West Yorkshire Business Board (formerly Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Board) - Wednesday 12 June 2024, 2:00pm - West Yorkshire Combined Authority Webcasting

West Yorkshire Business Board (formerly Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Board)
Wednesday, 12th June 2024 at 2:00pm 

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  1. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  2. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
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  1. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  2. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  2. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  3. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  4. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  5. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  6. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  7. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  8. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  9. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  10. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  11. Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups)
  12. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  13. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  14. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  15. Mr James Mason
  16. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  17. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  18. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  19. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  20. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative)
  2. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  3. Fara Butt (Private Sector Representative)
  4. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  5. James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  6. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  7. Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups)
  8. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  9. Fara Butt (Private Sector Representative)
  10. Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative)
  11. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  12. Annette Joseph
  13. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  14. Michelle Burton, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  15. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  16. Annette Joseph
  17. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  18. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  19. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  20. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  21. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  22. Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  23. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  24. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  25. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  26. Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative)
  27. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  28. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  29. Mr James Mason
  30. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  31. Mr James Mason
  32. Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
  33. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Mr Patrick Bowes
  2. Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  3. Peter Glover, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  4. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  5. Mr Martin Hathaway
  6. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  7. Mr Martin Hathaway
  8. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  9. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  10. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  11. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  12. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  13. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  14. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  15. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  16. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  17. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  18. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  19. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  20. Peter Glover, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  21. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  22. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  23. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  24. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  2. Michelle Burton, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  3. Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  4. Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  5. Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  6. Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  7. Beckie Hart (Business Representative)
  8. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  9. Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  10. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  11. Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups)
  12. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  13. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  14. Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups)
  15. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  16. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  17. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  18. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  19. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  20. James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  21. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  22. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  23. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  24. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  25. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  26. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  27. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  28. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  29. Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative)
  30. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  31. Annette Joseph
  32. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  33. Annette Joseph
  34. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  35. Ms. Natalie Sykes (Private Sector Representative)
  36. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  37. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  38. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  2. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  3. Kamran Rashid (Private Sector Representative)
  4. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  5. Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups)
  6. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  7. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  8. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  9. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  10. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
  11. James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  12. Mandy Ridyard (Chair)
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  1. Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
  2. Webcast Finished

1 Mayor's Update

Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:00:00
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:00:00
And busy jobs, so this is the business board reconvening after the election, can I just remind colleagues that we are in Pieda and this is livestream, so it is in public, so if, if Ben starts throwing his arms around it's because somebody said something they shouldn't,
but let's say, start the meeting, so James can you tell us when you're online OK, well super, thank you screwed Jordan's anything rude marvellous before we start, can I say this is probably the last meeting for Tom Riordan, who has served West Yorkshire and Leeds in particular with absolute integrity and delivery and Yorkshire Forward or did I say Yorkshire Forward?
and Yorkshire Forward and the work is literally, it has just been incredible, so I want to thank you personally, Tom, for your work, thank you. So yes, we are reconvening after the election, I am incredibly humbled and proud to be back. I think the first three years we were laying the groundwork and now my,
my message to the whole organisation and partners working collectively is deliver, deliver deliver, we have a job of work to do and we're gonna get it done so whether that's the 5,000 affordable homes you know we brought buses back into public control so we'll be delivering or a bus network that's locally controlled we'll have space in the ground on mass transit, we're going to become a region of learning and creativity with modular learning for are our workforce and for citizens to make sure that everybody has access to the great opportunities.
We're gonna be investing in our businesses, we haven't taken our foot off the gas.
the green gas, with the climate and emergency targets that we have Net Zero for by 2038. That's going to be incredibly challenging, but we can get there with the support of businesses like yourselves and or a local growth plan, which I know that you've been. Some of you have been part of and contributing to when that was the economic strategy that is now the growth plan, because we need to grow our economy and finally, just such a privilege to be the West Yorkshire Mayor when there are nowt murmurs in the country, I am pleased to lose the moniker that I'm the only female metro mayor in the country where there were more Andy Imus called Andy than women mayors
and now we have the amazing Kim McGuinness in the north-east and Clare Ward for East Midlands and working with David Skeith, who I'm really delighted that he got over the line in York and North Yorkshire, and also with Oliver Coppard in South Yorkshire, being able to have that sort of strong Yorkshire identity in any minute now we're going to have a Mayor.
in East Riding and Hull, and then we will have formers in Yorkshire and just imagine the global impact of our brand, as four mayors working together with business supporting business going forward so.
in the pre-election period. Obviously things are slightly on hold were campaigning and the election is is only a few weeks away, but post election
I hope that in the conversations that we've had, you are aware of my determination to bring deeper devolution to West Yorkshire. We were the ones that negotiated the level 4 or next step to the single settlement, so mayors across the country can draw down from that framework the things that they think they are ready to and mature enough to to move on to so deeper devolution, I think is gonna be very exciting, particularly around skills, where we will be able to be more agile and to get better outcomes or with the money, and I have to say, where West Yorkshire has been on fire recently with a UK ref 12,000 people coming to Leeds as I attended climb 24 bring those investors from all over the country to meet our businesses, and I'm sure you will hear more from Andy
Mandy rather and is on the brain from Monday and going forward, so I'm delighted to be here again as your mayor and very excited for the future. I met with the Mayor's Council a couple of days ago. Those big businesses, it's in the papers you'll have seen the attendee list and I do believe the mayor's council and the business board working in lockstep for the people of West Yorkshire is just is actually a game changer and very unique, and I don't think every mayor has this opportunity, so that's the forward from me, thank you very much, you, I'm sure most of you know, housekeeping, bathrooms, etc but where to go in, and so on, we are alive, so if you feel you need a drink or you need to take a break, please just just do get up and,

2 Chair's Update

and do that so over to our Chair, Mandy Ridgard now, whilst we haven't made the formal decision that Monday continues as the Chair of the business board, we will be ratifying that at the next CA, but as my appointment Monday will continue as the chair of the business board
and will chair this meeting from now on in so thank you all so much and over to Monday
Thank you, and thanks to the confidence to to suggest that I am
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:05:59
reappointed, I love working with you and it was fantastic to see that in this region we had the biggest swing of all measures in the recent election so all keyed us to to Omar for for pulling that off. I think that not only does that give us a great a great sort of platform to to move forward on for the next four years, but also the work that we're doing on our regional growth plan and the other stuff that we're doing around the business board will also start to augment the brilliant work we've done already
and I think you feel that when you go to events, so Tracy mentioned UK reef the biggest, the basically biggest event in the UK for infrastructure and investment, and when we were at that events are our pavilion, I was gonna call it a tent, but it was a pavilion was absolutely buzzing. There was some brilliant work done by officers here in pulling that together there's a fantastic interactive map, we have lots of people from this board presenting at that events and a real Bosnia, and I think it was fantastic when I sat next to somebody on the water taxi who I didn't know
I did go on the water taxi six times in one day, so it's a fantastic service if you do need to get the Armouries, but we're sitting on that hearing. Somebody say that West, Yorkshire or Leeds, that's particularly really is the best place to be at the moment there's so much going on and so much opportunity. I think that was that was actually brilliant when you hear that anecdotal information from a complete stranger who is from London, and not from from here, so great news that was followed up by a week later, back down to the Armouries again. Water taxis were back on again climbed, 24, with 2000 investors and businesses there. We've made some fantastic con contacts at both of those events and client 24. The investor summit that we went through in the evening and vote in the previous day has given us some opportunities to really connect our businesses with investment and also showcase what we've got in this region, and I know that James Mason and I both sat on a podcast around innovation and a number of people round. This table also sat on different panels, so well done to everybody, for again bringing the biggest event in the UK for investment to this region and hopefully we'll have both of those again next year I think we've already signed up, so that's fantastic the Armouries doesn't stop there. This week, two days we've got the biggest UK space event, you ignite space back down at the Armouries where we are hosting about a thousand people talking about space in our region who would have thought for five years ago that Yorkshire would be a destination for space and again at that events there are lots of business exhibiting that's lots of really cool stuff going on.
but talking about investment, we've had conversations around inward investment and that meeting which starts to really underpin why West Yorkshire as a place to come and look at when you when you want opportunities, good news, kings awards winners, we have a handful of them in the region and we will be celebrating that with all of them very soon and can't wait to go round those businesses and talk to them about how well they've done but also to unlock how they did that.
and I know that the chambers are running events for businesses in this region around how to get a King's ward, and we know we've got the talent here and the businesses here that can win that those prestigious awards and we want to make sure that next year we get more of them than we have done this year because putting West Yorkshire on the map through all of these things events if you're winning awards and through doing the substance the work that goes on especially in this building with everybody's help is really important to delivering the economic prosperity that we all want to help everyone in the room.
Some of the team, including myself, have been working on this, which you have in front of you.
So one of the things that I was keen on when we got here was an elevator pitch, so when we're all out doing our role representing our businesses or in representing the region in our networks, that we've got some important information to really start to talk about what we are great at and why West Yorkshire is the place to come. So this is a first attempt. It was done quite quickly in the matter a week or two, so we'd really welcome all your comments on how to improve this, so it's meant to fit in your pocket or your wallet or your your manbag whatever you got, but is there to help you talk to other people about why they should be growing their business or starting their business and moving their business to this region. So I really have hope you find it helpful. I know that I do, and we would really welcome any feedback on that. So please please talk to me or talk to members of the team, about what we can do and what we're talking about members of the team. It's fantastic to have full representation from both chambers from the FSB and from the CBI at this events, and so I'm really glad that you're on board, I think you have an important role to play and can really help us talk to more and more businesses more effectively, and that is engagement is critical to what we deliver and Julie, who sat over there very quietly is now being appointed to help support this team.
including myself and say she's a first point of contact for anybody who wants to know anything about what's going on, it's been a little bit quiet over the last couple of months, but now we've got all the ingredients in place to really make a difference and to that point, after the the we've gone through this meeting and we hope to get it done by four o'clock, there will be a workshop on some more really important information that we've got coming out around stuff that's informing the economic strategy. So you may like to state that I'd love it if you did

3 Apologies for Absence

So I don't think I've missed anything if I have yeah, please please put your hands up and let me know, I'm not perfect, but I'd like to start with the former post part of this meeting, so the apologies for absence, so James can I ask you to let me know who who's already given their apologies plays okay,
Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:12:19
Apologies from Councillors, Siouxsie Sioux Susan Hinchcliffe, James Graham, whose are represented by Councillor Scott, patient Councillor, Cathy Scott and Councillor Michael Graham.
We have apologies from the private sector representatives Jane Atkinson, Nicky Chance, Thompson, Shirley Kundun, Alan Holt, asthma, Iqbal and Lucy Johnson, thank you very much.
That's great, that's noted.

4 Declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:12:46
So, next on, the agenda is declaration of interests, has anybody got anything that they need to declare?
Naturally, we'll move on.

5 Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public

And then number 5 exempt information, I don't believe there is anything that needs to be excluded from the press or public in terms of that right, yeah lovely, thank you very much.

6 Notes of the Private Meeting held on 28 February 2024

you will see in the pack that you had the minutes of the meeting that we held on the 20th of February, the last meeting of this business board.
I'd like to sign those off unless anybody has anything that they'd like to change or add.
Now that's brilliant, I'll sign it is often possible to you.

