West Yorkshire needs its own tram network to boost economic growth - Jessica Bowles

After cancelling the section of the HS2 to Leeds, the government’s 2021 Integrated Rail Plan dangled the offer of “a mass transit system could transform local travel in and around Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Pontefract, Huddersfield and the whole of West Yorkshire.”

However - although West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has made it her personal mission to make sure that construction on the project begins before she leaves office – central government has delivered no credible funding mechanism for the likely £2bn price tag.

Nevertheless, WYCA still hopes that construction could begin before 2030 to ensure the network is fully operational by 2040. They are right to persevere – failing to plan could result in missing out on support as and when central government shifts its position.

If we want to attract business investment and connect people to opportunity, we have to invest in our transport infrastructure.

That means getting on with building Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 to unlock much-needed capacity on our rail network. It also means investing in suburban rail and mass transit in and around cities and nearby towns, making high-quality jobs – including at new arrivals like Channel 4 and PwC in Bradford - more accessible for people across the whole of the city region.

This grows the labour market which in turn attracts businesses, and so on. These are the agglomeration forces which have made London so successful - while someone living in Brighton would think nothing commuting 50 miles to London’s Square Mile on a train, making a similar journey across the North is all too rare.

We know that intracity transport links deliver a huge return on investment. Since opening in 1992, Metrolink has transformed the entire Greater Manchester economy, driving up wages and productivity - not just the city centre but in many of the outer areas too, according to recent analysis from MetroDynamics.

The only boroughs not to have felt the same level of productivity and income growth are those in the north west of the city region which are not connected to the tram network, such as Wigan and Leigh.

It’s an important lesson. We need to ensure that no-one feels locked out and left behind by the North’s economic transformation.

Building a tram isn’t a silver bullet to solving all our entrenched inequalities but it makes a huge difference to improving social mobility and spreading economic success more evenly. This is crucial for attracting and retaining talent – a big challenge for Northern leaders.

A recent report from Atkins found that nearly half of Northern young people planned to leave for better careers elsewhere and many cited poor public transport as an obstacle to accessing opportunity. We cannot afford for our young people to miss out on the growing number of opportunities we’re now seeing in Leeds and the wider city region.

We’ve got strong local leadership, a thriving innovation network and a flourishing creative economy.

The number of foreign direct investment projects in West Yorkshire rose 85 per cent between 2012-2016 and 2017-2021. Yorkshire was one of only three regions in the country to see an increase in equity last year.

Bruntwood has invested millions in flagship developments Platform and at West Village. Having built a community of brilliant customers in Leeds’ growing tech sector who are attracted by talent, the existing business base and the way the city collaborates and innovates, we will continue to support the city’s ambitions to grow an inclusive economy.

As ever, it comes down to money and getting this done might require us to look beyond traditional funding models.

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership has recommended copying France’s example and devolving 1p of employers’ National Insurance contributions to fund local transport services and infrastructure.

This could allow West Yorkshire to borrow billions against future revenues, raising an estimated £5bn to spend over a thirty-year period, which could help fund a tram network and other public transport improvements. Ultimately, we need to take a long-term, cross-parliament view about what infrastructure is required for the next century and beyond.

Jessica Bowles is director of strategic partnerships and impact at Northern property developer Bruntwood.