economic Recovery Plan is structured arounda set of ambitions, principles and enablers whichrespond to the key challenges and opportunitieswe see arising from the “megatrends” which willaffect the District’s economy. Building on the manyactivities we already have underway, we haveidentified the priority interventions we need againsteach of the five key opportunity areas.

They fall into two categories:

• Immediate asks – interventions which are well-developed and can be delivered in the next twoyears; and

• Aspirational – interventions which requirefurther development and are for delivery in thelonger term.

Table 1 lists the planned interventions by categoryand shows which opportunity they address, thekey owner and their alignment to regional/nationalpartners and priorities. We summarise each in therest of Section.

Table 2: Planned interventions by timeframe for implementation

Category Intervention Alignment to opportunityareas

Ownership Alignment to regional / nationalpartners and priorities

Regional (e.g.WYCA, Leeds CityRegion)

National

Immediateasks

Make Bradford a Learning District Young, diverse population Employment and Skills partnership

Access to Work Young, diverse population Employment and Skills partnership

Inspire, Reskill and Upskill Young, diverse population Employment and Skills partnership

Neighbourhood retrofit Green economy Sustainable Development Partnership

Building Bradford’s image Cross-cutting Economic Partnership

Bradford District business hub Cross-cutting Economic Partnership

‘Culture is Our Plan’ Culture and place Cultural Place Partnership

Building an inclusive health & careeconomy

Health and wellbeing Health and Social Care Economic Partnership

Act Early North Health and wellbeing Health and Social Care Economic Partnership

Northern Powerhouse Rail Cross-cutting CMBDC

Aspirational Sustainable food supply system Green economy Sustainable Development Partnership

Supply chain for hydrogen LGVs Green economy Sustainable Development Partnership

Circular economy demonstrator Green economy Sustainable Development Partnership

Greening the District Culture and place Cultural Place Partnership

Heritage Action Zone Culture and place Cultural Place Partnership

AimSkillsHouse is a partnership which seeks to bringtogether a seamless education and skills offer foremployers and individuals alike. It will mobiliseresources in every sector to promote inclusive learning,from basic to higher education.

RationaleCovid-19 has dramatically altered Bradford District’seconomic outlook. It is expected to increaseunemployment, further especially among our youngpeople. The District requires a skilled, resilient workforcethat can make the most of job opportunities in achanging world. This intervention is designed to helpthe District’s population, especially young people, todevelop their skills and find work opportunities. If theyoung experience the greatest benefit, this will help tocounter the disproportionate negative impact that thepandemic is having on them.

Key enablersThe Council has already committed £3 million to supportSkillsHouse staffing across the Partnership until April2024. To succeed the Partnership will require:

• Increased commitment to the work of SkillsHousefrom local stakeholders

• Funding to support an online Districtwide prospectus

• Increased funding to support skills development

• Examples of success to be celebrated and cascadedacross the District.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe SkillsHouse Advisory Group will include theCouncil, the Department for Work and Pensions, majoremployers plus education, training and voluntaryorganisations. These include the Council, the District’sthree further education providers, the University ofBradford and Skills for Care. The Group will monitorprogress and coordinate course provision along withadvice and guidance available to Bradford residents.

The intervention will be led by the Council andEmployment & Skills partnership but will draw on otherkey stakeholders such as he FE institutions.

SkillsHouse will be managed by Council staff butworking with partners to provide a ‘no wrong door’service to Bradford District residents. SkillsHouse willmonitor numbers supported into employment and thosebeing upskilled across the District.

Delivery planStep 1: Establish Advisory Group and managementstructure for SkillsHouse to develop a strategy and keysuccess factors.

Step 2: Agree an approach to stakeholder engagementand information, advice & guidance.

Step 3: Establish a District wide prospectus and careersportal alongside a ‘get into learning’ campaign. Theportal will signpost opportunities for those looking, andfor businesses to raise awareness of education, trainingand careers.

Step 4: Develop a Statement of Need against theupdated context of Covid-19 and Bradford’s economy.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successful delivery of existinginitiatives through to 2024 will be:

• 24,000 people supported through SkillsHousePartnership

• 12,000 residents supported into employment.

The expected benefits of new initiatives requiringfunding to ‘Make Bradford a Learning District’ to 2024will be:

• 42,000 further people supported through SkillsHousePartnership

• 1,000 residents on salary subsidisedapprenticeships.

CostsThe estimated additional costs to the public sector to2024 are:

• £500k to establish a careers portal and undertake amarketing campaign

• £9 million for the SkillsHouse Partnership (in additionto the current commitment)

• £15 million to cover support for apprenticeshipsacross multiple sectors (i.e. £15,000 per apprentice).

Next stepsBradford Employment & Skills partnership will beresponsible for building momentum, in particular drivingthe development of the SkillsHouse Advisory Group.

Make Bradford a Learning District

AimThe aim of ‘Access to Work’ is to support residentsfind job opportunities and develop their skills to makethem more employable and the economy more resilient.Particularly in industries with expected high labourmarket demand such as social care, digital skills andgreen economy

RationaleBradford residents are disadvantaged:

• The rate of unemployment is above the nationalaverage, particularly amongst young people

• Over 11% of the population do not know how toaccess the internet

• Bradford ranks 354 out of 374 local authorities interms of broadband connections

• In some areas, 27% of adults in householdsspeak no English, a key influence on accessto employment.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery of ‘Access to Work’ depends on:

• Coordinated delivery of current resourcesvia SkillsHouse

• Increased support for adult basic skills developmentincluding digital skills

• Increased resources to reduce digital poverty

• Increased language skills for newly arrived migrants

• Increased funding for personalised specialist supportfor the long-term unemployed and disadvantaged.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesDistrict-wide training and education will be overseen bythe SkillsHouse Partnership.

Provision for Access to Work will be delivered byBradford’s three further education colleges and a rangeof voluntary organisations.

