Your Combined Authority Budget: 2021-22

Thank you for your question. Our ambition, set out in our Transport Plan, is for an efficient, safe and reliable road network for all users that creates new opportunities for jobs and housing. 

The Transport Strategy was adopted by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in 2017. Consultation on the Transport Strategy with the public and organisational stakeholders was carried out in 2015 and 2016. The results of both consultations informed the approach set out in the strategy document.

As part of our Connectivity Infrastructure Plan (which we are currently seeking views on) we are reviewing all transport modes to ensure we get the right mix and balance across West Yorkshire. Roads already being planned/developed will be assessed for their impacts – including those of safety to users.

We are working with regional partner councils to develop a series of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans for West Yorkshire.

These are being developed in line with government methodology to take a long-term approach to the development of cycling and walking networks in there are, based on evidence on existing and future travel patterns and current barriers to walking and cycling.

We have recently completed a round of engagement work on their development, and below you can find the initial phase 1 plans for each partner council. 

Phase 1 of the Walking Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan can be found here: Wakefield Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan: Phase 1 (westyorks-ca.gov.uk) 

Our proposed budget and financial information is all in the public domain. Details of our proposed budget for this financial year can be found here: WYCA - Modern Gov .

Thank you for your question. To expand - we want our region to be recognised globally as a strong, successful economy where everyone can build great businesses, careers and lives. We are working to bring together local councils and businesses to achieve this vision, so that everyone in our region can benefit from economic prosperity supported by a modern, accessible transport network, housing and digital connections.

With our partner organisation, the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, we have created a long-term Strategic Economic Framework that sets out our ambitious vision for the ongoing transformation of West Yorkshire and establishes our investment and decision-making priorities for how we will achieve this. Over the course of the next decade, it will ensure that our vision for West Yorkshire becomes a reality for more and more people.  

We have five economic priorities which underpin everything that our Strategic Economic Framework aims to achieve. These are: Boosting productivity; Enabling inclusive growth; Tackling the climate emergency; Delivering 21st century transport & Securing money and powers. Read more about our Strategic Economic Framework here: Strategic Economic Framework - Combined Authority | Unlocking potential, accelerating growth (westyorks-ca.gov.uk) 

Thank you for your response. We are currently seeking views on our wider Connectivity Infrastructure Plan - more information here: Connectivity Infrastructure Plan | Your Voice (westyorks-ca.gov.uk)  The plans include a proposal for a mass-transit system – you can view the proposals here: download (westyorks-ca.gov.uk)  These proposals are a starting point around which we are seeking views and will continue to be developed.

Thank you for you question. We believe that all of our residents can contribute to, and should benefit from, economic growth. Economic growth key driver of our Connectivity Infrastructure Plan which is currently open for public engagement - more information here: Connectivity Infrastructure Plan | Your Voice (westyorks-ca.gov.uk) 

The plans include a proposed map for mass-transit including links to Huddersfield and Mirfield. Mass transit will be just one part of our integrated transport network. Our Connectivity Infrastructure Plan sets out how walking, cycling, bus, rail and mass transit will be integrated to connect all of our communities.

Thank you for your question. Tackling the climate emergency is integral to our work. The Combined Authority, the LEP and the five councils of West Yorkshire formally declared a climate emergency in July 2019 supported by a whole range of partners from across business, industry, academia and the community. To demonstrate the scale of ambition and commitment to tackling this urgent crisis, we set an ambitious target of achieving a net zero carbon West Yorkshire economy by 2038, with significant progress by 2030. We are progressing a number of programmes to decarbonise our economy. For example, we have: 

• invested £10.19m in the next phase of flood alleviation across seven projects in the Leeds City Region safeguarding 23,177 jobs and 500 businesses from flood risk; 
• installed 44 ultra-low emission vehicle charging points; 
• completed measures to improve energy efficiency in 1,041 homes, saving 37,000 tonnes of carbon saved over the lifetime of the measures - the equivalent to taking 19,000 cars off the road; 
• paid out 59 Resource Efficiency Fund grants helping save businesses nearly 2 million kWh of energy; 
• worked with 15 projects across the City Region which will result in carbon savings of 250,000 tonnes of C02 - through our Energy Accelerator programme; and
• begun a review of all our capital projects to assess their carbon impacts and determine how such impacts can be mitigated.

Thank you for your question. We have already invested £13.5m of devolution funding to significantly expand support for skills, training and job seekers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding includes £6m to be invested in our [re]boot programme to support people unemployed / at risk of redundancy to retrain with a focus on employment opportunities across West Yorkshire. And £7.5m to increase capacity in our Employment Hub which is delivered through partner local authorities and facilitates access to advice and support to help individuals access training, retraining and/ or employment. Together these programmes have already helped around 4,000 people who have been made redundant or are at risk of redundancy, to build new skills and access training or find work, over the next two years. 

We are also continuing to press the Government to support the West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Plan which has been designed to create up to 70,000 jobs in the region. More information here: Economic and Transport Recovery - Combined Authority | Unlocking potential, accelerating growth (westyorks-ca.gov.uk) .

Thank you for your question. The reference to ‘easier access to bus franchising’ is from the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal which was made into law at the end of January. Devolution will give the new Mayor, who will be elected later this year, new powers on transport including bus franchising powers to make decisions about bus services in West Yorkshire. This includes working with the Combined Authority to decide on routes, timetables and fares. The Mayor can make grants to bus service operators. The Mayor will be granted the bus franchising powers through the Bus Services Act and as a part of the devolution deal.

Thank you for your question. Enabling a strong and growing local economy is a vital part of delivering on our vision of transforming the region by unlocking its potential and developing a regional powerhouse that will create jobs and prosperity. 

To achieve this, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) have developed a Strategic Economic Plan that sets out our priorities for growth and development. We want to achieve both the right quantity and the right quality of growth; creating a strong, productive and resilient economy where a radical uplift in business competitiveness, productivity and profits goes hand in hand with access to good jobs that pay higher wages, and where all residents have access to opportunities and enjoy an improved quality of life.  

In addition, the LEP’s Growth Service, brings together public and private sector partners to promote, coordinate and deliver a wide range of business support based on local needs. Our INVEST initiative also helps to create more opportunities for businesses to develop and provide jobs, ensuring they have the tools they need to grow.

Thank you for your enquiry. 

The current funding position is that in February 2020 the West Yorkshire Combined Authority gave indicative approval to the Outline Business Case that requested a Combined Authority contribution of £3.17 million, to be funded from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund. The total project value at that approval was £3.37 million with the Canal and River Trust (CRT) meeting the £200k balance.

CRT are currently working up their Final Business Case plus costs (FBC+) which they intended to submit to the Combined Authority in December 2020. There have been delays in CRT developing their Final Business Case and CRT have confirmed more refined indicative costs which are now significantly higher than those included in the initial Outline Business Case at February 2020.

The Combined Authority has recently considered making additional funding available through its annual Transport Fund review but, unfortunately, the decision from this review was that there is currently no available funding within the Transport Fund to finance the additional amount of £3.69 million identified by CRT. The current Combined Authority allocation of £3.17 million will be retained whilst match funding is sought by CRT as they have indicated they are unable to put in the additional funds themselves.

In recent discussions CRT have indicated that they are reviewing the project scope in order to identify cost savings and are talking to industry partners to try to secure investment.

Once we receive the FBC+ we will be in a position to review the allocation of funding to this scheme through our assurance process.