Business, Economy and Innovation Committee - Wednesday 31 January 2024, 2:00pm - Feedback Tab - West Yorkshire Combined Authority Webcasting

Business, Economy and Innovation Committee
Wednesday, 31st January 2024 at 2:00pm

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Speaking:

Start of webcast

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Cllr James Lewis
Myles Larrington, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)

1 Apologies for Absence

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Cllr James Lewis

4 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 9 November 2023

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DRAFT BEIC 9 Nov 2023 - Minutes

5 Chair's Update

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6 Economic Update

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Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis

7 Economic Strategy

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Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Cllr James Lewis
Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges)
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis

8 Digital Blueprint Draft

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Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis
Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis
Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative)
Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis

9 Investment Zones

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Item 9 - Investment Zones

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK)
Cllr James Lewis
Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis

10 Fair Work Charter

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Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr James Lewis
Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis

11 Development and Delivery

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Louise Allen, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis

12 Private Sector Engagement

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Item 12 - Harnessing the Private Sector

Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative)
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis

13 Inward Investment

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Item 13 - Inward Investment

Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Cllr James Lewis
Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council)
Cllr James Lewis
Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus)
Cllr James Lewis
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK)
Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis

14 Key Strategic Events

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Louise Allen, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University)
Cllr James Lewis
Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative)
Cllr James Lewis
Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges)
Cllr James Lewis
Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK)
Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges)
Cllr James Lewis
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Cllr James Lewis

For Information

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15 Date of the Next Meeting

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Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:00:00

with the I'm Councillor, James Lewis and I'm a Chair of the meeting a couple of house, a couple of quick housekeeping things, please can you sit behind the plaque with the name on this you sell the webcast, make sure everybody is correctly correctly labelled, thank you it's a technical issue and the

this meeting will be webcast and welcome to anybody watching online. I'm going to turn to the agenda now, I'm the first item is apologies for absence, smiles do you have any apologies, please?

1 Apologies for Absence

apologies for absence had been received from Barbet, Councillor

Myles Larrington, Governance Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:00:40

Michael Graham Bebbington, Councillor Peter Kilbane, Bonnie Marino, Dr Peter O'Briain Richard Paxman, Paul Price Mandy, Richard Councillor Alex Russell Hobby Sandy Councillor Graham Turner, and Neville Young.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:01:01

thank you will make sure to recall the onto the minutes of the meeting held on the 9th of November and, first of all, this chat with everybody that we're happy that it's a correct record of the meeting.

that's great, thank you.

if there is anything that we need to pick up from those ministers not elsewhere on the agenda, let me know now please, now that's great, I shall.

note, those minutes is accurate onto chairs update.

and a couple of appointments notes are first of all it's asthma, his first meeting as Deputy Chair of the Committee, and I'm sure.

great moving forward and secondly, it's.

I would like to congratulate Sarah on becoming the permanent head of business, innovation and inclusive economy, so welcome Sarah to the role permanently, and next I shall move on to Item 6, which is the economic update, and I'll ask Patrick to introduce this item please.

4 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 9 November 2023

stroke, so thank you, thank you Chair, yes, thank you.

5 Chair's Update

6 Economic Update

so just run, through some of the key Echo, quite a lot of information in the in the in the the report covering letters, macroeconomic information and the latest local level information, so I will quickly run through some of the key highlights and are then happy to take questions, sorry just touching on where we are with inflation inflation rose unexpectedly by 0.1% in December.

this follows a period of continued contraction in inflation.

since February.

I wouldn't read too much into that, I think there are a range of factors that are driving that, not least, I think it's volatility on international markets at the moment and increased shipping costs, so the thing that seemed to be driving that increase when you actually look at the different elements of it was increased transportation costs that came out quite strongly in the index other things within that, such as food inflation and cutting inflation continues to fall.

quite strongly, so it's now at 8%, having fallen from 9.2% the previous month in in November, so I think the fundamentals there and things like core inflation as well remains remains unchanged, but it's fair to say that the the headline CPI rates has gone up ever so slightly but that that's actually sort of a modest modest increase if we sort of look at that sort of or inflation rate for food.

the contraction in headline inflation down to 8% is the ninth consecutive month that food inflation has continued to fall and in many ways the CALLOVER the the downward sort of pressure of or or on inflation. I think this is happening much more quickly than some of the economic forecasters resuming sovereigns and Toby Ireland Bank of England were suggesting that inflation particular cooling inflation would be at 10% going into 2024. So these form a little bit more quickly than then and will be on the Bank of England has assumed if we look at where we are with interest rates. Since the Committee last met, the

bank of England met.

recently in December 13th December, and it is meeting voted to keep interest rates on hold at 5.00 point to 5 basis points. The pattern of voting suggests that as they are, it was very similar to the meeting in September 2 6 members of the Committee voted to keep interest rates on hold and three were we were wanting to increase it by another 0

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:04:34

point to 5 basis points, so I think that very, very similar, if you look at the published minutes from the Bank and the Bank of England, they are just concerned about the the potential persistence. The domestic persistent inflation

alongside the resilience of the wider economy and that's also a theme I think that view about inflation being domestically if you will also came out, I think, with the with the information that there will be are published around the at the autumn statement so they've published a range of information and we touched on that briefly in the report as well. Economic growth what we know about economic growth ref relates to that Q3 gross numbers and the first estimate of the Q3 GDP numbers suggest the economy contracted by 0 point 1% in that period. Are there a number of different reasons as to why that's happening, or broadly most sectors of a stagnant manufacturing construction are at or are at a broad level? I think the interesting thing as well as we won't know what the actual position for 2023 years until February when government publishes the full year figures, government does publish none as does publish information on a monthly basis, and that is a bit volatile at the moment, so it's suggested the economy was growing slightly in November and it contracted in December. Sorry, so it drawing slightly in October and contract in November. So basically I think the subtext of that is that, as we entered, we run up to Christmas. There was very little growth at all in the economy as as as such

and again, I think, sort of the quarterly estimates suggest a number of different sort of sexual components to that, but broadly you know a relatively sum of flat growth in services, broadly flat growth and construction, although within that some sub-sectors in construction, certainly the third quarter were doing quite well such as transportation equipment and car manufacturing which have picked up a little bit.

report also just summarises some of the key economic messages from the you'll be eyes, autumn statement, so the Office of Budget responsibility.

it has a duty to assess the government's sort of autumn statements and of proposals and sort of update its own economic forecasts, and there are some interesting messages that came out of their economic assessments compared to the last assessment. There'll be our upon published that they're assuming that the economy was gonna is gonna grow much more slowly over the next three to four years and is then assumed in their last assessments. They also are of the opinion that a inflation would be demo more domestically fuelled and would be more persistent. Their view is that the unlikely to get near the 2% inflation target until at some time in 2025

they did a variety of work at looking at the impact of the autumn statement.

now I know what we are all too much on that.

but the other interesting things that are in the air, the the report is, they looked at their position, that looks at the position in terms of the UK labour market performance and they do think that unemployment is going to peak higher and and that people will last longer into 2025 So in in intimate 2025 they think I want to put the overall unemployment rate will peak up to 1.6% nationally and then start to fall fall back.

I think the other key message in terms of the takeaway from that is that the the perspective on on living standards, as this is measured by real real disposable household income and therefore costs suggests that that that real household disposable income will be three and a half per cent lower in 20 to 2024 25 compared to the 2019 pre pandemic level and to put that into sullivan's historical context, this represents the largest reduction in real living standards since the honor started capturing this information in 1950 so,

just moving on slightly or arranging information in there around sort of local forecasts, so we published an updated economic forecasts using our original econometric model that shows that Surrey were forecasting growth in West Yorkshire of this year, ran about 0.6% that's compared with 0.7% nationally and also then reflecting on that.

clearly what we are seeing in a lot of the regional data and I think, the rent forecasts certainly some have picked up on it because, as a general deterioration in sort of sort of economic performance, not significant but yeah yeah, the West Yorkshire level and that that parallels and mirrors what we're seeing nationally, so what does that mean in some of the key key headlines from that hours business sentiment deteriorated in quarter 4 of 2023 in West Yorkshire and we know that from the the the chairman's quarterly economic survey,

we, the recovery net net business startups that we saw very pick up very strongly after the pandemic, as has certain installed a growth in the employ count has stalled in recent months outhouse growth in medium pay it's important to some pointing out this is also happening nationally, so this is not unique to the West Yorkshire economy are seeing a general loosening in the labour market.

I suppose saying as well, they're gonna, employ claimant count is growing, although other modestly or at this rate, because the overall trend of said, for instance, job posting and job vacancies, is still quite high, so quite robust in sort of you know in a historical context and mentioned they're the sort of results from the

Chambers

quarterly economic survey that points out that respondents are probably more concerned about a general pattern of demand and growth in the economy at the moment, so are a lot of response to a fairly, fairly pessimistic about the overall level of domestic demand export sales.

on balance were down, particularly for a number of sectors, and also including the service sector, and also think there's a range of sort of insights coming out of of the survey around.

shortfall in hiring intense, particularly among MA manufacturing HRA respondents. So I think that also some points to some of the information that we published in the report as well from the from the West Yorkshire business survey. I won't dwell too much on that. That gives us much richer information from respondents, although it gives a different type of survey, was conducted slightly earlier than the curious survey. I think one of the key takeaways from that is that a lot of the businesses, both manufacturing and services, are particularly concerned about vacancies are hard to recruit vacancies and and gaps in their workforce skills at the moment, and some of the sort of leading indicators from that certainly do make me to flag up. That is a significant issue at the moment, there's a range of other information in there. I won't dwell too much on on that, but hopefully those in some of the key takeaways from that sort of sort of economic overview and on the back to the jar

Cllr James Lewis - 0:10:59

thank you, Patrick and I'll see if anybody on the board has got either any at questioning Sir Patrick on that presentation irony insects to add to the meeting please.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:11:16

adequately and high. Thank you them. Just after Christmas, we had an insolvency and a restructuring update, and Paul Mount, who is the Bank of England regional Yorkshire representative was in attendance. I actually met Paul once before at the Yorkshire region, business association event as well, and his forecasting were slightly different to when I met him in November to when and how I met him in January, I spoke to him after and spoke about West Yorkshire Combined Authority. They don't actually feed into directly with other than their reports that the have probably picked up. I wonder if there is scope and he was very keen to pick up on a one to one in terms of the forecasting that they do. The leverage that supplied what inflation looks like I just wanted to know is, is that something that we feed into when we're preparing the economic report and updates

yes, that's a very good question. Yes, we do what he took to tackle at

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:12:13

least a couple of times a year and we we do share our information. So, for instance, the West Yorkshire business survey, we share those results, so then they get it confidentially ahead of us actually publishing it. They do share information with us, obviously the the. We recognise it, sort of or the sensitivities of, the information that they collect, and there can only show very subtle anecdotal insights with us, and it's not some of the information we can actually use them in our reporting, but it does allow us a sense check some of the other information that will get our focus

health and.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:12:48

thank you, Martin, please, yeah, I was just interested around the skill scabs and just the order of magnitude of that in terms of four

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 0:12:53

out of five companies or organisations saying they've got gaps, and I just wondered whether it's more granularity that you could share with the team around that there is yes there was Alexander that attached to.

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:13:14

my sincere apologies, you think yes, we can we can't do that sort attached to the main report is a a a a a a a more detailed summary of some of the results so that that contains a slight pattern that has got more information for certain for a number of in decisions and or on sectors or with those archaically exclusive caps. But we can do more more work on that so we can we can do more information, but there is more information in that in in that Bill, independent checks, so that's the appendix to item 16

thank you, are there any more therapies?

Cllr James Lewis - 0:13:44

yeah, thank you yeah, thank you very much for this report in because

Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative) - 0:13:50

there were just about two ink were in the process of refreshing our inclusively con economic strategy and and also our employment and skills framework, and this intelligence is helping to of inform the focus of those one.

that's I thank you, it's very useful and we welcome business awareness, as well as the importance of reducing carbon emissions.

working at Calderdale level on the green economy.

