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Turbocharging sustainable regional growth in the North: Inside Tracy Brabin’s vision for West Yorkshire
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Event: Reset Connect 2025
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Date: 25th June 2025
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By: Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire Combined Authority
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Estimated read time: 7 to 8 minutes
Quick read summary
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin delivered a determined and practical vision for sustainable regional growth in the North.
Speaking at Reset Connect London, she set out a clear plan that links climate ambition with economic strength, placing housing, transport reform, skills and clean energy at the heart of the region’s future. Her message was that net zero is not only achievable, it is an accelerator for jobs, investment and healthier communities.
She highlighted major commitments, including a new tram system connecting Leeds and Bradford, a fully franchised bus network, large scale home retrofitting and a green economy already worth eight billion pounds.
Brabin emphasised that collaboration between northern leaders is now reshaping national energy strategy, with the North positioned to power the UK through offshore wind, hydrogen and tidal innovation. Her keynote set an unmistakably confident tone, inviting businesses and investors to be part of a region that is moving fast and thinking long term.
A moment of opportunity
Sustainable regional growth is often spoken about in abstract terms. At Reset Connect London 2025, it came to life with a very human charge through the keynote delivered by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Her message was direct, confident and grounded in a belief that the North can again power the country, this time through clean energy, green jobs and long term resilience.
Speaking with her characteristic energy, Brabin set out a plan that blends economic ambition with environmental responsibility. She framed it as a moment of opportunity shaped by urgency, driven by the climate crisis and the collective will of northern authorities to act at pace.
“Us folk from Yorkshire know how to get things done. We are not afraid of rolling up our sleeves and getting on with it.”
From the first moments on stage, she made clear that the story of West Yorkshire is not simply about adaptation but clear, confident leadership.
A region shaped by climate ambition
Brabin began by placing the climate challenge front and centre. The region’s legally binding commitment to reach net zero by 2038 is, in her words, a call for bold action rather than caution.
The transcript captures her sense of responsibility when she said, “As politicians, we sometimes get the opportunity to plant the seeds of trees under whose shade we will never sit.”
She acknowledged the global warnings that the world could breach one point five degrees of warming within three years, but refused to let the message sit in despair. Instead, she framed it as an urgent reason to act for the next generation.
West Yorkshire’s pathway to net zero is not a single programme. It is woven into housing, transport, education, business development and regional energy strategy. Rather than treating climate work as a separate policy track, Brabin emphasised that it sits at the heart of every economic decision the region now makes.
Building warm, affordable and sustainable homes
Housing was the first major pillar she explored. Her ambition is clear. Every family in West Yorkshire should live in a warm, healthy home powered by renewable energy.
She highlighted Home Energy West Yorkshire, the region’s flagship advice and retrofit service. It offers tailored guidance and low interest loans that help residents install improvements such as heat pumps and solar panels. The region has also formed a significant partnership with Homes England that could deliver forty thousand new homes by 2040, designed with environmental performance as a baseline rather than a bonus.
This work is supported by the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership, which Brabin described as central to ensuring new housing growth does not come at the expense of the climate.
Her message was simple. Sustainable homes are not an add on. They are the foundation of long term regional wellbeing.
Reforming and integrating public transport
Transport is perhaps the most transformative part of Brabin’s plan. She spoke with particular pride about the decision to franchise the bus network and bring it back into public control. This means services reflect the needs of communities rather than shareholders.
She introduced the region’s new Weaver brand, the unified identity for public transport. The ambition is for a zero emission bus fleet by the middle of the next decade, alongside simple and integrated travel across buses, trains, trams and bikes.
But the standout commitment was the long awaited tram system.
“Spades will be in the ground by 2028” she said, describing a new line that will finally connect Bradford and Leeds.
Her case for transport reform was not only about convenience. Cleaner air, healthier communities and reduced NHS costs sit at the centre of this work. She noted that Bradford’s clean air zone improved air quality for one fifth of residents in its first year, cutting GP visits for respiratory illnesses by a quarter.