Delivery planStep 1: Establish a ‘Kickstart gateway’ in the Council tosupport a range of 6 month paid placements for 18-24-year olds.

Step 2: District wide promotion of literacy, numeracyand general and specialist digital skills courses deliveredby local education institutions.

Step 3: Enable digital access resources for residentswith a network of community centres offering skillsdevelopment and internet access.

Step 4: Introduce entry level English for Speakers ofOther Languages for newly arrived migrants.

BenefitsDelivery metrics covering participation numbers,employment impacts, cost, educational attainment andjob conversion rates will be reported to the SkillsHouseAdvisory Group.

The expected benefits of the ‘Access to Work’programme up to 2024 will be:

• 3,000 young people into Kickstart placements, withthe first 18 months Government funded

• 3,000 24+ adults into 6-month career placements

• 10,000 residents supported into Apprenticeships(Government funded)

• 20,000 residents with improved basic skills (Level1 and below) and 20,000 residents with improvedLevel 2 skills

• 15 digitally enabled community access points

• 4,000 newly arrived migrants with improved Englishskills by 2024

• Personalised support delivered for 6,000 people whoare most distant from the labour market.

CostsThe costs to the public sector to 2024 will be:

• £45 million to cover Kickstart

• £45 million to cover adult career placements

• £60 million to cover basic and Level 2 skills

• £1 million to cover digital community access points

• £1 million for an English language programme

• £12 million to support individuals distant from thelabour market.

Next steps

The immediate next step is to get SkillsHouse fullyoperational, the Employment & Skills partnership will beresponsible for driving this.

Access to Work

AimThe SkillsHouse partnership will inform the developmentof vocational provision, including higher level skills –with a cohesive offer for employers, the self-employedand the unemployed.

RationaleCovid-19 has accelerated demand for new, particularlydigital, skills. Bradford can retrain its young and diversepopulation as well as those leaving struggling firms.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery of ‘Inspire, Reskill and Upskill’depends on:

• Additional resources to support higher level skills

• District wide prospectus and communication plan tosignpost skills provision

• Production of an annual statement of need todetermine strategic priorities and investment inemployment and skills provision

• Demand amongst employers for new skills tosupport post-pandemic resilience and growth.

• A Health and Social Care Partnership building asustainable and inclusive health economy whileworking towards a new Medical School

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesSkillsHouse will oversee an Annual Statement of Need toshape the strategic commissioning and delivery of skillsprovision in the District

Further education providers will coordinate provisionvia Delivery Agreements developed with the LocalEnterprise Partnership and Bradford Local Authority. TheUniversity will supplement Higher Skills delivery withtargeted interventions in consultation with SkillsHouse,the LEP, employers and their representative bodies.

Delivery planStep 1: Establish a District wide prospectus, careersportal and skills marketing campaign.

Step 2: Commence enhanced higher-level skills deliverythrough existing and new delivery vehicles such as theLEP’S reboot model and One Workforce centre.

Step 3: Publish renewed Delivery Agreements withFurther/Higher Education providers. Provision willinclude general digital skills, leadership & management,digital skills (e.g. big data, artificial intelligence andcyber security), and a range of sector specific modules.

Step 4: Secure funding for Future Technology Centres.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of ‘Inspire, Reskill and Upskill’ upto 2024 include:

• 10,000 individuals qualified to Level 3

• 3,000 individuals qualified to level 4+

• Deliver a range of leadership programmes toinspire Entrepreneurship (start up and scale up) for1000 individuals

• Future Technology Centres created to supportcomputing, Engineering and Green Skills – £18m

• Significant enhancement to health and socialcare training through improved HE and FElearning infrastructure.

CostsThe costs to the public sector to 2024 will be:

• Level 3 qualifications £45 million on top ofcurrent spend

• Level 4+ qualifications £9 million on top ofcurrent spend

• Leadership programmes £5 million on top ofcurrent spend

• Future Technology Centres costing £18 million(Computing at Shipley £5m, Engineering at Keighley£3m, Green Tech in Bradford £10m)

• Health and Social Care training/infrastructure tosupport a new Medical School costing £50m.

Next stepsThe immediate next step is to get SkillsHouse fullyoperational, the Employment & Skills partnership will beresponsible for driving this.

Inspire, Reskill and Upskill

AimThe primary, immediate aim is to build on existing plansto improve energy efficiency in the District by retrofittingindividual homes and public buildings.

A further, longer-term aim is to create ‘15-minuteneighbourhoods’ retrofitted to contribute to moresustainable living. This means that access to local work,retail and services, sustainable transport links and greenspace can also be addressed holistically – a key step toa ‘Sustainable District’.

RationaleThe poor quality of significant elements of BradfordDistrict’s housing stock contributes to high levels of fuelpoverty and carbon emissions.

Improving energy efficiency in homes aligns withregional and national priorities, notably initiatives suchas the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s energyefficiency schemes and the Government’s Green HomeGrants voucher scheme and fuel poverty targets.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery will require:

• Development of a strategy for enabling moreefficient, larger-scale solutions to upgrading buildingfabric and energy systems which meets the goals ofthe wider retrofit programme

• Engagement across the Council, the SustainableDevelopment Partnership Board, local businessesand communities

• Alignment with local, regional and national prioritiesand initiatives, on building retrofit

• Alignment with West Yorkshire Combined Authoritypathways to carbon emissions reduction, includingtransport

• Assessment of potential sources of funding, forexample a municipal green bond

• Development of plans for fifteen ‘15-minuteneighbour-hoods’ across the District to be co-developed with the communities to create a tangibleand aspirational model.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe Sustainable Development Partnership Board will beresponsible for overseeing development of the businesscase for the programme, including defining its objectivesand delivery plan. It will work closely with the Council,West Yorkshire Combined Authority, communities,businesses and property owners.

