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The Knowledge: the City Ambassador Guide to Leeds

Leeds – the facts • The third largest city in the UK with a population of 751,000 in 2011 • The population is forecast to reach 840,000 by 2021 • In the geographical centre of the UK, yet only 2 hours from by train • The second largest local metropolitan authority by area extending 15 miles (24 km) from east to west, and 13 miles (21 km) from north to south • Over 65% of the Leeds district is green belt land and the city centre is less than twenty miles (32 km) from the Dales National Park which has some of the most spectacular scenery and countryside in the UK

Leeds – history The name Leeds derives from ‘Loidis’, the name given to a forest covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century. A Leeds person is known as a ‘Loiner,' a word of uncertain origin.

In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a major centre for the production and trading of wool. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a major industrial centre; wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing, and other industries were important. From being a compact market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century.

Today Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial of . It is served by three universities and has the UK’s fourth largest urban economy. After London, Leeds is the largest legal centre in the UK, and in 2011 its financial and insurance services industry was worth £2.1 billion, the 5th largest in the UK, with over 30 national and international banks located in the city. It is the leading UK city for telephone delivered banking and related financial services, with over 30 call centres employing around 20,000 people.

Visiting Leeds Leeds is a place with many visitor attractions, for example Abbey, Harewood House, Lotherton Hall, , The City Museum, Canal Gardens, The Royal Armouries and the world’s oldest working railway – Middleton Colliery Light Railway

• The tourism industry generates an estimated £1bn to the local economy supporting 19,000 full-time equivalent jobs. • In 2009 there were 1.4 million visitor trips made to the city, 84% of which were made by domestic visitors and 16% by overseas visitors. Staying visitors spent an average of 5 nights in the city • These staying visitors spent £280 million in the local economy.

1 • There were an estimated 10.9 million day visitors from the rest of the region • These day visitors generated an estimated £513 million of expenditure. • Other tourism activity accounted for approximately £38.8 million expenditure • Pre-1990 there were only 850 hotel bedrooms in Leeds. By 2013 this had increased to 4000. There are proposals for a further 2,400 bedrooms in 17 hotels, with the 206-bed Leeds Arena Hilton currently under construction

Leeds is also a base for the wider Yorkshire area — the three national parks of the Dales, the Peaks, the Moors and the heritage coast, Bronte Country and the like. Yorkshire has been listed as one of the top three places in the world to visit in the latest (2014) Lonely Planet guide, only behind destinations in India and Australia.

Leeds Visitor Centre at Leeds Art Gallery offers a wide range of services to visitors and residents including:

• Accommodation booking service • Metro, First and local transport advice, tickets and passes • Tickets for West Yorkshire Playhouse, City Varieties, Leeds Grand Theatre • Tickets for major city events • National Express, National Holidays and Kee Travel Agent • Gifts, books and souvenirs

Visit Leeds and Art Gallery Shop, Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AA Phone: 00 44 (0)113 2425242 Email: [email protected]

Getting about in Leeds Leeds is the hub of a major international airport and has excellent links by rail, bus, and car to all point of the compass. A new trolleybus system is being planned.

Roads • There are 2,965 km of roads within Leeds with easy access to M1, M621 and M62 motorways • The new East Leeds Link to M1 has opened access to employment land especially in the Aire Valley • Upgrading of A1 between Bramham and is complete • Loop provides an efficient inner circulatory route for essential traffic

Rail, Buses & Trolleybus • Leeds City station is one of the busiest in outside London, with over 900 trains and 100,000 passengers passing through every day. It provides national and international connections as well as services to local and regional destinations. The station itself has 17 platforms, making it the largest in England outside London • £245m invested at Leeds City Station in 2002, including new track, platforms and station remodelling. • Leeds is served by the electrified East Coast Main Line route.