7 Governance Arrangements

thank you very much, James so, item 7 governance arrangements, this is a little bit dry, but it's very important, so, following on from the May Rural elections, are we going to ask Felix to cover the governance arrangements for the West Yorkshire business board so over to you Felix?
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:13:54
Thank you Chair, I'll try to make it a bit more worked.
That the pupils you've got sets out arrangements for the year ahead, there are some form of things that we need to do, linking this board to the rest of the combined authority and its architecture, a paper tries to do a few things I'm not proposing to go through everything was on taking it as read
but you'll see in the paper we sets out the process for appointing members from here to the various boards and committees and ad-hoc groups that from time to time we will have to do, and the paper then goes on to set out the first few that we have to do and we are ready to do now but as the year goes on there will be more to be done and paragraph 2.1 sets out how that will be done so the first thing is, as the mayor said during her comments to note the nomination of Monday Radio us the CA member appointed from here to the CA board with voting rights.
monday's substitutes will be asthma Iqbal, who can't be with us today, but she had a role as the Deputy Chair of this Board will be the sub for Monday.
Secondly, the paper seeks your approval for us to nominate Board members to committees of a CA, as deputy chairs, to the various thematic committees in line with the table of nominations in the appendix of this report, so you will see in in that relevant appendix that we've identified the
Nominees from here to go to the thematic committees that the Combined Authority has. One thing to note is that when the combined authority board meets later this month, there is a paper going in about merging the business committee with the skills committee so that what we've got because there has not been done yet. The nominations that you've got are as they stand right now, when that happens will go through the process, there will be a nominee and we will come back to
add to this group, but it's worth just knowing noting that the members that have been nominated from here to the various thematic groups are for the business economy and innovation committee, sorry Becky.
OK, OK.
currently, it's asthma Igbo is the nominee to that Committee for climate we have Jane.
Atkinson from infinitum re representing this committee for the culture committee, we have niche chance Thompson asked the Deputy Chair and Kamran Rashid as a member from here for employment and skills, we have Shirley Cunningham, who is not here today.
and for Place Committee we have, and it's Joseph, who was a nominee from here, as my Iqbal has also been nominated to join.
Finance resources and corporate committee from here to represent you so that the job for the Committee is to note that and if you are minded to approve those nominations to then go to the Combined Authority Board for approval.
the next thing is to note that we are nominating a member from here to the TfN board.
the Transport for the North board and requires members there are various combined authorities to have a members to sit on the board to represent our interests, Monday Will represents the board and that a vat board and her substitutes will be Natalie Sykes, so when Monday is unable to for whatever reason Natalie will represent us there,
I think that sets out all the main ones that we are talking about today, there's there are other committees that we will be coming back to you on as set out in paragraph 3.1, where some you know, we will be seeking representatives to northern gritstone and other other such organisations that we work with and will go through that process to to nominate them, so I hope all of that is in order and if the Board is minded to we will take those nominations through to the combined vote.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:19:01
Matting and hi, sorry, can I just ask a question Philip McMahon first meeting, and it'll probably clear to a one-off, but you say that the nominations have been made, who's made the nominations as it from this committee, or is this?
yeah, just understanding who made combinations, so as we've set out in
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:19:21
paragraph 2.1, the nominations, some of the nominations as set out in our constitution, so to go from that the nominee from here to the senior board.
Is the chair and the Deputy Chair is is sought from them?
Nobody needs to the other committees.
I do not believe that I have been in place.
the other side of the election, so we've not really made any changes there, we went through a process had conversations with colleagues from the two one-off people's interests and strengths and preferences, and the Chair, in consultation with the Mayor, meet those obligations, people went on to that and we are really confirming that, as and when there is an there's a vacancy.
If I may also say it spits out of interest, so if you were to say to
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:20:25
the chair, I'm really really interested in the economy or in culture, then of course there's considerations and and it's a very free-flowing conversation and relationship.
Becky.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:20:44
I will just a quick one, he's ready to above you worried are underrepresented and can we help and secondly, I couldn't see anybody from the F E sector on the skills or obviously I think you come
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 0:20:54
considering combining the two and again is that anything that we
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 0:21:00
contact from New York we can help with?
Becky, I think that's a really good point and we will take that away
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:21:10
and review it and maybe come back to you if and to others, if if that's something, that we need to take forward, if that's OK with everyone around this table and before I come to you boy can Phillips respond to that so the nominee from here to the skills committee as
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:21:25
professor should be condemned from Ichi the schools committee itself has
Representation from Effie and from other independent scrutiny providers, this this paper only sets out the private sector members that are on the dazzle it doesn't set out the full representation on the full membership of the committee is not what we've set out here is the other primary sector members that's really helpful Felix, thank
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:21:49
you and Bonnie,
Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups) - 0:21:55
yeah, I think it could be quite a daunting thing to go on to commit and be the voice of the private sector glutinous.
So vast and so many different voices, and it might be something to answer today, but I wonder what consideration has been given to supporting those people who take up these roles, both in ensuring that the there comes from what they're doing, but also helping them get a rounded view of what businesses are thinking saying failing.
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:22:26
Thank you very much back and see what more we can do all Members round the table went through an induction process if you've not had that home, that if you've missed you for whatever reason, flesh out and will make the arrangements to make sure,
you have the benefits of that, secondly, on these committees there are several other private sector members for each committee, so it's not you're not a lone voice when you round that table, but I would completely take their point and whatever further support will be necessary, we'll make sure that is forthcoming.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:23:00
I am very polite to ask.
It is a minor point and just an observation just on the culture, heritage and sport committee.
You'd expect me to say this, but sport is one of the big drivers in in
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 0:23:18
in the region, and it's great to see Bolt representing both.
Mr James Mason - 0:23:22
East Bailey, grassroots community sports and also as a professional rugby player himself. But have we had any success with the professional sports clubs are not always a challenge, is trying to get them to engage, but had Leeds made the Premier League that would have immediately made West Yorkshire global again and but it's just a question, and can we help again as as as contact within the room to push that agenda and your sometimes they say it since important to
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 0:23:46
them, but whether they come to these meetings are not, I don't know, maybe we can help. Thank you for that sounds glorious gather some football players from the table. I don't know
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:23:58
And just to let you know the Yorkshire Sport there, and so it says Mo,
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:24:05
it's it's wider sort of from intake, but also I have been very aware of the last three years. We focused very intently on culture because of our years of culture, and I've now said to the team that the focus in alignment with the the commitment to become a region of learning where every child has got a access to grassroots sports and creativity, that other sports and also music are gonna be now our targets, but there is always opportunity to refresh boards. So if you've got any contacts, James, that you think I need to meet, I'll I'm very happy to meet them
But of course, if you have football, then you have to have rugby and then yes, you have rugby, you need to have cricket and then and then, netball and and ping-pong, and it goes on.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 0:24:51
as a former Welsh netball player, I do feel that I do have a very keen
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:24:55
interest in sport banker remind you, this is a not only a pre-election period to supposed premiership period, so it has to be mindful of that.
So.
anyway, so is everybody else happy with the arrangements, everybody no other comments, great, I think we can take that as a as approved.

