Refreshed economic recovery plan revealed
An updated Economic Recovery Plan for the region has been unveiled at the latest meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
West Yorkshire leaders were asked to review the refreshed version of the plan which doubles down on economic recovery and refocuses on plans for levelling up and tackling the climate emergency.
The new document builds on previous versions of the Economic Recovery Plan and moves the focus from rescuing the economy to building resilience and securing a fair, just and lasting recovery for everyone.
At the peak of lockdown, over 300,000 workers across West Yorkshire were on furlough. In addition, unemployment claims rose by 84%, and apprenticeship starts also fell by 22% at the start of the 2020 academic year.
While the unemployment rate across the region has remained lower than many forecasters anticipated, certain groups have been significantly affected with unemployment and economic inactivity disproportionally high for 16–24 year olds.
To tackle the issues during the pandemic, the Combined Authority invested £13.5m to support 10,000 individuals who are unemployed, furloughed or need to update their skills, back towards employment.
The LEP and the five West Yorkshire local authorities have also continued to support residents and businesses in the region, and with support from Government, have helped to distribute over £1bn of support to businesses.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Visiting people and places across our region, I have seen up close the impact the pandemic has had on our economy and social fabric, widening inequalities of health and wealth.
“Our plan has two main areas of focus: to deliver inclusive growth for everyone across our region and to tackle the climate and environment emergency.
“These golden threads will drive every action of this plan – from creating 1,000 skilled green jobs, providing affordable and sustainable housing, prioritising skills and training for all, connecting people through public transport, to delivering a creative New Deal for our fantastic creative industries.
“I am fully committed to delivering the actions contained within this plan over the next three years as the Mayor of West Yorkshire.
“However, to deliver the change we seek, we need to do it collaboratively with our local authorities, partners and with businesses. Genuine Government commitment to levelling up and co-investing in our region, would help us go even further.”
The plan will be revised over the coming weeks as the impact of ending the Furlough Scheme becomes clearer.
The Economic Recovery Plan will also be supported by the Business Productivity and Resilience Plan which positions boosting business productivity as a key pillar of delivering an inclusive recovery for the region.