2 • Work will start in 2014 on an additional southern entrance to Leeds City Station • Leeds will be serviced by the high speed rail link HS2, with an indicative journey time of 1 hour 22 minutes to London • is situated between the Quarry Hill and Leeds City Markets areas of Leeds city centre. It is owned and managed by Metro. There is a small bus interchange at • Bus journeys account for 21% of all morning peak journeys into Leeds City Centre • There are 3.5 km of bus guideways in Leeds • The Leeds City Bus runs in a circle, linking key nodes in the city centre, serving the bus, coach and railway stations, the town hall, Leeds General Infirmary plus the nearby dental and maternity hospitals, the two main universities in the city, and Leeds Metropolitan University, plus the many shops and markets in the city • The Leeds City Bus has carried over 6 m passengers since 2006 • A modern trolleybus network for Leeds is planned with an initial route from a park and ride at Stourton in the south of the city to in the north via , New Dock, the City Centre and • The Leeds trolleybus plans have £174m funding contribution from the Department for Transport for the £250m scheme

Air Leeds International Airport is located in Yeadon, about 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of the city centre, and has both charter and scheduled flights to destinations within Europe plus Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Turkey and the USA. There are connections to the rest of the world via London Heathrow Airport, Brussels Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

• Leeds Bradford International, currently has 3m passengers per year. This is predicted to rise to 8m by 2026 • BMI, Jet2, Ryanair, Flybe, Eastern Airways, Easyjet,KLM cityhopper, and Airsouthwest operate services • 2,200 jobs created directly by the airport, with new developments creating a further 2,000 jobs

There is a direct rail service from Leeds to Manchester Airport. Humberside Airport is 70 miles (113 km) east of Leeds.

Parking There are many car parks serving Leeds City Centre – these are the main ones • Boar Lane - The Bourse South Side (24 hrs) • Former International Pool - Westgate (24 hrs) • Leeds Station - Long Stay MSCP (24 hrs) • Leeds Station Riverside - Aire Street (24 hrs) • Merrion Centre - Merrion Way (24 hrs) • Rose Bowl - Portland Crescent (underground section closes at 23.00 hours) • The Core - Albion Street (closes at 24.00) • Sovereign Street • St Johns Centre - Merrion Street (24 hrs)

3 • Swinegate Car Park (24 hrs) • Templar Street & Edward Street Car Park (24 hrs) • The Light - St Anne's Street (24 hrs) • Wellington Place (24 hrs) • (24 hrs) • Westgate - Castle Street (24 hrs) • Woodhouse Lane (24 hrs)

Taxis The main taxi ranks in the City Centre are at • Calverley Street (LGI) • City Square (Loch Fyne) • Street (opposite Walkabout) • Duncan Street • First Direct Arena • Greek Street • Leeds City Station • Merrion Street (Santander) • New Briggate (Grand Theatre) • The Headrow – Dortmund Square, The Light, Primark • Vicar Lane (Victoria Quarter) • Wade Lane (Fairfax House) • Woodhouse Lane (Oceana)

How to get a taxi/private hire Hackney Carriages in Leeds are mainly white with a black bonnet and boot (oval stickers on the doors) or with a full body advertising wrap. They will have an illuminated ‘Taxi’ sign fitted to the roof. These can be caught at a rank and all fares should be metered. They can also be flagged down in the street if their roof light is illuminated.

Private Hire vehicles in Leeds can be any colour or type of saloon or people carrier and have red stickers on the doors and a red rear plate. These must be pre booked in advance through the private hire operator base. They cannot be flagged down in the street or sit on Hackney Carriage ranks. If a journey taken that is not booked in advance their insurance will be automatically invalidated. There is no designated pick up point for Private Hire vehicles and should only be booked through a licensed Private Hire operator.

Culture in Leeds Leeds is a place to take part in cultural activities such as Theatre, Opera, Dance, Music, Art, or to study history.

Media • Leeds was where the first known moving pictures in the world were filmed, taken in the city in 1888 by Louis Le Prince and this fact is commemorated on a blue plaque on Leeds Bridge.

4 • Regional television and radio stations have bases in the city; BBC Television and ITV both have regional studios and broadcasting centres in Leeds. ITV Yorkshire, formerly Yorkshire Television, broadcasts from the Leeds Studios on Kirkstall Road. • BBC Radio Leeds, , Magic 828, Yorkshire, HEART and Yorkshire Radio broadcast from the city • Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd, owned by plc, is based in the city, and produces a daily morning , the Yorkshire Post, and an evening paper, the Yorkshire Evening Post (YEP) • The most famous TV programme regularly filmed in Leeds is which is filmed on a closed set on the Harewood Estate • Made in Leeds is the new local television station to launch across the city in 2014

Attractions For comprehensive information on all Leeds attractions visit the following: Visit Leeds, Leeds Welcome and Leeds Inspired

