Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe has urged Chancellor Philip Hammond to deliver “a fair deal for the Bradford district” in his Autumn Budget on Wednesday.

Councillor Hinchcliffe said: “It’s time for a radical change of direction because people in Bradford deserve the same opportunities and investment as people anywhere else in the country.”

She said he could address the north-south divide by investing in Bradford’s communities, public services, social care, ease demand pressures on the NHS and provide capital resources to support local investments which “can deliver huge returns” and unlock economic growth, for example in enterprise zones, high-speed rail, regeneration projects, skills and employment.

She added: “Bradford is globally connected, we are among the UK’s top exporters. We are home to over half a million people and we are the youngest city in the UK with a quarter of residents aged under 16 and they are the future of the northern powerhouse.

"We have 17,000 businesses and a £9.5 billion economy. We have high business start-up rates, which reflects a tradition of industry and entrepreneurialism. Bradford can be a great asset to a post-Brexit Britain.

"The Council is working with businesses, communities and partners to attract more investment, improve infrastructure, connect more people to the economy, lead the resurgence of our city centre and support the growth of our manufacturing, digital and health and care sectors. Collectively we are working hard to promote Bradford as a place of choice in which to live, work, study, invest and to visit.

"We’ve been ambitious in the plans we’ve submitted to him but at the same time they are perfectly achievable proposals which will deliver a clear return on investment for the public purse. This week’s Budget gives the Chancellor his opportunity to address the north-south divide by investing in our communities and public services which have been hammered so hard by his government’s austerity programme."