About Us

We work across West Yorkshire to develop and deliver policies, programmes and services which directly benefit the people of West Yorkshire.

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The Mayor of West Yorkshire

On 2 May 2024, Tracy Brabin was re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire after a first term which began in 2021. The Mayor represents 2.4 million people across the region and is supported by an appointed Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE.

As the Chair of the Combined Authority, the Mayor works with the five Leaders of the West Yorkshire Local Authorities to deliver their policies to help make West Yorkshire even better.

The Mayor is a strong champion for the region, making sure that the voice of the people of West Yorkshire is heard in Westminster. This makes West Yorkshire better able to influence Government policy on key matters such as the future of transport infrastructure and how to level up our communities..

Read Tracy Brabin's Mayoral pledges for West Yorkshire.

Corporate Plan 2024-25

Read our Corporate Plan in full including our achievements, goals, finances, and people and partnerships.

Read our latest Corporate Plan

The Combined Authority

Our work is led by the Combined Authority, chaired by our Mayor, and supported by the thematic committees of the Combined Authority which focus on achieving our corporate objectives.

Membership of the Combined Authority is made up of the Mayor and democratically elected councillors from our West Yorkshire partner councils of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, and a non-voting member representing the City of York Council.

The Mayor’s Business Board brings together local business and community leaders with expertise across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, professional services, and the arts to champion the regional economy.

Our Values

  • Championing our region Championing our region
  • Working intelligently Working intelligently
  • Positive about change Positive about change
  • Easy to do business with Easy to do business with
  • Working together Working together

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a West Yorkshire that is prosperous, well connected, safe, inclusive and a hotbed of creativity and sustainability.

This vision means we need to:

• Prioritise initiatives which drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth and prosperity.
• Promote innovation, internally and across the region.
• Give focus to tackling the climate and environment emergency – through every initiative.
• Drive towards an efficient, world class transport system.
• Continue our focus on delivering world class policing and enhanced community safety.
• Provide a consistent and unified ‘voice of the region’, enabling West Yorkshire and the Mayor to proactively influence in government.

Our Mission

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority brings together the local authorities of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. Working in partnership, we develop and deliver policies, programmes and services which directly benefit the people of West Yorkshire.

We will achieve our mission by:
• Working in partnership with the Local Authorities, West Yorkshire Police, business and our network of suppliers and partners.
• Knowing and understanding our customers, communities and places.
• Putting ‘outcomes for West Yorkshire’ at the heart of everything we do.
• Prioritising our work based on what’s best for the collective whole.
• Using data to make sure our projects and programmes impact the things that matter.

Our vision, mission and strapline are being evolved year on year.

 

Policing and Crime

When the Mayor was elected in May 2021, she took on the functions previously exercised by the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Mayor does not run the police but is the voice of the people, sets strategic direction, and holds the Chief Constable to account. This helps to make the police answerable to the communities they serve and to provide stronger and more transparent accountability.

The Mayor and the police work in partnership with a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime. Other functions of the Mayor include commissioning services to support those harmed by crime and reduce reoffending, consulting the public to ensure that their views and priorities are taken into account, and strengthening links across the criminal justice system to support community safety and cohesion.

The Mayor has appointed Alison Lowe OBE as Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC). She is working with the Mayor to oversee policing in the region, on behalf of the public.

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How are we governed?

Our work is led by Combined Authority members. 

In the addition the Mayor, the Combined Authority’s membership is made up of democratically elected councillors from our West Yorkshire partner councils of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, plus York. 

The West Yorkshire Business Board brings together business and council leaders to ensure that we deliver services and investment across the region and supports businesses to grow.   

To ensure transparency, all our decisions are approved at public meetings of the Combined Authority that you can attend or watch online via our webcasting service. You can also take a look at the reports and minutes from all our meetings. 

In this section

  1. Devolution

    Through partnership we are determined to unleash our region’s full potential and in doing so raise living standards for our communities while making a full contribution to the UK economy.

  4. Pay Gap

    Information about West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s gender pay gap and ethnicity pay gap, and the measures we are taking to deliver on our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

  5. Get involved

    We are committed to making our democratic processes as open and transparent as possible and making it easier for people living across West Yorkshire to see how decisions that affect them are made and have their say.

  6. Governance and transparency

    West Yorkshire Combined Authority is committed to upholding the highest standards of governance and conducting its activities with the principles of openness and transparency.

  7. Our partners

    The Combined Authority’s membership is made up of democratically elected councillors from our six West Yorkshire partner councils. We also work with five other nearby councils and districts that are known collectively as Leeds City Region.

Devolution

In March 2020, our region's leaders signed the landmark West Yorkshire devolution deal with government: the largest ever of its kind. Find out about the agreement and how it will enable us to unleash our region’s full potential.

Read more about devolution