Music, theatre and dance • Leeds is the only city outside London to boast its own Opera Company (Opera North) and two national dance companies; Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance. • Leeds is home to the Grand Theatre where Opera North is based, this establishment seats 1,500 people and has recently undergone a £31.5m refurbishment. 46 New Briggate, LS1 6NU • The City Varieties Music Hall, which hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini and was also the venue of the BBC television programme The Good Old Days. The City Varieties is the oldest working music hall in the country! Swan Street, LS1 6LW • The West Yorkshire Playhouse, the largest producing theatre outside London and Stratford. The theatre produces a wide range of classic, contemporary and family shows throughout the year. Playhouse Square, LS2 7UP • Leeds is also home to Phoenix Dance Theatre, who were formed in the area of the city in 1981, and Northern Ballet Theatre. In autumn 2010 the two companies moved into a purpose-built dance centre which is the largest space for dance outside of London. Quarry Hill, LS2 7PA • The First Direct Arena opened in September 2013. The 13,500 seater stadium is rapidly becoming the city's number one venue for live music, indoor sports and many other events • Concerts are also held at the O2 Academy, , which has hosted groups such as Queen and Kaiser Chiefs, among others and at the universities. Park in north Leeds has seen some of the world's biggest artists including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams. • The iconic Town Hall ‘has some of the finest acoustics in country’ There is a varied calendar of events happening throughout the year including concerts, film screenings, stand-up comedians, educational events and more • The Carriageworks Theatre - showcases the best new national and regional performances based on Millennium Square • The Cottage Road Cinema is the oldest cinema in Leeds and one of the oldest cinemas in the UK in that it has been continuously showing films since 1912

5 • Hyde Park Cinema Is a Grade II listed building, the Hyde Park still boasts many original features including gas lighting and a decorated Edwardian balcony. The cinema has a piano and organ. It is the only gas lit cinema remaining in use in the UK. The ornate gas lamp outside the entrance is also Grade II listed.

Carnivals and festivals • Leeds Carnival is Western Europe's oldest West Indian Carnival, and the UK's second largest after Notting Hill Carnival. It attracts around 100,000 people over 3 days to the streets of Chapeltown and Harehills. • Leeds Festival is an annual rock concert held over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, twinned with the Reading Festival and sees major British and international acts perform at the site at Braham Park • Light Night Leeds takes place each October, and many venues in the city are open to the public for Heritage Open Days in September • Leeds Food and Drink Festival is held in May and June culminating in the annual three day Yorkshire Food and Drink Show in Millennium Square during the festival's final weekend • Leeds Christkindelmarkt (German Market) is held each year in November and December just before Christmas. Millennium Square is transformed into a scenic winter village, with over 40 traditional wooden chalet stalls decorated with festive greenery and twinkling colourful lights. • The Ice Cube, Yorkshire's coolest wintertime attraction is a real outdoor ice rink with accessible skating for all in Millennium Square in January and February each year • Leeds Valentines Fair held at Elland Road each year and the UK's largest Valentines event • The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, established in 1963 by Dame Fanny Waterman and , has been held in the city every three years since 1963 and has launched the careers of many major concert pianists. • The Leeds International Concert Season, which includes orchestral and choral concerts in and other events, is the largest local authority music programme in the UK • The Leeds International Film Festival is the largest film festival in England outside London. It incorporates the highly successful Leeds Young People's Film Festival • There are many local festivals — for example host to the fortnight long festival, Arts Festival is a week-long event. Kirkstall Festival, Beeston and Carnivals are also long established and very popular. Folk Festival takes place every September and Morley Literature Festival in October each year.

Nightlife • Leeds has one of the largest student populations in the country (over 250,000), and is therefore one of the UK's hotspots for night-life. There are a large number of pubs, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, as well as a multitude of venues for live music including Control NightClub. The biggest purpose built, multi-million pound event space in the north of England. Control features 2 arenas across 25,000 square feet with a capacity of 3000 people. 24 hour venue license, 7 bars, the Worlds first LED Geodome®

6 • Towards Millennium Square and the Civic or Northern Quarter, is a growing entertainment district providing for both students and weekend visitors. The square has many bars and restaurants and a large outdoor screen mounted on the side of the Civic Theatre. • Millennium Square is a venue for large seasonal events such as a Christmas market, gigs and concerts, citywide parties and the Rhythms of the City Festival. It is home to Mandela Gardens, which were opened by Nelson Mandela in 2001 • The new £23m City Museum opened September 2008 in the former Civic Theatre on Millennium Square. • Leeds has been chosen as one of the world's top destinations in 2014 by the New York Times - because of its beer and real ale pubs. Too numerous to mention but those that stand out in the City Centre include the Adelphi, Whitelocks, The Ship, Victoria, Turks Head Yard, The Grove, Duck and Drake, and The Templar. In the rest of the city are pubs like The Regent, the Chemic, the Rodley Barge, Garden Gate, and the oldest pub in the city, The Bingley Arms in Bardsey - dating from 953 AD.