8 Presentation: Forward Look for the West Yorkshire Business Board

So moving on to section 8, a forward look for the West Yorkshire business boss, so I think we've talked really about the skeleton of the board yeah, who is doing what, but then what is it that we're gonna do, and how is that going to work and I think because we're in a Postlip period and we are now designing a surround, a new way of working, which is really exciting, and I think I'm keen to make sure that we've met once in any form. Are we clear about our role and our remit and our relationship to those thematic committees and the and the Combined Authority? So Sarah Bowes is going to talk us through some of the work that's already been done and gives a starter for 10 on where we go next. So Sarah over to you, please, thank you and that feat is gonna control the slides for me, please
Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative) - 0:26:00
so this is really a chance, as Monday said, to to look at the role of the West Yorkshire business board, but also particularly look at the next 12 months and what we're gonna be doing over the next 12 months, a real chance to shape the activity of this board as it as a collective,
next slide, please,
Thank you, so I would just to quickly recap any slides were shared in advance, but just quickly recap about what the purpose of the West Yorkshire Board is, just the what kind of all on the same page is really important, we've got that strong private sector voice and that strong private sector relationship to help us deliver all the activities and all the aim ambitions as set out in the West Yorkshire Plan and the emerging local growth plan.
We really want to strengthen that public private engagement and ensure the voice of business ahead across a range of all a CA activity, not just the business specific issues, but the range of see activity.
And we've talked about the importance of working across the thematic committees and understanding the relationship between the West Yorkshire business board and the thematic committees, and also the role of these borders as ambassadors and champions for West Yorkshire, and this is one of at 1.00 of the opportunities for South can't get the right messages and the same messages and speak the same language about West Yorkshire and the opportunities in West Yorkshire.
And then there's a real opportunity for us all to act as advocates and visible leaders and utilising our road network, so this is a group of a small group of people that use our own networks to kind of reach out further and get broader broader opportunities and broader input next like these
so we have talked in the last meeting and previously in several of the meetings before that we will meet mostly in private, to allow that depth of discussion and real insights into some of the business challenges and business business voices into some of the things that we are looking at progressing as a Combined Authority we've talked about making sure that the relationship between this this board and the committees is there in terms of it talked about previously membership and key people but also reports taken back and forth between different committees.
this will is this, this business board will really be or not be a forum for providing that thought, leadership on a range of regional issues, a range of business issues, a range of issues that are facing Canada, businesses across the region and those diverse businesses across the region across different parts of the region and it also provide a key route for commissioning research to support activity so pollen expert speakers boiling academics point where we think we need to pull in to have really deep conversations and get some of the nub of some of the issues that we've got.
Next slide, please.
So this is just the SCI that sets out the thematic committees we've really gone on through this in the previous paper, but it just sets out where the Combined Authority bodies, where the different of this board is the mayor's council, sit and the actual thematic Committees that sit underneath them,
next slide, please.
so these are the dates of all the meetings that we've had a private meeting, the sat formally GM and we're gonna have a series of private meetings over the next 12 months, and in 12 months' time then we'll have the form of a GM and at that point reporting back on all the activities and all the action that the board has been involved in over the last 12 months, so this is our chance to shape what we're gonna do over the next 12 months and slight things.
So just briefly about the mouth business adviser role, so Monday's role is to provide advice to the Mayor and the Combined Authority to work with the mayor and the Combined Authority to promote West Yorkshire, to support the development of key regional strategies, obviously chair this meeting and ensure that as public private public private relationships are strengthened and support and champion West Yorkshire and and be a kind of a key figurehead do not kind of business space next slide, please,
so, progress since the first West Yorkshire business for the former First former West Yorkshire business board, which was just in February, so have done quite a lot of comes a marketing, to raise the profile of the board and the members of the board particularly and there was an op-ed in the Yorkshire Post which was shared around colleagues which was really kind of amplifying the that the role of the board and the importance of the board.
we've got a series of monthly comments planned out to celebrate West Yorkshire and West Yorkshire businesses to really amplify you know, what's great about West Yorkshire and all those business opportunities, we've got things like the said card in production, and it's in you know it's open for improvements and various other key message packs that we want to share and make sure we've kind of got those right messages across.
Across everybody who is talking to whether its investors or its government, which internationally, while saying the same thing about West Yorkshire?
And we've got a private sector session planned in early July, to talk about the local growth plan and mass transit consultation and really make sure that we've got the voice of the private sector as part of those next Lightning's.
so next 12 months, so we've got a couple of things we've just had you kept me from clients, I'm going to have them again, so we'll be planning how we can maximise the opportunity at both those those events at next year.
continued shaping of key messages for West Yorkshire, more monthly columns, what pursuit is to raise the profile of businesses on the Board itself, more engaging with some of those enablers of innovation, universities, investors and prior professional services, to identify how we can raise the profile and maximise the opportunities in West Yorkshire and and really take on that scale and ecosystem and system enabling role,
To support the growth of West Yorkshire, we're really keen that the Board has a really strong voice in several of the things that were said to them, so shaping the development of our investable propositions and it offered to investors.
the business support review and the business engagement review, which is gonna be a session later on today, the review of the skills landscape, review of access to finance, the gaps in provision and where and when you know, as a Combined Authority and our partners who might want to intervene mass-transit but reform at the homes hub various other things excite these.
we want input and ought to get really engaged in the sector and cluster development plans, and that's a real key, a key focus of the local Brooklyn is emerging around emerging tech, advanced manufacturing, green economy and creative industries.
the investment zone is obviously a huge opportunity deep that'll make it making sure we got those deep dives in place around some of the real specific issues, things and particularly on critical infrastructure projects, digital blueprint, climate, farm local transport and all those things we really want to make sure we're getting that business input on this board particularly and it doesn't have to be in these former meetings or even the informal meetings it can be different kind of mechanism to do that.
Expired. Please.
That slide certainly is a real opportunity to to help to shape what this board should be doing, it should be looking at over the next over the next 12 months, we've got the local broke upon later on the agenda, but it's really open to our discussion and thoughts about how we really got Mandy how we utilise the business board members more effectively how we use the Board itself and how we really MyChoice he's got a really strong voice at the table.
thanks Sarah, that's great, and hopefully every, but he's had a chance
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:32:35
to have a think about that when they read through the pack.
So this is a team sport. This is not about me or about any of us on this Board. It's about all of business in West Yorkshire and where he had to be the voice of that business, and whether that is a we. We want to make West Yorkshire the best place to start a business, to grow business, to move a business too and to make sure that we do that inclusively, and that is our number one remit. So what we can do as a board, by leveraging our networks working with the committees, is start to really feed into policy, is here and start to help us to help businesses to start, to help businesses, to increase their productivity, to be a place for inward investment, but also to help the public sector pull the levers that help all that those things happened to. So it is really important that we, it's not just us that we are leveraging our networks and finding out more, which is why it's great to have everyone round this table. It's everybody's brains, not just one person's brains, and it's everybody's thoughts and exposures to all the different lived experiences that you all have, so we're keen to do that. I'm keen to hear from you what are your thoughts about this? Have we got any comments?
Farah
transfer.
Fara Butt (Private Sector Representative) - 0:33:59
Yeah, I think that I have got a couple of ideas, I think you know the economic strategy, the local growth plan, I think perhaps there needs to be an element of the industrial strategy that should really be part of that. I think that's probably missing if you spoke to manufacturers they might sort of say well, but can we have a little bit more input into that if there is a vehicle for that, we've got manufacturing Advisory Board, which sort of the conglomerate of people coming together with one voice in this, what we call the one voice, which will emerge as a leadership there and hopefully that will feed into policy
So I think you know, I can understand why it has not been done, because there wasn't that sort of clear leadership there, we weren't else when we met, it's a great board, it's the submit, it has really great engagement from a range of stakeholders, but it needs to now begin to feed into the local sort of strategy as well as the National Sasha as well and that release developing and emerging so I'll be delighted to be part of that and continue for the other members of that board to.
you know who part of that discussion as well, so that's sort of quite key.
Yeah, there's a lot happening, mean there's a lot happening, but that's the way that we can succumb to support the work that's been done at that level.
thanks for one thing that I just on the next 12 months, I wonder
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:35:26
whether what might be missing is just a focus on how we.
Help people exporting. I know that James's doing a lot of work around this on trade missions and so on. How do we help you and our businesses do more? We know what levers if there's a change of government, can we pull to draw spotlight to our region as a brilliant home of export, so just wondering whether that's something that we could, we could focus on and also the clustering there is definitely an appetite if the if we do get a Labour government for clustering to be a priority, so if we can identify our clusters, we've sought done the work for government. You know we can. We can just say
how are we going to go ahead with this anyway, but co come and invest, come and support us to deliver just a couple of thoughts on the sort of the next, we'll look ahead for the board.
Thank you, Tracey Tom.
James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:36:31
thanks Jora yeah, I thought was a really good programme and I just having a live you know that experiences of the interface between the public and the private sectors is not an easy one to get right, because they are quite different culture at times and I think this board is a great opportunity to really strengthen that relationship and,
On the communication, I the the personal element of both of you, actually I think, would be really if, if you send him monthly comes out, I would make sure it's Isa, you know, if you get a copra thing that says West Yorkshire and Combined Authority and business of Leeds City Council and businesses much less likely to resonate, I think than.
That sort of personal profile that you've got Tracy particularly, but I think that partnership with business with Monday could really work as if, as we we've used that quite a lot in in Leeds, and I think it's been really successful that people often remark about always good to get your update about things and I wouldn't just stick to you know, slavishly to the the CA agenda, just wider perspectives on things, news about what's happened in all that stuff, I know you all, I know you know all that, but I'm just you know, I think it is worth saying and unless his ma, sometimes with that stuff as well, where you know I always try and get the team to cut things back so that people will actually read them on the on the groups, I wonder as well about the some great
I affectionately call them the property lot we need to really engage on their terms at time, so James has got the property forum we've got the CBI regional council does good subgroups in smaller businesses from colleagues around the table so going out to them as well as them coming to ours sort of committees I'd really recommend I always helps just turning off and listening to them and letting them shout at you sometimes.
never happened here. I'm sure, but it did happen to me in the past, but it always Macksville people feel better and feel part of the ownership of what's going on, and then the final one was really your point, Tracey about that, I didn't really see the global bits on the work programme and you know this is the I think particularly post-Brexit. We've got to have that global perspective and a lot of the businesses bring that you know, they've got these global links already and they off, I think they'd be willing to be
You know more ambassadorial and it is great we've got UK refund and climb here, but the yeah, there's other global events that are happening, and sometimes it doesn't need to be the CA or the Council's at them, it can be the private sector at them banging the drum for us so yeah, that and the national even the Northern nothing will still stay quite significant so yeah, just having a sort of team effort on all of that, I think would be a good thing for the team to be thinking about
Thank you Tom and I couldn't agree more than we picked up on the
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:39:34
growth plan early this morning that international peace is something we really need to maximise and as an exporter myself I are an export champion, it's something that I'm really passionate about and I know that the Chambers and others work hard on on that for us but maybe making sure we have more champions in our region is something that helps us increase that footprint.
at some of the Chambers and the north-west, which has recently done some some trade missions, and it's something I think we can build on further, so absolutely Arnie.
Yemen Tom went to me about the coat difference between public and
Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups) - 0:40:10
private sector, to between different sides, organisations, I think like that is even bigger and I think what was quite important within this is to understand for a lot of businesses the way they're going to engage won't necessarily be by looking into big strategies and high level things, but so the skill has got to be, how are you going to take little grievances low problems,