Delivery planStep 1: Identify which types of properties would besuitable for a scaled-up retrofit of fabric and energysystems and engage with District planners to assess thetechnical feasibility and propose priority locations.

Step 2: Engage key stakeholders on the skills,labour and technology required to deliver the retrofitprogramme, establish the Strategic Outline BusinessCase and identify funding options.

Step 3: Secure the necessary funding to launch theretrofit programme.

Step 4: Develop the concept and strategy for creatingmultiple ‘15-minute neighbourhoods’.

Step 5: Co-develop specific proposals for each‘15-minute neighbourhood’ community.

Step 6: Deliver the programme of ‘15-minuteneighbourhoods’.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successful delivery of aDistrict-wide retrofit programme and the creation of ‘15neighbourhoods’ that enable sustainable living are:

• Improved quality and energy efficiency of homes,commercial and public buildings

• Development of local expertise in retrofitting at scale,with new products and services

• Creation of green jobs and GVA in fabric andenergy retrofits

• Reduced fuel poverty

• Demonstration of sustainable neighbourhoodscreates synergies with wider transport andenergy systems.

CostsThe costs to the public sector will depend on:

• The extent of public ownership of social housingretrofitted and/or created

• Sharing the costs/benefits of sustainable living.

Next stepsThe Sustainable Development Partnership Board toappoint sponsors to lead the completion of a StrategicOutline Business Case.

Neighbourhood retrofit

AimThe aim in building Bradford’s image is to providea unifying positive image for Bradford as a place tolive, work and play which can be communicated tocommunities within the region through the District’sleaders to promote the many opportunities BradfordDistrict offers. Over time, this will help to build theDistrict’s brand.

RationaleBradford District has lots to offer businesses andprospective workers, it was named the best place tostart a business in December 2017 by Barclays.

Key enablersIn order to maximise impact, delivering successfulresults, the following requirements need to be met:

• A high-profile launch to key stakeholders to gaincommitment and buy-in across public and privatesector leadership.

• An agreed source and schedule of publication thatlocal leaders/stakeholders use to identify supportand opportunities under a single narrative

• Ongoing online/social media presence, centrallycoordinated and shared by business leaders acrossthe district to drive awareness and traction

• Online presence would target grass roots businessesand those in need, providing support and information

• Case study material that showcases supportand resources.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesA new board of public and private local leaders will beresponsible for coordinating the intervention. Memberswill be chosen to ensure all the diverse communitieswithin Bradford District are represented. People fromthe Council, University Chamber and wider businessenvironment will be part of the board. They will reviewmessaging and key information from fortnightlymeetings and email correspondence. A weekly businessbulletin will be released across social media interfacesto provide important updates.

The Council will track progress on a monthly basis usingqualitative input and KPIs such as (number of new start-ups, number of times link has been clicked, number ofnewly employed etc.).

The board will be responsible for driving engagementfrom the business community so that the narrative ofthe region, including ‘success stories’, is shared. Allkey organisations will need to support the narrativeto provide a single voice, including the Chamber ofCommerce, the Federation of Small Business and theUniversity of Bradford.

Delivery planStep 1: Establish a board of leaders from acrossthe region to feed into key messaging and trackintervention progress.

Step 2: Agree the narrative underpinning the District’sbrand building on its assets and what they offer totarget audiences.

Step 3: Board of leaders to agree a communicationplan & structure moving forwards identifying key topics,sectors and aims. Identify communication streams andconsolidate KPI targets, publish plan into public domain.

Step 4: Highlight the launch on local gov website andother mediums, begin communications. High ProfileLaunch event to bring together key stakeholders andlaunch Bradford’s narrative and engagement strategy.

Step 5 – Jun 21: The board will review progress andagree any alterations required to improve effectivenessof actions taken and adjust as necessary.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successfully deliveringbusiness support simplification will be:

• Increased local pride and external reputation

• Increased inward investment by business

• Retain our young and diverse population and talent.

CostsThe cost to the public sector will be limited to themarketing budget associated with organising events,promotional activities etc. This is estimated to be c.£30k per annum.

There will be no FTEs associated with business supportsimplification as it would be run by a voluntary board ofBradford’s leaders.

Next stepsBradford Economic Partnership will be responsible forensuring successful delivery of the intervention andwill work with the chamber of commerce and, smallbusiness federation. Once the economic recovery planhas been approved mobilisation activities should beginto draw out the key offerings within Bradford District.

Building Bradford’s image

AimThe aim of creating the ‘Bradford District businesshub’ is to simplify business support provide animpartial central resource, support and guidance forentrepreneurs and new start-ups based on a single bodyof experts working under one banner to help businessesnavigate/co-ordinate business support. This willenhance current provision of support services.

RationaleMany ongoing initiatives such as the Leeds City RegionEnterprise Partnership and the Opportunity Areaprogramme within Bradford already provide people withthe skills and opportunity to create start-ups. Currentbusiness support is delivered by Business advisors andLeeds City Region SME growth managers – the latterare part funded by ERDF which focuses on highgrowth businesses.

Access to business support could significantly increasethe survival rate of start-up businesses. Furthermore, itcould enable those that are, or have been, successful tocontinue to grow and scale up resulting inincreased employment.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery of Bradford District business hubdepends on:

• Building a team of business advisors with strong andwell networked leadership as an evolution of existingfunctions including: Growth Managers, Invest inBradford (IIB), Impact Hub, Northern MAX businesssupport accelerator programme, MIT REAP.

• Bradford District business hub workers will beinvolved in three primary activities; spendingtime becoming experts on what is available anddeveloping the relevant material, delivery through thechannel of choice, and support delivery and events.

• Working with the Federation of Small Businessesand the Chamber of Commerce, testing the casefor a subsidised membership package for smallbusinesses which provides them with legal, tax andemployment law support along with other resourcesneeded to recover post Covid-19.