Recent developments • The Tetley: a new centre for contemporary art and learning located in the stunning art deco headquarters of the former Tetley Brewery in central Leeds. • The £12m Northern Ballet Theatre Company headquarters has been opened in Quarry Hill • A £33m Grand Theatre transformation has been completed and Howard Assembly Rooms completed. • The Leeds First Direct Arena, with capacity for 13,500 people and costing £60m opened 2013.

Business Leeds Leeds is home to a range of manufacturing, services, creative industry, technology, finance, law, distribution companies:

• The regional capital of • The largest employment centre with 462,600 people working in Leeds in 2013 and the city expected to provide another 44,000 before 2023 • The regional centre for finance and business services • The region's main centre for knowledge-based industries • In 2012 the total economy was worth £18.8bn, growing by 39% in the last decade.

Jobs • In terms of employment structure, Leeds is the most diverse of any major GB city — the city is not dependent on a limited number of companies or sectors • In 2012 there were 25,100 active businesses — second only to • Over 194,000 people work in knowledge intensive activities, second only to Birmingham • Largest employer outside London for finance & business services — accounting for 29% of employee jobs.

7 • 8,000 people are employed in legal services • Call centres in Leeds employ around 20,000 people • Leeds is a major creative industries centre with 36,500 people — the largest centre outside London • It is the second largest employer outside London for manufacturing - 28,900 people of which 10,900 people in engineering , 4,600 people in printing and publishing • The service sector employs 341,600 people — 86% of total employees • 106,000 people work in the public sector — 27% of total employment • Leeds has over 30 national and international banks, many of whose northern or regional offices are based in the city. It is the headquarters for First Direct and is home to Yorkshire Bank and large Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS Group operations. • The city is also an important centre for equity, venture and risk finance. Founded in Leeds, the venture capital provider, YFM Equity Partners, is now the UK’s largest provider of risk capital to small and medium sized enterprises. • Other major companies based in the city include William Hill, International Personal Finance, ASDA, Leeds Building Society and Northern Foods. Capita Group, KPMG, o2, Direct Line, Aviva, Yorkshire Building Society, BT Group and TD Waterhouse all also have a considerable presence in the city.

Employment • Around 2m people live within 30 minutes driving time of Leeds City Centre • In September 2013 the claimant proportion at 4.3% was the 3rd lowest, while the unemployment rate at 9.5% was the 4th lowest of the 14 largest centres in the country. • 18% of Leeds households were workless — equal lowest of the 14 largest centres.

Learning in Leeds Leeds as a great place to learn — examples are The University of Leeds, , Leeds Trinity, Leeds City College, Leeds College of Music, Leeds College of Art and Design, Leeds College of Building.

• Combined totals of learners give Leeds one of the largest student populations in the country with over 250,000 further and higher education students • Leeds was voted the Best UK University Destination by a survey in The Independent newspaper

Further Education • Leeds is the 2nd largest provider of post 16 education for young people in England • There are five Further Education Colleges, with over 50,000 students. Further education in Leeds is provided by Leeds City College (formed by a merger in 2009 and having over 60,000 students), Leeds College of Building and Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College.

8 Higher Education • The city has three universities: the University of Leeds – which received its charter in 1904 having developed from the Yorkshire College which was founded in 1874 and the Leeds School of Medicine of 1831; Leeds Beckett University (formerly Leeds Metropolitan University) which became a university in 1992 but can trace its roots to the Mechanics' Institute of 1824; and which began in 1966 as two teacher training colleges which merged in 1980 to form Trinity and All Saints College and became a university in 2012.

University of Leeds • Ranked among the world’s top 100 universities • It is the city's third largest employer and contributes some £860m to the local economy • Has 6,950 staff and over 32,500 students from 130 countries • More than 61% of its research is rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ • For the 2012 graduates, 69% were in employment and 17% in further training months after graduation.