all anecdotal stories or what's bothering them and adapt in that, and I'm turning that into the bigger higher level policies because I think that's the only way you're going to get a lot of people to engage and if you don't and then Sarah's Donkor I know that this all comes into force, so I am not saying that I don't think you're going to do but I think it's maybe worth
Actually somewhere, recognising that how smaller businesses are going to engage in this won't be by talking about big stretches, actually going to be talked about their day-to-day problems.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:41:12
That's a really good point Barnier, thank you, and Sarah, I know you're looking at that taught you already.
that having one of the key sectors here is manufacturing and the this
Fara Butt (Private Sector Representative) - 0:41:21
one voice, which is that a conglomerate has a set-up lots of key stakeholders in the manufacturing space, the particularly the manufacturing allowances, are coming together and hopefully they can feed into that and that sort of does capture quite a lot of small businesses.
And just done.
Xiv yourselves and the team visit CB, I ran around how we do that
Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative) - 0:41:42
actually and how we get that real-life insight from a broader range of businesses.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:41:53
Thank you Annette, thank you, so I think part of this as well is
Annette Joseph - 0:41:58
looking at the pipeline, so this is talking about organisations that are already sustain, but what are we going to do for people in the region who want better for themselves and who have robbed ambition and don't really know what that what that?
processes, so it's a lot around Kimi creating a process for people who want to stop businesses, making it really simple for them to access finance and support and communicating that widely, and that was one point and then the other point was around skills. So there are schools that we could provide and kind of upskill people in now, but I think we really have an opportunity to be very forward facing and future facing and be on the front foot because things like codeine and stuff like that, for instance, are being phased out. So how do we look at the future, identify those skills and skill people up now or start that pipeline now
thank you, sir, would you like to come back on that?
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:43:06
I think our skills pace Michelle both sorry.
sorry, I forgot, you then Michelle sorry yeah.
I mean, that's that's a really positive pilot, and it's something that
Michelle Burton, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:43:16
will feature in all bar in all of our planning, and I think one of the things that you'll say when we come to talking about local growth plan is that this kind of attention of how you upskill ahead of demands, even when you know it's emerging demand, that's coming is really really difficult issue, and it's difficult for the education and training landscape as well to prepare themselves for demand that's coming around the corner. So that is a system-wide issue, that is something that when its executives face it, we need to fit in so really got to mention that. Thank you
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:43:49
I think that also pleasing to are close to work, so understanding the horizon scanning for clusters and the skills that are going to need, and especially for the niches in those clusters which may well be disruptive, getting to know them better and the way we are aligning ourselves around that work will absolutely underpin exactly what you're saying how we'd become more feature forward and opportunistic rather than always ready to catch up, so I think that's a yeah that's it.
Really strong point, and on that note, Sharon.
Annette Joseph - 0:44:20
you know just I just want to rattling through your point or on skills.
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 0:44:23
before we new skills we need a culture that is going to look for the skills and we need opportunities or a vehicle to deliver innovation where we'll need new skills, so I feel like we may have to invest a bit on regional leadership and creating that sort of innovation culture coming from my background I think, talking about new technology like digital transformation,
any and new things, so we need to stop doing that.
one thing I want to mention is the events that we have recently hosted, it was great, absolutely amazing and they all were paid, which means there are some small businesses and medium businesses who may have missed out on some opportunities, so how do we sort of solve that problem of you know having these events, it's great, but how do you make it more accessible for everyone?
And one observation, there is two days event absolutely amazing Laura things happen, but then what happens after that for 12 months, so how do we sort of break that down and give a 12 month support afterwards to these businesses when we have missed this so last month I thank sharing and I guess it plays into that pipeline, one thing is yeah,
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:45:35
how do we create these corridors and pipelines of opportunitie or suppose to make sure we were not a flash in the pan Felix on that?
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:45:50
we will try to answer that now, but just under access that small businesses should have to some of these networks of events for clients, we heavily subsidised tickets for several businesses from West Yorkshire to add nothing muscled him ended up being just 50 pounds or something like that.
So that that was the first time we've done, that it went down well with them. Obviously we are reviewing that to see what impact it made. One difference it made to these businesses was a useful or not, but also it wasn't simply as providing a subsidy, we actually brought these businesses together and supported them, so they were ready to pitch to these investors, so we have several sessions with them to make sure they were ready. They had their pitch-dark and all of that, India knew what to expect and how to interact with with investors.
We, as we said we are now in the review stage looking at how effective all of that was what we should do next time, so we are alive to that the second bit they raised sharing really crucial around the importance of networks and access to these networks is a key point that keeps coming through UK ref but especially our clients
And is a key part of what we're setting out in the Local Plan. When serious talking about has been enabling us in the system really that this policy jargon for, as walking alongside businesses to make sure they've got the support they need, they have access to the information and all other types of support they need to be able to grow. So we take that on board and most of the time 90% of 95% of these networks will be free to attend. You know they just groups of people would probably if we're supporting this Putin, putting on some drinks or whatever, just to make sure the opportunity is there for people to
To meet up and to have those conversations, but as a key part of our role so that we take them seriously, could you remind me?
How do we support members who went to UK refit packs and information and so on?
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:47:46
We did everyone in our delegates Park without anyone we had invited or speaking of was asked or groups that were upcoming with us, had a delegates pack had access to all the collateral that we had and we kept in touch with them and, as I said, this was part of a review. Gonna go back and see how effective that whatsoever and what else we have to do so. We, everybody had a pack. We had a session before UK ref went through the whole agenda, went through our pitch, made sure everybody had a sense of why we're there, we're looking for out of it hubs conversations with the speakers, we invited all of that, while we're gonna review that to see whether we did it right on them and what else we have to do. But yes, I just wonder if there's an opportunity, because I know UK ref gave free tickets to young people who are interested in business and entrepreneurship, whether we could pick up those young people
And you know introduce them to opportunities, whether that's the Welsh West Yorkshire Enterprise programme or something you know just not, you know they've done a good thing, but let's not let these enthusiastic young people slip through our fingers, maybe.
Thanks both Ben.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:49:06
Thank thank you, and just just to build on Philip's point about.
To to Johnson Sharon's question, about what, how do you make sure that
Ben Still, Chief Executive (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 0:49:15
we settled off go to interesting things at a conference like climbing, they don't see them through.
Felix and I might have made a series of of commitments to the to the organisers around identify some of the challenges that we identified proceed, particularly around the kind of ethnic minority, founder and business leads access to things like networks or support systems and finance you know that there are some startling stats that we talked about a clan round just just how those rates drop off and they're not where they should be, particularly when sexuality is taken into account.
We, we committed that we were going to look at that, as will come more comfortable and Felix talks about and some some of the work on the growth programme, but we will go back next year and talk about how we fared and whether we've seen any outcome so we do want to use these things to both to talk about the challenges that we face in trying to improve outcomes, but also about what works as well.
Thanks to how certain rather?
use your own side
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:50:19
so any other comments Becky.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 0:50:27
Thanks very much they think really interesting, especially for everybody said a really grim comment about industrial strategy, obviously that might be something that we will be adding to this one through, especially his change of government couple of questions.
Deep dive on how we maximise retention of money in the region. What do you mean by money? Is it business rates once the apprenticeship levy funds stuff like that, or is it just spend and do we know how much money is leaving the region in that sense and if so, where is it going and would there be any prioritisation when it comes to the investment zones? Obviously there's three and you know exact things that the business community can can help with as well, and obviously I have shared with you our cluster playbook, very happy to share it more widely if that will be of interest
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:51:22
Thanks Becky, and I know the classic playbook has informed some of the work that we've done already, so it's great and I really enjoyed having a look through it Phoenix, would you like to come back on this so as points Sarah's points so many points because that was one of your points in the PowerPoint so I think the money thing was your thing Monday.
Kully Thiarai (Private Sector Representative) - 0:51:39
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:51:43
so so my view on money is that it's not quantified yet, but I am very keen that we spend a lot of time attracting more money to this region rather than working out how we spend what we've got, so obviously we need to support programmes and we need to spend money. There's a huge poverty in this region that we were trying to address. We're trying to drive a peaking of economic prosperity, but by attracting money here then we've got more money to spend and whether that is through inward investment, whether it's through lobbying with government, whether it's through the devolution that Tracey
has, however, we do it, that needs to be something that we we concentrate on, and that's my first thing that I concentrate on, So so that's what remain is a broad-brush sort of approach, but it's it's a start and I think that when money is tight making sure we capture as much of what is available as possible.
It is really important, to give an example, the European and I'm going to use space because it's a, it's a cluster that I've worked with the European space agency is paid into by the British government, but often because of what happened with Brexit companies don't believe that they can they can win funding from the agency.
we've had, I think, about 4 million pounds into Interfield tonics through that programme and a number of the successful stories and we've run recently an event this is space of Yorkshire, so it was in York, Councillor Douglas, but at the Guildhall which was fantastic about how helping businesses across Yorkshire when funding from that organisation that's money that's already available but we just need to point it at are at our businesses and,
By no mistake, this is not space business, this is business using frontier technology which encompasses an awful lot of businesses that sit across Yorkshire and especially West Yorkshire. So that's what I mean by it. I can't I can't articulate it any better than that yet because it is the start of a piece of work, but that's where I think we should definitely be focusing, so I hope everybody agrees Mark yeah I'm just regarding the investment zones as well, we're in a bit of a unique position that
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:53:52
a snap general election was called mid financial year, so there are things that weren't signed off before the election was called, so we are hoping to current. You know, we will be continuing the things that we are at, we've laid out in the investments, as I think we want to do so, we will be, you know, really focused on an incoming government about continuing that work, but just to say at the moment it has gone a little bit quiet, but it's inevitable given the there's some funding timelines and so on, but rest assured, we're not gonna let that the terrorists
Mr James Mason - 0:54:29
So you bring me to Neath or go on doing something else or do my mum,
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:54:34
it was really encouraging.
Tracey to hear you mentioned, David Skeith, in your opening comments, I do believe that having four metro mayors in Yorkshire mix Yorkshire really powerful brand, but also a place to work, invest, live, etc and as we know, businesses don't recognise political boundaries but I think that collaboration and that working piece is really nuanced and powerful.
So if you think of these of in between towns like Harrogate, that are banging between Leeds and Bradford, etc and it's great to see Councillor Douglas here today, I think I think this is something that we'd probably all be encouraged to support and be aware of going
Mr James Mason - 0:55:20
forward. So we might talk about West Yorkshire and David, of course, will talk about York and North Yorkshire, but businesses will just go, whether the money is and we'll go where the opportunities are, so I think there's another opportunity. It was great to see both speaking at UK ReFH with that dovetailing about place first just happens that you may be of a red persuasion, but I think it's place versus not, and I think I think this mustn't be underestimated for the business community as well. That will really just see you know, West and North Yorkshire working together, South Yorkshire and then of course, these Riding, Sir
It was just an observation which I think is really useful for businesses as well in the region. Thank you, and can I say that you can also be helpful because there may be businesses in West Yorkshire
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire - 0:56:04
that David nor I know that they've got one or second office in Harrogate or you know wherever that you could alert us to those opportunities to work collectively together and I am hoping that on trade missions and so on that we can also widen it out to a Yorkshire offer because these borders are increasingly poorer Sunday, however, Yorkshire is such a powerful brand, I think, to identify ourselves as Yorkshire and then you know the parts of Yorkshire together we are
Are definitely greater than the sum of our parts.

9 Presentation: State of the West Yorkshire Economy

Thank you very much, and good move, as now says name, will comments
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 0:56:43
onto item number 9, which is the State of the West Yorkshire economy, and I think that's over to you, Patrick.
Thank you Chair and if so, despite insert a slight designed to give
Mr Patrick Bowes - 0:56:56
you an up-to-date picture of where we are on the national and local economy are also as well just to reflect on some of the key economic messages coming out of the recently published state of the region report, so I'm going to talk briefly through some of the some rapes or insights that my colleague Peter Glover, it's gonna quickly run through some of the key messages from the state of the region reports just to reflect on where we are with inflation. The headline rate of inflation is now 2.3%,
Say the April figure having fallen from 3.2% in March, a significant decline in the headline rates and driven in the main by a sharp contraction in price of electricity, gas and other fuels.
with a bit of upward sort of inflationary pressure from a forecourt HMO motor fuels or more details on that are in your slide, pack of page 30, the bank rates, as you're probably all aware, was held at 5.00 point to 5% by the MPC in May.
pretty clear with a lot of the information that was produced, to support that particular, the monetary policy report that provides the evidence for their decision making, that they do see the rates falling somewhere near the 2% target year in by the second quarter, but they do expect second round inflationary sliver of forces to play out towards the back end of this year.
so they are expecting inflation to peak a little bit towards the back end of 2024, so a mini sort of rollercoaster ride in terms of inflation, but I think the clear view as the fundamentals are there that they're expecting inflation to fall below the 2% rate by early 2025 and that's consistent with the messaging from the Bank they've been very consistent on that and indeed with the Office for Budget responsibility as well to reflect reflect on where we are with the UK economy. UK economic output rose by 0.6% in the first quarter of 2024
in contrast to its performance, in the last quarter of 2023 were contracted by 0.3%, so a significant rebound in activity.
again, more detail on that is contained in the pack, particularly at pages 32, what's driving that eyes?
I looked at him in output, in the service and production sectors, and particularly within the productions sectors. Manufacturing growth so manufacturing in the first quarter, 24 rebounded and grew by 1.4% a particularly strong growth and that was fairly fairly broke, base across most of the sub-sectors and in that in manufacturing, it's worth also reflecting on where we are internationally. That sort of 0 1 6% growth in the first quarter places that towards the top of the league table for the G7, so only Canada matched the UK's growth rate in the in the in India in the first first quarter of 2024. Moving on to the next side, just briefly reflecting on some of the key local insights mentioned there, that obviously the Bank of England are particularly focused on state of the labour market and obviously, intention of off of monetary policy, where inflation is rising is to try and loosen the labour market, particularly around inflationary pressures, and we are seeing that effect starting to to to to take old you know, and that is, or you know, based or priced into the work that the Bank of England been doing, but employment growth has started to to to stall, so the emptily headline number of people in employment is has fallen by 4,000 recently from its peak pay levels are starting to stabilise claimant unemployment is rising steadily.
But very, very, very, very, very slowly.
Vacancies are falling back,
but it is probably worth reflecting on the fact that the number of vacancies whilst they've fallen off still higher than the than we have currently than we had before we went into the the health crisis. So we still had a fairly active labour market, but it is clear that the local labour market, in line with the national labour market, is beginning to soften and in terms of sort of local insights out from businesses. We get a lot of our insights from the Chambers quarterly economic survey and that he's pointing to a strengthening in demand prospects amongst local businesses so that the kind of messages we're seeing in the national data were very much echoed in the first quarter queue yesterday, where that showed that many businesses had seen both domestic and international orders on balance rising much more strongly compared to a q 3, and also when you reflect on the next three months going forward, many of the businesses in the survey are also telling us that they are expecting to be. You know their employment expectations are more positive than they were towards the back end of 2023. It's also worth just highlighting as well, and that we are also currently are Enfield, fully West annual West Yorkshire business survey, so that's the primary means by which we provide information to the business board about what businesses are thinking and that survey is currently underway at the moment, and so it's worth flagging that to the attention of the Board members. So those are probably the key headlines. We're obviously happy to answer any any detail on that, and I will hand over to Peter now and we'll just briefly talk through some of the key economic messages from the recently published state of the region. Thank you, Patrick. Just by way of introduction, the Combined Authority you will develop the basket of indicators to monitor progress against the missions contained in the West. Yorkshire Plan and and performance against these indicators is presented in the state of the region report. So what we've done in the package drawn out with selection and indicators that are most relevant to, the business board, so I'll provided Graham a brief overview of some of the key messages from that, first of all, a positive message around economic growth, so the regional performance and economic growth for the periods 2020 17 2022 West Yorkshire outperformed the UK picture with a UK with a GDP growth rate of 9%, this is a UK average of 5%. It's a very positive and that's contributes to an improvement in West Yorkshire performance on GB per heads and that's a central measure of local prosperity and it shows a narrowing of the gap in the UK average
We shouldn't overstate that there is still a continuing at 16% gap in GB per heads, so that's more than 5,000 pounds per person in absolute terms and even if the sort of improved respective Group GB growth rates that mentioned previously Compass could be sustained, it would take until 2044 to close this gap in GDP per head in terms of productivity. Are we only figures up to 2021 for regional productivity for GDP per hour worked, and these indicate that the West Yorkshire relative position naturally got slightly worse during the pandemic, even though the region of GDP grew strongly and this is due to a big reduction in hours worked at UK level, so that's really reflecting the
Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:03:44
ongoing impact of the pandemic in the data think the main messages that West Yorkshire is a long term structural and the performance and productivity with a gap of 14% or 5 pounds 13 output per hour worked, so quite a significant gap in terms of the business base. We do
Peter Glover, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:04:03
We do have some positive messages there, so West Yorkshire has been performing strongly in terms of the growth of its business base in recent years, so we've seen an increase of 4.6% between 2017 and 2023 and that compares with the UK average of 2.2% but we still have a large structural gap so the region of 18,000 fewer businesses than it should have based on its population and it's also worth noting that there was a decline in the business count between 2022 23 in West Yorkshire with Leeds worst affected.
But West Yorkshire still saw a smaller decline than the UK average so that that sort of relatively positive performance.
it was still maintained, turning to exports of goods, we have some new figures for 2020 2 and they show that exports of goods grew by positively by 18% between 2021 and 2022, which is much higher than the UK rate of growth of 6%, so that takes the value of a good at goods exports to 11 11% above their pre-pandemic position should note that with at least none of these figures were adjusted for inflation.
There's been a big shift to non-EU markets in West Yorkshire, so exports to local markets grew by 33% between 2019 and 2022 whereas EU EU exports fell by 5% over the same period and that reflects export growth focused on the USA plus India, Turkey and Brazil in West Yorkshire.
Turning to the final area that I want to focus on around. Innovation at new figures have been released from the UK Innovation Survey and they show that West Yorkshire the performance in terms of the proportion of firms that are innovation active is fairly moderate and 40% is above the national average of 37%, but below a range of other areas in the south-east and south-west, but also so key comparative like Greater Manchester to accompany these said, I think it would also include analysis of R and D investment, and that's perhaps a more concrete indicate in the survey data, although the figures are dated and they show that West Yorkshire and performs quite markedly on this type of investment when you take into account the size of its economy, particularly on public, are in denial R and D investment. So just to illustrate that if West Yorkshire public investment in R and D as a share of GDP could be raised to that of South Yorkshire, it will more than double from 280 million to 620 million per annum. So what we're saying is South Yorkshire, a near neighbour is performing a lot better in terms of that public investment in R and D.
So that's it come back to you, Chair, thank you.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:06:55
Thanks very much saying and I guess to the board, it's to note the contents of that bit to them.
Have any questions say Martin
Exporter
Mr Martin Hathaway - 1:07:03
you are going to put on this pizza that just doesn't match up with what we're saying we saw the exports are still far below the levels pre budget when they dropped about 15% overnight, are we currently seeing a real store because of?
the Red Sea issue, so the export from this region of at 1.00 stage, they will look a lot of gonna, be about half what they were previously, and we do punch above our weight, with exporting and especially manufactured goods, as you say, rather than the services you just swim so that it's not so different from what we see.
I just wonder whether the data come from.
It doesn't,
maximum free.
so the data we we use, the HMC data, which is now published now to some regional level, so you check the data is accurate based on what they provided, I just wonder whether this of certain factors within it, as often can be with exports and maybe maybe distorting the picture from what from what you are saying yeah,
Sorry, I'm I'm not mentioning this ref, it's 2022 it could, if the him the Councillor followed, it could be referring to things that happen pre Butler pre-Brexit in effect rather than year, because when you follow the accounts because 2022 Council
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:08:30
I don't know, but it just seems so different from what week sick when
Mr Martin Hathaway - 1:08:34
it takes like basis and we work just ourselves with 400 exporters on a daily basis, and James you'll have a many more than that I think.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:08:44
so I think this is often the problem with with lack metrics, which is what we're working on, especially with regional metrics from HMR see, this same lags in terms of the time lag. That is very difficult to compare our of the now to what it was. However, that's good. That's that's interesting yeah, you will take on that. Martin, James yeah, thank you, Chair and thanks Patrick and Peter for that, and it was
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:09:09
good to hear you mentioned the quarterly economic surveys, a piece of as well as a bellwether of of looking forward to Rye with lag metrics and data. We're looking back. The quarterly economic survey is for all of us in this room. Yes, it's it's conducted by Martin's colleagues and hours, but you know whether it's FSB members, CBI members, this is a piece of research that is taking a pressure check
Of businesses right now, but also looking forward and also looking back the quarter Les word gives it a way of looking back and looking forward, and it's a plea for help, the the the data that Patrick Allen and Peter Hughes, which is then used by the you know the the banks, the Bank of England,
The Treasury is only as good as the number that we're representing, so how we communicate and probably will come on to this as a business group later on is is that flashmob approach it's going out for a week or two in the field work, can you please fill it in I exporting more or less than you were in in queue for of 2023 I am looking to hire more are looking to invest more, where are you investing what are the challenges, what are the problems, what are the opportunities, so it's a bit of a plea, so to enable Patrick and Peter to have that up-to-date data which can either correlate or contradict Martins and Becky's and one and all of ours.
including colleagues from the FSB, it would just be how we get better at doing that.
I don't know the answer, but they must be aware because that were really rich data for this board to go with we're flatlining we're going up, which is great, which we can then tell the world, are we're going down and we can address that internally.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:10:54
Councillor patient.
I'm not used to calling people via via proper title, as I have says OK, absolutely back office, absolutely fine, yeah Scott yeah, it was just a brief one and it was just around.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:11:07
I appreciate it might not be met target audience, but if some inclusive economy status might be useful, so thinking about things like.
Poverty levels and disposable household income just saw that cross sector. We can do a bit of that drill down on what some of the wider factors and interventions we might want to make a big. Thank you, ESCo comments and Patrick, I think you wanted to come back yeah I just echo
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:11:31
those comments from James, so thank you, the the Nick Juliette, which is a key chalet for us, and we do. We do support that, so you know that working relationship with Dewis, I'm not sure if he's gone quite quite bounteous. It was just to pick up on the point that Sir Martin made on on the on the the expulsion. It's probably worth reflecting on the pig Peter referred to, the fact that the data
he's not adjusted for inflation, so so that figures based on the value
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:11:53
of exports, so you need to take into account the fact he's probably capturing increasing factory-gate prices to to turnover markets, so what we need to do is, and we can do this we can apply deflator to it just to give a more rounded picture that's probably the main thing that's this as a worker.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:12:11
I think it might also be worth considering the change in ownership of businesses and where headquarters of businesses are now located, say during the the post-pandemic era there's a lot of M and A going on mergers and acquisitions going on so headquarters are being moved potentially out of our region, where larger businesses are snapping up smaller businesses, of which we know we have a lot, so I don't know whether we pick that up at all, but I think it's certainly something that's worth a bit of a deep dive on to see how that is affecting our data and if it has any shift in terms of changing the the sort of dynamics of that, I also think we should consider what our lead metrics are, so we obviously need black metrics because where we are looking at economic prosperity, but what are our lead? Metrics that we measure ourselves on, and how can we measure that we're doing better on those not just on what's gone past, how do we look at what we're doing right to make sure that the lag metrics then become more positive, so difficult ship to move, but if we do some right things and measure those, then we will eventually get that improvement. I'm sure
I don't know the answer.
Any clothing.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:13:20
A lot of what I was going to say, actually sort of covered by James
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:13:24
Rooney about the that at the time lines of the data.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:13:28
the one thing I would like to pick up on is this 18,000 fewer businesses in West Yorkshire, where did that figure come from and then, secondly, what can we do to support that sort of catch-up process?
Peter
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:13:46
So yeah, at the 18,000 figure.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:13:51
But that is calculated by looking at the number of businesses per head
Peter Glover, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:13:54
of population, comparing that in West Yorkshire, with the UK average and and looking at the difference so we've got in terms of enterprise we have.
88,800 enterprises in West Yorkshire, so that gives you some context how big the deficit is, so why is quite significant?
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:14:18
And Sarah just gonna say in terms of what we do about it, the conversation about local growth, on what we do around can, if
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:14:24
stimulating that enterprise, culture, getting more businesses, data cost-effective groups and support in theory is part of that but
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:14:28
collectively what we can do.
And I think that brings us neatly on to the next section on our
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:14:35
agenda, so I think from that we know we need to increase the number of businesses, we need to increase productivity, we need to have work at how we export more.
And we need to be mindful about how we measure it, so on that note, how are we going to have great West Yorkshire, we are what's our local growth plan, looking like I said at the last meeting of the business board we discussed some of the evidence emerging around the challenges and opportunities for West Yorkshire and that work is now underway at pace and, looking at the bold actions we need to make to shift the dial, address the challenges and maximise the opportunities we have in West Yorkshire, so I'd like to ask Jo Barham to give us an update.

