West Yorkshire leaders have approved a landmark budget of over a billion pounds to boost growth through delivering a better-connected, better-skilled and better-built region.

As the region prepares to take control of its first-ever ‘integrated settlement’ from April, the leaders of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield have today met with Mayor Tracy Brabin to sign-off on over £1,200,000,000 of spending.

Reiterating her pledge to “deliver, deliver, deliver”, Mayor Brabin said the budget would give the region greater flexibility than ever before, with power and money put directly into the hands of local leaders. This is a huge step forward in West Yorkshire’s devolution journey.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“This historic budget is all about three things – delivery, delivery, and delivery.

“By investing in the high‑quality homes people want, the skills and employment support people need, and the quick and reliable transport links people deserve, we will transform the economy and society of West Yorkshire for generations to come. 

“For our communities, this will mean better buses, the next steps towards mass transit, warmer and more affordable homes, and faster and simpler routes into good jobs.

“This is how we’ll boost business growth and put more money in people’s pockets.”

The budget, which received unanimous support from all five corners of West Yorkshire, focuses on delivering economic growth and prosperity through:

• Building a better-connected West Yorkshire, with immediate investment in transport services and stations alongside new funding to smooth the path to bus franchising and mass transit, so that residents and commuters can get around quickly, cheaply and reliably
  
• Creating a region of learning and creativity, so that every working-age resident can get the skills and the employment support they need to secure a well-paid job, put food on the table, and lead a happy and fulfilling life
  
• Investing in new and better housing so that more families can have a secure, affordable and energy-efficient roof over their head, and live in a safe and vibrant community which they can be proud to call home

Discussing the proposed revenue budget of £487 million, alongside an ambitious programme of capital investment worth £767 million, leaders agreed on the need to deliver immediate benefits for communities and businesses, while also laying the groundwork for transformational changes to the region’s housing and infrastructure.

The budget promises to usher West Yorkshire from a period of planning to an era of delivery, taking advantage of the certainty and the flexibility afforded by the integrated settlement to better align investment across transport, skills, housing and support for businesses.

It is expected that this new coordination of funds will enable the region to maximise the benefits of the investment it receives from the government, empowering local leaders to deliver on the region’s ambitious Local Growth Plan.

According to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Revenue Budget and Capital Programme for 2026-2027, transport remains the backbone of Combined Authority investment. The transport revenue budget of £251 million over the next financial year will fund concessionary travel, tendered bus services and the Mayor’s Fares scheme to keep fares low, alongside the transition to bus franchising and the operation of stations and interchanges.

To support this, the transport levy on the five districts is set to rise by 2% to £99.9 million, with no general Mayoral precept proposed for a second-term running, to keep costs as low as possible for working families.

One‑off use of the £13.5 million of Combined Authority reserves will help to manage the costs of managing and maintaining the transport network in the final year of the transition to bus franchising, with future detailed models set to be finalised ahead of phase one going live in Leeds and Kirklees from April 2027.

The programme of capital spending will see investments of £326 million through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), £126 million through the West Yorkshire Transport Fund, and £125 million through the Transforming Cities Fund. Collectively, this investment will drive major improvements to bus, rail and active travel links, and prepare the physical assets needed for a fully-franchised bus network.

(Picture: West Midlands Combined Authority)