Buy-in from external private sector leaders to supportevents with expert speakers and promote the events

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe intervention will require a board to be set up tooversee the formation of ‘Bradford District businesshub’. This will incorporate existing structures such asthe Bradford Growth Hub.

Local anchor institutions such as the Council, Chamberof Commerce, Born in Bradford will be responsible forproviding information on the range of existing initiativesincluding support delivered through the GrowthManagers and IIB team.

The Growth Manager service is networked regionallyand delivered locally – It’s a central point for providinginitial and on-going contact with SMEs, conductingdiagnostics and referring into other support andgrant programmes. supporting businesses in grantapplications to local and regional funds.

Members will need to bring together a quality setof materials on key business topics (e.g. finance,accounting, legal, human resources, sales andmarketing and online/digital awareness).

Delivery planStep 1: Key public and private sector leaders toform board to oversee ‘Bradford District businesshub’ activities.

Step 2: Board to recruit leader for organisation andempower to recruit business advisors.

Step 3: The Bradford District business hub team to worktogether to create a brand, create an online presenceand grow expertise in the broad range of businesssupport available both public and private.

Step 4: Start one to one business engagement via faceto face, online and telephone interactions to supportlocal businesses to access the resources to supporttheir growth.

Step 5: Launch ongoing business and managementskills training programmes, calendar for businesssupport workshops, promotion channels (e.g. socialmedia), and material engaging with key stakeholders torally support for events and provide expert input.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successfully delivering the‘Bradford District business hub’ will be:

• More businesses provided with support

• More new start-ups and better survival rate

• Businesses reporting that they have better access toadvice from various sources

• More growth businesses.

CostsThe estimated costs to the public sector will be:

• An initial budget of approximately £250,000 toestablish the ‘Bradford District business hub’

• Around £250,000 per annum to pay for staff toprovide leadership, business support andestablish links between different parts of thebusiness community.

Next stepsThe Bradford Economic Partnership will be responsiblefor selecting the board who will oversee selection ofindividuals responsible for forming the ‘business hub’.

Bradford District business hub

AimThe Council and the Bradford Cultural PlacePartnership, supported by the Arts Council, are workingto develop Bradford District’s 10-year culture strategy,‘Culture is our Plan’. The Plan will align with localpriorities for regenerating the city centre and providespaces for culture, creativity and community. The aim isto implement the short-term priorities within ‘Culture isOur Plan’ as part of the Economic Recovery Plan.

RationaleThe District’s economy has considerable potentialto benefit from cultivating new cultural opportunitiesby positioning Bradford nationally as a compellingdestination for culture and improving the experience ofcitizens and visitors alike.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery of ‘Culture is our Plan’ depends on:

• Responding to the insights from recent research andconsultation, such as the Night-time and EveningEconomy Study, City of Film Screen Strategy andCity of Culture research

• Aligning key interventions with other plans andpipeline developments such as Bradford’s CityCentre Area Action Plan, Top of the Town, BradfordLive and the City of Culture 2025 bid

• Engaging creative and cultural groups in defining therole of the District’s city centre and its towns

• Bradford being designated as the UK City of Culturefor 2025.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe scope of ‘Culture is our Plan’ is wide ranging. TheCouncil and the Bradford Cultural Place Partnership willplay leading roles in implementing it by:

• Driving a campaign to publicise it and, potentially, tosupport wider place marketing

• Identifying Council assets that could be repurposed,for example for cultural use.

Bradford District has several new and emergingstakeholders – such as City of Culture 2025, TheLEAP, Bradford Producing Hub. They have a valuablerole to play in delivering ‘Culture is our Plan’. It will beimportant to draw on them as well as more establishedcultural partners to convene cultural and creative groupsto identify sites for cultural use.

Delivery planIn the next two years, key activities include:

Step 1: Incorporation of the findings of recent researchand consultation into ‘Culture is Our Plan’.

Step 2: Identification of sites for capital investment/designation of cultural use: these could include Councilassets which can be repurposed (e.g. Vintry House orKeighley Creative).

Step 3: Undertaking a place marketing/destinationmanagement campaign to support Bradford’s Cityof Culture ambitions and selling the District’sdistinctive offer.

Step 4: Consideration of how we use availableresources including, but not limited to, those from theTowns Fund to support cultural development in Keighleyand Shipley.

Step 5: Retrofitting existing buildings to satisfy bothcultural and place needs.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successful delivery of ‘Cultureis our Plan’ will be:

• More cultural activity to improve the District’schances of designation of Bradford as UK City ofCulture for 2025

• Activation of a cluster of cultural and creativeorganisations within and around existingheritage assets

• Support for cultural groups

• Rejuvenation of Bradford District’s high streets andlong term improvement of town and city centresthrough reuse of redundant sites

• More sharing of (new) cultural sites to reduce costs

• Improved citizen and visitor experience resulting inadditional (or protected) GVA and jobs linked to thevisitor economy.

CostsThe costs to the public sector will depend on the scopeof the early initiatives taken forward as part of ‘Culture isour Plan’. They may include:

• The costs of making Council owned sites availableas new cultural hubs

• The costs associated with a significant ‘destinationmarketing’ campaign

• The resources needed by an organisation, such asProducing Hub, which could become an anchorsupport hub for the creative and cultural sector.

Next stepsThe immediate next steps are to finalise ‘Culture is OurPlan’, incorporating the key findings from research thathas been carried out.

Culture is Our Plan

AimThe aim is to build an inclusive health and care economythrough the power of collaboration.

RationaleGetting anchor organisations such as the NHS, theUniversity of Bradford and the Wolfson Centre forApplied Health Research to work together to revitaliseand transform our District will enable us to create a stepchange in the health, wellbeing and economic prosperityof our local communities.