10 Presentation: West Yorkshire Plan for Inclusive Growth

and we'd really welcome input from you on the content of this slides, because we'll be turning this into a full narrative to go to the Combined Authority in July, so so please speak up
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:15:34
thanks Monday, thanks everyone so really keen to hear from members of the board on the slide pack that was circulated, so I'll just give a really brief overview of the context of this work and then open up to comments from you. Will them suppose Manchester? We have been working on this for some time now. We discussed the evidence base that underpins the slides at the last meeting, looking at the challenges that we have, as has been touched on around productivity, on skills and investments and what that means for living standards across the region. So since then we've had had the local election, so we are really focused on and delivering that may or were pledged for a local growth plan.
and how we interpret that.
so the slide on screen is a slide 52 in the packs, so it's worth saying that this is still very much being driven by the vision
Michelle Burton, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:16:17
emissions of the West Yorkshire Plan and those core principles around equity, diversity and inclusion. So we've touched a little bit already on what that means for some of our priorities here, but also
Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:16:29
sustainability, thinking about our Net Zero target for 2038 and also health and wellbeing, and the role that has on the economy and productivity in particular, but could move them on to the next slide. Please, so this is like 53 in the packs and it sets out a high level overview of of the plot and how we're structuring our approach to it. So there's three main parts to this, so we've got those those core
Sarah Bowes, Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:16:54
principles, as I just mentioned right at the top, and the idea is that cut across everything that we do and all of our actions and priorities
But the first section that that recover is our offer to businesses, communities and people of West Yorkshire, and this touches on four broad areas of activity, so we've got skills there and our role in the system for skills, and again we've we've touched on sort of what that
Jo Wilkinson Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:17:16
means and we've got further conversations about our role in the system but really bringing that together.
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:17:21
And when we've talked a lot about childcare, as we've been developing this plan.
and it is an issue that actually cuts across lots of lots of elements, but does particularly come out in the school section, particularly on where we can act to support childcare in the region, which is so important not just in terms of labour labour force participation but also enabling children from all backgrounds to get the best start in life with access to high quality early years provision so looking at what what we might be able to do to support the sector that,
The next section we've got is on the business ecosystem, so obviously we've talked a lot about that with this group are just two slides on, please, Peter, just just to bring this this slide up, so this sits out sets out our approach to the the system, again picking up on some of the comments we've already had at the Board today. So looking at both where we have high growth opportunities and those from specialisms within particular clusters, but also more widely, how we support all businesses across the economy are looking at the foundational economy as well, and how we structure our approach to that and again that point around access to support those networks in how we reach those wider networks, to make sure that our businesses can can benefit from support that is needed. Really key. Part of this, we also touch on, or another aspect of over that offered to business communities and people is connectivity and mobility, so really looking at those major transformational opportunities that we have in the regional mass transit and bus reform and what that means across all areas of the economy, so thinking about skills and supply chain, as well as the improved connectivity and the links that it to productivity, and then we've got or are now looking at our strategic sites. This was featured heavily at UK reef enhancing those opportunities but then also looking at what all of this means for housing as we seek to realise the ambitions of growth in this plan,
The second part of the plan. If we could just move on, please, Peter, I'm sorry two months August yeah thank you sets out our offer to investors. We know wow we've touched on this a little bit, there's definitely more to do in this area on the plan in particular, but what's so important that we can really clearly articulate the offer that we have to investors, and how are we going to go about closing that investment gap that we know we have in West Yorkshire, which is really closely linked to our challenge around productivity and the final part of the power plan is setting out our relationship with government, so obviously we will have more to say about that post the election at the start of July. So across across this piece of work there is there's there's more to do. We're continuing to engage with partners to get feedback, to help shape this. We are looking at bringing together some numbers to quantify some elements of this, though we we've talked about some of those gaps already on productivity, what that means in terms of the number of businesses that we need the number of jobs, or we also want to do is articulate the numbers on some of the opportunities we've actually identified in the plan and how they would go towards closing those gaps so that we know we have. You'll notice there's nothing reflecting sort of local authority local priority, specifically in this pack, we are working really closely with the local authorities on this and how we articulate their priorities and their local plans and bringing that together so that that's a work in progress, but we will in the next iteration, reflect those local priorities and how they interact with the regional framework that we've set out here. Just briefly, to touch on some of the feedback we've had for it from other stakeholders, so we know that there's more to bring out here on the role of health in the economy. We've got it as a principle, we need to articulate a bit more clearly how that's going to work in this plan feedback and need to do more about the Royal Academy again it's touched on briefly but need to bring that out in a bit more detail, something that's been brought up at this meeting but the relationship with the other mayors. How can we articulate that opportunity and how will work with the metro mayors and international opportunities and really picking out some of those global opportunities and articulating that they offer there, so it doesn't matter said the next steps are to continue to work on this framework but then develop it into a narrative and not the detail of this which will take to the CA in July and then hopefully have a launch event at some time in the autumn
Well, I'll pause that it's out.
So I would like to open the floor to appoint Susan.
Beckie Hart (Business Representative) - 1:21:49
I thank you very much for that, so on the on the transport element of it Anderson, obviously the transport you put in there is, as we have direct control of above, because we've got 10 billion pounds going to you at the moment and then Bradford done that on the TPA line etc and and whilst that's not completely within our we're not delivering that ourselves is very much part of our VOF offer to investors will refer so so how is that sort of fashion? Thank you.
Would you like to go back on that, Joe?
yes, it is a really good point and think something that we need to
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:22:27
clearly articulate those wider opportunities and that we have in this time so that we can make sure that Stephanie reflected desperately
Jo Barham Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:22:32
want to develop.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:22:39
Bonnie just looking at slide.
Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups) - 1:22:42
he's 85 that pays for the MO monitoring indicates some of this to mean it's really hard, I'm going to show how you can you, I'm not sure you have control over some of these things and I'm not sure everything's like.
Child poverty, how much West Yorkshire has been told about and how much is to do with government and the UK as a whole or things that reduction neighborhood crime, which, if you look across the country, it goes up fairly.
consistently across all our communities, that's I'm not quite sure how you gonna know, you're doing this, what what whether you have the right levers to do some of this?
But I don't want to start saying Don't do it because it will good things to do, but I'm just just
thinking in my head, are you sure you can do this or are you being too ambitious, I assure you these are things you've really got proper control over and there was another thing is you're not doing this on your own either because South Yorkshire we did similar things Greater Manchester be doing similar things so are you competing, are you working with them?
Or are we sure what which are we doing, some sort of just spewing out things that come down my head as I'm thinking, but these are things that you know?
we've been sat around tables saying we want to do for years and years and years. I think you need to convince me that you actually have the means to do this because I don't think we do if I'm honest, and this
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:24:04
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:24:06
is where the revolution is devolution, we have much more control level. What we're doing so take, for example, policing and crime. To your point, when I came in as mayor, I was focused on the safety of women and girls and we have had a laser-like focus on that and we have metrics that we can show the interventions that we have made are making a difference notwithstanding, they are
rising levels of
I was about to say contaminant, that's not right, but with confidence from the public in policing, particularly around their investigation of domestic violence, for example, we will definitely have that data and we will also have more of the tools in order to have that direction of travel but also tools and more money to be able to team a ladle rather than be in these silos with government that these are expected metrics and outcomes.
We can definitely do more, that will suit our economy. So when you're talking about child poverty, for example, being able to widen the eligibility for free learning to level 3, to not just the minimum wage, which is the statutory expectation, but the real living wage has meant 7,000 more people have had access to skills and learning, which means they can then get jobs with greater skills and are better paid. So that is just one tiny example of the of the levers that we have in our in devolution in our organisation, and this sets out how are we going to grow the economy
and honestly, if you don't have faith in devolution now, we're all sunk because we cannot continue how we are. How we what we've done in the past, because the gap is ever widening between the the south and the north. Devolution is the solution to that that frustration that nothing changes are probably compatible quickly. I think devolution is
Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups) - 1:26:12
really important and will do a lot of good, but I don't think it's a Lincoln can do some of these things. These are huge things and one is different, using the resources we have for devolution, to target certain things, to reducing overall offending rates, which there is huge Saltwick. You know, it's not just about the police, so it's about all sorts of reasons why we have offenders, so I'm not saying this is why I'm so mulling over my head is it's not about saying these were good things, but do we honestly believe in five years' time or it won't notice doing so, isn't 2040 will actually be able to do these
And if, if there is any of this, we think actually there are bigger things involved here, and I think we should be honest, because that's how we use our laser-like ability to focus on the things we can change, because that's what we've got to be here for it is about change, not not ambition is actually making life better absolutely I could not agree more with your last point but for example to have said,
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:27:09
After COVID and with rising inflation and economic Liz Truss tanking the economy. First, to say, three years ago we can deliver 5,000 affordable homes. What we did is we delivered more homes than since the economic crash. It is about leadership on it and it is about determination to deliver. The public have put me in this place in order to deliver on these on on better outcomes. We are not going to sit on our hands and just say, Well, it isn't down to, was it's down to the wider economy? Devolution is the lever with which we are going to control these metrics. We're gonna make West Yorkshire brighter, more prosperous, a happier place, and we can definitely do that by the things that we're undertaking of the next few years, but I think Felix wanted to come in and also
Sorry, I am not cheery.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:28:06
this allows apologies, no apologies everybody, so first of all thank you finally for creating such such a Dr in the room, it's fantastic and I know one of the things that you are really supportive of is the firework charter and that firework charter is one of the things that we can do within business, which is what this this room is about to to actually start to promote change in our region that can help start to drive change in some of those issues even if it's only a small part of the answer.
I've got Felix to come to and then Susan, because it's all blowing going off here, it's great poem for helix.
Thank you.
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:28:47
Some amateur weightings often just put on body.
Challenge the team to be ambitious, and I would rather we were accused of being too ambitious and not being ambitious enough, so I absolutely take that challenge and I'm happy for us to be to be ambitious, I think, though, what we'd seeing here are the metrics for the West Yorkshire Plan,
The missions, the five missions in the West Yorkshire Plan, which sets out a whole raft of things and which are not about only what the Combined Authority emits within its narrower, relatively narrow remit, is able to control. We are setting out what needs doing, given what the evidence says, not simply what we on our own are able to do with our resources. It's a a cast around to say this. While the evidence is saying this is what needs to change for the missions to be delivered to be achieved, and some of that will be within the ambit of the look up with plan we are delivering. Some of that will fall in the Local Transport Plan and the climate plan, and others that we're working on. Some of that will live with other partners that we work with
