Leeds and Partners to be abolished – to save just £950,000

LEEDS and Partners is to be closed in a move that will save nearly £1m after the council ran short of money and patience for its inward investment agency.

Just two years after it rebranded from Marketing Leeds and expanded its remit, it is to be abolished after failing to keep pace with the direction of change.

The shift of focus from city to city region is the main reason given for the change, with a review deciding its marketing and communications functions should be wholly transferred to the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from spring 2015.

This will save £950,000, which will help as the city seeks to find savings of £76m in the next financial year, although it is damning that the inward investment agency is being merged out of existence for such a relatively small sum.

Current funding from Leeds City Council to Leeds and Partners is in the region of £2m a year, made up of a combination of cash and seconded staff.

Members of Leeds City Council’s executive board will be asked to approve the review’s recommendations when they meet next week.

Leader of Leeds City Council Keith Wakefield, who was chairman of the inward investment review group, said: “While it is clear that Leeds and Partners put our inward investment activity on a more robust footing we cannot rest on our laurels and need to continue to compete more effectively as a city region both nationally and globally.

“In the current climate, this move is the right step to make sure that as a region we harness all of the resources available to us and use them to the best possible effect.”

Andy Clarke, chairman of Leeds and Partners, added: “The board and chief executive of Leeds and Partners whole heartedly support this move to a regional agenda, which will realise the significant opportunities that closer alignment will bring for the Leeds City Region economy. 

“In the last three years Leeds and Partners has transformed the way the city and wider region attract inward investment. It is testament to the achievements and talent of the team that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and LEP recognise the successes of Leeds and Partners and intend to build on this approach as part of the new governance structure. I look forward to continuing to play an active role in supporting this agenda moving forward.”

Lurene Joseph stepped down as chief executive of Leeds and partners in October after two-and-a-half years in charge, a period which was described as an “unmitigated, disastrous waste of money”.