West Yorkshire Transport Fund
As part of the City Deal between West Yorkshire, York and central government, a Transport Fund in excess of £1bn is targeted specifically to increasing housing, employment and economic growth across the region.
About the fund
The fund identified a Core 10-year package of measures that would enable change and deliver economic growth in the short to medium-term.
The package was formed around five broad programmes, which are:
- Rail and rapid transit
- More efficient highway and bus networks
- Multi-modal corridor improvements
- Other targeted improvements to support employment
- Improving the highway network to support growth
Further work on developing the fund is being undertaken by the partners.
The fund is the key to increasing economic prosperity and sustainability over the next decade, especially for people living in more deprived areas. It gives better transport to access jobs, provides faster journeys, decongestion and improved air quality for the sub-region.
Kirklees lies within the Leeds City Region but also has close strategic links in the Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire Regions.
Kirklees strategic position within the Leeds City Region provides it with significant opportunities to outperform its peers. It is a lynchpin within the Government's ambitions to establish the Northern Powerhouse.
Kirklees, with its prominent towns of Huddersfield and Dewsbury, is a prime example of the region's aptitude for innovation and global leadership in the manufacturing sector. With its high concentrations of value-added bespoke engineering, manufacturing makes up a quarter of the Kirklees economy with £1.5 billion of GVA, and 25,000 people employed (17% of the workforce) - the third-highest number of any locality in England.
Capitalising upon its position and economic strengths, Kirklees has the ability to serve as a bridge for flows of investment and labour capital. This benefits both the regional and local economy.