Will, via the delivery of a climate action plan, I suppose we just wanted to note the importance of the SMEs and micro enterprise base, because obviously the Mayor's ha, you know the Mayor or Council has focus on big business and we understand the rationale for that but for that work. But the economic and L analysis also tells us how important smaller businesses are. So just wanted to sort of note that really, yes,

yes, it's more portraiture, yes.

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:14:46

yes, they are, they are incredibly important to them and whilst the sort of the the business survey does allow us to pick them up, there are distinct differences between between SMEs and market businesses compared to the medium and larger businesses. That comes up and very, very, very strongly so yeah and I think when we do the analysis on skills gaps as well, you'll see very, very different responses, yes up, so we will be doing more work to disseminate that, so we can share that with the committee.

thank you so please.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:15:14

thank you Chair, I was interested on page 16 in the trends in the net business start-up rate patriot and just wondered if you've got any

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 0:15:22

insights into any patterns that are, in particular start-up sectors that are growing or ones that are not at the moment it seems to be pretty broad-based at the workable early I had I had a look at the information so we use a third button.

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:15:38

it seems to be pretty broad place, we use a sort of third-party data supply for that, so it seems to be pretty much across across the board seems to be a general general pattern of the panel.

thank you, can't please, thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:15:56

page 15, particularly talks about the business sentiment and export

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 0:16:00

sales would go down, and I'm possibly gonna go down even further in the short term, does it in the indications about where growth might come from in terms of business exports and the connection with that and our international trade work?

yeah, I mean we are as part of the international trade, what we are

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:16:24

doing, some some work on that one, and I think my colleague su Thomas Purvis also touched on that we talked about or even him any inward investment item, litter illiteracy agenda, so we are doing doing work on that. I mean I, I think in the moment I think you know, if you look at what businesses are saying about domestic demand, it's it's it's it's a bit difficult to see whether that growth is coming from, so clearly we need to understand what's happening in those in those export markets, and I think some of the work that my colleague Aggie, whom he will will present on the economic evidence base, just to suggest that particular manufacturing some sectors where we do have comparative and competitive advantage, and that's still showing up in the in in the in the in the Expo, up-to-date figures allow us manufacturing some sectors where we have comparative or significant better advantage they state they tend to do better in export terms. I think there's a Lincoln between some of the kind of ongoing monitoring work around some of what you know which export markets we need to target versus. Some of the calibre analytical insights of Ó around some s some of those messages coming out the economic evidence strategy

Cllr James Lewis - 0:17:22

thank you province, please, thank you, Chair Patrick, thanks to the

Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges) - 0:17:29

reports, page 14, the section about the living standards, I just wonder three and a half per cent forecasted by the O and S, how does West Yorkshire compare, I think it's fair to say it probably,

it would probably translate slightly above that we know, I must sorry I think I do it again, I apologise sincerely.

I I would suggest it.

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:17:48

33, striking your out an apology yeah, I would suggest it's slightly slightly more.

elevated in in in in West Yorkshire, we know that sort of you know there are there are, there are much more substantial issues around sort of re, disposable income, real household disposable income we know the the the there are.

it's it's likely to to be proportionately higher, not significantly higher in in West Yorkshire, we would need to do some work on that, and I think that adds the it's worth sort of saying that's what the Owen Oby do themselves, so they do it separately.

so so you know, it's their interpretation of a range of information produced by the Treasury or on S and A and L and the Bank of England, but we can replicate that or obey our methodology because they do publish it and but he did it without undertaking that work and probably likely it's likely to be either at a similar level or slightly higher in West Yorkshire.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:18:49

thank you do somebody else want to come on in on this item, please?

7 Economic Strategy

now that's great thanks, very much Patrick, the recommendation in the report is to note the contents of the report and we've done a very good job of that, thank you everybody, so with that we'll move on to Item 7 and Joe I think you're going to introduce his please.

thank you Chair, yet, so M G is going to talk us through the economic

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:19:16

assessment summary that was circulated in the briefing packs and then I will talk through the wider work that's been going on on the

Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:19:25

development of our new economic strategy and then will take questions at the end of those two updates and it's worth just saying at this point that at the March session of the committee we're gonna be having quite a deep dive.

on on the economic strategy, because we will have all of the evidence collated at that point, so if there are any particular aspects of this update that you want us to interrogate further a deep dive session, please do let us know when we can pepper that thought for the March meeting so I'll pass target at this point who's gonna talk through them those slides,

Patrick Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:19:56

Good afternoon, so we will be doing the gathering, the evidence for the economic assessment.

and I have some some 5 0 with some of the key takeaways in the work still ongoing, and there's more analysis done than the one that I'm

Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:20:12

going to share, but just to start, the overall view is that we have been looking at the economy at West of the West Yorkshire especially unproductively in the last 20 years its performance over time always performed geographically within the region and compare with other regions and the local specialism

industrial specialist as Beswick was referring so, broadly speaking, we do observe that economists quite diversified polycentric, so economic activity as a lot of specialism in different areas that compliment each other, however, since the financial crisis, productivity growth hasn't been able to converge with the national average as it was doing before the financial crisis.

then we and we are, according to the forecasting that we have available, despite the very gap, is expected expected to widen a little bit, not massively, but there is no projections of convergence as things go, and then we analyze centrally out of our specialism do with the national average and we pretty much observe a trend for manufacturing that I'll go more specifically later on in one for services mostly in Leeds but not only in Leeds and,

a very important point is that we do observe that West Yorkshire is what we call a self-contained labour market, so most people that live in West Yorkshire work in West Yorkshire and there are quite significant number of flows between boundaries and less than half of that is people coming to Leeds, so we really see a role. Polycentric city and dynamism between districts which gives a lot of importance to a future role, for example of trust, but we spread opportunity is quite dynamic today,

so, as I was saying, so the first thing we we we can observe is that West Yorkshire, as I said, economic performance in terms of productivity saw on this figure on the right the purple, the purple bar, it's roughly 15% below the national average and then, when we see on the left, the purple pink bar, sorry, it's it's London and it does very well above the national average, they don't have other bars which our international peers so we have Spain or Italy or France or New York, and what we see that London actually does very well. Like most of the other cities, there are differences, for example,

Madrid doesn't overperformed that much compared with the rest of Spain, but where we see a striking difference is our West Yorkshire, and this is not only West Yorkshire, other combined authorities, second tier cities, this is becoming very important in in the debate do perform below the national average while when we look at their peers internationally so let's say Barcelona,

florida's other cities in the continent, the Temple before, roughly give or take within their domestic national average.

this is an outlier that we have observed and closing this gap would be almost 10 billion in one year alone, that's roughly 4,000 pounds per resident.

and as things go, and our forecasting would suggest that by 2042 that gap will widen almost 6,000.

balance per resident, so the size of the price of converging and trying to close the productivity gap in the next decades because historically we know this takes decades the size of a price is enormous, so we looked at the specialism and the specialism that I mentioned in a second there, but they are mostly on manufacturing and then what we call exportable services, services that are able we are able to sell to other parts of the country we are picking these these two groups because those are the ones where West Yorkshire has a massive productivity gap with the UK, so things like the foundational economy.

hospitality, retail or

healthcare,

the party very app. It's not that large. Those are very important, especially on the inclusive parts of things, but it's not there that we find a major productivity gap, so that's why we will focus on the specialism. So the first thing we can see is that manufacturing, it's very, very large. In West Yorkshire, 100,000 jobs, it's the highest manufacturing jobs per capita in a Combined Authority per capita is higher than West Mid West Midlands, for example, it's roughly 15% of the economy. Third and fourth four, and the specialism are diverse in terms of sectors and geographically, so we have textiles in breadth, words, we do have

glass manufacturing in Wakefield furniture incorrectly, so this gives a lot of resilience because, as these are different sectors in different areas, we have agrochemicals as well, so this is a very positive thing and then, especially in Leeds, we do observe that most of their specialism are on the service sector legal finance.

I have had office activity. So these definitions are or will be tricky to to to to to know, but we know, for example, computer programming, consultancy and related activities West Yorkshire, mostly in Leeds, as years number of jobs in combined authorities or as many jobs as Greater Manchester, which is a larger combined authority. So we do see some some sectors being strong, but, as I said, we do have a productivity gap, so when we resume in these sectors, first at the left we can see the manufacturing so we do have a manufacturing gap in general, but it's not not where we are specialised, for example, textile productivity, where we are very specialised, it's above the UK average and other sectors that we are somehow specialised, like food with materials or transport equipment, there's some productivity gap, but it's not massive. We do observe operatively gaping, Porto, petroleum, chemicals and other minerals. This includes, of course, refining petroleum, but also things like forma and electro electronics optical and electrical products. So pretty much where we observe a productivity gap is because West Yorkshire does different kinds of activities compared with the rest of the UK, for example,

agrochemicals against farm of, for example, it's not about not being very good and what we do.

selecting some of these other sectors or, for example, doing electrical equipment against I'd say, microchips or something that is more complex so on on the manufacturing side, Bertie, but it can be improved in all sectors. It can overperformed. The UK average was closing, the gap really seems to be about being able to absorb new manufacturing industries within the region. On the right one, we look at Leeds and its specialism, and the picture is a bit different, even in the specialism, with some range of differences, but Leeds underperform the UK in terms of productivity, even in legal head offices.

telecommunication, Finance, TV and publishing. So if Leeds is the most specialised their area on these services in West Yorkshire, and we do aim to keep go to the that the UK average has a whole prowling these sectors. We need to be doing above average, it seems, can be improving existing firms, mixing different sectors, mixing digital and tech, with some sectors bringing new companies expanding others. There's a lot of avenues for that, but it really seems to be building up on the existing

service sectors where the gap is and then this is a very, very important point, we are talking about productivity and closing the productivity gap, but the wage data suggests that closing the productivity gap along will not translate to inclusive growth, because if you look at the chart the further we go to the right it's the highest income person towels and that's where we have the largest wage differences.

compared with the UK, so on percentile 10 and 20, our wages are around 4% lower than the UK average. We know there is minimum wage, so there is a flaw, so the differences are not that massive within the lowest income, but attracting these highly productive sectors are more likely to close the highest wage gaps, which are around 11 to 12%. So this would bring new jobs, good jobs, people could take them, but this does not automatically translate into inclusive growth, and then there needs to be levers and things that need to be considered on that front and on the productivity. We do identify our overtime to features that seemed to to to explain the gap. The first is low investment at the regional level. Investment in in West, Yorkshire, it's one of the lowest or lowest, depending how you pay or you consider geography to, and it hasn't been that way historically. So this is something you can. West Yorkshire investment as a share of its economy, has been fluctuating around the UK average until 2013 14 and that there is a divergence. Since then, investment level levels have been lower, and this is exactly the period where productivity starts diverging with with the UK average, and we do know that UK in general already has its international levels a low level of investment, so it's lower in a basis that we think it's now seems to be uniform across sectors and types of investments, IT or buildings, tangible intangibles. We see the underperformers constant and the same across districts

and then we also have, below average level of skill, especially bud qualification population with qualification level 4 of above, and on this figure we can see that the pipeline of skills, people that achieved Level 2 by age 19 was doing massive progress roughly around the same time we have a divergence in productivity.

and then it starts leveraging again with England, like the performance of the young, so the pipelines we have a current or under performance in terms of skills in the pipeline stopped doing the progress it was doing in the past.

and then all these things combine, making the economy more like, probably will make the economy even more integrated, so these are a travel to worry as travel to work area from the O and S the latest one is still the census 2011 and what we can see from the figure is that there are two travel to work areas in West Yorkshire when there is mostly around Bradford and the rest of the Combined Authority, this doesn't mean that this is fully self constrained. People commute, we know there's a lot of commutes, for example from Bradford to Leeds.

but they are not as integrated as, for example, when we look at the map we see Manchester for example, Liverpool their combined authorities and their travel to work areas seems to be more met, so people flow and work as a simple single local authority.

the analysis that we've done, for example, on connectivity, supports this Bradford local authority is the most congested one West Yorkshire is above the England average in congestion and Bradford is quite high, we know that all places fell after the pandemic with still more congestion than average and, for example, we only have data for Leeds Central but,

pretty much. We are at capacity in terms of rail at peak times and we know that people move from other places as well, so there seems to be a very important factor on connectivity to integrate these areas or more deeply. Were also there. There are other factors so for Bradford to attract people from other places, and residents of Bradford to go to other places also means the opportunity that you can benefit from the opportunities that you have and, as I said, inclusive growth is a very important part of of the strategy where we are doing work on this. We know that life expectancy, for example, it's lower than the average. There is still a significant part of the workforce that it receives, which is below the real living wage and economic inactivity. Is it's an issue, and from this map we can see that, for example, physical

proximity to opportunity, so, for example, there's a lot of white areas around Leeds, it doesn't translate exactly in prosperity, there are other levers being next to good jobs, and growing jobs is not enough, so we will look at.

connectivity

we will go deeper on the skills, but it is also important to understand a second component of the inclusive growth there's the by one call in terms and conditions real real wage but also the cost of living one, so because Josie brought it's not all of it driven by the labour market we need to and we know now we need to keep cost of living in cheques to interventions around housing, energy efficiency, reducing bills need to be also part of the package of understanding how the economy

gross

for everyone.

the top.