It requires Bradford to develop a highly effective andcompassionate integrated workforce based on a worldclass medical, health and care learning infrastructure,translating the latest technologies and research quicklyinto practice.

Key enablersThe creation of a world class interdisciplinary health andcare learning centre and strong collaboration that willaccelerate:

• Transformation to integrated place-based health andcare delivery

• Adoption and integration of digital solutions intohealth and care delivery models and interventions

• Development of an agile workforce

• Creation of a health and care workforce thatharnesses and liberates the talents of the diversepopulation of Bradford

• Creation of a unique Bradford medical educationand training undergraduate programme centredon prevention and community based integratedcare – including support the development of for abusiness case for a medical school at the Universityof Bradford

• Alignment of key organisations’ investment in theDistrict to improve social and economic outcomes.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe key stakeholders are those organisations who arecommitted to a collaborative approach through theHealth and Social Care Economic Partnership that willpromote ongoing dialogue and deepening collaborationaround core strategic objectives. They will act as acatalyst to help fund projects to transform the healthand care workforce, the built environment, and the livesof residents.

Delivery planStep 1: Continue and broaden the aim and intent ofcollaboration between key organisations in the prioritiesof the Health and Social Care Economic Partnership.

Step 2: Continue to shape and drive integratedapproaches to workforce development with a focuson the full talent pipeline: recruitment, education andtraining, career development and retention.

Step 3: Further develop the One Workforce websiteshowcasing the District and the sector and providingresources that enable a system-wide approach torecruitment, education and training, career developmentand retention.

Step 4: Review and refresh the Community RecruitmentStrategy and progress the focus from communityoutreach to establishment of a system-wide approachto recruitment.

Step 5: Establish a system approach to evidence basedworkforce planning based on shared data analytics,through the creation of the workforce observatory.

BenefitsThe expected benefits are:

• Bradford pioneering social inclusion models togrow health and wealth that are reflective of localcommunities, thus improving health, well-being andeconomic prosperity

• World class education and training infrastructure thatwill enable us to train, develop and retain our talent

• Healthier fairer futures for children living in deprivedareas through improved environments that influencehealth (Act Early).

CostsThe estimated costs to the public sector are:

• £50 million – medical, health and socialcare infrastructure

• £35 million – to deliver health and social caretraining infrastructure

• £2.5 million to deliver the partnership prioritiesat pace

• £500k – communications plan.

Next stepsThe next steps are to agree the HSCEP deliveryplan for the next three years and secure futurefinancial sustainability.

Building an inclusive health and care economy

AimThe aim of Act Early North is to provide policy makerswith the evidence needed to inform cost-effectivepreventive health policy and early years interventions inthe lives of young people. This, in-turn, aims to improvepopulation health, reduce the cost of dealing with non-communicable diseases and create ahealthier workforce.

RationaleEvidence suggests that prevention of ill health is morecost effective than developing a cure or managingdiseases: every £1 spend on prevention provides £14 ofbenefit40. Prevention is also clearly preferable to patientsand will support the better health of thegeneral population.

Investing in ActEarly North will help support theeconomy in the Bradford District by working with localinitiatives to improve the workforce by bringing jobs,training and investment to Bradford.

Key enablersSuccessful implementation of Act Early North will requirecollaboration with various ongoing programmes withinBradford. Clear marketing of the opportunities is neededto engage local people: up to 50,000 people will need toengage with the system to form the test bed.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesCollaboration will be needed between manystakeholders within the region to maximise the likelihoodof its success and impact, including:

• Local initiatives such as Bradford Institute for HealthResearch, Born in Bradford

• Digital learning partnership with key national industrypartners such as the BBC, Channel 4 and Lego

• Suitable data gatherers within the region to provideconsented data linkages on maternal andchild cohorts.

Delivery planStep 1: Secure funding to recruit a suitable team and abudget for key activities.

Step 2: Establish the Act Early North workforce withinBradford including a core operational team, data andimplementation team, and digital makes outreach team.

Step 3: Develop relationships with local organisationsincluding data providers, education institutions, theprivate sector etc.

Step 4: Build on the research plan to develop a detailedstep-by-step plan from start to finish outlining the keyactions and forecasted outcomes.

BenefitsEstimated benefits include:

• The direct output benefits of a research centre areestimated to be £12 million per annum

• The increased in private sector research investmentin Bradford and West Yorkshire is estimated to be£6.2 million per annum

• The consequential, additional employment benefitsare estimated to be £9 million per annum

• Improvement of digital skills within thelocal population

• An improved evidence base on early interventionsand subsequent public sector savings.

CostsCosts are expected to total approximately £2 million ayear. A more detailed breakdown outlines the cost overfive years:

• Leadership costs £954k

• Core operational team £2m

• Data and implementation team £3.5m

• Digital makers outreach centre £2.2m

• Activities and innovation budget £1.4m

Next StepsIf Act Early North is to progress, funding needs to besecured from the West Yorkshire Combined Authorityand central government. This will allow the initiative toprogress into more detailed planning.

Act Early North

40Masters et al, 2016. Return on investment of public health interventions: asystematic review. JECH, 71 (8) https://jech.bmj.com/content/71/8/827

AimThis intervention aims to secure commitment forBradford city centre station on the new NorthernPowerhouse Rail (NPR) line.

RationaleBradford is the largest place in the UK without a railthrough route. A city centre station on the NPR linewould completely alter the transport links betweenBradford and other key northern cities. It would reducethe journey time from Bradford to Manchester to 20minutes from 1 hour; likewise, the time to Leeds wouldfall from 20 minutes to 7. Analysis shows that a betterconnected Bradford would add approximately £1.3billion to the regional economy each year. It is a criticalneed that will shape the growth of Bradford’s economy.It will transform connectivity with Leeds, joining two ofthe largest and fastest growing cities in the UK.