For Brabin, the health gains matter just as much as the economic benefits.
A green economy built on innovation and skills
Much of the keynote focused on economic growth, but always with a consistent message. Growth must be responsible, regenerative and people centred.
Brabin explained that the region’s green technologies and services sector is already worth eight billion pounds and includes around three thousand businesses. Her local growth plan projects that the green economy could add twenty six billion pounds to the region in the years ahead.
Yet the scale of the opportunity depends on skills. That is why education is firmly tied to the net zero strategy.
She described a green innovators programme for primary schools, helping children see the types of jobs they could pursue in a sustainable economy. Her green jobs task force is mapping the region’s future labour needs, estimating seventy thousand green jobs by 2050.
“Education is our silver bullet” she said, expressing her belief that the next generation must understand both the science and the opportunities of the climate transition.
This was paired with a strong message about the role of universities, colleges and entrepreneurs. West Yorkshire’s seven universities and seven colleges offer businesses research support and access to skilled students who can help shape future products and services.
Entrepreneurs in particular were framed as essential.
“West Yorkshire is the home of the entrepreneur” she noted, urging investors, founders and innovators to anchor new climate technologies in the region.
Collaboration across the North: a new era of collective energy leadership
One of the most compelling themes of her keynote was the rise of pan northern collaboration. She highlighted Great Energy North, a new initiative where northern mayors collectively influence national energy reforms and progress major clean energy projects.
This includes everything from offshore wind in the Humber to hydrogen production in the Tees Valley to tidal power in Liverpool.
For Brabin, this is not simply collective lobbying. It is a strategic alignment that she believes can rebalance the national economy.
“The North really will power the UK just as it did in the industrial revolution.”
Her tone suggested a new confidence among northern leaders who see clean energy not as a duty but as a competitive strength.
Why Reset Connect matters to the North
Brabin closed with an invitation for the audience to attend Reset Connect North, taking place in Leeds in March 2026. She described it as a moment to showcase the region’s ambition, its natural beauty and its growing confidence as a hub for sustainable innovation.
Her remarks made clear that she sees events like Reset Connect as more than conferences. They act as catalysts, bringing businesses, investors and policy makers together to accelerate the pace of change.
“Tackling the climate crisis is a team sport” she said. “I cannot do this on my own.”
It was an honest and inclusive message that set the tone for collective action across the country.
A closing message of pride and urgency
Tracy Brabin’s keynote delivered a powerful combination of realism and optimism. She did not shy away from the scale of the climate challenge, but she treated it as an opportunity to transform the region in ways that will improve lives for decades ahead.
Her pride in West Yorkshire was evident. Her belief in collaboration across the North was resolute. And her call for businesses, innovators and communities to join the mission was unmistakable.
The keynote ended as it began, full of energy and purpose. For Brabin, this is not abstract policy. It is a moment to reshape the North’s economic future through sustainable, inclusive and forward looking growth.
She left the stage with the room feeling that the real work is already underway.
About the speaker
Tracy Brabin is the Mayor of West Yorkshire and the first woman to serve as a Metro Mayor in England.
Re elected in 2024 with more than half the vote, she leads the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and chairs the UK Mayors Network.
Before entering regional leadership she served as Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen and worked in the creative industries for more than thirty years.
As Mayor she has prioritised net zero, transport reform, affordable housing and green economic growth, positioning West Yorkshire as a leading region for innovation, sustainability and skills development.
Watch full session
Reset Connect returns in 2026 - bigger and regional!
We’re excited to announce that Reset Connect is back in 2026, with not one but two unmissable events!
Reset Connect North - the inaugural regional, green economy event, taking place 3-4 March at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Join us for two days of innovation, insight and networking focused on the region’s climate action journey.
Reset Connect London - the flagship event, returns 23-24 June 2026 at Excel London, as the centrepiece of London Climate Action Week. A huge thank you to all our visitors, sponsors, exhibitors and speakers for making last year our biggest and best yet!