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:33:46

thanks Kay and I think it's worth saying that there's a much more detailed version of that pack that that's informing this work, so a really big piece of work and that he has been leading on with the R and I team, so I was just going to briefly touch on some of the wider work that's going on as we develop this economic strategy that's covered in the briefing pack and then took a little bit about the emerging framework before we pause for questions and comments.

Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:34:14

so alongside the the economic assessment, we have got a sector study being undertaken by Cambridge Econometrics so they are looking at sector strengths and emerging clusters in West Yorkshire. They've done a national study for the DUP department for science, innovation and technology, and they're now doing a West Yorkshire version of that form for us, so they're looking at where our traditional sector strengths that we haven't West Yorkshire and the crossover opportunities with emerging tech clusters, and they've used their quite innovative methodology to map out three broad groups where they see which they see as opportunities to really try productivity growth in West Yorkshire. So we've already got some good examples through the work we do and in health tech and investments own on how that approach has worked well, so there's an opportunity to look at that and how this that can be applied to some of these other emerging sector strengths for the region. So the next phase of that work is to really drill down into some other specific opportunities and what that means for exporting for investment or for spatial needs, and when we come to the workshop in March we'll have that study ready so that will be it will be able to present that the findings within the policy implications of that and what that means for the strategy.

we've also been doing a piece of work with the West, Yorkshire universities and the WIPA network.

and this was really about trying to gather more evidence on some of those broader drivers on productivity around things like childcare and and the informal economy and and what that means, so the pack sets out a summary of those responses and there is more work ongoing set to look at these particularly on the childcare, the University of Leeds secured some further funding to do a systems study on child care in West Yorkshire and we are working with them very some of the academics that responded to that call for evidence to draw in particular expertise on an aspect of that.

so there's there's clearly a lot a lot not been covered in the evidence review, a lot of issues emerging, and so what we've tried to do is try to start to draw together a framework to look at all of this evidence and that the framework that's in the pack really draws on on the West Yorkshire Plan drivers so that's where it's got that inclusive sustainable growth that we talked about equality, diversity and inclusion and health in all policies at the centre and then looks at what that means for different areas of our work, the different levers that we have.

and then the different drivers of the economy.

so we are starting to think about what what some of those parties might mean, particularly for the business side of things EMAS is covered in the pack for this committee and so really looking at then, where we're where we focus and,

sought for 2 2 pond approach, and that's so thinking about those sectors where we have a comparative advantage advantage in West Yorkshire, what are those emerging opportunities in terms of driving growth A and the benefits those will bring to the region, what's our role there I mentioned health tech and investment zones, but can we can we learn from that approach and apply that to other areas?

of the economy, where we know there's gonna be an emerging or emerging opportunity for the region, but alongside that not losing the focus on wider sectors of the economy that still employ large numbers of people, but we now are less likely to really drive that productivity but there it's really focusing on good work and initiatives like our firework charter and what that means for some of those sectors.

in our role there, and I think skills really cuts across all of those things and any other skills pathway through careers and really bringing that to the those two focuses also identified finance, access to finance and investment for the region and our role there, and particularly around place-based impact investment and investment for good, but also investment for underrepresented groups. So we have identified gaps, national but also in West Yorkshire as well. Another important priority is that point ran simplifying that the business support ecosystem, which isn't necessarily a new new priority, and you know, I think we've all identified that has become more and more challenging, as things have become more fragmented, as funding has been not as long term and and lots of changes of nationally and regionally about how we organise. But this is why devolution does give us an opportunity, with more certainty around funding, to try to really

simplify that offer, and not just about simplifying it, but then how we get that out to groups across the region and really tapping into those networks across the board and really thinking about where those informal networks operate, and how do we get that message out to those groups as well to to to make sure that all businesses are aware of the support that that we can we can offer them?

so I'll pause there and, as I say, happy to take such questions on on.

either relevant to the presentation, but also thinking about what we might want to cover in March and any of the things that we should bring to that work, but there's any particular elements of this, she wants us to to to do more and I'll bring out more fees and that would be really welcome, thank you.

great thanks for your all.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:39:28

open it up to the committee for questions or comments, please

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:39:36

Martin, please.

if nobody else is asking a question, I will.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:39:40

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:39:44

really interesting, and I, I think, particularly looking at sector strengths and that customer analysis and one of my questions is really

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 0:39:49

around the definition of emerging tech as opposed to net cielo involves manufacturing because I look at that diagram and particularly what is the definition are using to say OK, this sector is emerging tech because again I looked at that diagram and I'm struggling to understand that, to be totally honest again, probably because I haven't got the granularity around it, but it was just really better understanding the use of the terms and how that this is on page 57 how that has been put together really,

Angus Martin.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:40:27

yeah and some will be able to say once we've got the complete report, be able to share that, but but what they've done is they've taken sort

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:40:33

of three approaches to how they've defined ed sectors in the emerging

Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:40:39

clusters, so they've looked they've done sort of a traditional analysis using the SI codes yeah and as we've done in our assessment as well, they've also they use

web scraping so that where we date a city to do this so date a city gripped what they called optics, real-time information codes using website classifications of businesses activity to group them. But they will also end and qualitative assessment so drawing on our own policies and strategies and where we've identified particular sectors of the strength, and so they've sort of synthesised those three different approaches to to come up with these clusters, and I think there's you know, we've we've reflected on some of the links that they're drawn and where what sticks in what circle, and I think there is you know, that's that's a subjective assessment in terms of those relationships and things, so there's certainly no scope to influence something Well, actually we see that line going there, whatever, but those are the three approaches that were taken to that the classification, and that's how they've come up with this and you know it, it's emerging and developing and more is going on

thank you very much.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:41:44

thank you, Councillor, please, thank you and just a couple of observations, both from the perspective of coming from the legal

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:41:48

services sector.

it was good to see that we are a strong sector within Leeds, disappointing to see that we still underperform in terms of what the figures look like is that because people are still outsourcing that work outside of Leeds and using London base from, so I would like a deep dive into knowing if we're a sector that's considered to be on financial services and legal sector whereas the work going is it isn't going other than within.

our region, so that's an observation, then putting my hat on in terms of an employer in the legal sector and looking at the Bradford figures there, it's interesting that the Seve's that sort of land on our desk from York and from areas around they don't come from the most diverse.

city which is Bradford. Where is that gap in terms of them, even the students they're even applying to Leeds, do they see out of their reach? What what is going on behind that, because I'm not seeing your CV is coming in, I see people relocating to our region applying to my firm for a job, but I don't seem to see people in the locality from diverse and unrepresentative our communities applying for those same positions. So another deep dive kind of thing which I'd like to look at in more detail when the time is right

and then just one other observation in terms of the crime report which highlighted.

diverse investment as one of those key areas that gender diverse investment like the angel investment side, and I know you've touched upon that in this report.

the gender index reported recently that the government announced the 31st of January, the threshold for being an angel investor was going to be increased, so I think it's going up from 100,000 to 170,000.

now this is already on the mayor's radar, we've raised this and we're in discussions, but I just wanted to put out there that I think the economic strategy needs to look at the gender imbalance on the and the diversity imbalance that may creep pin on protected characteristics that I'm not gonna be in the running for angel investment and are we're making up a problem that already exists worse and what do we do about it?

thank you, Jo, please.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:44:20

absolutely made up of Pinsex asthma, and I think that point about the

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:44:25

seve's absolutely and part of this is thinking about what this means for skills, but careers in particular, and how you know it's not just about stimulating these opportunities in the regions, how would you meet and that's where the inclusive growth and then how do we support people in the region to be able to make the most of those opportunities and that careers pace right the way through school? It is really important and yet absolutely agree on on the investment point and, as he says, it is on radar, but we do need to bring that into this work as well. So we will clap. Thank you

thank you, Sarah, please, 0 sorry.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:44:56

gone Sara, thank you OK, thanks here I mean it's.

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 0:45:06

yeah, we've been kept in a full, informed of the development of a few of the economic strategy and is useful to have this early sight of the emerging analysis and themes, and that's obviously feeding into our as I've mentioned before we re refreshing our inclusive economy strategy that, however, he's got to be finalised by March this year, so I think what's I know that Bradford may be sort of holding back on some of their work, but I think we're gonna have to just sort of like press ahead so we might have to need to revise some of the areas of focus once once we've done that but,

that's I think that's just that is just how it is

the summary analysis that the West West Yorkshire is a resilient, diversified and polycentric economy that nevertheless has struggled to keep pace with national growth and productivity, which has had an adverse effect on living standards, and this is that's quite useful that's useful to have that information, it's a useful backdrop for for where we are.

I think also a worker, a pro proposing further die, you're provoked proposing further detailed analysis of key cluster areas where you see potential for growth, so initial analysis it says, has identified three main overlapping groups, each of which represent an opportunity for the region which the advancing manufacturing, emerging tech and net 0 and these present lots of opportunities receive health damages.

great, especially the advance money manufacturing in Net Zero, but we however, would need to reinforce the challenges of digital connectivity, I think you know for Cook for crossing Calderdale were quite rural.

to benefit and growth opportunities,

so yeah, we need to get the basics right as well, so for the FA foundation of the economy enable us in in place for growth.

and also, if we're able, or if we're able to to get access to and be able to feed into a cluster analysis, it'd be really good to have covered our business reputation, representation and discussions where possible.

but yeah, that digital connectivity is or is is a big thing in our very rural place, thank you.

thank you one of the places I do my Councillor advice sessions, I

Cllr James Lewis - 0:47:22

can't use my iPod because I can't get a 3G 4G signal and I've asked about getting Wi-Fi and there's no capacity so yeah, though it's not just Calderdale, it's amazing how it's made you don't have to go far to find areas where there is no connectivity, Joe please.

yeah, I think them just to say on the Calderdale strategy, so we're working closely with the officers, then we're aware of a little bit of

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:47:47

Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:47:50

that alignment, so I think you know we are, but we were working on making sure that there's nothing that you know is gonna vastly, not not a line across the two strategies, and I think yeah, on the digital connectivity or, I think what we need to get across of this strategy is how all of these issues interlink, and it's not. You know one particularly thing, and it's not this here this. There is actually the there's so many connections between the different issues, and we really need to bring that out into our thinking and our interventions about how all of these things interact it. You know to to meet these challenges so that that's something definitely that, yeah, we need to broaden

thank you on that point about into linkages health is obviously the cluster analysis, it was really good to see it also on page 65 in that circle at the heart of the various pillars there are in the in the framework, and I just wanted to bring out a link from health not just as a cluster but also in terms of population health, health deprivation which may we've talked about a lot in other forums.

and the link with productivity, and this is something that we were discussing yesterday and at Sarah with Treasury, who were on a visit

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 0:48:59

to Huddersfield and in the context of talking about our National Health Innovation Campus, which is a big strong interest of ours about the link between health and productivity there Eels' were picking up at this I think there is appetite to hear about those

broader relationships between health and productivity in an economic strategy, certainly they sounded interested in in how that might work, so I do think we should definitely pursue that line if they'd pick that, thank you.

thank you Calvin, deplete.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:49:32

thanks for your

an excellent piece of work, both presentation, I I just picking up the

Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges) - 0:49:40

point that asthma made, I am, or maybe many think, was that the softer skills element of the economic growth

so the hard edge stuff you're working on, but the softer skills of professional capitals, the the raising of aspirations.

and fundamentally, we all understand that group think.

his opposite to driving productivity

so if we're receiving the same CV's from the same areas, then that maybe that does need to be looked at in terms of the software elements of OP of things and for an economic growth strategy, we're gonna need to do something different.

and look at things in a different way, so I just wonder whether they the aspiration, professional capacity and capitals needs to be looked at.

Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:50:41

definitely, and I think it comes back to that circle, and it speaks to serious point about health as well, so you know it, we can't just put things into different boxes that we, you know, it has got to come back to this cost-cutting issue so we're talking about those opportunities and what does that mean filtering right through across any or all of those issues and that's what an inclusive economy as parties and it's I would definitely

not easy, necessarily for that, you know that's it, that's got to be the framework that we put in there, and then you know how we apply that to to the intervention so that we deliver and that we support them.

just to give you a practical example, so the skills gaps are very technical skills gaps, they're not soft skills gaps.

teamwork communication.

the ability to present.

and and until we drive that as a what the soft skills that employers are wanting, and then people that think different look different come from different backgrounds.

can think, yes, I can do that.

thank you calculate.

literature.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:51:47

Cllr James Lewis - 0:51:51

fantastic report, thank you very much, both of you did you say that

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:51:55

we're going to have a more robust.

kind of

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 0:52:00

concepts are on what inclusive growth means in the context of the something more granular.

you know as health visitors, asthma said, and there are so many other examples, around structural barriers to inclusive growth and how those might be able to come, I think that'd be very helpful and I think we might actually be more forthright even at this higher level stage in in making a commitment to that and you know referencing key messaging.

from Krim from the North Star report that was commissioned by the Combined Authority and from.

other you know sources, and then that provides that kind of consistency from you know, initial poster design right through to the delivery plans, I think that'd be really helpful, to be honest.

and to Mr Rob Rodriguez, because I can't pronounce it, I currently can't pronounce first names, also another.

but.

interest in about the congestion issues in Bradford.

and what can appear that we are, or are you not, as that kind of analysis being done, because there's a heck of a lot of work going on in the city centre at the moment and that will last for about another year, are we talking about congestion issues before that started and what makes some of the root causes and solutions be going forward to those?

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:53:35

so the higher than UK average and West Yorkshire average levels of congestion in Bradford seemed to be something from the last at least 5

Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:53:48

6 years since we have data there's fluctuations, but even after post pandemic seems to be something constant.

unfortunately, we don't have the data granularity to know some of the details I spoke with some colleagues on the transport team and they think it's more about the local authority as a whole, but not so urban areas, so sometimes we think they have three station, it's not relatively well connected with the local authorities pre-launch maybe the rural infrastructure is not.

and it has a lot of population, the local authority itself could be capacity constraints on that side, which we don't know in general, the UK seem to have capacity constraints, both public and private transport, but unfortunately we don't have the level of grant quality and time detail to identify from date of DFW exactly from where it's going on.

but from the geography we we we, we suspect there is something about your area, it's not only about typical congestion at the centre, for example, Leeds is one of the local authorities with lower congestion, it's still very high with lower within West Yorkshire, which flags this question about non urban areas being quite congested as well.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:55:10

I mean just yeah, thank you for that, because there is a concern that the second largest city in West Yorkshire and a major travel to work area is is still key underperforming because of these kinds of issues wrong.

do you know roads and infrastructure, and it affects the rest of the the sub-region, so I don't know you know how we might in terms of looking at the planning strategies going forward.

be able to have some some answers and recommendations.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:55:48

you know that kind of fix this problem, if I can have a go at that,

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:55:52

please do not be talking about that yesterday lethal ones.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:55:56

I do think I, I think we've always recognised, going back to when we started songs on the West, Yorkshire devolution, devolution journey.

Over 10 years ago that one of the significant things we need to guarantee evolution to West Yorkshire was more investment in transport to deal with the congestion that we that we have in the county and it's always been yeah yeah I've used to be Chair of the Transport throughout West Yorkshire, it was a stand-alone organisation.

and I think I've always challenged your view, but congestion is just one issue, it affects some very small parts of West Yorkshire.

I mean, you are measured in salt, pure you know, cars at peak time is a cars at peak times. Is it isn't? The whole story is about how slow some relatively short journeys can be around the county, and that's not just saying it's about. How would you get you know, how do you get into Leeds Bradford centre on or on the weekday morning between 79 is? It is lot statistics about how slow is to get to make some journeys in West Yorkshire on a mile per hour based. I suspect that's where those figures might come from and that's actually underlining a lot of what the transport strategy for West Yorkshire is around bus reform, mass transit him investment at the work we've done around the

traditional rail things like the East West Link Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, the existing or trans benign Leeds, Huddersfield Manchester a lot of that work is around actually making journeys around West Yorkshire quicker and more efficient, so I suspect that's where that congestion.

all data concerned. Can I dare figures to talk of at the fingertips. I don't do not. I'm not involved in West Yorkshire Transport, which I used to be, but it always has been a factor around the let's say, the poor quality of infrastructure have right across the county and the impact that has on journey times, that our economic performance and that's the can and that's West Yorkshire as a whole, like say it's not who's coming into Leeds central priority centre or Monday to Friday or Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday morning at peak time, and I think that's probably underlines a lot of that and, like I say that was, you know, I'm going back to the early 20 tents, but that's what drove, devolution and moving towards

probably three or four terms of jargon are going to solve the northern powerhouse are saying actually, if we can better connect the north of England and our economy, will perform better in the congestion, and the slowness of journey times in Bradford is one manifestation of the problems that we have to tackle.

does anybody else want to go in therapy has done that or were lobbying

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:58:30

is chasing lobbying hard to get any of the HS2 money?

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 0:58:34

yes, yeah, certainly very.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:58:39

I would be very key. Doesn't just go to potholes in north London. This

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:58:46

letter would only apply to career changes adequately just quickly and Joe touched upon the Fair Work Charter. I don't know these are an

Cllr James Lewis - 0:58:50

agenda item going forward. I do think we've got a great platform there

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 0:58:54

to push on the inclusivity from an employer buy-in perspective, and I think we ought to probably look at that in deeper detail and push that out there, because that requires external input and buy-in which doesn't necessarily dictate what goes on here, but it's the private sector buy-in, and I think we will be missing a trick if we don't align those values, get people to buy into the Fair Work Charter and you're automatically kind of signing up to inclusivity on a on a wider scale.

Cllr James Lewis - 0:59:29

thank you so on item 7, does anybody else want to come in on this item?

8 Digital Blueprint Draft

I can't see them showing their hands, the recommendation is that we melt the contents of evidence summary and provide feedback, and I think we have done that sort of helpful job for our next session with that, so with that I shall move on to item 8, please and and Sophie, please do like to present this report.

thank you very much, it's probably quite timely that we've moved on to

Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:59:59

the digital blueprint, Nathan are concerned around connectivity.

the thought of the brief impact Gisha to have access to, although the government report and then the first draft copy of the digital blueprint.

I think we fast introduced last year with pride and then we provided an update on the approach at the last committee, so thank you everyone for your feedback on that thus far.

so the paper as a whole sought to cover the themes which we cover in the blueprint and sort of the extensive consultation that has taken place to date.

said today, as part of this, I'd like to gauge thoughts on sort of the first draft of the whole, so please take note that this is actually a pre-designed version.

so if you'd just like to focus on the content and then we'll obviously at a later date, move on to sort of designing that with our marketing team, so it's part of this and as part of the update today, Phoenix has asked that we explain what will change as a result of the work that we're doing and what we're gonna do better as a result of this.

this digital blueprint will change the way that we approach all things digital across the region, and that's come in from a system thinking methodology. So to explain this, we want Yeats, picture sort of digital infrastructure, sort of the smart cities agenda separate to skills and business, but they're all interconnected, and together they form a whole digital. We recognises the complex system within we within which we really need to police lever to reap all the benefits that it has to offer. Using the systems approach will help us better understand what helps or hinders the success of digital interventions in future. So, for example, digital inclusion

to make sure we're not leaving anyone behind, we've got to look at the reasons why people are digitally excluded across the whole system, so for this can be from different perspectives of both skills, business and infrastructure, digital exclusion of is a result of many different things that can be psychological, social, environmental and also economic factors as well and these all interact with one another so it can't be tackled in isolation.

the outcomes of the blueprint aim to avoid simple, linear cause and effect programmes, instead, what we want to do is zoom out to the bigger picture, and steer is to work outside the boundaries of traditional programmes and structures, this will help us make real change across the region, some of which will be measurable and some of which will be sort of reflected improvements that will take.

along in sort of in the feature.

so obviously here today, to try and get sort of comments and reflections on sorts of blueprint to date and also hopefully, endorsement over the coming weeks and months, we'll be looking for endorsement from place committee and also sort of employment and skills committee as well, and that's where the hope to take that to the combo Combined Authority Committee for approval later on in the summer ahead of the publication.

so just a note I am presenting this today on behalf of the team, so there's probably going to be questioned that I'm not gonna be able to ask, though I generally come to it from sort of the place-based perspective of infrastructure answered a smart city, so please do bear with me if there are some questions that I am unable to answer but in order to sort of get the conversation going we're sort of very

Stuart interested to know sort of what your thoughts are today and I've just got a couple of sort of questions to post to you if that's OK.

and so from our perspective, so we've really liked no, so it is the content of the digital blueprint reflective of the strengths and challenges of business and organisations in the region.

the outcomes as they relate to business and organisations ambitious enough and, if not, how can we go further and how can we make them bolder and, lastly, do you have any other feedback or advice on how we can?

on how the digital blueprint could be improved ahead of is basically taking this to design, that's going to be our next step, yeah, thank you very much for that.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:04:26

great thank you generally, and the Committee wanted to come in on this piece of work, please.

Martin Place seems to be becoming a pattern, doesn't it, so I'm going

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 1:04:42

to just have a disclaimer because I guess I'm gonna give you a elites view here because just reading the paper and looking at the presentation, I think the assets and the capabilities we've got within Leeds are not reflected strongly enough and I'm saying that purely because I think there's an opportunity to leverage that across the border region and the cities so against a number of examples, but if you look at the Leeds Digital Fest festival, that's a really good example, where that's been built up from scratch, it's one of the biggest, I think, open tech, technical tech festivals in the UK, but is there an opportunity to start saying OK, let's leverage some of that strength more broadly and I use that as one example. I probably got another three or four examples, but just and again I apologise, it's a lead centric view and try not to do that, but I just think this assets and capabilities that we should be thinking about leveraging for the wider benefit of the region if that makes sense

Cllr James Lewis - 1:05:44

neither Brian, thank you, Anne sort of three conversation that we've been having to date, that's sort of a common occurrence, they were sort of having we're trying to sort of have discussions internally on how best we thought to obviously make sure of that with or getting

Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:05:56

recognition of the digital sector across West Yorkshire as a whole but recognising that there are other events and pieces of pieces in the calendar that is sort of the lead digital battle which can have thought of Matthew leverages for the region as a whole so,

point noted and will have continued to have those discussions and see best that we can fit that into the agenda, but that's good, I'm glad

Cllr James Lewis - 1:06:16

you've heard that from other people and I think the other areas who aren't smart cities so again there's some good stuff happening I'm

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 1:06:21

aware of what's happening in Leeds so I'm sure the stuff that were happening more widely as well.

thank you.

somebody else want to come in on this paper.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:06:32

size of place.

Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative) - 1:06:39

just on maybe point around cybersecurity, we've obviously got tons of SMEs all across Yorkshire.

where at the minute going through the process of gaining ISO 27,000, which is all around information security and all the locks on the doors and all the kind of two-factor authentication that you've got to have on on all your business information you've been quite a challenge and there's not many smaller businesses from the process we've been told that managed to get through it, so if we've got this big player with a and data and everything like that we might need to think about how they're help the smaller businesses.

get through things like Cyber essentials and the 27,000 standards for information security.

okay and I'll take that back to the team if that's OK, but that's a

Sophie Law Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:07:26

great point, a really interesting, thank you.

9 Investment Zones

Cllr James Lewis - 1:07:35

great thank you, I'll turn to the recommendations on and which is that we endorse blueprint with current progress in mind and take feedback towards final design, so if everybody is happy with that, that's great thank you, we'll move on to item 9, please Natasha.

however, once I'm just negative pickup day on investment zones, so

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:07:56

we've been working with local authorities and universities to draft both revenue and capital interventions, Nathan outlined in the report, so the capital interventions will be based in Kirkley, Bradford and Leeds, however, benefits of all interventions should be felt region-wide and we're starting to record what those interventions look like so this is an opportunity for the committee to

give us a little bit of feedback on the interventions based on the questions in the report, so the questions are, are the revenue interventions proposed, the right ones, is there anything missing?

R, where should we focus our activity, should we need to, so should we focus on start-up scale or attract new companies to the region, and how do we maximise business, investment and leverage greater resources for investment zones?

and just to note that before against question in the

interventions have been mapped against current activity, so, for example, the launchpad, the Health at roundabout.

and investment zones' are kind of a real opportunity to work on that.

innovation and productivity gap that Jo mentioned earlier in the conversation so yeah just move on to questions if that's OK for anyone.

thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:09:25

can we'd like to come in on this page, please simply thank you, so I I

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:09:30

support this paper out clarity interest exam, evolved with Natasha,

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 1:09:38

and the other partners in developing the work on are not enterprise zones I would really have tried to leverage the the power of the universities, which is the theme that runs through investments are,

and I and to make sure that the benefit of that, all that research activity can can act as a boost to economic growth in those areas, so I and also knit together very closely with the economic development activity of the local authority partners, so I said we spent a lot of time discussing this and we think we've come up with a balanced, a range of activities that so I would support the list of revenue activities and in terms of the focus I think we've got to do all of those categories of business personally, thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:10:27

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:10:31

thank you, Sarah, please, thank you on the question of the although the right revenue proposals and where the focus should sit, I think it's important that the planned activities, for example, the inward investment resource and academic brokerage services, that they should

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:10:45

integrate with existing service delivery so that there's clear pathways for businesses and if we have to prioritise as a result of

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:10:50

limited resources then could some of these proposals perhaps be delivered using existing resources, I think that's one one thought and then also called to date we've got a great track record of startups and would benefit from further support.

likely to be make a case for an additional adviser for the next wave of funding, however, scale scaling up scale-up is likely to bring broader benefits.

more employment, greater resilience.

just to note that Huddersfield a university is continuing to ensure that that there's links to Calderdale and at other areas a bit less proactive, and maybe there is a role for Wicker for WYCA to ensure that the revenue interventions bring benefits across the sub region.

think?

thank you.

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:11:44

yes, so we are currently looking at how we can leverage and provide

Cllr James Lewis - 1:11:48

much to our intervention, so it will be looking at current ways that

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:11:52

we engage with different stakeholders so yeah wow we've already will carry out a map in that and we're currently working on how implementation is against gaps', thank you.

great, thank you lately.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:12:07

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:12:11

permanent boyfriend wants, yeah, OK yeah, I just wanted to say that

Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK) - 1:12:16

there's not really a lot in here to disagree with really accelerators, incubators, private investment or really important parts of the ecosystem, and more we can do to support that I think that's a lie.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:12:31

thank you, Martin, please, yeah, I'll just reiterate, obviously, we

Natasha Copp Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:12:34

very much support this and what's being proposed in terms of

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 1:12:38

priorities, I think just building on Councillor sailors Courtney's point is really important that we don't duplicate current provision here. So again, this has to be additive and the way this joins up thinking about this from a business perspective is particularly useful, particularly to pay attention to. I think the other thing which I'd note is, I think,

the actual investment zone, a proposal now being 10 years and a two-faced approach, I think, is extremely, extremely helpful in terms of attracting investment and particularly private investment, into this as well.

thank you.

10 Fair Work Charter

Cllr James Lewis - 1:13:22

if nobody else wants to come in alternative recommendations on page 129 and I take it, everybody is happy with those happy with those recommendations, that's great, so I'll move on to Item 10, please, and Joe Wilkinson.

just to note that I know that the there's a workshop on the 7th of

Cllr James Lewis - 1:13:44

February isn't there that the design, I'm not able to make that as it

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:13:49

OK for someone else to come along, is that OK from Colsterdale rather than yeah, it's not like this meeting where it's not no substance Umeå

Cllr James Lewis - 1:13:53

brilliant, thank you.

great no problem Sara, thank you for bringing that up, so onto item Temperley's George like to introduce his paper, please thank you

Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:14:08

Chair, this is about the firework charter, so it was launched in November, we had 47 early doctors took on the Charter which is Brian and from all across all sides of business and sectors.

we have now brought on our delivery partner Greenberg, who started a second week of January, so it was still fairly early on in into the roll-out of the charter.

we have commissioned a marketing agency 3 10 7 who are currently putting together a marketing campaign which will go live, think about the second week of February, and that will predominantly be.

social media campaign to date, because I can say we're very early on, we're just trying to get that back in processes in place, so we haven't done any proactive marketing, but including the early adopters we already have as of yesterday 108 businesses signed up.

of that we've got 38% a large 19 medium 28% small and 11% micro, we've got a good mix and across the districts.

Leeds hires at 52%, but Bradford at 21% Calderdale, 7% Kirkley 14 and Wakefield 6, we've got a good spread as well minute of business tie, so we have 61% of those are private sector, 21% public sector and 18% from the voluntary and community sector.

and a good cross section of business sectors are highest.

looking at the figures because it was a lot of these have come from the early adopters, we haven't got the date that we will be able to get, so there's quite a few at the minute, classed as other, but we'll we'll get to the bottom of that but we do have quite high number on financial and legal professional services and health and medical and then digital technology and manufacturing.

good, we've also making some really good links with some partner organisations and networks to help his colleagues spread the word and also to help develop resources and share resources, so when a business signs up, they'll have access to a portal.

and they'll be able to have access to things that we will create. A green borough will create, so at the minute they're looking at creating about 20 videos that are all based on the five pillars and being able to just give that additional support to businesses. We have made links with Yorkshire Sport and we're looking at aligning what we're doing with with some of their content and they'll be signing up. We had a good session on Friday with members from different teams as Calderdale Council, and they're really keen to be able to promote across the businesses and actually a very good feedback from them. Was that to produce

have very short sort of animation video that people can use to be able to promote, so we're looking at doing that.

TransPennine Express are really keen to be able to learn about the Charter and they really want to be able to promote that to the supply chains.

we're talking to Kirkley and Calderdale Health and Care Partnership.

as well as our internal teams, we've also been speaking to Nexus looking at promoting it to their tenants, we're also linking internally with policing and crime, so we're very much talking about the link with the safety of women and girls Strategy and how they can get involved not only sharing resources but coming along and running some workshops for businesses as well.

I think that's everything if anyone has any questions.

great, thank you, Jo, somebody ought to come in on this item, please

Cllr James Lewis - 1:18:05

adequately, just in terms of the people that have reached out to

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:18:10

confirm how our FSB and chamber of commerce is, are they on the on the agenda to contact yeah, sorry, I did forget to mention so we've also setting up a steering group.

Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:18:21

first meeting will be towards the end of February and we've got the Chamber at the FSB is a Vice Chair on that, but yes, we've also reached out to the membership organisations.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:18:39

thank you, Sarah, please, yeah, thank you, yeah, it's yeah, this was

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:18:44

it's great to hear that you've been working well with the officers in Calderdale A, and I I think one of the comments was about whether Greenberg could do some presentations for us but I think or a video bud at a business networking event would be really really would be really useful.

obviously it's early days with them being in place, but it would be really good to see them active in the borough when I think a video is a great idea, obviously, but I think to actually be able to see them. You know active across across all the sort of regions, but you know for some speakers recorded over here that year that would be that would be, that would be really good. I think the only other thing was possibly in the summary to have ha you know, you've given us a verbal breakdown of the sort of size of businesses that have signed up and the sector and that sort of staff would be useful to maybe have that have her in sort of graphic form in in the report would be would be really useful, a thing and ongoing monitoring information over the provides. This level of detail, I think would be yeah, it'd be really good to have that, please thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:19:48

thank you gonna be else like to come in on this item, Sarah, please, thank you them so, as well as then finding the information update we

Cllr James Lewis - 1:19:56

had really wanted to use this as a bit of a call to action as well for organisations and businesses around the table and your networks and how do we roll this out as much as we possibly can through our existing networks that we've got so any reflections on that?

Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:20:07

that would be really welcome

thank you.

11 Development and Delivery

does anybody else want to come in? I don't see any, so, I'm going to turn to the recommendations on page 136, and I take temporary is happy

Cllr James Lewis - 1:20:25

with those recommendations. That's great, thank you. So we move on to Item 11, please and Louise, are you going to introduce this paper thanks Geoff, serve the Harper Gibson a view of regional programme

Louise Allen, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:20:39

performance against the state of the region indicator, so that's

delivery this well delivered by the Combined Authority are commissioned by us as well.

so one area that I'd like to expand, and actually it is the business sustainability support service that began delivery in April 23 and it's funded through gainshare until March 26.

sits under the gross service and alongside the innovation and productivity support them, so up to December 23 238 businesses have been supported, 156 of those have had an action plan and 118 have received intensive support to help with the sustainability goals the target up to 26 is to support 300 businesses so just wanted to flag that has been obviously really high demand for that service has been really popular.

and across the service committed carbon saving Safarova 500 tonnes CO2 and 1.2 million kilowatt hour of

renewable energy generation.

there's also, in the paper details of two new programmes, one focusing on skills and one on the creative industries.

and the committee will be updated on progress of those programmes over the coming meetings, I also wanted to mention that's not in the paper the Mayor's Innovation challenge invitation to bid went live yesterday, so we're looking for suppliers to deliver this work and it builds on the Mayor's innovation price pilot that was delivered last year.

and also in the paper, it mentions that policy work is ongoing to review enterprise and business start-up support in the region, so reviewing current provision and, if aware there are any gaps to support individuals or new businesses, the record fine use the findings from the economic strategy research to ensure an evidence led approach and members of this committee will be consulted and a broad range of people be invited to contribute in the development of that work and will ensure their equity diversity inclusion continue to be central,

Cllr James Lewis - 1:22:49

thank you, Louise only questions or comments on this paper, please, so please. Thank you, yes, after the delay and creative industries as

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 1:22:59

theme, and also possibly with a link to the enterprise review, I just wondered if there's been given any credit, whether any further thought has been given to support for maker spaces to help students who are graduating from a creative course where they've got some ideas. I know we've discussed this with someone from Phoenix as colleagues to see whether that is an asset that you know the the region has. That could be further exploited, particularly to get those graduates to stick around in West Yorkshire and build their collections if it's fashion or their

their short runs of his textiles and those kind of things, because that is one element of the creative industries that we could really support well, given our assets in this region thanks.

yes, definitely Owen will take that on board an explorer in the consultation, thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:23:52

thank you, Sarah, please, thank you, I'm making it for not being here last time.

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:23:57

yes, or it's.

great that we can have one of the business skills advisers in Colchester are happy about that, we also note and welcome the financial commitment to green skills.

but would quite like to know what the timescales are for the development and implementation on that.

particularly given that the green jobs task force action plan launches this month, which says it'd be good to for good, to have that moving at a pace really,

connected and and then we can connect that to our own climate action and green plan and green economy theme.