A NPR link will put Bradford District on the map,transforming the area’s brand, making it more attractive.It will attract inward investment and help unlock thelatent potential of the District’s assets.

Key enablersTo secure a city centre station on the NPR line requires:

• A clear implementation plan of how the new rail linkwould be implemented

• Collaboration between the NPR programme boardand other key stakeholders to demonstrate themagnitude of the benefit to the District

• Alignment of the NPR plan for Bradford District toother policies and plans, for example the WYCAconnectivity strategy, TfN strategic transport planand national plans and policies

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesTo realise the District’s ambition, a concise approachis needed.

Local leaders need to be clear and consistent in theirnarrative and ask of TfN. Clearly articulating the benefitand alignment to national priorities will make the case allthe more compelling.

There will need to be collaboration from members ofthe public and private sectors to show the benefit thatlinking to NPR would bring for Bradford, but also for thewider Northern region.

Delivery planStep 1: Build on the progress made by the BradfordNPR programme board helping them produce workevidencing the benefits and working with BradfordDistrict Metropolitan Council to support engagementwith Transport for the North. This will help inform adetailed NPR Growth Strategy.

Step 2: Additionally, the NPR programme board willprogress existing plans and key action areas whichwill make the business case more compelling and willalso make the NPR links more impactful should it beapproved. These key action areas are: regenerationand spatial planning, developing the economic case,skills and supply chain, local connectivity, delivery andfunding mechanisms, and governance.

Step 3: Bradford will work with TfN and Governmentto make the case for devolved fiscal powers, whichcould potentially support investment in interventions tomaximise the benefits of NPR.

BenefitsThe provision of a new high-speed rail connection willprovide important benefits worth £1.3 billion each yearfor the region. These include:

• Improved access to job opportunities across theNorth, helping to ease unemployment

• Improving business access to new markets

• Supporting regeneration of the city centre throughincreased opportunities and access.

By 2060 NPR is forecasted to benefit Bradford Districtby providing:

• 14,250 net additional FTEs

• £14.6 billion additional GVA

CostsThe principal short-term costs are those associated withcontinuing to make the case for a city centre station inthe District.

Next StepsFollowing the agreement of the TfN Board in November2019 that Bradford city centre should be on thepreferred NPR network, additional master planningwork is needed around the potential NPR location andSouthern Gateway opportunity.

Northern Powerhouse Rail

AimThe aim of this intervention is to build on the District’sexisting assets and activity to develop a sustainablefood supply system. This would mean increased localsourcing, better availability of affordable healthy food,reduced environmental impact and improved resilienceto external shocks. By engaging strategically withdiverse communities, local producers, processors,wholesalers and retailers of food, caterers, restaurantsand fast-food outlets, Bradford District can build areputation as a sustainable food hub for the Northof England.

RationaleBradford District’s physical geography and its farmersand growers/producers offer real potential for thedevelopment of a sustainable food supply chain, fromfarm to fork. Food insecurity is a chronic and growingissue in the District, with a sharp increase anticipatedin 2021. Poor childhood nutrition is an ongoing area ofpublic health concern which is being addressed by ActEarly. Furthermore, one of the effects of Covid-19 hasbeen to favour local production.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery depends on:

• Development of a compelling vision and strategyfor a sustainable food supply system in theBradford District that addresses key impacts acrossenvironment, health, deprivation, economyand culture

• Engagement and partnership working across theSustainable Development Partnership Board, localfood businesses, the Council, the NHS, otherbusinesses and communities

• Alignment with local, regional and national prioritiesand initiatives, including the Agriculture Act andNational Food Strategy, expected in 2022.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe Sustainable Development Partnership Board will beresponsible for developing the business case, includingdefining the objectives and delivery plan. It will requirethe support of the Council, the NHS, local producers,businesses and communities to work in partnership. Itwill do this by establishing a Sustainable Food SystemCouncil with leaders of local food businesses.

Delivery planStep 1: Develop the Strategic Outline Business Casefor a Bradford District sustainable food supply system,and test it with stakeholders. Ensure that this works withthe Act Early public health initiative, with clearly definedremits.

Step 2: Establish the business-led Bradford SustainableFood System Council (BSFSC) to scope and prioritiseareas for development and assess Bradford District’sexisting capabilities and opportunities for re-positioningand growth.

Step 3: BSFSC identifies, aligns and engages with, thekey local/regional/national stakeholders and exemplarsrelevant to its priority areas (e.g. Council, University andNHS catering, Farm to Fork) as well as potential sourcesof funding.

Step 4: BSFSC secures data to evidence business casefor interventions and engages stakeholders to securenecessary funding.

Step 5: Delivery of plans to develop a sustainable foodsupply chain and system, enhancing the capabilitiesand USPs of local food producers and food systembusinesses. Use insights to improve timely foodinsecurity interventions.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successful delivery of asustainable food supply system are:

• Higher revenue for the local supply chain

• Greater food security and access to nutrition

• Reduced CO2 emissions.

• More sustainable use of resources

• Preservation of soils and biodiversity

• Improved health outcomes e.g. reduced obesity

• Greater community cohesion

• Development of Bradford’s reputation as asustainable food cultural centre

• Creation of green jobs and GVA.


• The funding model for improved health impacts andbenefits to the high street

• The extent to which this intervention is supportedand driven by private sector partners (e.g. localproducers and large food retailers).


Sustainable food supply system

AimPlans for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have sofar been prioritised but the role of Fuel Cell ElectricVehicles (FCEVs) will be important due to their differentrange, performance, supply chains, refuelling time andinfrastructure.

The aim of this intervention is to position Bradford’sautomotive businesses to win opportunities in theFCEV supply-chain through having a UK ‘test-bed’ fleetof hydrogen Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs). There is aparticular opportunity because of the bespoke natureof assembly of some LGVs which is a strength of localcompanies (e.g. VCS ambulances).

