A GROUP set up to boost the economy of West Yorkshire says it tries to spread out investment rather than focus all its efforts on Leeds.

The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership held its annual meeting yesterday - albeit online due to Covid 19 restrictions.

During a section where members were asked questions sent in by the public, a common criticism of the partnership - that it focuses too much on Leeds, was raised during one questions.

It read: "Please explain how city region growth is helped by the hoovering up of jobs to be moved to Leeds, such as the HMRC offices, rather than investing in areas like Shipley."

The question was referring to plans to close a number of HMRC offices in Yorkshire and move staff to a "regional hub" in Leeds city centre.

The plans, which include the closure of the Shipley office, were announced in 2017. It would mean hundreds of jobs are moved out of the town, and caused widespread anger in Shipley.

Originally the plan was to close the Bradford city centre offices at Centenary Court, but earlier this year the Government announced a U turn on that closure. Those offices will now remain open until at least 2027.

Shock and joy at HMRC Bradford office U-turn

The Shipley office was due to shut in December, but that has since been put back to March 2021.

In response to the public question, members pointed out that it was the Government who made the decision to close the Shipley offices - not the LEP.

Andrew Wright, Chair of the Business Innovation & Growth Panel, said the LEP had the job of making sure the region was as attractive as possible to those looking to bring jobs to the area. He said the area was "very attractive" to employers.

He added: "There is a lot of talk Nationally of more jobs moving from London to other regions. The Leeds City Region has a very good chance to benefit from that.

"We try to make sure every opportunity is shared out across the region evenly, it isn't just about Leeds."

He said every report to the committee looks at the impact of decisions on every part of the region.

A regular criticism of the Leeds City Region Enterprise partnership is the claim there is too much focus on Leeds - right down to the organisation's name.

Roger Marsh, Chair of the LEP, said: "We want to do the very best for every place in the region."

Seemingly referring to the Government's HMRC plans, he added: "There will be situations where decisions are made other bodies that have an impact. We have to be ready to respond to those decisions."

He referred to the Getting Building Fund - a £52 million pot of Government funding for a number of "shovel ready" schemes in West Yorkshire.

This included funding for the One City Park office block development in Bradford city centre and cash to start work on an Enterprise Zone in the Parry Lane Area.

Mr Marsh said: "This funding will create jobs in Bradford, Kirklees and other areas.