I think we note that Enterprise West Yorkshire has been a successful model and I'll start at delivery and Coulter then is particularly strong that we've got really good figures for those.

but again, it's spelt n needing to have a commitment to moving at pace so that so that the delivery arrangements.

we confirm that the delivery arrangements beyond October 24 that would be really helpful.

do we don't want to risk losing capacity and infrastructure across the across, across the sub-region and and and for that, to have a negative impact on our ability, then to support businesses, and this is obviously all in the context of budgetary constraints that we've got in our I'm sure everyone has got in across their individual.

organisations.

thank you.

yeah, thanks to there'd be a live, Alec pencil take them on board, thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:25:38

Felix the really good words the Councillor, thank you very much, I

Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:25:47

think a couple of things, one, the review that Lewis referred to it is meant to pick up, will help us understand what the state of play is now across West Yorkshire when it comes to how we engage with businesses, the advisory services that are the level where the gaps are what we can't do better.

and obviously given the tight budgetary.

environment, what we can do better, and when what we need to stop doing, to be able to prioritise and and to be a bit more successful, so hopefully they'll pick up some of some of we've mentioned there.

I make a space bit that's.

Sue talked about the some work we've just kicked off in the culture heritage and in sport service area, just to review what our activities should be posts, years of culture, so that is that only kicked off last week with a workshop at the Committee and that will run for the next few months just to get thoughts, so this will be one of the things that we will we will feed into into that session I think widely.

some of these programmes that we've got probably only just kicked off, and it's a bit early to understand fully what the impact has been, but on the green skills bit we are looking to get a session together, we're working with the universities and CBI to put a session together in the next couple of months maybe hopefully quicker than that to help us design that.

Green skills, green jobs or a service properly because, yes, we've got provision for it, but we don't want to design something within this building as officers saying this is what we're gonna do and ran with it, so we're gonna go out and consult and engage with employers to work out what will work for them before we come back, so we will provide some more information on that.

thank you, Felix count, please.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:27:53

yeah, just a quick one Chair and I did note that Felix mentioned limited budgets.

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 1:28:03

and it is a factor where we have to acknowledge which.

gives me the opportunity to kind of re-emphasise what Sarah said, which was a very, very strong point at the last item, which is you know how we can utilise our networks.

to get information out there.

and I don't think we do that as well as we could do, and I think what would help us if we could get some very simple links, you know that we can just forward on

which is, you know, not a difficult thing to do and but as potentially huge huge impact on me and on the Fair Work Charter, and you know the the the businesses, employers that, do you know, train at your play, your place, poverty and at your institution and now that could cascade through our own networks quite simply,

but I think at this side we just need to have a better system of getting information out to us and others, that it is a very, very strong of powerful point that serenade yeah.

thank you, and I do think it is an important part of the where we can

Cllr James Lewis - 1:29:14

we can do outside these meetings is is, is looking at spreading the word of the work that is happening.

thank you. Is there anybody else on this item to Quinn, please, Martin, please can I just give an update around the innovative entrepreneurs programme Leeds, so that's a programme obviously funded

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 1:29:34

under Enterprise West Yorkshire, it's it was successfully launched on the 11th of January, we've got 24 individuals, entrepreneurs who are very passionate around what they're doing. Clearly one of the elements who aren't this was around diversity and inclusion, and if you look at the make-up, the first cohort 46% are female. 54% of ethnic minority background and 4% have a disability and all of the areas within the region. all of the cities are represented, so it's off to a great start, and the second workshop is actually tomorrow hosted at the 3 m Beck Centre in Huddersfield by Sue, so I just thought I'd mentioned that I know it wasn't mentioned in the paper, but I thought it was just worth really successful start and the collaboration and the consortium are doing a phenomenal job working together, so just wanted that to be noted.

12 Private Sector Engagement

thank you really helpful some of the terms of the recommendations on

Cllr James Lewis - 1:30:35

page 147, and I take it everybody's happy with those recommendations, so we will move on to Item 12, please, Sarah, thank you, so these papers around how do we strengthen and harness private sector engagement in all our activity of the Combined Authority it's been

Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:30:53

prompted very much by changes to a national changes to LEPs and where LEPs had and where LEPs go.

and we have set up the West Yorkshire business board to replace the LEP. There's also a proposal to set up a mayor's council to engage with the more of the bigger businesses in the region, but the the principle about engaging better across the range of business they've got with a smaller micro, larger, whatever sector is something we're really keen to strengthen, and so one of the proposals we've got is to set up a establish a business engagement framework that sets out the key principles of how we will engage with businesses across the range of activity, whether it's transport, housing, business, support the whole gambit of everything that we do as a Combined Authority. So the paper sets out some key principles, as this is very much start to pretend key principles for how we may engage with businesses on a range of activity

it sets out some record some reflections about how do we make sure we are engaging sensitively and timely, but also in a way that we're not co, got cutting across our local authority partners and we're doing in collaboration, so it's not kind of overburdened businesses and we're also not over engaging on various things.

there are some key principles listed out in the report, and really there's some questions at the end there, which which which really kind of seeking your input in terms of what works out there. What have you come across? It works really well in terms of business engagement and no matter you've done a lot of nexus around business engagement. What kind of methods and communication channels can be really effective examples of good practice, key principles and mechanisms, and particularly how do we make sure we are reaching and talking to and hearing from diverse businesses across the region across the whole region and going back to Cowell's point about tapping into networks, how do we make sure we are using those networks more effectively across everything that we're doing so? Any reflections at this stage, because it is early early early development will bring back to a future meeting a worked up version of what this might look like

thank Sarah and will want to come in on this item, please.

Sarah, please.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:32:56

so this early discussion is really welcomed.

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:33:00

not sure how helpful it is reflecting the wider picture of business engagement at a sub-regional levels, there's only one business representative from Calderdale on the new business board, which you know and called that our businesses are not really representative in sufficient numbers across WYCA committees, so while there's a recognition within WYCA that this is not appropriate and the need for us to be more proactive,

but that obviously hasn't been converted, so I think you know, we we, you know we were gonna, take some responsibility for that, but I think if you can you know, protests as well, but yeah and him invite us that would be really helpful.

so the Mayor's obviously, as you mentioned, is bringing together the the the Mayor's Council, which is explicitly formed of big businesses.

and there's only one will obviously were relatively small in terms of business centres and that there's only three out of the 43 businesses often Calderdale.

but we need to make sure that it doesn't inadvertently undermine the positive relationships with SMEs and micro enterprises.

which I know Tracy really values, and she recognises the importance of those so just just whether we need to get a bit more detail on on that might be useful, we're still waiting, our business engagement team are waiting for communication, from WYCA on the business engagement framework,

and so getting officer input would be really helpful.

to help move that on.

then another point is around the

ensuring a strong joined up join up to local level, business engagement will be important in potentially building local capacity in the medium term, specifically on the questions that you've asked.

to finish off, the principles possibly need to be condensed down.

some of them on principles, but a Mormeck method, so it's just a bit of timing on that, I totally agree with put time and effort and resources into business engagement, and obviously we should be doing that using our principles as a subsidiary party and with a nice resourcing at a borough level.

is is this, Is there something missing and we've mentioned it about, but this doesn't need to be something in there explicitly about using its existing networks and relationships.

and the paper notes that being clear to businesses from why they should engage doesn't really spell out the reasons, and that might that might be helpful to have some rationale for that.

and then just the last bit about the VCC engagement work so that it just seems it's a little bit like a Bolton to the business engagement activity and that may be a dedicated report could be brought along to the Committee to a pro on approach and progress, or maybe one or two, it goes to a different committee, so I just think it's quite you know, it's quite the effect on reading Colsterdale. There are thousands of jobs that are fit within the VCC. We're working on an income reduction with the VCFS see with organisations from the VCFS to create a strategic framework. Can I just think maybe just a bit a bit more acknowledgment and a bit more acknowledgement of how important maybe they are

prospects across the sector, you know really OK, thank you.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:36:35

thank you really good points anchored on the key on the committees and

Cllr James Lewis - 1:36:39

then the representation across the different borrowers and sectors as well, we are doing a bit of a mapping exercise around geographically

Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:36:46

sector-wide, the cost of the West Yorkshire business board across the various committees to identify the gaps and we've already talked to Calderdale about lots of things quite significant gaps so we're looking at how do we when we've got the next recruitment round, really push it out in in your district to make sure again and again if there any other gaps across the across the region?

at year end and holds the polls to us, it might just do the work as well, thank you.

so please.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:37:07

Cllr James Lewis - 1:37:11

thank you on the question in the papers. Are about our what methods

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:37:15

work, I just thought I'd mention the work that we've done on the top

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 1:37:20

100 companies initiative, A in Co in Coakley's working with the Council. I've asked for five years that's been a really effective, collaborative approach to get to talk to some of the larger companies and that top 100 as well as we've done spin-offs around SMEs, virgins and innovative businesses and those candidates. So that's been a really good vehicle and we've been in conversation with other neighbouring authorities about expanding that and Bradford have got one, so that is definitely a method that has worked for us and we'd like to build on that.

thank you,

right, thank you.

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:37:55

and just to add on the formal and informal mechanisms that are outlined there and I sit on the Leeds, I think, Martin, you do the Leeds leadership chamber group, and it was highlighted that we could do with a representative from Mina where various ha sorry indirectly it was probably there representing you but things like that I think that if you could have a representative present of East Leeds leadership,

chamber events that been Committee Chamber event, Western North Yorkshire Bradford Chamber events, please ask, and I can let you have the dates and then if it just makes that little bit of difference because you're actually on the ground.

and I'm just on the informal mechanisms as well, festivals, conferences, other events, absolutely great we did.

and a and if da corporate event last year, you may recall where it was multifaith attendance at the Mar did attend we're hosting again in March this year, it would be great to have a West Yorkshire Combined Authority and private sector representation at that thing, all that makes a big difference because you are again in the heart of it all.

thank you, Martin, Place.

yeah, so I was gonna, say exactly the same. I think the chamber and

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 1:39:09

the chambers are a really great mechanism because they represent business pretty effectively actually, and I know looking at them in, isn't the North, Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Chamber Leonardo but the the leadership are looking at where they can add more value as well. So I think the time for a conversation about joining their arm or their network, I think, is quite extensive. The additional comment I was going to make was. Apart from a university perspective, we have a lot of external advisory boards, probably too many, and I think we've used those very effectively from an access perspective, again being very clear about what the remit is and how you choose to choose the membership. But I was also going to say the question and again this is with Michael commercial hat on and one of the reasons why probably didn't get involved in some of these things previously is what's in it for the individual and the business, and you know if you're running a startup, business or part of a corporate. this is what what's in it for that business, and what's in it for you, and I think we need to think about that perspective because to get a representative input yeah that's the challenge I think and again I I don't know how we're thinking about what representative looks like as well because there's a lot of different dimensions of that.

in terms of sectors, size of business, yeah, diversity and all the rest of it, but that was the other thing I was just going to offer, but I'm very happy to have a follow-up conversation Sara I've got quite a few other ideas particularly again looking at the universities planning to do over the next few years business engagement and how we do that is critical so very happy to have a follow up conversation, not a really helpful. Thank you at

Cllr James Lewis - 1:40:53

GAL, please, thank you, Chair, and it be useful, even at this stage,

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 1:40:58

to have a visual as to the configuration, and you know the

you know, and one who was actually within some of our structures and and some of the you know, as Sarah Sarah was saying, you know, some of the the groups, that might be underrepresented or might need to feature more in some of the existing structures now because he said a transition period, you know every time I continue I mean another meeting, there's always some new

you know kind of thinking going and round.

shaping a new structure and a new engagement and, at this point, having a good sell, pose to better understand where we are now and what we might be going photo pool with some suggestions.

could we have that quite soon without delay?

gareth asap, thank you.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:41:50

thanks.

God.

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 1:41:54

Cllr James Lewis - 1:41:58

thank you, Simon, please, just on the same as admits point, I think if

Simon Langdale (Private Sector Representative) - 1:42:03

the business desk are running the Yorkshire business of the awards, I think it's next month is coming up, I don't know trace he's already there but kind of joining up that existing network with what's going on there might be kind of an easy winter because they grew up a task beyond.

thank you really interesting comments, I suppose.

Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:42:24

as my alluded to it earlier on, actually so a part of this where we get round to it properly, a replica version of this that we can all be all happy to sign up to.

it's about us asking you and other Members on other committees how we can empire enable you to represent us as a lot of these events and functions and groups, because there are only so many of us in the Combined Authority as officers, and only so many places we can reach with the best will in the world before our private lives begin to fall apart so,

so so, together, as one set of big combined authority family as then feeling empowered to represent that West Yorkshire brand and bringing that learning insights into these forums would be incredibly helpful.

the other point on the VC bit.

we accept it does seem like it's a bit of a Bolton now, but that's only because they think it is very underdeveloped right now about what it is we're going to do and how are we going to do at the very last thing we want to do is to duplicate or step on any toes unduly we know there are lots of fantastic networks and groups out there already doing great stuff what we're trying to fill out is, is there a role at that regional level?

that we can play and if there is, what is it and how can we do that? So that's why it is just a paragraph also in there. Hopefully, once the bandwidth is that we are able to devote more attention to, it will develop nothing a lot more. In the very final point, please, on the mass Council, we hear you, you know the first and many others have said, you know the focus on big businesses and you know there's a risk that it might, so we hear that completely the reassurance, I suppose if there is one is to say

I don't think and say I might tell me if I'm wrong what we are calling big business in West Yorkshire. I don't think there's one representative from that class, not group in any of our groups at all, so that is an obvious gap that we have to fail that it's not to the detriment of any other arrangements. We've got. It's just that we need to fill that gap because we don't have that relationship at all and there are so many things that we could do in that space haven't said that we are looking at 1.00 model will work and whether it is a fixed group of people, Lords

it's a banner under which we do other things and bring people in us, and Wendy Bentley will be talking about, so nothing is fixed, we're still working that through. but we are keen to fix that gap, and that's why we we are looking at that, but I hope that is helpful. Thank you and feel like Sarah please, yeah, I mean, and that's really

Cllr James Lewis - 1:45:16

interesting, because it's something that we have talked about like

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:45:20

within Calderdale is that we don't have the resources to have you know like an account manager system where we have, you know, somebody who

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 1:45:25

can handle or work very closely with a really really big businesses, and it's all a little, it does feel a little bit ad hoc really, and I think it's it's obviously it's easier to have those relationships with there's the SMEs or the sort of medium-sized businesses, and I get, and I guess maybe that's because they've got a bit more, maybe need a bit more from us as well. So I just point on this sort of like the BCFC thing it's interesting him involved in a steering group that's the NAVCA and the LGA are looking at how,

local authorities are working with.

voluntary sector organisations but like a

are all I owe so so I it'd be interesting, actually exert some sort of feed that back about, then was that not just about how local authorities are working with sort of voluntary organisations in intermediate size, sort of like voluntary organisations, but actually, if there is a role for combined authorities in that I'll I'll feed that back in to see actually whether that's another piece of work that may be enough currently LTA might well want to look at because actually that is another, it's lacking an LA level, actually so I'll I'll feed that back as well and can keep

Cllr James Lewis - 1:46:33

thank you admirably just quickly on the point that you made about

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 1:46:36

whether there is a role for West Yorkshire Combined Authority and some of the organisations not trading on an inventory, so I think you've been too polite sometimes I think you'll be surprised people do want either and representation in terms of your input is welcomed, I'm aware of all of the networks at him with that.

that is added value that you bring to the table so.

please don't feel like you are treading on anybody's toes on that. The second point is around the count council point and I've raised my views that I am concerned about the bigger businesses, because a lot of smaller businesses, private sector businesses, many round this table give up their time and I wouldn't want to alienate anyone thinking it's about now the bidder, the bigger slice. However, I go to the point that Martin made in terms of

what's in it for us kind of scenario, and there could be a plus in this, in that the bigger businesses could form part of a supply chain where we, as private sector and SMEs businesses, could benefit as well, and it's it's finding that link, I think that network that actually becomes a healthy synergy that probably is a win-win for everyone, but it's something that needs some more thought going into it as you already are away.

thank you.

13 Inward Investment

are we gonna, do somebody else wanted to come in on this item, so I'm

Cllr James Lewis - 1:47:54

going to a council recommendation, which is to note the feedback which I think we've done very well, thank you everybody, so we'll move on to Item 13, please Tom, for thank you Tref so I'll just kind of start

Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:48:07

with a bit of why, and then we'll begin to begin to solve the three substantive topics of repair,

so the focus today is on sort of a bit of bit of envy, inward investment, bit of trade activity, but just kind of starting with why mission 1 of the West Yorkshire Plan sets out our ambition for a

Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:48:23

prosperous West Yorkshire. A big part of this is bringing in more and more sorts of those foreign owned companies that can drive up

Guilherme Rodrigues Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:48:31

productivity PR, bring good jobs with them, bring innovation within, ultimately just bring new ways of doing things that other companies might not have might not have seen before, or might not have experienced before and just kind of hammer home. This point is, according to awareness data, foreign businesses at just under 70%, more productive than domestic on businesses. So if we want to close the productivity gap, we want to drive up productivity and all the associated economic benefits that come with that, such as real wage

Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:48:56

growth. Foreign-owned businesses are going to be a key part of us, so in terms of the kind of three substantive topics, if you like, there are three things, this key achievements, because it's always good to celebrate some success, even during the kind of troubling economic times. There is what we've been doing in overseas countries so far in 2023 2024, and then there is a little bit of a soft play, a plan, if you like, or perspectives. So starting with some key achievements this year. So whilst inward investment successes, sorry inward investment, enquiries are lower than we would have anticipated and they were lower this year at this point last year. Just two things to note. One is that conversion success rates have been considerably higher than previously and, secondly, the type of companies that we're bringing across also feeds into something that DVT have also announced, which is a change in value. So the companies that we're working with in Britain and bringing over here are

they tend to be at the soft larger and they tend to be at the more innovative end they're doing really really cool stuff, so whilst enquiries are more than we perhaps like, we are picking up activities to try to increase that, but the Department of business and trade DVT, sorry are also moving in this direction of focusing on really high value inquiries that are going to drive the UK economy not just West Yorkshire the UK economy into into the next sort of decade or so and hopefully it will have a better decade than the one that has just just been before us so.

some of the things that we're doing in terms of driving up this activity. Are we're attending events domestically and internationally? We've had a recent, we've had a recent programme called the propelled programme, which is where we've partnered with DVT and the health division, Yorkshire and Humber, to deliver a programme for Indian health tech companies, and from that we've had two companies taking up virtual membership in Nexus and a further two exploring options in and around the region. So in terms of the countries that we've perhaps focused on for this year, it's primarily being India, the United States, Canada than the Nordic Nordics. This has been informed by the Kiwi attractiveness survey and we do try to follow in terms of countries that we target. We try to follow where the data indicates there are good opportunities

so we've had 1,009 19 businesses that we've supported to invest in the region. This includes businesses that have expanded, returned and recruited more staff, as most companies are completely new to the region, and 42% of that investment has been outside of the Leeds district. 200 don't have the breakdown of by district, but if people are interested in that, I'm sure we can, I'm sure we can get it, but I think it's just to say that, whilst so economic times haven't been the most conducive to lots of foreign investment and lots of expansion, we have worked hard and will carry on working hard with partners to understand where these opportunities exist, whether it be with universities, whether it be with the top business and trade, whether it be with overseas contacts as well. Now in terms of overseas activity, for for this year, in November 2023, the mayor, accompanied by her business adviser, went off to North America five days visiting a range of cities across the US and Canada. This included 24 meetings, with over 100 new contacts met. This was all about strengthening relationships with key cities and states across our key sectors, or just something, just something that's worth saying is with quite a lot of inward investment activity. It is a bit of a slobber and you very rarely have

have a trade mission and then immediately have a load of successes, the follow-up that would obviously progress and if anyone knows any any companies that we can sort of, coincidentally, line up a trip to, let me know.

but it is important to just understand that this is a bit of a slow burner, it does take time so, as well as the North America trip the Mayor, the Chief Exec and the Director for mass transit visited island to do a bit of a knowledge exchange on transportation and culture.

and that it also included a visit to the Guinness Enterprise Centre in Dublin to explore opportunities in the health and life sciences sector.

yeah, well, I've not been to Guinness Enterprise Centre.

if you look if they can, if they can spot the health and life science ecosystem, then then so be it where they can name themselves what they like.

and then there was also an outward, I would found the sorry outbound mission to India, where we joined a DVT delegation to Mumbai and Bangalore tax on it, as well as the sort of more formal missions if you like, we also attended a series of conferences such as Web Summit, UK space conference, money 2020 and two of my colleagues are currently in our health following,

the most successful visit to Arab Health this time last year, so that's sort of what we've what we've done.

this time round, and in terms of what we're doing next time.

what's listed here is it it's worth saying that there may be there, maybe some tinkering, depending on depths depending on sort of human resource, if you like, and staff availability, but just to go through a few things, so we've mentioned today around venture capital. We're putting a lot of focus into how we can bring more more money, more investment into the West Yorkshire region. This is going to be a key part of our West Yorkshire Plan, a key part of the emerging economic strategy, and we have a greater than just on our doorstep called climbed, which will be putting in a lot of resource to so if people want to check out climb 24, it is in early June and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be there in terms of the sort of more formal trade missions. If you like, we're considering to currently

one is a US trade mission, albeit to different parts of the United States, so we're looking at possibly Nashville and Houston, so in Nashville, Tennessee and Texas, respectively, this is with a big health and life sciences focus and there is an opportunity to work with DVT on this and there's also potentially another India trade mission, which is just building on the MD, successful visit to Mumbai in Bangalore in 2022, and we're looking at a business taking a business delegation to India next year and once again we'll focus it on specific trade shows, or if there is like a tech conference, for instance, we will try to make it as focused as we can in terms of conferences, just to highlight a few sort of kind, for instance of I've referred to already there is sifted summit in London, where it's to try to target that VC network most VCs in the UK, unfortunately, but unfortunately Finland and but unfortunately if trying to tap into that network.

across creative and digital. There's London tech week there's Ghanaian, there's mobile World Congress. Two of those domestic one is overseas for health and life sciences, there's health, healthier in Amsterdam and Arab Health in Dubai, and then for advanced manufacturing. There's the food and drink trends and innovation conference ignite space smart, smart cities and Farnborough International Airshow. But I think it's also worth saying, as well as we pointing out that inward investment ultimately takes time and we have a lot of economic and political disruption this year that scheduled, I think, around half the world's up for up for re-election this year, which does not also doesn't lend itself to foreign direct investment, that, ultimately these things cannot just be done as come as the Combined Authority. We do work closely with our partners in trying to understand where we can, where we can maximise value where we can work together in terms of showcasing some of the great assets in our region to try to get companies over here. It is. It is important that we work together on this, so thank you, Chair, and if anyone's got any questions before it's yours,

thanks Tom currently.

Cllr James Lewis - 1:56:30

thanks Tom, I think, going back to the earlier presentation around the economic strategy.

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 1:56:34

and I think Jo highlighted the role of the Combined Authority being an enabler, and you know is a conversation we've had many times about, the combined authorities are rolling in, it's in cannot create a strategic framework and context, so those were.

examples are you know, if illustrations of the work that the Combined Authority itself is doing around international trade and investment, but I think it would be very useful to also add a reference and appreciation to what others are doing as well.

not only the Chambers, but even you know, even when suddenly the kind of commuter base spaces we were at asthma, myself and others and them or you sign an image to between.

West is not the Osteria commerce and the state of rural pine die in Pakistan very recently.

and you know that is one of the more, the more recent proactive initiatives being undertaken at a local level.