Leeds Beckett University • Has over 28,500 students • One of the largest providers of foundation degrees in the country • For those graduating in 2012, 82% were in employment and 10% in further study.

Leeds Trinity University • Independent higher education institution with just under 3,500 students • 93% of the 2011 graduates were in work or further studies.

Sports Leeds Leeds is a great place to watch/play/train/learn sports. The city has teams representing all the major national sports. Leeds United is the city's main football club and (Rugby League), Leeds Carnegie () and Yorkshire County Cricket Club is also based in the city.

Leeds United was formed in 1919 and plays football at the 40,000 capacity Elland Road stadium in Beeston. The team plays in The Championship but has enjoyed success at the highest level in the past, notably during the 1960s and 1970s when it won two Football League titles, an FA Cup, a Football League Cup and an Inter- Cities Fairs Cup.

Leeds Rhinos are the most successful rugby league team in Leeds. In 2009 they became first club to be Super League champions three seasons running, giving them their fourth Super League title. They play their home games at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium. Hunslet Hawks, based at the John Charles Centre for Sport play in Co-Operative Championship One. and Leeds Akkies are members of the Rugby League Conference.

9 Leeds Carnegie, formerly known as , are the foremost rugby union team in Leeds and they play at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. They play in the RFU Championship having been relegated from The Guinness Premiership at the end of the 2010–11 season. Otley R.U.F.C. are a rugby union club based to the north of the city and compete in National League 2 North, whilst Morley R.F.C., located in Morley currently play in National Division Three North.

Leeds is also home to Yorkshire County Cricket Club which is the most successful cricket team in English Domestic Cricket, with over 31 County Championship wins. It is also one of the most popular cricket team in England and plays at Headingley stadium. The stadium is widely used for international cricket also.

Leeds United L.F.C is the best-placed women's football team in Leeds, competing at the highest level in England, the FA Women's Premier League National Division. Leeds City Athletic Club competes in the British Athletics League and UK Women's League as well as the Northern Athletics League. The Swimming Club train at the John Charles Centre for Sport and are represented by swimmers throughout the whole of the North East.

Shopping in Leeds Leeds is a major centre for leisure shopping — of particular note are Trinity Leeds, Victoria Quarter, Corn Exchange, Arcades, Harvey Nichols, Kirkgate Market in the city centre and the White Rose out of town centre:

• Leeds has 5 miles of shopping with 1000 shops • 10,000 people work in retailing, with another 7,200 in bars and hotels • Leeds is the UK's fifth largest shopping location by retail floorspace • Around 3.2 million people live within its catchment area.

City Centre • There are a number of indoor shopping centres in the centre of the city, including the Merrion Centre, St John's Centre, The Core, the Victoria Quarter, The Light, the Corn Exchange and Trinity Leeds • The 1904 hall of Leeds Kirkgate Market is the largest covered market in Europe. The city centre has a large pedestrian zone. Briggate is the main shopping street where one can find many well-known British High street stores, including Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, Debenhams, Topshop, Costa Coffee and Harvey Nichols. There is also a large international presence in Leeds with stores such as H&M, Zara, Gap, American Apparel, Hollister, Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker, L'Occitane en Provence, McDonald's and Starbucks • The Victoria Quarter is notable for its high-end luxury retailers and impressive architecture. 70 stores such as Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Diesel and anchor Harvey Nichols • On 21 March 2013, Trinity Leeds opened in the city centre. The modern and interactive retail space covers the old Burton Arcades and the former Leeds Shopping Plaza with its main entrance from Briggate. The 1m sq ft centre contains approximately 120 internationally recognised retail and leisure units, including; Cult, Hollister, Mango, Topshop, Topman, Apple, H&M, Next, River

10 Island, Lego Store and Victoria's Secret and will catapult Leeds to 4th place in the UK retail rankings • The first phase of the new Victoria Gate centre, with John Lewis as the flagship store is now on site.

Out of Town In the Churwell area of Leeds is the White Rose Shopping Centre. Opening in 1997, the 680,000 sq ft (63,000 sqm) centre has over 100 high street stores anchored by Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Primark and Sainsbury's.

Public Services in Leeds Leeds has extensive and effective Public Services including West Yorkshire Police, , HMP Leeds prison, over 130 schools, and six hospitals.

108,000 people work in the public sector in Leeds – 24% of the workforce. The largest employers are Leeds City Council, with 33,000 staff, and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with 14,000 staff.

