Life in Leeds City

Drivers of the most polluting vehicles could be charged up to £50 a day to enter Leeds under radical new air pollution reduction plans. The Clean Air Zone, which could be the first outside of London, will cover more than half of Leeds and will see drivers monitored through the January 2020 camera network. Lorries, buses and coaches would all be charged. The Council hopes that it will drastically reduce nitrogen dioxide levels, which contribute to approximately 29,000 UK deaths every year, according to Public Heath England. The proposal has drawn criticism from the hauliers who say it is likely to increase pollution and congestion because companies will dodge the charge by switching from lorries to vans which are not subject to the charge. In 2016, the government ordered the five local authorities to implement air quality charging schemes with Leeds on the list. Leeds Council requested £27 million from the Government's Clean Air Fund to support local companies to upg

The Green Belt Areas of Leeds for potential future housing development shall be fully protected following the initial view of government planning inspectors. The Site Allocation Plan for Leeds, which identifies new housing locations to meet the city's future needs, was considered in a public examination that took place earlier this summer. As part of the plan, Leeds City Council proposed development protection for 33 green belt sites previously identified as potential locations for 6,450 future homes. This proposal reflected the council 's desire to protect the green belt as much as possible as part of its commitment to reduce the overall urban housing targets based on the latest local evidence. The two independent government-appointed inspectors have today states interim views on the plan which support the council’s approach regarding green belt protection. The Site Allocations Plan establishes locations for up to 66,000 new homes in Leeds by 2028, as defined in the 2014 cor

In his conference of the his party on Wednesday, Jeremy Corbyn unveiled plans to kick-start a green 'Arbeitsplätze' Revolution. But one flaw in any low-carbon industry plan to ‘create jobs' is that many parts of it tend to be capital intensive and does not require people. In Labour's modelling, they pledge to spend £12.8 billion on the home insulation programme, which they say would create approximately 160,000 jobs. This would lead to a £80,000 grant per job created. Moreover, the creation of state-funded jobs can carry enormous costs, although it also has many opportunities. The money required for this programme would have to come from somewhere. If government borrowed to finance the programme, it would risk crowding out private investment. If it decided to fund the programme itself, an increase in taxation of industries and jobs would be required which, in turn, leaves less money for employers and consumers. The Spanish subsidy model, which many

Leeds has been voted as one of the best cities in the UK for its forward-thinking on how to reduce road congestion. For those who are stuck forever in the morning rush this may seem to come as a surprise, but Leeds has been recognised for its 'creativity' in reducing road congestion. Leeds City Council faced competition from more than 75 other UK cities in the Roads for the Future Competition with its suggestion that driver-less vehicles can be integrated into existing road networks of the UK. The Council looked at how cars of the future could communicate with each other to improve traffic light sequences and, in turn, enable better traffic flow through the city. Although 81 entries were submitted from across the UK, but only five cities - including Leeds - suggestions made a shortlist. Judges were so impressed with Leeds City Council that it was awarded a share of £25,000 of the £50,000 prize fund to invest in the scheme. Sir John Armitt, Chairman of the Natio

Leeds has further strengthened its ability to trade with China through a series of agreements to stimulate trade with the port city of Qingdao, which has a GDP of one trillion yuan. This cam from a week long trade and investment mission to China, which included visits to Leeds Twin cities Hangzhou and Hong Kong. During the visit, the delegation signed two Memorandum of Understandings with partners in the city to help and encourage businesses from the UK from cities outside of London. The first of these two agreements was signed with the China-Britain Industry Innovation Park. The park, which opened in November 2017, aims to enhance bilateral cooperation and export opportunities between the two nations. A second Memorandum of Understandings was signed with the China International Trade Promotion Council to increase Trade opportunities between Qingdao and Leeds City through a co-ordinated activity.  In Leeds, it is crucial for businesses to effectively position thei

Since 1990, there has been a rapid increase in the number of passenger and freight that are transported via rail in the UK and the increased demands for greater reliability and efficiency have led to renaissance of the UK's rail industry. High profile projects such as Crossrail and HS2 clearly show that rail has a future in the UK. As momentum builds around the investment in HS2 and upgrades to UK rail stock, the Leeds City Region sends a compelling message to rail infrastructure. Innotrans is the world's largest railway industry exhibition attracting 3,000 exhibitors and 140,000 delegates over four days. The Leeds City Region is central to the UK's high-speed rail industry. Leeds was chosen as a location for the HS2 Eastern Rail Supply Depot and is a destination for HS2 passenger services. As the UK updates its rail network and rolling stock fleet, the amount of investment in rail, together with HS2, exceeds that of any other European country. The chance to a