RationaleA Bradford District based LGV fleet of a size that wouldsupport the infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling wouldbe achieved by coordinated procurement across publicand private sector businesses of LGVs from current andsoon-to-be available FCEVs.

Further opportunities would be anticipated once theinfrastructure for green hydrogen is created and thepotential to bid for the Government’s planned ‘hydrogentown’ should be considered.

In addition, the Government ban on the sale of newpetrol and diesel cars from 2030 means this interventionwill help the District’s existing manufacturing basetransition towards a growing, future market.


• FCEVs being competitive with BEVs.

• Engagement and partnership working across theSustainable Development Partnership Board,CBMDC, NHS, local and national manufacturers andbusinesses

• Alignment with local, regional, national andinternational priorities and initiatives on greenhydrogen and FCEVs.

• Working with supply chain companies to establishviable refuelling infrastructure and service models.

• Coordinated procurement across local public andprivate sector businesses of LGVs from current andsoon-to-be available FCEVs.

• Local businesses innovate products and services inthe supply chain of FCEV LGVs.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThis intervention will require the SustainableDevelopment Partnership Board, CBMDC, localand national manufacturers, key organisations andbusinesses to work in partnership. It will be led bya sponsor on the Sustainable DevelopmentPartnership Board.

The Sustainable Development Partnership Board will beresponsible for developing the business case.

Delivery planStep 1: Develop a Strategic Outline Case for theintervention, supported by technical / engineeringfeasibility and cost modelling.

Step 2: Engage with local businesses to assessBradford’s existing capabilities in FCEV LGV fleets andthe opportunities for growth.

Step 3: Identify the key local/regional/national/international stakeholders, organisations and initiativesto align and engage with, and explore these as sourcesof funding for infrastructure and potential inwardinvestors in the supply chain.

Step 4: Convene a consortium of local LGV fleetoperators (e.g. CBMDC, NHS, logistics companies),existing Bradford automotive businesses and associatedsupply chain businesses to engage and partner with keystakeholders to build the business case andfunding model.

Step 5: Commercial agreements in place forinfrastructure, green hydrogen sourcing and signed upto by FCEV LGV fleet participants.

Step 6: Delivery programme for infrastructure andprocurement of local LGV fleets. Supply chaindevelopment for FCEVs.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of successful delivery of a supplychain for green hydrogen light commercial vehicles are:

• Reduced CO2 emissions, more effective use ofgreen electricity and better air quality (in line withCBMDC’s plans for a Clean Air Zone)

• Development of local supply chain and innovationin FCEVs

• Establishment of ‘test-bed’ green hydrogeninfrastructure leads to further opportunities.

• Creation of green jobs and GVA

CostsThe costs to the public sector are to be determined.

Next stepsThe Sustainable Development Partnership Board toappoint sponsors to lead completion of a StrategicOutline Business Case.

Supply chain for hydrogen LGVs

AimThe aim of developing a circular economy demonstratoris to encourage local businesses to invest in thereprocessing of recycled or by-product materials.

RationaleBuilding the circular economy is a key principle of theDistrict’s long-term economic strategy.

The ambition is to attract innovation funding and inwardinvestment by making industrial space and infrastructureavailable – hosted by local businesses – and so reducethe investment barrier.

With a number of key investments, a ‘Circular EconomyBusiness Park’ could act as an exemplar of the circulareconomy in the UK and address some of the District’senvironmental challenges such as low recycling rates,while also providing new green jobs.


• Engagement and partnership working across theSustainable Development Partnership Board,CBMDC, local businesses and communities

• Alignment with local, regional and national prioritiesand initiatives

• Discussion with local business(es) to co-developproposals that meet the ambition of this interventionand the development of a distinctive propositionfor the creation of a national circular economydemonstrator in the Bradford District

• Necessary permits and planning are approved byrelevant authorities.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe Sustainable Development Partnership Board willbe responsible for developing the Strategic OutlineBusiness Case for the circular economy demonstrator,including defining its objectives and delivery plan.

This intervention will require the SustainableDevelopment Partnership Board, CBMDC, localbusinesses and communities to work in partnership. Itwill be led by a sponsor on the Sustainable DevelopmentPartnership Board.

Delivery planStep 1: Develop a Strategic Outline Case for theCircular Economy Business Park and engage with localcandidate(s) industrial sites.

Step 2: Assess the potential of local sites that havesynergies with existing businesses and the potential forattracting inward investment of new processes. Thisstep includes initial discussions with relevant authorities(by local business).

Step 3: Identify the key local/regional/nationalstakeholders, organisations and initiatives to alignand engage with, and explore sources of funding forinnovation and inward investment.

Step 4: Relevant authorities consider applicationby local business of proposal, with support of theSustainable Development Partnership.

Step 5: Begin the construction of the demonstrator site.

Step 6: Investment in the processing of recyclates toaddress national capacity gaps and meet local needs atthe demonstrator site by existing and new businesses.Attract innovation funding in collaboration with theUniversity of Bradford.

BenefitsThe expected benefits of establishing a circulareconomy demonstrator are:

• Reduction in resource usage through industrialsymbiosis.

• Demonstration of the circular economy createssynergies with other businesses in supply chain(s).

• Development of local expertise in circular economywith skills and start-up spin-offs.

• Creation of green jobs and GVA.

CostsThe potential costs to the public sector will bedetermined as part of the development of the StrategicOutline Business Case.


Circular economy demonstrator

AimOne of the key aims of ‘Greening the District’ is toenhance public access to green space. Considerationis also being given to creating Community ImprovementDistricts and low traffic neighbourhoods.

RationaleCovid-19 has accelerated the need to improvecommunity wellbeing by improving public space.Developing new, crowd-sourced green spaces, forexample a new green park in Bradford’s city centre, willimprove wellbeing across the community. It will alsoserve as a symbol at a key gateway in the District andalign with local priorities for regenerating the city centrewhilst providing space for culture, creativityand community.

