A toxic combination of 15 years of low growth, and four decades of high inequality, has left Britain poorer and falling behind its peers. Productivity growth is weak and public investment is low, while wages today are no higher than they were before the financial crisis. Britain needs a new economic strategy to lift itself out of stagnation.
This national picture is also mirrored in Bradford. The city and surrounding area have built on their industrial heritage to become hubs for economic development, while the award of City of Culture reflects the city’s thriving creative industry. But the city also has high levels of deprivation, and won’t be truly thriving unless it finds ways to ensure that all its inhabitants benefit from growth and investment.
What should a new national economic strategy for Britain include? How will economic change affect the jobs we do, the places we live and the businesses we work for? And what are the prospects for cities like Bradford - and regions like West Yorkshire - in rising to these daunting but reachable challenges?
The Resolution Foundation is hosting this event, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to debate Britain’s future economic strategy, building on the analysis of The Economy 2030 Inquiry - a three-year collaboration between the Resolution Foundation and the LSE, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. We will be joined by leading experts from policy and business in the region to discuss how different areas of the UK - particularly Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region - can secure widely shared prosperity.