Decision details

For Executive Board to agree that officers continue to work in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop the Leeds City Region Connectivity Strategy, to endorse establishing a Member Working Group to oversee the Strategy and the commencement of a conversation with the public.

The Director of City Development submitted a report providing a summary of the update presented to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) at November’s Transport Committee on the Leeds City Region Connectivity Strategy. The report focused upon the implications of this piece of work for the city, outlining the work undertaken to date, and the forthcoming engagement on the strategy.

Members welcomed the approach being taken in respect of the strategy.

Responding to a Member’s comment regarding the extent of the vision detailed within the submitted report and the need for that to include communities to the north, north east and north west of the city, the Board was provided with further information on the future proposals for those areas and how such proposals would look to complement and strengthen existing infrastructure. Members also received further information on the continued engagement with relevant authorities on the development of such proposals.

Also, the Board noted a request that as part of the development of the HS2 line into the city, consideration be given to those communities affected by such a significant construction, to ensure that any impact on those communities was minimised wherever possible.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the update on the work undertaken to date by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to progress the Leeds City Region Connectivity Strategy, as reported to the Combined Authority Transport Committee, be noted;

(b)  That officers be requested to continue to work in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to drive forward the Leeds City Region Connectivity Strategy in order to deliver appropriate solutions for the city;

(c)  That endorsement be given to the establishment of a Member working group to oversee the connectivity and mass transit strategy;

(d)  That the commencement of a conversation with the public and stakeholders around the role of mass transit, as a part of the solution to the economic and transport challenges facing West Yorkshire, be endorsed;

(e)  That agreement be given the Chief Officer for Highways and Transportation to update the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy and submit it for consideration to Executive Board in summer 2019.

Ongoing Transport Conversations through the Connecting Leeds portal will continue to take place.  The West Yorkshire Combined Authority are set to consult on the contents of the report in 2019.

City wide consultations