And within the, as Jo was saying, which is my other point, the structured they look up with plan a third bit. The third part of that is our ask of central government are asked of other partners and will capture that the things that are not within our remit will be captured there. So we are holding those conversations and we push others to do their bit so that what we are doing is able to compliment that to take out a bit closer, so your point is absolutely spot on. We accept that it is ambitious. Some of it might not even be realistic for some, but I would rather we were ambitious because we have been unambitious for too long.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:30:49
and and it's important to this point that we lead the thinking to enable the delivery whether ever that delivery comes from, we need to be pushing the boundaries to improve these things because they are so important. I'm gonna come to Susan and then to Ben okay, I've spoken instead it said Susan then to Tom and adventure sharing Susan you're alright.
Ha
Because actually the thing is, if we do on the stats, West Yorkshire Hewitt, who is gonna, champion West Yorkshire but is not allowed to shape the place that we try and govern and yeah long gone are the days actually about 30 40 years ago. Politicians used to control absolutely a lot of the institutions that we now talk about. We don't now, as politicians are very much shape as influences, trying to get other agencies to act in the way. That's gonna be complementary to everything else and therefore we got used to being in different space now as politicians really, which is not just pressing a lever and it works is actually speaking to somebody who has a lever to make them presser in a different way to make sure it works better. So, to give an example, like in education in Bradford, I thought to ask if all secondary schools
Managed by private academy trusts, not by the local authority. So therefore I have to meet with the chairs of those to say. What could you do, things like this instead of like this and try and bring them round tables at us as a convenient West Yorkshire is absolutely the you know, the regional convener of all these people and Tracy as Mayor has a very strong convenient power to bring some of these people around the table to say actually this is not working for us, so I think it's important. I absolutely agree by you're absolutely right control these things, but we for politicians having it on the list, so it demonstrates to me what actually I need to go and speak to these people, because it is going to influence what we achieve at the end of the day. So for that reason I think it's the right scope, but we have to be honest with ourselves about what is in scope, which leaves we pull and which are the levers other people pull, and therefore we've got to we've got to make allies and friends outside this room to make sure we can pull more levers, collectively
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:32:55
Great point Susan Tom, I feel like I have close the circle at this
James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:33:00
point, because I remember in 1999 been in a meeting and Graham Paul, who was the Chair of the audit was satin trousers site unelected and the great Ian Greenwood was sat in Bani seat and Ian could not at Graham was putting this Wogan at Wogan or hit the moon. You know we were gonna be ambitious, we're gonna change things and Ian couldn't stop himself coming and he kept asking but Graham, what's gonna happen when we when we fail to hit a target
And Graham kept saying, we're not gonna fail, we're not gonna failure and Ian just kept whingeing anymore.
and I guess that's the central solve
You know that balance between ambition and you know stretching ourselves, but also bringing people with us to show that there's there's realism and there's reality, and we're actually you know, we've got plans behind this is is where you want to get to and I I I I am I do think twice he's got it right in terms of that balance of,
The value base and the way we're gonna work, I think, has got to be glass half full, it's got to be, we we've suffered in the past as a region, I think they've been seen too much to be complaining that it is someone else's fault rather than us getting hold of it, and add is one thing about Leeds that I've loved while I've been here and that I'll miss is is very much that can-do spirit and that enterprising spirit, and so I absolutely think that you've got the
the tone right, but I do think there's a trick to play to meet Bonnie's point and Bonnie's will be speaking for a lot of businesses out there who'll be more sceptical of whatnot what we're doing and everything so he's right to raise it and, as Susan says I think finding those bits of real action where you can show that he is what we're actually doing on this thing and even though we might not be able to change the way the interest rates are set across the country, this is gonna make a real difference.
I think that's the the bit we've got to get to next and I'm really confident and optimistic that we can, and I think especially the shift of tone to local growth plans. I think it's a really good move as well and I think there will be more more to come there. So yeah, it's it's a great debate and it'll go on, I'm sure, but we've got it, we've got it, we've got the tone right and Barney Oliver yeah yeah
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:35:30
With family as if they were definitely gonna, miss tombs, tombs
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:35:37
experiences and and and a thought as well, sharing you an excellent limato, yes, panky around it.
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 1:35:47
this is absolutely beautiful, I love the Muslim, I can see how 17 STD goals have been embedded in the service where clever as well.
one thing I just want to probably pick up on Bonnie's point is how do we sort of circle this, and this is all interconnected as well, just like SCPG goals?
One is a tradition set by my side, fate plays a key role in bringing morality.
Making everyone aware of in terms of what to do.
Especially what are the right things to do, especially in a situation like mission number 5, so I would like to see its vehicle probably become one of the capitalist, in terms of solving some of those problem, where we can help more moral awareness if at all if we can't do that, I think the other option is.
We need to know all STDs what they are, how it impacts are those how, as as an individual, as a business leader or as an Institute we are responsible for putting some moral values,
And sort of democratising that and if so, how can we sort of bring that and linked with mission five at some point, so maybe that's a
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:37:14
footfall food for thought, but can you just tell me what an STD is CSI Usher?
I do not think that that is a you United nation has 17 S D G goals, which is.
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 1:37:22
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Year as digit goals, so I can see that's been embedded here and we will see measurable development goals you talk about the 17 on the
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:37:34
colour job with yeah fiancee I can see, probably the mission of AFBI is more about morals and the awareness of
what is the right thing to do?
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 1:37:45
and how we can bring that awareness squat early, especially at school level, college level or at the community level or organisation NGO
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:37:55
level, does it food for thought is a great idea in, and I know some businesses mine included reuse yet the sustainable development goals to measure our progress against them because I think they can transfer through everything that we do so definitely food for thought shown. Thank you at Martin,
Mr Sherin Mathew (Private Sector Representative) - 1:38:11
but thank you firstly, I think it was very good.
Overall, I agree with emissions that's how you do it on support.
the I've mentioned this before and I don't quite know how we how we get to the end of it, but it assumes that the productivity
Down, but it was only in the private sector, when in fact we know we need to find some way of talking at how we can make the public sector more productive, because of how many people are employed in it and if we could make a difference there, especially how our public sector works together in a region and, with that in mind, I think social value of the new social value rules on procurement and how we use that could be a real game-changer that we can control locally.
That would have a massive impact on on the economy
if you do not, that does a really good, the best policy officer and I'm sure others have got them at Wakefield Council have got a really good social value section in the in their
government strategy, so it might be worth having a look
I wanted to ask him that's really helpful in that.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:39:27
I love permissions and love the ambition, and I think it speaks to who
Annette Joseph - 1:39:33
we are as a region we always cannot reach for the stars and if we don't reach for the stars, then you know it's better to aim high and not quite make it than than aim low and then just not get anyway so I think like looking at them.
I'm I'm glad that we're using them as monitoring indicators because it's important to monitor the data and to keep track of you know what leavers make what things move, I'm kind of struck at the interdependency of it. All some of the healthy, healthy life expectancy, all healthy outcomes will impacts living standards, child poverty. You know, so I think, as we make changes and move forward, it will be important to keep an eye on all of these and keep an eye on the data so that we can see what small changes actually affect other missions and keep an eye on the into interdependency interlocking of we all interconnected. That's that's the word of it all
And I think, if I may, the mission led approach which, as an
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:40:46
organisation we're now adopting that it. It's not just. I only do transport because, for example, being able, through the apprenticeship levy, share scheme to train 15 PCSOs to go on the bus network and in bus stations to keep people safe and then confident about using the bus that sort of Venn diagram, the creativity there to solve problems when you've got the right people round the table, so it's getting out of our own silos to tackle those five missions where you can bring people in from all different parts of the teams and I think it's also interesting for colleagues, so you get better, faster outcomes than that and maybe more sustainable as well.
People are holistic right.
Annette Joseph - 1:41:34
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:41:36
At first from the last point of gonna come to Calais and then we'll
Ms. Natalie Sykes (Private Sector Representative) - 1:41:40
move on just a couple of things I do think, Emma you'd probably expect me to say this, having come from the cultural sector that a vision of a future is really important and therefore a collective sense of where we're trying to head and the
the mechanisms are getting narrow, really important, so the ambition feels really powerful to me and the convening power of of us all to into effect the interconnectivity of what makes a place a better place to live is really powerful, and I think that's we should all be proud of of that in the document really enhances that the a couple of questions around,
High growth clusters and and the fact that the creative industries don't appear there, and yet I mean, I know it's talked about, but there is a really important it is to sort the centre that more more, obviously because it is still remains one of the fastest growing.
sectors and and even in the most recent assessment, I think it's a, it's had growth in terms of the economy, so I wonder if there is a way of talking about the creative industries, especially in the light of the cultural strategy and the kind of passion that the Mayor has had for that one and the the regional in pattern in recent years of the work that's happening here, getting the retention of talent that's happening here and that is also linked to the slip skills question or earlier which is,
I am really really concerned about the demise of the creative education and the lack of yachts and the drop in engagement from young people in the in in those areas, because the creative imagination is what where innovation sits and it affects every aspect of our business operation, so I think there's something collectively we need to do around the policy drivers going forward which really invests in young people and their ability to access the arts and their own creativity in some way and education has to play an important partner, so I think some of that just feels like we should hold on to that quite tight because that's the bedrock of future future generation and their skills needs.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:43:56
clearly, I think you're right and how we tell the stories around where we're targeting, so where is the creative sector might be coming out in emerging tech? For example, we need to tell stories around what are our niches and what are yours are big ambitions as well and creative. The creative sector is certainly one of those with Bradford coming out. We've just had Leeds yeah, it's absolutely through what we do, and I think we need to make sure that, and our universities, for example, measure also huge strengths of the region or come out more loudly and proudly within within that plan, along with that international piece Tracey. Did you want to add to that yeah collie,
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:44:32
obviously, but I'm in lockstep with what you're saying, but it is in the emerging tech cluster in a creative and also media
but we can't lose sight of it because it is actually a growing sector at 3.00 times as many jobs in the creative industries than the rest of the country that investment and that focus does deliver, but to your point about young people, absolutely we've lost our teachers, we've lost dance teachers drama fallen off a cliff, it isn't right that only middle class kids have access to the creative subjects to barney's point that is not in my gift as a national policy, but what we can do, for example, the Mayor's screen diversity programme. We continuing that for another year the outcomes have been incredible. The young poet laureate, where every school in West Yorkshire has had a poetry module and we, you know, we commissioned our young poets to do more of that. That's now being taken upon as a national scheme because it was so effective. We can do things on the ground, but absolutely
the with potentially a change of government. There might be a new approach because businesses are telling me time and again they need
staff who come collaborate, creative problem solve, which is why we have the West Yorkshire promise as my manifesto, every young person will have a package of soft skills, a programme, a module of soft skills, and also every child will have access to, as I mentioned, grassroots sports and creativity so we're on it but but Barney is right that there's lots of these things that are centralised, but we can also be cheeky and innovative and we can do more with the with the money that we have.
Thank you.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:46:20
So lots of think about veg, are you taking notes, and I guess at that point we'll move on because we're coming to the end of the time we've allocated for this to item 11, which is around the Combined Authority as the systems enable us, I guess how we gonna start to do some of this and Felix over to you.

