West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Passengers will be welcomed back to Bradford Interchange bus station from this Sunday (5 January). The vast majority of services will return to the station. However, we’re encouraging passengers to check their journeys before travelling: https://lnkd.in/ezbvKKwP We’d like to thank you for your patience and understanding.

Happy New Year! 🎉 Here’s to a 2025 of happiness, opportunities, and growth, as we continue to build a brighter West Yorkshire for the people and organisations that call our region home.

Chag sameach! Happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating in West Yorkshire and beyond. Wishing you a season of light, laughter, and happiness. 🕎

Merry Christmas West Yorkshire! We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful festive season filled with joy and laughter.🎄✨

This festive season, we wanted to know, once and for all, the answer to a very important question 👇   Wishing all those in West Yorkshire and beyond a fantastic festive period🎄

West Yorkshire is the proud home of 2.4 million people and over 95,000 businesses, and we want to help provide the tools and the opportunities for every one to flourish. Take a look at some of the ways we’ve been building a strong, brighter region this year 👇 💰 This month, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire unveiled a multi-billion-pound plan to create thousands of jobs and unlock £26 billion of additional economic growth. The ten-year West Yorkshire Local Growth Plan sets out the Combined Authority’s commitments to invest in business support, skills training, transport, and housing. 🎨 2024 was the year the Mayor’s “You Can Make It Here” programme got underway. Designed to support and drive growth in the region’s creative sector, this £2.3 million package has supported schemes including the West Yorkshire Music Network, a brand-new network to connect creative musical talent. It has provided funding to help West Yorkshire’s cultural venues become more accessible to disabled artists and audiences. And it has funded the “WYCreate” platform, a bespoke programme of skills masterclasses and business support sessions for those working in the creative industries. 💼 On Small Business Saturday, the Mayor of West Yorkshire announced a new £3 million package for apprenticeships in small and medium-sized businesses. 💡In March, we announced an £80 million boost for West Yorkshire’s digital and health technology firms, through the West Yorkshire Healthtech and Digital Tech Investment Zone. 🚀 We’re building a region of learning and creativity in West Yorkshire, and this year £60 million was invested to enable colleges, councils, and education providers to deliver training courses in the region. 🤝 West Yorkshire is home to a booming healthtech sector. Over the summer, the Mayor signed a historic trade and investment pact with Nashville Mayor, Freddie O’Connell, to create a “Healthtech Bridge” and encourage the flow of trade, investment and knowledge-sharing between our two regions. 👩🎓This year, we launched the Mayor’s graduate programme, matching graduates to local businesses. 💥In May, we welcomed over 12,000 businesses and political leaders to Leeds for UKREiif, a major international investor conference, and showcased the fantastic opportunities West Yorkshire has to offer. 🙌After launching in 2023, over 200 employers have joined the West Yorkshire Fair Work Charter. The charter helps businesses develop their people, and boost performance and productivity in a few simple steps. Discover more on how we’re growing our region’s economy and building a West Yorkshire that works for all: https://lnkd.in/gShq93ee

Christmas markets are officially back across West Yorkshire in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. With products from local Yorkshire merchants to international traders this year's Christmas markets aren't one to miss! #WhereOpportunityLives #Christmas #ChristmasMarkets #SupportLocal

We’re building a greener, more vibrant West Yorkshire, with an ambition of being net zero carbon by 2038. Here’s five things we’ve been doing in 2024 to move us closer to that goal 👇 🏡This year we kickstarted a home energy revolution in our region. In July, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire announced new low-interest loans to help people renovate their homes and save on their energy bills. 🌧️At the start of 2024 regional leaders signed off a £5.6 million flood defence fund to protect West Yorkshire’s communities and businesses from extreme weather. ☀️With the help of a “Solar Together” scheme from the Mayor of West Yorkshire, participating homeowners in the region saved up to 40% off the cost of solar panels. 🌍We asked for people’s views on the climate emergency with the Mayor’s Big Climate Chat. These views have helped build our upcoming Climate and Environment Plan. 🤝We announced the West Yorkshire Strategic Climate and Environment Partnership, a ground breaking collaboration between the Mayor of West Yorkshire and four major private sector firms to help our region become greener, quicker. Want to find out more about what we’re doing and our plans for the future? Visit https://lnkd.in/eVvQTe3Z

Update on Bradford Interchange bus station. Over 80% of bus services will return to Bradford Interchange when the station reopens to the public on 5 January 2025. 11 services will remain on-street and we are continuing to work to bring all services back to the bus station in the coming months. To find out more about the plans for the reopening and the bus services, visit: https://ow.ly/wzzR50Uuax9

We’re building a region where people have access to opportunities to help them flourish. With Wakefield Council, we've set up a new commission to identify how we can meet the demand for degree-level education in Wakefield. By supporting people to gain the right skills, we can: ✅Transform our economy ✅Put more money in people’s pockets ✅Build a brighter future for Wakefield and beyond Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eVHdGPen