I've been involved in those things with other countries as well in the past, and it has been to a great frustration over the years.

that in you know, when we add UK t i and then the I t, the obsession was on the BRIC countries Brazil, Russia, India and China.

you know at the short-sightedness Ian on, it took Brexit for us to realise there's a big world out there as well, even though some of those are a very large economies, but you know it, you know, we should have a can of you know, a common, more holistic view until you know what what potential there is to bring investment and trade from around the world, and there are there are also, then we need to be cognisant of some of the structural hindrances to that, because previously the D I T

used to have a subsidy called passport to impart that that that that that contributed to those missions that doesn't exist anymore, so the potential to do so, that's a really difficult problem now for people to actually participate in those missions because you know so outside of the budget that we have here you know, how are we going to get more people to get involved in trade missions generally, so I think if we can kind of hover,

and a view and an Ioana thought process on on that kind of wider holistic stuff and then capture that within the strategy.

yeah, for thank you for that, Councillor F, I think that kind of wider holistic pro approach is as well. We're worth having. We ultimately don't know, we don't know everyone, we all we only have connections with certain geographies of certain people, and particularly on the

Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:59:44

DVT side you know, people come, people change their jobs really quite frequently, so you end up with building connections in places where, as you say, you end up, miss you end up missing places, essentially, so I think it kind of comes back to what I mentioned when I cut sort of summed up the PEP, which is ultimately we can't do this alone, and it's important that we are all working together and if, if there are other companies or other organisations doing operating in this space, more than happy to to work with people and figuring out how we can bring it all together,

Cllr James Lewis - 2:00:21

thank you simply. Thank you. OK thanks Tom, as our two questions are,

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 2:00:26

one is, it would be useful, I think, to see that split of the the 19 inward investors across the five districts slightly interested in that, and particularly to see whether that figure outside Leeds is increasing over time. It would be good to say that, even if it's anonymised information about who they are, so that would be very welcome in future papers and it was good to see PwC in Bradford no in the news this week with our new officer, that's obviously a big step forward there, and the second thing was I just wanted to welcome the approach we've had from Tom Hutchinson and Steph Oliver Beach in that spirit, to reach out on the health front, to look at the opportunities in the health innovation campus in Huddersfield, which ties him in that second point about you know, the sector and the opportunities are starting to land in the region. So yes, we are at your very, very up

Cllr James Lewis - 2:01:21

for that. Thank you thank you, Sarah please, yeah, thank you, and I

Cllr Sarah Courtney (Calderdale Council) - 2:01:25

think it sort of caught, Carl, you've sort of saying about.

the SIF I think what you'll say to us in something I want to say about the sort of locality.

you know, local, local knowledge is really critical to success, he notes, like you know, what's in your area and you have those those.

there was often contact the, we know that I know that the trade and investment team had had your team session in Calderdale recently, which

I met with our business team, which weren't really which went down really well, was really positively well received.

and insert, I suppose, integrating those teams is Issa is really useful, we had like it, we we've had some inward investment, not necessarily the big international stuff, but we had the British Open for I know cases where if there's a British Edinburgh film festival of relocated to Dean Clough in Halifax which is up from Shoreditch Wychnor we thought we were quite happy about that.

he knows that one one at 1.00 of the one of the most high-profile ones for us, especially with our seven-year-old culture at the moment I had to get back in.

your culture, dear the report notes.

yeah yeah, OK, I'll lose my position if I don't know.

it is not related, the report notes that there's a 42% investment off outside of Leeds and it would be useful to have a geographical breakdown of that and and clear on what the SORP, what's, the right, proportional, split split, really that's the only answer any comment really.

thank you.

for Nicky Martin, please.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:03:01

just yeah, just quickly on the geographical split, so I'll make sure

Thomas Purvis, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:03:05

we can get those figures and we've got cross yellowfin.

Dr Martin Stow, Advisory Representative (Nexus) - 2:03:12

I guess I've got a question about the role that universities have here because I think universities play an absolutely critical role in terms of being a massive attractor particularly fast growing startups or scheduling companies, but also corporates as well and I think we've seen that full nexus working closely with yourselves and particularly Leeds Leeds City Council, so I think we've attracted 20 international companies from 17 countries now as part of nap nexus, but I'm really interested to say how can you start to scale that and that is a proposition across all of the universities here and being complimentary as well, and I think particularly with what you're doing in terms of building your new campus in Huddersfield as well as an example,

so I think there's an opportunity to really join this up and to create something, but the companies that I've had contact with which obviously has a limited number 20 plus nearly all of them that will say that the university and having seamless access to talent skills research is a big part of that proposition, so I think that yeah I I suggest Chair that that may be worth a separate workshop or a separate discussion because I do think that's a key part.

keep vital part of the proposition here,

thank you.

I was thinking that investment zones provides a great opportunity for

Cllr James Lewis - 2:04:33

us to try that kind of a defined sector, focus since to work through how that might work in reality, and then we can expand that potentially to other things.

thank you.

Philip Leith.

just a really minor point of caution, if I could, the team is fully

Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:04:56

aware the extent to which we need to make sure we are representative of our place and so we completely take on board the point about sort of geographical split on that and provide the information or caution, though please is companies in the end, go away, they go.

and so we do all we can and all of that, but it would be unfortunate if that then becomes Well, you've given us this and it's overall in Bradford the hourly or whatever we do everything we can to make sure we are as representative as possible Leeds is the driver, so it is the big attractor but the team is fully aware necessary to consider that the team was in Guildford all meeting with colleagues.

just in the last week or so, and we are, we push as hard as we can by one year.

it might be that we have a lot of companies go into Wakefield or Bradford because that's where the economic wind is blowing for whatever reason, and another year it might be somewhere else, so let's just ignore the noise and look at the trends, and I think that will be helpful, thank you.

thank you, Les please.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:06:10

just unless there, of course point it's probably worth highlighting that innovate UK as a global programme, it's focused on helping

Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK) - 2:06:19

businesses to access external markets more than inward investment, but you know, we have missions to Singapore, Canada, Australia, China,

usually around specific themes, so there's one at the moment, Singapore, around CleanTech say, and we also have the global incubate programme as well, so there are things that we are doing that we can facilitate as well in Britain too.

stay in line with the trend, then it is possible to Jamaica to the rump rum factories as well.

Karl Oxford (Private Sector Representative) - 2:06:46

I would love to be allowed to speak.

there's an interesting idea.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:07:00

great does anybody else want to do somebody else want to come in on this item, please?

yeah

OK, shall we agree, the recommendations on this item and before we go on to everybody's drinks sites will move on to the last item, please item item 14, please.

14 Key Strategic Events

thanks them, so the paper outlines four strategic defence and plans

Louise Allen, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:07:32

for their delivery in 2024 and says re UK Reef Convention of the North climbed 24 and the West Yorkshire Innovation Festival, all of the events that we've mentioned provide an opportunity to showcase West Yorkshire and its strengths and climb the Tom mentioned in particular as a significant opportunity to welcome investors into the region while discussing cross cutting themes like sustainability and future talent and severely like to take this opportunity to ask the committee for any feedback.

any experiences that you've had of the events are suggestions, best practice for delivery and how you might be able to get involved in the development of the events as well.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:08:16

thank you, Louise, similarly want to come in on this item, please.

Sue please yeah, very quickly, thanks Louis, because I, following the

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 2:08:26

mention of clause 24, the innovation meeting this week, our Enterprise

Sue Cooke, Advisory Representative (Huddersfield University) - 2:08:31

team, is very interested in getting involved with that some are enterprising students, so if there's opportunity to do that is please and clearly we are far had a very good experience with the innovation festival and with UK ref as well as I was supportive of continued engagement, Norman

Cllr James Lewis - 2:08:51

thank you, as we please them. I was contacted by Borloo who is looking

Asma Iqbal (Private Sector Representative) - 2:08:55

at putting together a panel, a diverse panel from a legal sector perspective. One of us asked me if I could be on that and I've made some recommendations of other women as well, so I think and some judges I think that would be a great addition that he thought of, so I think it's already been kind of discussed as to what would work, so just putting it on your radar, that that's something borrowers come up with. It is a great idea

client 24.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:09:27

thank you bovine the police.

thank you Chair.

Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges) - 2:09:35

between your Pip Thompson, Louis Stiglitz, default, which may not be.

fully formed

but I'll give it a go

the the the international trade and events.

reasonably events that you put it on, I experienced last summer.

by pure accident that the region had attracted a national conference

which was hosted in Leeds and it was the the breadmakers Federation and they were talking about at their conference post-Brexit.

about the shared challenges of sustainability.

a talent pipeline and

the inequality challenge.

and I think, just by pure chance and coincidence, I was asked the the the the came on a weekend, I was asked to go and speak with them via the Combined Authority about the skills.

aspect.

the skills gap.

that's led to us working with the breadmakers Federation to develop a national standard for apprenticeships for Pacific CLE for their industry.

I will have that meeting on Monday, actually, so come back to your point, it takes a while police things to happen.

but coming back to Phoenix, this point that Leeds is a hub and Bradford and Wakefield has been key cities, how do we attract more of these opportunities, so it's great going international?

it's great putting a lot lot of effort into put it on our own events, but how do we leverage and bring more national conferences?

to the region.

of federations and bodies to the region and because they're all talking about the same same challenges, productivity or employment, or skills or sustainability, and we showcase.

keep people from the from the region who were experts in that space to.

to maybe give them a stimulated thought or answer or be part of a combination of the two, so I just wonder that this is something that is that is, maybe perhaps a little bit more hanging than the than the hard work of doing our own events and going overseas.

just thought.

thank you considerable, I think it's worth saying that.

Cllr James Lewis - 2:12:25

just to put a elite focus on, it leads to one of the biggest centres in the country for holding conferences.

8, I know Lisa now have a conference centre, like some others, are a dedicated conference centre, the way some other places do, but it is certainly Leeds is, is it a very big centre for conferences and it's something we're looking at developing our

sort of based on UK reef's first two years down by the canal, at least dot looking up, increasing our increasing our capacity to hold events, hold events in Leeds and is certainly something that we.

let's say UK ref is really, I think, on both our eyes and other people's eyes to what you can do in this part of the world in terms of conferences.

somebody else want to come in, please, Simon, please, just on that point, really I'm not aware of any anywhere in our region that probably compares conference into I so anything that would normally go to so there's some great summit that we've got down in London, energy innovation summit drastic last year, but we don't really have the facilities up here that I'm aware of to hoarse does carnival. So yes, I think there are opportunities, but it's fine in the right space. I've tried to convince the guy that runs the energy innovation summit to come to Leeds, but it's finding the venue is is one of the real dramas for these current big events

thank you, somebody else want to come in on this item, please.

legally.

just to say that there is obviously a standing offer from innovate UK

Lee Viney, Advisory Representative (Innovate UK) - 2:14:05

to get involved in local events and how to support them. Innovation, Festival and others more happy to get involved. I think on that point there about how you get those, I think those bigger events. I think that's probably right as there is the availability of venues, even some of the events that I've organised in in the region. It's not always easy to get the get the venue you really want, that's gonna tick all the boxes. There's nearly always some sort of compromise that you have to engage with

thank you Calvin, please, I just think this, there's a there's a sweet spot, this is a big summit which are always going to be a challenge which are in London.

Palvinder Singh, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges) - 2:14:50

or there is the the kind of large scale federations' and groups.

where there is 100, and not perhaps in the thousands, but they employ hundreds and thousands.

and and and and that's that's where I think the sweet spot is, so we're not looking for something that is huge because we're not gonna be able to build a space and infrastructure for that straight away, but I think Leeds has got and the West Yorkshire region has got a sweet spot to be able to attract.

national organisations who don't potentially have the natural capitals because of the scale of the connectivity and the political connectivity, so if we can package a political connectivity and employer-based connectivity, the skills base, connectivity, because we are all talking about sustainability, skills and politics in a sense,

I think that could be quite an attractive offer and I think it would be worth exploring because they became you by pure accident.

we don't have a large.

brand, I don't believe of brickmakers in Uruguay, I don't think we have of 0, we don't have a harvest in at warburton's in West Yorkshire, but they still chose Leeds or Manchester, so it may be worth speaking to them and it's not that they're going to commander.

build a factory here, but they could do.

the good thing.

folic Fleet.