Top business team set to market Bradford as a 'Producer City'

The team would spearhead the drive to market Bradford as a ‘Producer City’ – a place which excels at creating, making and trading products.

And businesses are keen to make sure the scheme delivers results, Bradford Chamber of Commerce has said.

Details of who could sit on a newly-formed Producer City Board have emerged in a Council report going before its Governance and Audit Committee on Friday.

The board would mostly be made up of the bosses of some of Bradford’s biggest firms.

Those also getting a seat at the table include Bradford Council’s leader Councillor David Green and chief executive Tony Reeves, either the president or chief executive of Bradford Chamber of Commerce and the vice-chancellor of the University of Bradford, Professor Brian Cantor.

Coun Green was remaining tight-lipped about the business leaders who were being approached.

He said: “Until they have had the chance to consider it, we don’t want their names out there.

“What the Producer City idea is about is building on the successful partnerships we have had over the years between the Council and the private sector, but taking it to the next level, using the fact that Bradford is a city and a district that still produces, both in the traditional sense and also by growing new industries.”

The Producer City drive is a three-pronged plan aimed at making Bradford the best place to run a business. It wants to create the right infrastructure, equip people with relevant skills and increase exports.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce president Paul Mackie said: “It’s a good idea that could provide Bradford with an economic identity that raises our ambition and provides a foundation for growth and jobs. It also needs to be about deliverability and accountability.

“We have agreed that the Chamber will be on the board so that we can be at the heart of the discussions to articulate a strategy that builds on our already-strong enterprise culture.”