Talk about delivering the local growth plan to transform the lives of West Yorkshire residents

After the HCS AGM on the evening of March 25, 2026, members and guests enjoyed an informative talk by Felix Kumi-Ampofo (above), Director of Inclusive Economy, Skills & Culture at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the collaborative organisation covering all five West Yorkshire councils.

Felix had described his objectives as including to “set out the Local Growth Plan, the barriers to growth, our agreed priorities and the headline actions we are taking through our investment programme to deliver.’’  

In his talk Felix emphasised that the Combined Authority is still a young organisation which, under Mayor Tracey Brabin, has a governance structure that includes the heads of all five West Yorkshire local authorities. He reviewed the economy of West Yorkshire, including data on the preponderance of job opportunities in Leeds, with the challenges the region faces, showing indicators of success where it falls below – often well below – the national average. Felix described some of the initiatives the Authority is undertaking and how its emphasis is on improving three main areas: transport, skills and employment.

The talk covered initiatives to bring more companies into the region with the challenge of how to bring back into use the many underused historic buildings of towns such as Huddersfield. Felix mentioned the need for investors to get speedy decisions which public sector decision-making organisations often find difficult to meet.

Felix commented that traditional rivalries between our local authorities mean that citizens of towns, such as Huddersfield, do not usually describe themselves as being part of a Greater Leeds in the way that many residents of towns around Manchester are happy to associate themselves with Greater Manchester and the successes of Manchester itself.

Felix concluded by taking questions from the audience, including on how citizens, local authorities and WYCA might best work together.

The HCS committee would like to thank Felix for agreeing to attend in a sensitive political period running up to an election.

For further information on the Combined Authority please see: https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/resources/local-growth-plan-west-yorkshire-and-corridors-of-opportunity/