Leeds has become a hub of public-sector health bodies. The Department of Health, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, the Health and Social Care Information Centre, and Public Health England all have large offices in Leeds. Europe's largest teaching hospital is also based in Leeds, and is home to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre, the largest of its kind in Europe.

Key government departments and organisations in Leeds include the Department for Work and Pensions, with over 3,000 staff, the Department of Health, with over 800 staff, HMRC with over 1,200 staff and the British Library with 1,100 staff.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is an NHS hospital trust in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The Trust was formed in April 1998 after the merger of two previous smaller NHS trusts to form one city-wide organisation. The former trusts were United Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (based at Leeds General Infirmary) and St James's and University Hospitals NHS Trust (based at St James's University Hospital). It provides services for the population of Leeds and surrounding areas, and is a regional centre for a range of services including cancer, neurosurgery, heart surgery, liver and kidney transplantation. It is the largest NHS trust in the United Kingdom and employs over 14,000 staff on six main sites. It runs six hospitals:

• Chapel Allerton Hospital • Leeds Dental Institute • Leeds General Infirmary (with A&E) • St James's University Hospital (with A&E) • Seacroft Hospital • Wharfedale Hospital

West Yorkshire Police force has (since late 2013) one combined division covering Leeds with stations at , Stainbeck near Chapel Allerton, Killingbeck,

11 Millgarth, and . The new Leeds District Headquarters at Elland Road opened its doors 11 April 2014.

The fire stations in Leeds are: Cookridge, , Hunslet, Stanks, Moortown, and the "Leeds" fire station near city centre, on Kirkstall Road.

Community Safety Leeds is a very safe City to enjoy. The City Centre has an excellent CCTV system links in with a multitude of uniform partners across the City Centre through our own radio and computer links. All will help and assist City Ambassadors if you need anything. They support the Inner and Outer City Centre during both the day time and night time economy.

There are very few rough sleepers in Leeds City Centre - currently (May 2014) around 6 although we do have individuals who travel into the City Centre just to beg to simply earn more money. Housing will be provided to any homeless individual and the City runs the “No Second Night Out” Project. We recommend contributing to charities such as St Georges Crypt, CRI, and St Annes who help provide a long term solution, meals and accommodation.

Violent crime across the City has reduced year on year by 10%. To support this people are not allowed to drink alcohol out on the street. We have a very safe waterfront area but care needs to be taken if walking close to the water particularly when it is dark and after drinking. An ambulance triage unit works during a Friday and Saturday night on Briggate to deal with minor accidents and emergencies.

Like any large City Centre we have individuals who will try to steal property if it is unattended. We ask people to ensure that they do not leave mobile phone, laptop, and purses vulnerable and bags unzipped to avoid somebody stealing property. If walking from a car park we ask people not leave valuables on display or leave satnav’s in their car.

Leeds City Region The Leeds City Region Partnership has secured a ground breaking deal which will allow the 11 local authorities that make up the City Region to have a much bigger say in decisions on investment and skills. They will be able to take decisions more quickly in line with local priorities and coordinate funds directly. The deal features a number of initiatives to support growth, including:

• The creation of the country’s first apprenticeship academy in Leeds • £1bn local fund for investment in public transport and highways • A further £400m fund to modernise infrastructure across the region • Initiatives to increase overseas trade and inward investment activity.

12 Leeds - Plans for the future • Leeds’ vision is to become the best city in the UK by 2030. It will be fair, open and welcoming with an economy that is both prosperous and sustainable and all our communities will be successful. A successful economy is central to the delivery of this vision. With the recent government announcement of the local retention of business rates, a growing economy will become the generator of income to invest in infrastructure and help pay to strengthen and sustain local services. • The City is also just as concerned with making sure that growth translates into real benefits for people, improving their quality of life whatever their age and background. So the strategy also reflects some of the social and cultural aspects of growth and recognises the substantial contribution to be made by the third sector to the health and vitality of the economy. • Key future investments affecting the city will be the second phase of High Speed 2 plans to connect Leeds to London via East Hub and the modern trolleybus network for Leeds is currently in the planning stages with an initial route from a park and ride at Stourton in the south of the city to Holt Park in the North via Hunslet, New Dock, the city centre and Headingley.

Further information • The Leeds Growth Strategy (2011) • The Agenda (2008) • Economic data • Creative industries report

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