Key enablersSuccessful delivery of ‘Greening the District’ willbuild on work already underway, for example throughTransforming Cities, the Towns Fund and active travelschemes. It will also depend on:

• Integrating delivery with the City of Culture 2025 bid,other developments and city centre master plans(e.g. Top of the Town)

• Engagement and collaborative working acrossthe Council, including the relevant stakeholders inDistrict planning, and the Sustainable DevelopmentPartnership Board.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesWork on ‘Greening the District’ is expected to be ledby the Council working in conjunction with theCultural Place Partnership and SustainableDevelopment Partnership.

Active involvement of the District’s creative and culturalindustries will contribute to better placemaking.

The identity of the other key stakeholders depends onthe ownership of sites for possible development.

Delivery planEarly work is needed to develop the business case for‘Greening the District’. This involves:

Step 1: Completing a feasibility study for the creation ofa permanent, green urban park in Bradford city centre,including consideration of whether to use the derelictsite at Forster Square.

Step 2: Launching a design competition for a greenurban park.

Step 3: Engaging on the location and style of parks withcitizens, cultural groups and other stakeholders as partof a District-wide consultation about public space.

Step 4: Establishing a Land Commission for BradfordDistrict to examine whether and how more vacant sitescan be brought into beneficial use, especially close tothe city centre.

Step 5: Developing proposals in line with the visionof ‘Greening the District’ for inclusion in Towns Fundactivities in Keighley and Shipley.

Step 6: Examining the potential case for creatingCommunity Improvement Districts.

Step 7: Assessing the feasibility of new mixed-useculture / leisure community centres.

Step 8: Investigating the possible role of LowTraffic Neighbourhoods.

BenefitsThe potential benefits of successful delivery of ‘Greeningthe District’, in particular creation of a new urban park inthe city centre and other urban green spaces around theDistrict, will be:

• Improved physical and mental wellbeing acrossthe community

• Creation of a more favourable environment forprivate sector investment (based on better use ofpublic space)

• Greater citizen participation in placemaking

• Greater community cohesion

• Improvements to the public realm which enhance theexperience of both citizens and visitors, in line withthe ‘Culture is our Plan’ strategy

• A bigger contribution to Bradford District’s economythrough support for more green jobs.

• Establishment of new low traffic neighbourhoodswould potentially repurpose streets making themsafer and reducing CO2 emissions.

CostsThe potential costs to the public sector will dependon the scope of the initiatives taken forward under thebanner of ‘Greening the District’.

Next stepsThe immediate next step is to consider the proposal aspart of the District’s local planning framework, which iscurrently under review.

‘Greening the District’

AimThe aim of this intervention is to assess the potential fordesignating Little Germany as a Heritage Action Zone(HAZ) so as to drive its transformation into a regionalcreative centre.

RationaleDesignating Little Germany as a HAZ has the potentialto transform the creative quarter from what is currentlya low value site into a regional creative centre. It wouldcombine heritage, legacy and placemaking and helpto regenerate the area by providing new living, workand leisure space. It would also support the businessneeds of the culture and creative industries as well asimproving the visitor and citizen experience.

Key enablersKey considerations in assessing the potential of HAZdesignation for Little Germany are:

• Confirming the likely effectiveness of HAZdesignation in changing investor behaviour

• Obtaining buy-in from both local public and privatesector partners and aligning with the plans of theWest Yorkshire Combined Authority (e.g. whetherthe emerging West Yorkshire Mass Transit Networkmakes Little Germany more accessible)

• How well it aligns with local priorities for regeneratingBradford city centre as part of the City Centre AreaAction Plan by providing spaces for culture, creativityand community

• Whether heritage buildings can be identified whichare suitable for sole traders and SMEs within thecultural and creative industries

• How Bradford Playhouse is repositioned as a culturalanchor, aligned with Bradford’s City of Culture bidfor 2025.

Key stakeholders – roles & responsibilitiesThe Council along with the Bradford Cultural PlacePartnership will play key roles in assessing the potentialof HAZ designation for Little Germany and developinga subsequent Strategic Outline Business Case. Theywill need to engage with other private and public sectorpartners to identify how they can work together to fundand develop Little Germany.

Delivery planEarly work is needed to assess the potential and test thefeasibility of HAZ designation for Little Germany as partof developing a Strategic Outline Business Case.This includes:

Step 1: Establish a working group building on the legacyof the Little Germany Action Group.

Step 2: Consider how the designation of Little Germanyas a HAZ would fit in with other developments and citycentre master plans.

Step 3: Consult with public sector partners and privatesector investors to gauge and test interest in theHAZ proposal.

Step 4: Assess interest from cultural and creativeorganisations in reusing the heritage buildings.

Step 5: Examine the feasibility and desirability ofcreating a low traffic neighbourhood and other activitiesand streetscape investments as part of the HAZ.

Step 6: Prepare a report into potential HAZ designationfor Little Germany.

BenefitsThe potential benefits of designating Little Germany asa HAZ are:

• Transformation of the creative quarter of Bradfordleading to more street-level commercial use, moreresidents living in Little Germany and better use ofpublic space

• Creation of a new digital, creative and culturalindustries cluster in the city centre which supportswider regeneration

• Better use of space in an area where one third ofbuildings is currently vacant.


• The outcome of the decision to designate LittleGermany as a HAZ.

• The extent to which the HAZ proposal is supportedand driven by private sector partners.

• The extent of the development plans for the LittleGermany site.

Next stepsThe immediate next steps are for the Council to allocateofficers from the Conservation and / or Landscapeteams to begin work on assessing the potential for HAZdesignation and establish a working group.

Heritage Action Zone

RITM4334204

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Bradford District Economic Recovery Plan

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Transcript of Bradford District Economic Recovery Plan