11 Presentation : The Combined Authority as a System Enabler

Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:46:47
Such ups, thank you, we should all three reviews really on, I think, after the session there's a workshop for which will be used to pick some of them up, and hopefully some of you will be able to stay for that that three reviews are one looking at employment and skills.
And that is in two phases Michelle, can go into some of the detail.
there, but you will have seen on this in your slides in two phases, one looking at how the combined authority and local authority partners in particular, work together more seamlessly to ensure that our shared ambitions are delivered more efficiently, more effectively low, our local authority partners have really close and hit strong partnerships relationships capacity to deliver and to act locally.
a lot of the skills and employment space is also quite hyperlocal in nature and recognising what that is and how we can work together so that we, as a Combined Authority, are enabling at supporting and are working as as well as we possibly can.
it is really crucial and then understanding what is truly regional in nature, in the role of a Combined Authority, also plays an understanding that, within this system, they are other important players, psychologists, skills providers, et cetera, I employers, and how that ecosystem works.
so the first review is to really help us understand that the second one is around business support and business engagement, and against Sarah can go into a bit more detail if board members would like that, but that is really helping us understand what the landscape is like, really picking up on what Ben was saying earlier on messages that came back strongly from climbed from UK reef about the access that parts of our business community feel they have, or the lack when it comes to the networks out there. The support that is out there and what they can tap into whether gates are what the barriers are, etc we know that the Combined Authority with partners, we put out a fair bit of business support, probably not the only ones that do this partners round. The room do that.
was on a call yesterday and you know we're talking about how much they use the library Leeds Library and the IPC there, for example, there are others providing support, albeit what is our role as a Combined Authority, how do we make sure that the way we act does not duplicate while we add value and we are supportive as we possibly could be, especially in an era where resources are more and more limited?
That also allows us to think more closely, going back to one of the illustrations that Joe used around the wheel of Enterprise Monday calls them how we can then devote ourselves to building, where they don't exist, building, helping to build the networks and then cobweb of support that businesses need the third one really goes to a point that Councillor Hinchcliffe was was, I think, making earlier on we've engaged our University partners and Rippon to help us think, through the agency, that the Combined Authority has we limiting this for now to the work that we're doing in the growth plan so it's looking at skills and,
Business and the economy has helped helping us to understand how the system is laid out, what the key levers are and what happens when we pull one lever and not the other, and what are the consequences on other parts of the system, helping us to understand our role as a convener as an enabler a bit more, because we are going to have to play that role more skilfully in in this period we are entering into when, as, as I said earlier, on, resources may not be are coming to us in the same way as they did in the past or we have increased powers, responsibility, some funding, but we know that there's a lot more funding out in the system, that is assets outside of us and our public sector partners. How do we work as a system partner system leader to actually move the dial significantly? Going back to the point, Bonnie was making you'll see in the past when we do a lot of business support, a lot of the metrics that we would use will be how many businesses, we've spoken to, or how many how many hours we've engaged with a business, and we've done this for decades. The data is not shifted,
so we've tried to look at the system and what moves will actually shift the dial at that level, and so what is our responsibility? What is our responsibility of our partners? So through WIPA and our University partners are grappling with this with us because this is quite difficult squat, and it's not easy to put your finger on, but hopefully some of that learning will underpin the work that we're doing in the Local Plan and will inform how we act. So. Those three pieces of work have been kicked off. There are lots of conversations going around if somebody's not knocked on your door, yet it won't be long, somebody will we just pick all the breeze that we can to help inform the work we're doing, but hopefully that all of that is
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:52:27
helpful. Thank you. Thanks Phoenix. Has anybody got any comments or questions and Natalie
at Felix just on that, the business eco support system, we've spoken about lack metrics and I don't even know what year they relate to, but
Kamran Rashid (Private Sector Representative) - 1:52:49
80,000 businesses we have in West Yorkshire, 18,000 fewer yeah in 2022 we had nearly 2.5 million people so,
Part of what we saw at the end of 2008 and the global recession was a resistance and the risk aversion to entrepreneurship, we've had the pandemic and everything else which has gone with it, but surely we're now as we start to see the economic climate soften which it showed start to be able to reach out to the startups to the scallops and I know you spoke about the packs and how you can support new businesses but some of the things which already exists and I guess it's about how do we join it up across West Yorkshire?
to drive it forward, you've got Eagle labs the NatWest accelerator the university incubators, you know how do we encourage younger entrepreneurs to take that step to give us more business, and I think that's gonna be part of quite a focused.
targeted plan because you can track them you can go OK with supported
10 businesses from the NatWest accelerate. I think they've put through blur across the UK about two and a half thousand companies a year are Goldman Sachs. You know there are various programmes which are active here, but how can we show we've supported them, we've opened various doors and then champion the success, so it's a bit like you know, we say Well this one stars and we want to reach for the moon, but actually we're probably talking about Miles now coming to your space, but how do we give them that support and identify them and track them and champion, and I think that is how we can really change the dial because ultimately, with the business board we need more businesses, we need more entrepreneurs, we need to see that growth and to have those stats of 18,000 fewer businesses. We're back to 2008, but we're now we're merely four years past the pandemic. We must be coming into a different type of landscape, while I think everybody's done with everything which has happened, so how do we then move it forward in a focused way where we can support some of those great ideas, those great individuals to really champion West Yorkshire so Felix I'd like
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:55:31
to come back and so you saw earlier like a spoke system with some access to use on their one and really Phoenix has just alluded to the wheels of enterprise, which is not a name I'm necessarily wedded to, and a lot of you will have heard me bang on about this.
but basically whether you're a startup, a scallop, a large business or investing in the region as a business, the things you need is access to somewhere to be access to finance, access to skills and know how to your point about incubators, access to markets so are you going to get your business from access to promotions, how do we talk understand it loud and proud about your business or what we're doing in the region and then finally, access to innovation?
And underneath each of those wheels, what I would like to see us do is to start to colour those in with what have we got a solutions, either that we are providing that our partners are providing all that is provided elsewhere, so ego lapses a great example of something that can help solve that within the West Yorkshire Innovation Network we have solutions to that and so it's starting to unpick all of that and then how do we signpost better to it?
bono, Barney.
I actually think a lack of ambition again.
Barney Mynott, Advisory Representative (West Yorkshire Business Groups) - 1:56:55
I will always smoke into myself because fairly, she said you're not the only ones who provide support, the majority of business support is provided by businesses to businesses that might be accountants, people are marked on websites.
Uhura, so whenever we talk about business support, we start talking about the state-funded business support that's a fraction of all the stuff out there, so why do we limit ourselves?
And so I think the challenge, if you look at the ecosystem, the business support ecosystem in West Yorkshire.
All the supports there and we have businesses and people want to start businesses the key is how do we bring the two together and essential and crucial to that is actually allowing businesses and business owners to think to know what it is they need rather than what they think they need, which means you need some sort of process it really shows the most possible some sort of diagnostic tool and the worst thing that
is always done by by local authorities and the Combined Authority. Is they get funding, they fund people to come in to do it, do services deliver the service, put people out of business, then at the end of the funding, they go away and they leave the ecosystem weaker than when they started and actually in the voluntary sector. This is actually frowned upon, but in the business sector we put up with for some reason. So, as you think our starting point is, you know, we're starting here, if I may
Challenge again, but it's actually about saying how do we link up the existing support to the people who need support, and how do we close the gap, whether that's by knowing what's available and signposting or by providing funded support, support that goes to existing support providers rather than the cavalry that they bring in?
And if we start with that, it'd be such a better way to go about it, and it's not revolutionary because the voluntary sector has done this for years.
and they're going to Phoenix, but I couldn't agree with you more
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 1:58:57
vehemently and by putting into some sort of structure and making sure we bring in everything that there is not just anything that it will provide. Now it is simple. Being a business myself, I completely understand that it's the same for a lot of people round this table. Finding the labyrinth in the first place is hard enough, let alone finding your way round dates, so having some organisation around that and making sure we pull in everything we can. The point about attracting money to the region and creating networks is absolutely essential, and that has to be where we put a lot of our focus in this room so feel it will come to you next
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 1:59:37
thank you, you constraint.
You will find that on this, we are aligned as possible, and that is wise, sir sorry Smiler, that is why we put this review in place because.
it's absolutely essential that, whatever results we've got, we only deployed to add value, it does not make sense for us, I think, Helen we're colleague.
Explained it quite cleverly to me recently around sort of turning up and putting a big canopy or you know, tent up, and then by the time you take it back down or the grasses with it, underneath it you know so we we turn up and we do all this stuff and then the funding runs out and we leave and as you said you know the ecosystem as that then suffers, there is a role that the Combined Authority has to play. Organisations like us have to play and should play, and should play that deliberately with intent.
but that role is not to duplicate what already is out there is to add value to what is out there, and that is what we seeking to put our finger on, so we absolutely acknowledge the work that you and others do as as I was saying when I was speaking earlier on we know businesses tell us when they need support, they go to the content or the a lawyer or someone you know one of the few at last places that will come to us us when a precious about that the important thing is,
when the you know we need to know what it is that we are the best wants to deliver, and then we get out and we do that and we support you and others to do what you are, the best well-placed to do, sometimes the best thing we can do is to get out of your way and we need to do that and we need to just do that.
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 2:01:35
thanks I've got three comments, say Kazan's Cliff then Tom and then Ben and then unless there's anybody who's absolutely desperate to speak will start to draw to a close, say, Councillor Hinchcliffe, I am pleased that we haven't needs reviews, I just wonder if it obviously timescale seems quite short as well which I like and like the answer to quickly as good or just what have we got terms of reference and who's gonna be involved in these reviews and I couldn't see anything that's a mistake but,
we also see the question you runs asking is important, really in terms of where you gonna get to, and obviously we've got some on business, we've got some bespoke a very good voice around this table, of course spot on on things like skills of costs local authorities need to be very much part of that, so have you got that sorted yet really that that nuts and bolts split?
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:02:25
yes, we do, we work very closely with local authority by DOJ. I took a look at 30 language here, but local authority partners and average to drop a speck. We've gone out and so we've got partners in who are working with us on its ricocheted intelligence working with us on the skills one, we've got juicy sites, Richard is there and he's ready to talk to colleagues straight after this and then we've got the universities working with that on the third one that I talked about and they are, they have them and they are coming out to speak with all of you about this. So, as I said, if nobody's knocked on your door, yet somebody Wilson
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 2:03:09
Thanks thanks, Councillor Hinchcliffe, thanks I'm sorry, I'm in
James Mowbray, Committee Services Officer (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:03:16
reflective mode and but I I was the future once a year or so on, as someone once said, I.
I think this is one area where we've got better over the years, I often I know I'd gone bang on about the idea, but we're actually by the sea estimate and done a good job on this agenda, and I think it's been partly because it's for a small focused,
and I think again that point about recognising up front in the the way we communicate this in the way that we talk about the is the private sector that takes you know most of the strain on this agenda and business to businesses what people generally respect Murray my experience, but actually there is a gap, this market failure and often in specialism and that's where the clusters come in and when you can get that really good support from the state more generally,
so yeah, I just encourage us to continue with that what Felix has described rarely that we intervene, where where it's really needed, but not try and step into the space that is better for the private sector, to just take itself and and continue with.
Thank you, Tom and Ben thank you to one of the other things where we
Mandy Ridyard (Chair) - 2:04:24
we did quite a lot of work in the transition between the LEP Board and this Board to make sure that we have the right people around the table and the right processes one of things that will feedback during that time was that we have sessions like this and we listened to by his comments so we will say that's what we're going to do and then the silence and then more pops out the other end is a carefully crafted combined authority programme that looks a lot like the thing we said we weren't gonna during the first place.
We we we we, we absolutely commit to not doing that, and we really do want you to hold us to account to make sure at the moment you see anything like that cropping up in any of this work call it out or we will deal with it. So we genuinely feel it says point absolutely right. We genuinely want to have a different role in the ecosystem and certainly not leave any network
destabilised or weakened as a result of anything we're doing in the public sector.
I thank the attorney.
So unless anybody is absolutely desperate to say anything, I'm gonna draw the meeting to a close the date of the next meeting, I think, is probably as a place holding your diaries but will be agreed at the Combined Authority meeting, which I think is next week. Isn't it so hope you've all found this useful, it's been fantastic to have all your insights and inputs and as S as Ben so eloquently put, it's really important that we feed that in and that you make sure that you start to see your fingerprints on behalf of all businesses in West Yorkshire across everything that we do so thanks for everything and please stay now, we've got a workshop, which is gonna, be really interesting on some of the insights around the reviews and we'd love you to be part of that too. So we've got a bit of time, it's time to grab a coffee before we leave. From my point of view,

12 Date of Next Meeting

I'd just like to say thank you to Tom you've been a brilliant friend and ally to many people around this table, you've been brilliant today, the meeting, I'd love you to come more often as the voice of reason.
But whatever you do, we wish you every success and thank you for everything that you've done for the region to know here.
Felix Kumi-Ampofo, Director (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) - 2:06:32
If I may just add, there are biscuits that reception went out to get for us, so I will be remiss that nobody had a biscuit dwellings are not cheap one.