West Yorkshire leaders have signed off a landmark budget of more than £1 billion, setting out a major investment programme aimed at improving public transport, boosting skills and accelerating housebuilding across the region.
Meeting with Mayor Tracy Brabin, the leaders of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield approved spending totalling more than £1.2 billion as the region prepares to take control of its first ‘integrated settlement’ from April 2026. The package includes a proposed revenue budget of £487 million alongside an ambitious capital programme worth £767 million. Leaders said the plan must deliver immediate benefits for residents and businesses while laying the foundations for longer-term, transformational change — particularly in housing and infrastructure.
Reiterating her pledge to ‘deliver, deliver, deliver’, the Mayor said the budget would give West Yorkshire greater flexibility than ever before, with more power and money placed directly in the hands of local leaders. She described the settlement as a significant milestone in the region’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 was backed unanimously by the five district leaders and is framed around three priorities: improving connectivity, strengthening skills and supporting new development. On transport, the plan promises immediate investment in services and stations, alongside new funding intended to smooth the path towards bus franchising and the development of mass transit proposals. The stated aim is to make it easier for residents and commuters to get around ‘quickly, cheaply and reliably’ — and to support economic growth by improving access to jobs and opportunities.
The skills element focuses on creating what leaders described as a ‘region of learning and creativity’, with measures designed to help working-age residents access training and employment support. The intention is to improve job prospects and progression, particularly for those who are out of work or looking to retrain, and to address skills gaps that hold back productivity.
The third strand centres on housing, with commitments to invest in new and better homes so more families can access secure, affordable and energy-efficient accommodation. Leaders said the programme would support stronger, safer communities — alongside efforts to ensure new development is linked to infrastructure such as transport connections.
Officials said the integrated settlement should help bring greater coherence to how funding is deployed across transport, skills, housing and business support, reducing the fragmentation that can come with multiple separate funding streams. The budget is being positioned as a pivot from planning into delivery, with the added certainty and flexibility expected to support longer-term investment decisions.
It is also expected that better coordination of funds will help the region maximise the impact of government investment, enabling local leaders to advance priorities in West Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan. While detailed project allocations are expected to follow through business cases and delivery plans, the political message from leaders was clear: the scale of the settlement gives West Yorkshire the capacity to move faster on long-standing priorities and to link investment decisions more directly to local needs.
For residents, the most immediate changes are likely to be seen in transport and frontline programmes, with the longer-term impact expected through new infrastructure and housing delivery. For businesses, leaders said the focus would be on improving connectivity, widening the talent pipeline and supporting development that strengthens the region’s economic offer.
The budget now sets the direction for a year of delivery as the integrated settlement begins, with regional leaders insisting the emphasis will be on tangible improvements — not further announcements www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk
