Creating inclusive growth for Leeds
Andy Wood, Grant Thornton UK’s practice leader for Yorkshire, reflects on the firm’s recent successful Live Lab event in Leeds and discusses the next steps to create an inclusive future for the city
It was an honour and a privilege to take to the stage at New Dock Hall and kick-off Grant Thornton’s Live Lab in Leeds. To address the 300-plus people who had answered our call to action to design a new future for the city was truly inspirational and as the day-long event unfolded, I felt prouder and more excited than ever before about what lay ahead, and the positive things we could achieve together. 
As I suggested to all of our guests, Leeds is a place of which we should be incredibly proud, but there is still much work to be done to fulfil our ambitions. The collective purpose of the city’s public, private and third sectors, communities and inspiring individuals, is to build on our strengths and make Leeds the place where we all connect to create inclusive growth that will benefit everyone.
By everyone we mean our business leaders and burgeoning industries, through to our youngest untapped talent, and we should not forget or ignore those of us in our society who make a fantastic contribution but perhaps need help more than most. And, thanks to the dedication of everyone who played a part in the successful Live Lab event, that’s exactly what we plan to do.
Using an appreciative inquiry methodology we were encouraged to focus on the city’s existing strengths, rather than its challenges. This positive approach resulted in the generation of hundreds of creative and ambitious ideas from the 40 tables in the room to help make Leeds an even better place to live and work. As these ideas were shared with the audience, to wholehearted applause and cheers, what was abundantly clear was the passion of all of our people to create a thriving, vibrant economy that works for all.
Following the Live Lab, Grant Thornton is now working with attendees and other stakeholders to take these ideas and areas of discussion forward together to make them a reality. We would encourage anyone with an interest in Leeds and the wider city region to contribute and get involved.
Three of the ideas that were proposed were:
• Become a world leader in digital: Leeds is fast-becoming the place for digital and technology innovation, with established businesses expanding rapidly and new start-ups flocking to the city to share in its success.
• Free working hub for start-ups: We want to support those ambitious start-ups to flourish with access to free working space and access to businesses and mentors, to give them the opportunity to grow their networks, and collaborate with other like-minded people.
• Inclusivity and diversity in recruitment: We know we have work to do in ensuring that our workforce reflects the city’s diversity and also that we are better meeting the needs of our young talent. 
We want everyone in the City Region to play a part in shaping Leeds’s Vibrant Economy and help us reach our full potential. What we’re doing in Leeds mirrors Grant Thornton’s ongoing drive to shape a Vibrant Economy across the UK, to unlock the shared potential of the country and develop new ways to identify and drive a range of growth opportunities.
If this has sparked some ideas, we’d love to get you involved. Please join our community HERE.
